Posted on in 2013 Posts

You’re Never Too Old To Hear God’s Call…

Pastor Roy with my daughter, Jamie, and grandkids.
Pastor Roy with my daughter, Jamie, and grandkids.

I had a lady tell me the other day that since she’s getting older in life, she just doesn’t feel as useful as she used to feel in her younger days.  She said earlier in life she used to volunteer at the church and other organizations and it gave her a sense of worth.  Now, with an aching back and not being able to stand for a long period of time, she just can’t find as much to do to give of her time and talents.

I can feel her frustration as at times even in my 50’s I get to feeling old and used up.  I can only imagine when I get to my 70’s like she is, how it must be.  However, I look around and there is another couple in our church who are up in their years and always going and doing for others despite their health limitations.  I’ve always told them, “I want to be like you when I grow up!”  I tease, but really…I’m serious.  My heart’s desire is to serve God fervently for the rest of my days…whatever that might look like.

How I serve in my 70’s and 80’s may not look anything like it did in my 20’s or even 50’s, though.  However, it is important that we never retire in our service to the Lord.  As a matter of fact, as we age, a lot of things we used to do change and evolve as God points us in different directions throughout our lives.  In a recent show on PBS, The Truth About Entrepreneurs: Twice As Many Are Over 50 Than Under 25 it really made me think.  As these over 50 people gain experience in the marketplace, they often realize a great void in their vocation.  Having wisdom from their life experience, they confidently step out, often with their own life savings, to make a difference in their world.  I’m full of facts today, but here’s another one.  According to an article by Martin Kelly, “The majority of the presidents (of the U.S.) were between the ages of 50 and 59 when they were elected into office. The youngest elected president was John F. Kennedy at age 43. The oldest elected president was Ronald Reagan at age 69.”  Again, a story about “world changers” well after 50 years of age.

I can’t help but point out, it often seems to be very similar in our spiritual lives.  I remember as a new Christian seeking and studying fervently to find out how I could hear God’s voice and know for sure He wanted me to do something.  As a 50+ woman today, I just pray and step out doing what I think God is asking me to do.  I am confident that if I’m doing the wrong thing, He is going to let me know!  He never leaves me out in the cold.  I know this as I have learned from my life experiences.

Last night my daughter and I went to dinner with a good friend from India and one of the Godliest men I know.  We met Pastor Roy when we went on a mission trip to India and have stayed in contact for over 13 years watching his ministry grow and sometimes struggle, as he obediently follows God’s lead in his daily journeys.  He is an amazing man that when I met him had planted about 5 churches in his country.  Today he has 11.  He also oversees a home for young girls that have been rejected or whose parents can no longer take care of them. He even organized a helping ministry for widows as a result of seeing the need they had after the tsunami several years ago.  The amazing thing is, Pastor Roy didn’t even know and accept the Lord as his Savior until he was 48 years old!  At a time when some are winding down and planning for retirement in 20 years, he was just beginning.  At the age of 84, he is still hearing God’s call and moving forward!  I want to be like him when I grow up, don’t you?

We all want to feel as though we have worth.  I can’t think of anything that gives a person more worth in this life as when they are serving the Lord.  Whether it is a phone call, a note to a friend, praying for someone, leading worship, writing a blog, an encouraging word, organizing a small group, planting a church or whatever God has asked you to do…it has worth.  As what we do in this life for the Kingdom will be the only thing that matters when our life here is done.

What is God asking you to do today?  Are you feeling afraid or not equipped for the task?  Remember…He is the One Who will supply all of your needs.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you guidance and wisdom as you step out into your world to make a difference.

Trust Him!

Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)  …Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Philippians 1:9-11 (NKJV) And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Posted on in 2013 Posts

She Was Lost, But Has Now Been Found!

That's the smile of a happy dog!
That’s the smile of a happy dog!

Last weekend, I was out cutting the grass.   In fact, I had just practically started mowing and I heard my neighbor hollering at me, “Lori!”  At first it brought back memories of when I was in trouble and mom was trying to get my attention. However, when I swung around, there stood my neighbor, obviously upset.  I turned off the mower and found out that the dog they had adopted the day before, Sadie, just ran away!

She gave me a description of Sadie and so I told her I would jump into the car and see if I could find her.  My neighbor declined to go with me because she wanted to be on foot instead.  She was walking up and down the sidewalk calling for the dog to come to no avail.  She told me earlier that the dog loved the woods.  She also said some golfers had seen it heading up through my yard across the street.  My first thought was, “If she goes to those woods, she’s going to come out on a very busy road!”

So, I hopped into my car and headed out to the busy road I feared would be her fate if someone didn’t find her quickly.  I drove slowly down the road and didn’t see her.  However, I did see a deer with his rear-end sticking out of the woods!  He was bent down as though he had discovered something interesting low to the ground.

I know from experience that deer usually don’t leave their hind quarters hanging out for the world to see them.  It just looked suspicious to me.  Like maybe a puppy ran through the woods and happened to run up on a deer resting in the woods.  So I made a u-turn and pulled onto the side of the road near the deer.  By the time I got stopped and looked up, the deer was gone, but low and behold there was Sadie standing in the tall grass about 50 feet from the busy road.  I knew this was my chance so I started talking to her from far away and tried to keep her attention on me.  She seemed to be interested and at that point I was just praying she wouldn’t dart and run away from me as I got close.  When I got up to her…not even knowing for sure this was the right dog…she laid down as though to submit to me.  I swept her up and we were instantly friends!

You see, Sadie had once been rescued by my neighbors to a home that will love and care for her.  However, she didn’t really know what she had until she went out into the woods and ran up against the big dogs…or in this case a deer!  I think that even though she had been running fast and furious, she was scared from her recent encounter and was relieved to see me.  As I put her in the car, she went right in and lay down on the seat exhausted from her excursion.

Have you ever had something like this happen to you?  Have you ever told God, “It’s O.K., I can handle this one on my own?  Have you ever ignored His voice and just kept running, only to get into the middle of the woods to realize, you can’t do it on your own?  Have you ever lay down in the tall grass and said, “Here I am, Lord.  I really messed up.  Can you please pick me up and rescue me once again from this mess I’ve caused for myself?”

I think we can all honestly say we’ve been there.  What are you running away from now?  Have you paused to listen for God’s call in your situation?  Do you even recognize Him speaking to you or are you are just so focused on running you’re not hearing Him?  Just like Sadie, are you contemplating running away again or are you fixing your eyes on Him and His voice speaking specifically to you. He’s calling you to be rescued.  My prayer today is that you will recognize His voice from afar and focus only on Him.  Allow the distractions of the world to fade away from your thinking.  Then lay down, so to speak, to submit to the One who is ready to sweep you up into His arms and rescue you for eternity.

He wants to love you like you have never been loved before.

He wants to care for you like no other.

He wants to show you that you don’t have to run anymore.

He’s here for you with open arms.

Just simply…stop running.

John 10:27-28 (NKJV)  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Posted on in 2013 Posts

So, Can I Tell You About My Week?

 

Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Was that really a week or did I just wake up from a bad dream?  I started out Monday morning in the Emergency Room by orders of my doctor.  I won’t go into the details as to why.  However, the visit resulted in a colonoscopy being ordered for Friday morning.  If you’ve ever had a colonoscopy, you know that there is preparation one must do the day before.  I rushed home from work on Thursday to start my first dose at 3:30 as ordered.  I started drinking my meds and half way through this horrible tasting stuff, Jim walked in the door early from work exhibiting signs of a heart attack.

I took his blood pressure as a good nursing school dropout should.  Then I Googled his symptoms.  Oh, yes, we need to get to the Emergency Room!  I’m going to be a little blunt here, but I don’t think there’s a reader who can’t relate.  I put him in the car and prayed all the way there that I didn’t poo my pants.  I had no idea how long it would take the meds to start working!   We spent the remainder of the day in the ER only to determine that he needed to be admitted for more tests.

I didn’t get any sleep that night and arrived at about 6:30 am Friday morning at the hospital.  I wanted to see Jim and drop him off some clothes and a toothbrush before going to my test at 7:30.  While I was undergoing my colonoscopy, he was somewhere else in the hospital having a stress test!  Nothing like supporting the local medical center with everything we’ve got…and probably some we don’t have too!  I got a clean bill of health and was very happy that I don’t have to repeat that scenario for another ten years…or never if I have it my way!  Jim on the other hand remains undiagnosed; however, they did decide his heart is fine.

When I walked into church today someone said, “You look so good for all you’ve been through this week!”  After all we’ve been through in our lifetimes, not much affects us anymore.  Yes, I was concerned about what they might find for either one of us.  Yes, I hated to think my husband might have something major wrong. Yes, the situations exhausted us.  However, there truly is a peace that can’t be explained when your eyes are set on Jesus.

Then quite appropriately, the sermon today at our church was titled, “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?”  You see, a young couple in our church are pregnant with a child they may never get to know in this lifetime.  Unless God does a miracle, their baby’s brain may not be formed enough to even tell it how to breathe when it is born.  It doesn’t take long for your perspective to change when you realize that maybe your problems aren’t all that bad.  As I watched this young couple talk about their unborn baby with a peace that only God could give; I recognized the same strength we were experiencing in our trials.  The same Holy Spirit that was getting us through our week was also getting them through theirs.  No matter what we might be facing in this life; God’s peace can be there if we will just seek Him and keep Him first in everything that comes our way.  He is the same from one person to another…His strength and peace never change.

None of us know what tomorrow brings, but we can rest knowing that the Lord who created us has it all under control.  What have you been going through this week?  Have you asked for God’s peace?  It really is real and can be yours if you trust and believe that God can.  In the meantime, please put Jim and Ella (the unborn baby) on your prayer lists this week.  I’m praying for some good things ahead!  Be blessed and don’t forget to get out there and be a blessing!

Isaiah 54:10 (NIV) Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.