Sparrow

Do you know who is always first to show up whenever I put birdseed out?

The sparrow!

Maybe this is one reason God keeps His eyes on the sparrow (Matthew 6:25-27). Yes, it is because they are vulnerable! But maybe it is because they show up. 

They are the ones who are seeking nourishment. They aren't afraid to be vulnerable enough to go check out the seed that is provided and then partake.

I have noticed that they are always first and the bigger birds like bluejay's, cardinals, and woodpeckers do not show up until they have observed the smaller birds eating their full. 

Now, this is where it gets interesting. The sparrows will fight them off. While the bigger birds seem to be more polite. 

The sparrows fight for good seed!

Yeah! I love the sparrow!

The may be scrappy but they know when they have something good and it is worth fighting for!

Do you hear what I hear?

Yesterday as Greg and I drove around loving on some sweet friends because of the Christmas season, we were chatting. He asked me, "What is your favorite Christmas carol?" 

I shared with him that as a little girl in 5th grade, I sang in the choir. They allowed those of us who can't sing to do that back then! Two songs really blessed me. "Do you hear what I hear?" by far has pierced my heart the most through the years. I even used it as a theme for a speaking engagement once.

What most people do not know about this song is that it was written during the Cuban Missile Crisis by a husband and wife duo. Typically, she would write the lyrics and he would write the music. On this one occasion, it was in reverse. He wrote the lyrics and she wrote the music. And as they tell the story in the article below it is almost as if the song came to them both miraculously. 

The song has a dual meaning. It reminds us clearly that the birth of Jesus is where we will find goodness and light. But, it is also a call to prayer against war. The author Noel Regney knew the horrors of war fighting in WW2 and he wanted people everywhere to pray for peace. 

This song is a call for peace everywhere! 

“I am amazed that people can think they know the song and not know it is a prayer for peace, ” Noel Regney once told an interviewer. “But we are so bombarded by sounds and our attention spans are so short. “

Let us hope and pray that, when it is sung in churches worldwide during the Christmas season, this song of peace will remind us that “The Child, The Child sleeping in the night ” came to “bring us goodness and light. “

My favorite rendition is Bing Crosby's which is how the song became so famous. 

Do you hear what I hear?

Here are the lyrics. Read them thinking about how Jesus brings peace and light, but also read them as a plea for those in charge to pray for peace everywhere! Profound indeed! 

Do you hear what I hear?

Said the night wind to the little lamb

Do you see what I see?

(Do you see what I see?)

Way up in the sky, little lamb

Do you see what I see?

(Do you see what I see?)

A star, a star, dancing in the night

With a tail as big as a kite

With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy

Do you hear what I hear?

(Do you hear what I hear?)

Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy

Do you hear what I hear?

(Do you hear what I hear?)

A song, a song high above the trees

With a voice as big as the sea

With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king

Do you know what I know? (Do you know what I know?)

In your palace warm, mighty king

Do you know what I know? (Do you know what I know?)

A Child, a Child shivers in the cold

Let us bring him silver and gold

Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere

Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!)

Pray for peace, people, everywhere

Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!)

The Child, the Child sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light

He will bring us goodness and light

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Noel Regney / Gloria Shayne

Quotes are taken from:

Do you Hear what I hear? story behind the song

My journey of learning about the power of praying God's Word over one person every year

While at a mother and daughter conference, my friend Tracy shared that she prayed through the Bible for each of her children and when they were in 8th grade she would give them the Bible. I went home and told Greg about what Tracy did and said we needed to do this for our kids. We bought the Heritage Bible and prayed through it for Mikayla and Grant. Greg took Grant the first year and I took Mikayla. We gave them the Bibles for Christmas and then told them they had to give them back to us so we could pray through them. Our children knew what we were doing. On the year that I was to pray through Grant’s Bible, he asked me to draw pictures in his. So, I added graffiti art and drawings to portray what I was learning or wanted to emphasize.

I have been praying through the Bible for over 18 years now. Developing a legacy of praying through the Word of God starts with one Bible and making the commitment to pray from Genesis to Revelation over someone. It is about the consistent habit of daily committing to reading and praying. The focus should be about what God puts on your heart as you read and pray for that person. If you take time to ask GOD to help you to write prayers on every page and ask Him to show you how to pray through the Scripture over that person, you will be amazed at the truths He will encourage you to pray. I have been humbled over and over as the person will say back to me the very words I prayed over them. 

This can also be done for a specific ministry, organization, or even a people group. You might even consider drawing through the Bible as you go to provide visual reminders of what you are learning or praying. If you want to develop praying through the Bible as a habit, I recommend you choose a different translation each year. It is important to consider the person or ministry when you seek to pray through a Bible that will be relevant to them personally. I like to pick one that I know will have special meaning for them. So, when I prayed through the Bible for my husband, I used the Our Godly Heritage Bible. When I prayed for my children, I used the Legacy Bible. When I prayed for Grace University, I used the Apologetics Bible. When I prayed for my son-in-love, I prayed through the John C. Maxwell, Leadership Bible.

It is a lot of fun to take specific words, principles, commands, or promises and make these your focus for the prayer. I have also found that if I include the study notes as part of my prayer prompt, I will have more ideas for what to pray. I found that I prayed way more when I read the Bible this way and I discovered that my prayers were more powerful because I was given examples of answers to prayers on a regular basis. So, choosing the translation proves to be a significant part of the process. 

For example, I prayed through the Leadership Bible over myself when I worked on my doctorate as I asked God to teach me how to become a leader for His kingdom work. I don’t know if I will ever see the fullness of all God has accomplished because of those prayers, but I can tell you that I am doing things I never would have dreamed of doing for His kingdom work. 

Through the years God has caused me to give two different Bibles away. The first was to one of my girls I had the privilege of serving at camp. It came easily and honestly; I didn’t think much of it. After watching her grow up and share with me how much it meant, I realized that God might ask me again. He did! 

This time I did not want to do it. I had prayed through the Bible from cover to cover over our university and I found that the prayers I was praying were becoming very important to me personally as well. I wanted and needed the reminders I was praying daily.

Our school was about to face a hard transition, and, in my prayers, He was preparing me for what was about to come. I did not know it at the time but looking back I get it now. God put on my heart I was to give my Bible to the new interim President to encourage him. I did not want to. I had spent over 2 ½ years praying through that Bible. I didn’t know if he would appreciate the richness of the prayers that I was handing to him. I knew he knew the importance and value of prayer, but I didn’t know if he would understand the depth of prayer I had invested in that Bible over the university. The prayers were like my faithful companions that encouraged me and I did not want to let go of them. But, I obeyed. I gave it to him hoping that God would use it to strengthen him. I don’t even know if he ever even opened the Bible, but I do know that God heard every single prayer and He was answering in behalf of the university in a very painful transition. I discovered that the beauty of transformation happened in me more than the one or ones that I prayed for as I read the Bible. 

Each year GOD taught me a little more. Well, at times A LOT more! It has been fun to go back and look at the Bibles that I have prayed through. My first Bible I prayed through is not as mature as the one I pray through today. I can see how over time GOD changed me through prayer. Truly, it has been radical and eternal in ways I never even imagined. I discovered when I was praying through a difficult season that God gave me a depth of love and compassion that I did not want to have at times. I discovered that God gave me a forgiving heart when I did not think it possible to forgive. I discovered that He opened doors that I never imagined would open and shut doors I wished He would have allowed me to walk through. It has been an incredible journey to travel.

There are a few practical things to consider as you pick a Bible to pray through. Often my ink bleeds through because the pages are too thin, or I used the wrong kind of pen. I know in some cultures they might not appreciate the mess this creates. But, for me these pages represent the relationship that has been birthed between me and God over the one I prayed. But, in case you are not as sentimental as I am and not one to be so careless, I would recommend that you pick a Bible with thick paper. Keep in mind that the nice leather-bound Bibles often have paper that is thin as onion skin. Paper seems to be thicker in the hardcover Bibles. So, you will have to decide if that is important. Over time, I learned to buy special no bleed pens. It took years before I learned that I could do this! You can buy these in color even. I have also learned to write prayers only in columns, so it doesn’t bleed into the text on the other page. But sometimes I don’t do this and I just celebrate what GOD was doing in me and through me. You will have to determine what you can handle and move on from there. For me the content of the Bible was more important to me so I celebrate what ever the columns and paper quality might be so I can get the content that I find relevant to the person I was praying over. 

Over time, I realized that I need to give some people a challenge when they engaged the Word of God. I recognized that when I understood the character of God, I am better able to understand my own character so I have encouraged my leaders to read the Bible with the intent of writing down every name and character of God they can discover in the columns. I loved watching the revelations that were discovered by my women at Grace university when they took me seriously about this challenge. I loved watching them discover how to pray through the Bible to know HIM and not read a rule book! These moments proved to be profound and I now have the joy of seeing them out serving Him in many places living out the prayers they prayed.

I have also challenged leaders to pray for a people group they are seeking to reach. I now have the privilege of watching one that took this challenge as she serves overseas in a most unreached people group. There have been hard moments, too. Like when one of my women prayed through the Bible for her boyfriend thinking they would marry only to have him break it off after a few months of her praying. Her heart was invested because of the prayers. God knew what was best so the prayers accomplished His will, but I learned to not recommend praying for the opposite sex until there was a final commitment to marriage. I can bear witness to the fact that praying through the Bible over my Greg proved so fruitful on so many levels of deepening my love and respect for him. 

So what do you do with all the leaders you work with that you know you should be praying for, but don’t have the time to pray through the entire Bible for each of them? Probably, the one leadership challenge that has become one of my other core prayers is to choose one leadership word and verse to pray over the person and the entire team. Every year I ask leaders I work with to choose one character trait of God that they want to be known for that year. I then choose a verse and pray that verse the entire year over this leader. I write these in the front of my Bible or in the front of my prayer journal so I can know how to pray for them and to pray consistently. This keeps me accountable in praying for many people on a smaller scale. I will also pray the leadership words for each individual over the team so that we all benefit from the character traits that are important to our team. I have been doing this over ten years now and God has humbled me with so many stories of how He has used that one word to transform the person as both of us focused on praying it into their lives. I have also been blessed by those that have taken up this challenge as a yearly habit for their lives and teams as well.

If you consider reading the whole Bible and praying it for a year, it may seem like a huge and daunting task. May this African proverb encourage you, “A path is made by simply walking.” It is the daily small steps of reading and praying that will build up over time and before you know it you will have been praying through the Bible through many years and God will use that accumulative effort because His Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). You will grow and fruit will be born in tge kingdom because of your prayers. So, read and pray. God will use it! He promises!

How to share about God's Word

A hard lesson I learned in telling my story was people don't need the details of my pain or suffering. They can relate if I give labels or short descriptive words. Telling my details never healed anyone or changed anyone that I am aware of, but when I shared about God, His character, and how He moved in my life and circumstances, I would see people change for the better because they drew nearer to God. I learned this lesson the hard way through trial and error.

I recently read this passage and saw immediately in Scripture the format I learned the hard way. Lol. 

In five short verses, we are given a simple model of how to share about God's Word in our lives and circumstances.

It clearly says when your children ask. Okay, there is an assumption that we open the door for questioning and we are discusding truth from the perspective of God's commands not man's. Sometimes, that is the hardest door to open. But when it is this is a simple model to follow.

Here is what you do...

1. Tell my/our story in God's story. 

2. Explain the circumstances simply.

3. Give God's name. 

4. Show God's character. 

5. Explain how God moved in the circumstances.

6. Explain how we should respond.

Did you notice that more attention is focused on God? 

I love this because it gives God the glory and not my pain or suffering. 

Don't get me wrong. I know there is a cathartic healing that comes in processing our pain. But that is a totally different circumstance than this. That should happen at the feet of someone that can help you see and discover God in your circumstances. 

This is more about telling others about why and how God's Word provides us our healing. Save the catharsis for your place of receiving. This is about the moment when you know and are healed so you can give. 

I had so much to learn. God has taught me so much. I am still learning. I love that He is giving me truth through His story so I am better at sharing His character. 

Shalom y'all!

Irresponsible shepherds were given a warning by God!

Irresponsible shepherds were given a warning by God! 

That could be a newspaper headline for Ezekiel 34. Wozer! 

It is important to know that biblically a shepherd represents a king, prince, or overseer that can be political or spiritual that is in charge of leading God's people.

God asks, "Should not shepherds feed their sheep?"

God does not tolerate leaders that are self-indulgent, greedy, uncaring, or self-serving.

God makes it very clear He is against shepherds who only feed themselves. 

God does not tolerate shepherds that do not clothe, feed, strengthen, heal, bind, bring back lost sheep, scatter sheep, or protect their flock.

The warnings are a comfort for the one who hears because God speaks of promises found in emphatic I WILL statements.

I am against the shepherd that does these things.

I will require my sheep at their hand.

I will put a stop to their feeding sheep.

I will rescue my sheep from their mouths.

I will seek out my sheep.

I will rescue my sheep.

I will bring them out from the peoples and nations where they are scattered.

I will bring them into their own land.

I will feed them on the mountains of Israel.

I will feed them on good pastures.

I will give them good grazing land to lie on.

I MYSELF WILL SHEPHERD MY SHEEP.

I MYSELF WILL MAKE THEM TO LIE DOWN.

I will seek the lost.

I will bring back the stray.

I will bind up the injured.

I will strengthen the weak.

I will destroy the fat and the strong.

I WILL FEED THEM JUSTICE.

God then speaks very clearly to His flock. The above was a warning to the Shepherd gone astray. Below is the promises given to His sheep who hears HIS voice.

I will make a covenant of peace and Banish wild beasts.

I will make it so my sheep dwell securely.

I will make them places of blessings.

I will send them showers of blessings.

I will bless them with fruitful trees and fields.

I will make them secure.

I will break your bars of yoke.

     They will know I AM THE LORD!

I will deliver them.

      They will no longer be prey to the nations.

I will provide plantations.

      They will no longer suffer, be hungry, or receive the reproach of the nations.

      THEY WILL KNOW I AM THE LORD!

You are my sheep. The sheep of My pasture. I AM YOUR GOD! Declares the LORD!

A leader's service must be for the benefit of others and their community. God does not tolerate self-indulgent leaders.

The little red plane grounds me

As Papa got into bed he said, "You know every night, I leave and go places. Sometimes I get in the car to go to work. I went shopping the other day. But everytime, I open my eyes and I see the plane, I know I am home."

I bought this plane for Papa for Christmas last year and hung it above his bed so he had something fun to look at. I had no idea that the little red baron plane would be his grounding.

Papa often tells me about how the plane helped him. Sometimes his journeys are not fun and the plane helps him to know he is home safe. 

I have been thinking alot about grounding. What in my life grounds me? 

Greg, Mikayla, Grant, Mom, and a few dear friends ground me. When I feel discombobulated, I can process with them and suddenly I am centered again. They help me see things from a different perspective, calm me, and remind me to laugh or cry when necessary. I feel at home and safe in being real with them. 

Creation grounds me. Just being able to sit outside, walk, and enjoy the trees, birds, and beauty of creation fills me up. It centers me. I find I feel more grounded when I spend more time in or with creation. It gives me joy and opens my heart to awe and wonder. This includes Peach and Melchizedek as they minister to me through their kindness and silly antics.

Creating things grounds me. I believe part of it is because it is something I can control. Part of it is because it ignites joy in me. Truly wonder and awe of beauty and giving come alive in me when I am creating. When life is really stressed I am always better if I pause and take time to create. It slows me down and stops the crazy cycle that can run amuck in my head. It also inspires generosity in me. It must be shared to be fully known.

My morning ritual grounds me. I get up, make my chai, get my Bible and my journal and then I sit in my comfy chair to watch the birds and squirrels while I read my Bible and pray. My time with God in the Word grounds me spiritually and emotionally. I can tell when my time is shortened. I am not as grounded if I don't keep my eyes on the LORD. He is my red plane that helps me know I am safe and home. He is the reason I can process with my family and see beauty in creation. He is what makes me centered and stable. He opens me up to repentance, forgiveness, love, hope, healing, kindness, generosity and so much more that is beyond me apart from Him.

What is your red plane that grounds you? What helps you remember who you are and that you are safe? 

If you don't know the answer, maybe you should seek God and ask Him to help you find what will help you become grounded. I promise He will give you what you need at the moment you need it.

Shalom, y'all.

Golden Tumors and Golden Mice

Truly, there are some strange things in the Bible. Like golden tumors and golden mice. This morning as I read 1 Samuel 5 and 6 about the Philistines and the ark of the covenant. I wondered, why in the world would they think sending the ark off in a cart carrying golden tumors and golden mice would be a good thing? Lol. 

First, we need to know and recognize that the ark of the covenant represented the presence of God and when they sat the ark next to Dagon, their god made of stone, Dagon kept getting knocked over and eventually decapitated. They started to recognize that the presence of the ark in their territory was not a good thing. The plague made them realize they needed to do something.

Apparently, the illness they were struck with was most likely the bubonic plague. This disease was caused by mice and it affected the lymp nodes. So of course they thought, if we turn these into little gold idols God will leave us alone.

Their diviners said, 

"So you must make images of your tumors and make images of your mice that ravaged the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten his hand from you and your gods in the land." (1 Sam 6:5)

This always makes me laugh, but this morning I realized that when you do not know the One True God or how to worship Him of course you would try to do something that would appease Him. When you don't know that He desires pure hearts not sacrifices, a golden object seems like a good offering. 

It did work in that the presence of God was removed and they could go back to worshipping gods made by human hands. But they missed the opportunity to know and worship the one true God. 

Then I thought, how often do I find myself trying to appease God rather than worshipping Him? How often do I try to do a ritual or focus on an object rather than my Savior hoping to find the magic bullet? 

Truly, this is a crazy story with even more twists like a nursing cow wandering with the cart carrying the golden tumors, mice, and the ark of the covenant. Can you imagine them watching the cows lowing over the hills headed to the field of Joshua in Beth-shemesh? They figured the milking cows would go back to their locked up calves, but if they returned the ark to the Isrselites they would know the One True God was at work against them.

They removed the object that they thought was causing harm and did have relief from the removal, but they did not know the gift of a relationship with the One True God. 

Did any believe that day? We don't know. Unlikely since we aren't told. What a sad thing to recognize the presence of God, but to settle for appeasement and not a relationship.

There are so many deeper lessons in this story, but the one that seems to resonante today is I need to keep the sacred, sacred by worshipping the One True God. This cannot be done through appeasement with idols fashioned by human hands or from tests to see if He is at work. It is done through the humbling of a human hearts and a desire to know Him, celebrate Him, and to worship Him alone.