I am Thankful for Family

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

My husband and I have been married for 56 years. We raised five children and are blessed to love 11 grandchildren. They are the ones I love the deepest and pray for the longest. Rich and I are each one of five children which gives us a wide spectrum of nieces and nephews, near and far, whom I also love and pray for. In this large family, not one is perfect. Not one is without problems. Some have distanced themselves. But they are “my people” and I am profoundly thankful for each one.

Additionally, my “family” extends beyond those numbered above. I have friends who have walked beside me in my happiest experiences and through my greatest sorrows. They have balanced me and cheered me on. They have overlooked my flaws and embraced me in my inadequacies. They know me at my worst but believe the best for me. They are “my people” and I am profoundly thankful for each one.

Then there is my church, which proclaims, “This is home. We are family.” And so they are. We are united in faith, merged in worship, and joined in love. It’s a large church so I only know a small fraction of the people, but I can walk up to any one of them on a Sunday morning for a hug or a prayer. It is a safe place where together we learn and grow, give and receive, fall and get up. They are “my people” and I am profoundly thankful for each one.

In the broadest sense, I have “family” all around me, walking my neighborhood and circling the globe. Whether they acknowledge it or not, we are our brothers’ keepers and all trace back to Adam. Therefore I will pray for them, care for them, and support them as I am able. I will resist pigeonholing and refuse name calling because each one was made in the image of God—they too are “my people.”

You may not have a large (or loving) family but we are not meant to do life alone. I encourage you to stretch. Reach out and touch someone. Be a blessing. And be thankful for whomever God has given you.

I am Thankful for Faith

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

I know my past—I was designed and created by a God who loves and values me.

I know my future—I will live forever in an untarnished, unblemished world.

I know my present—I am secure and safe in a world where darkness aggressively pursues new territory.  

My faith allows me to live in peace and security.

  • My confidence is in the One who sits on Heaven’s throne, not in the one who sits in the White House.

Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17

  • The promises of my Provider assure me, the DOW and economic predictions do not.

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Luke 12:24

  • My Creator is also my Healer, not limited to modern medicine or its advances.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

  • My dreams, relationships, and satisfaction rely on the One who directs my steps and opens doors that cannot be shut, not on the favor of those in power.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8

My faith calms me, satisfies me, and centers me—but only when I feed it.

This is a Test

~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

As in 1863, we have been involved in a great civil war, aiming weapons with words that can maim and kill. Each side has been self-assured and self-righteous. Instead of feeling shame we bolstered our positions and spoke hatred. Unity was upstaged by platform. Values were obscured by personalities. The echo of Abraham Lincoln’s words ask us, can the United States endure?

God sees our nation. He watches the nations of the world. He hears the pompous words and observes man’s devious plans. More than that, He sees hearts.

What does God think? Psalm 2 tells us.

The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together…
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
“I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

God is not worried. His kingdom is not shaken. He perceives the futility of man’s wisdom—and He laughs. He is secure in His authority and confident in His purposes.

We can also be assured of His kingship, His sovereignty, and His justice. Consider these verses:

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 103:19

“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.”
Psalm 2:10-11

For God is the King of all the earth…
God reigns over the nations;
    God is seated on His holy throne…
the kings of the earth belong to God…
Psalm 47:7-9

The election is two days behind us. We must end the civil war with our own reconstruction period, demonstrating kindness and forgiveness. Let us take the words of Ephesians 4 to heart:

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Established & Eternal

~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

In five days half of America will be relieved and the other half will be devastated.

Has there ever been an election more emotionally charged? I dare say, not many are overjoyed with our options. I hear phrases like, “the lesser of two evils” and “vote policy, not personality” spoken with both panic and resignation.

We may forget that our single vote is not the determining factor. Nor is the electoral college. Nor is the last minute campaigning. As much as news outlets alarm us, the psalmist calms us. He refocuses us in Psalm 75:1-2 with God’s words.

“I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity.
When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.”

God’s vote is the determining factor. “He brings one down, He exalts another” (v7).

Is that too simplistic? Faith is simplistic. It’s affirming that God is God and I am not. The sum of my intelligence, influence, and intuition amounts to an anemic, limited understanding. I will gladly defer to the God who holds the pillars of earth firm, measures time in His hands, and judges with justice. I don’t know what tomorrow (or next Tuesday) will hold, but God knows the end from the beginning.

I invite you to simply rest. Trust the Creator of the world—He is dependable and steadfast—for time and eternity.