Category: Purpose

Posted on

Where There’s A Will

Some of you received yesterday’s message that my daughter posted for me. I am having technical difficulties; my laptop is failing to hold a charge. She told you it may be several days before I could post.

After being plugged in for almost 18 hours, I was found that this morning the battery had gained from 5% power to 20%. Hallelujah!

I hate the idea of not being able to share with you each morning. It’s what I do; it’s my calling.

“God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.” Ephesians 2:10 CEV

This morning, Dave and I are headed into our small northern Arizona town to see the “computer guy”. I believe the problem is with the power cord or how the cord isn’t making proper connection with the computer. I’m praying he has another cord or can ascertain the problem and fix it.

Through the night, I kept praying “Lord let me have enough battery life to share the blog in the morning”.

Isn’t that the way it is in life? We face obstacles and problems and our power seems to drain. We try everything but nothing seems to work for more than a few hours or a few days.

“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.” Hebrews 12:1 CEV

We must be determined to keep going; where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Throw off the things that slow us down and tackle every obstacle head on with the help the Father provides. It’s not silly to pray about a faulty computer, a car that won’t start, a checkbook that is almost empty, groceries for the table, a good teacher for your child…none of that is silly to pray about. What’s silly is not to pray!

Our Father is concerned about all our issues of life – big and small, live threatening or minute.

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

Where there is a will, trust God to make a way!

Posted on

Dave’s Tree

When we first moved to this campsite in mid-June, it took us a couple days to get completely set up and then we could focus on the beauty around us. One of the first things that caught Dave’s eye was this tree. It isn’t the most stately tree of the woods but it stands out from the rest.

When we look across the way, we see this tree with no fullness at its top. Only a couple of branches but those branches form the shape of a cross. Dave says this cross is like the steeple of God’s wooded cathedral. To us, it is a reminder that no matter where we are, God is present and His love is outpoured everywhere on earth.

There’s a song we used to sing at Cowboy Cathedral years ago when we ministered at youth rodeos and ranches across Arizona. It was written in the 1940’s. It goes something like this:

Oh, the place where I worship is the wide open spaces
Built by the hand of the Lord
Where the trees of the forrest are like pipes of an organ
And the breeze plays an amen choir.

All the stars are the candles and they light up the mountains
Mountains are altars of God
Oh, the place where I worship is the wide open spaces
Built by the hand of the Lord.

This tree has become a church to us. As we sit and watch the sunrise break over the tree line or see the clouds rolling in, we feel that we are in the place that God has called us too. We are here for a purpose. We enjoy the beauty that God has created but we are also here to share God’s love with those around us.

“ We have only one God, and he is the Father. He created everything, and we live for him. Jesus Christ is our only Lord. Everything was made by him, and by him life was given to us.” I Corinthians 8:6 CEV

God has given life, a new and abundant life. His desire is that people everywhere experience His love and forgiveness. You may be country folk who have lived rurally like we have for years or you may be city dwellers who feel more comfortable with bustling traffic and high rise buildings but no matter your surroundings the Father is there reaching out to touch you with His love.

“Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better. 11 It doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12 God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient.” Colossians 3:10-12 CEV

Social standing, nationality, religious or not doesn’t make a difference. The life changing fact is that God loves us and has chosen us, we are special to him.

You may not have a tree like Dave’s but if you look around I know you will find something special that God has placed within your view to remind you of His love and watchful care.

We all have a place where we can worship the Father who loves us and gives us life!

Posted on

In My Own Little Chair

Did you every see the 1960’s musical by Rogers and Hammerstein called “Cinderella”? It was one of my favorites.

I would dance around the living room and spend days singing the songs from the musical score. The one that struck a particular cord took place in the great kitchen, next to the hearth. There sat Cinderella in a small wooden chair. She lifted her head and her voice as she sang:

“In my own little corner, In my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be. On the wings of my fancy I can fly anywhere, and the world will open its arms to me…”

This morning,I am at home in my own little corner, in my own rocking chair and as I sat down those lyrics began to fill my thoughts. We are only home for 36 hours and then we’ll return to the mountains. For years, I’ve sat in this chair praying and writing, it’s from here I have been able to encourage all of you to be all our heavenly Father has created us to be.

“What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? 33 If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side,speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36 It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

“For you we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.”

37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” Romans 8:31-39 CEV

God is on our side, how can we fail? “In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us”. Those are life changing words! Those are the words that encourage us to be more – more loving, more bold, more forgiving, more courageous!

More of who God wants us to be without shame or timidity. We aren’t given the promise of a battle free life but we are given His word that we will be victorious in those battles. Young David had to face Goliath, Peter faced down the pharisees, Paul encountered persecution in nearly every town but all of them were victorious.

“I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

Find your own little corner, your own little chair and sit there for a while. Wait on the Lord to show you what His plan is for your day and then follow it. The Father is on your side and He will see that you succeed.

Posted on

Change is Inevitable!

Change Is Inevitable!

Two months, just two months ago we came to the mountains.

There have been so many changes – changes in the beauty of nature, changes in our daily routine and mostly changes in our hearts.

When we first came to the mountain on June 4, the pasture grasses were yellow green from lack of water. The under growth was crunchy and dry. The fishing was poor, but I don’t know the reason for that. The rules of the campground were dictated by a Level 2 Red Fire alert so there were no fires, except for the ones of a propane stove.

We arrived needing rest. Our daily routine consisted of taking our coffee under the awning, walking through the campground several times a day but mostly we sat and rested, and we were content with that.  No TV, no internet and very little phone or text messaging.  We read, we talked, we prayed.

Our interaction with other campers was limited to a polite “hello” and “where do you come from”.

But two months have gone by, and we have changed and so have our surroundings.

Yesterday was day number thirty-two of rain. The rains began to lightly fall on July 1. They have continued to increase in the amount of daily rainfall. A normal, good shower would last an hour – soaking in and cooling the temperature but yesterday it was an all-day rain.

Oh, what a refreshing!

As we talk with campers who are heading home, they are sad to leave. “We can’t wait to come back. It’s beautiful here. We love the rain, the meadow grasses, the wildflowers, the mushrooms, the wildlife”. That’s not the reaction of one or two but it’s the sentiment of most.

“The land that you will get is not like the land of Egypt that you came from. In Egypt you planted your seeds and used your feet to pump water from the canals to water your fields like a vegetable garden. 11 But the land that you will soon get is not like that. In Israel there are mountains and valleys, and the land gets its water from the rain that falls from the sky. 12 The Lord your God cares for that land. The Lord your God watches over it, from the beginning to the end of the year.

13 “The Lord says, ‘You must listen carefully to the commands I give you today: You must love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul. If you do that, 14 I will send rain for your land at the right time. I will send the autumn rain and the spring rain. Then you can gather your grain, your new wine, and your oil.” Deuteronomy 11:10-14 ERV

Not only has the land received rain, but our hearts have also been moistened with love and compassion. People we didn’t know two months ago have become friends that we know we will share a connection with for years to come.

Campers that we only see for a few days and are gone have filled us with meaningful conversation and opportunities for prayer.

Two months.  Two months of change. God appointed change!

When we open the doors of our heart, when we follow the Father’s lead, He sends “rain”, the rain of His love and compassion, and we go from dry to refreshed.

This refreshing doesn’t just come from being in the mountains and it isn’t exclusively for us. Not in the slightest! The Lord wants to shower all of our lives with His goodness.

The change He brings is wonderful and inevitable!

Posted on

Looking for Perfect

The last few days Dave and I have spent a lot of time talking about how much we enjoy being here in the mountains, not just any mountains, these mountains and this place, this place called Big Lake.

When we started planning our summer, months back, the first place we put on our list was this campground. It holds special memories for both of us. My folks came here over 50 years ago. It was one of Dad’s favorite places to come and although the high altitude was hard on Mom she loved coming here too.

After Dave and I were married, Dad brought Dave up here for some special days when just the two of them would fish together. The love of fishing is something the two of them shared. It was their bond.

And then as our family grew, Mom and Dad brought our oldest daughter and son here as well. They weren’t much more than toddlers. Out of diapers and able to climb over the boulders they spent time at this mountain lake. Our hearts are rooted here and we love it.

Each week we have many of the campers tell us their stories of coming here, some for more than 40 years. They are similar to ours – brought here as chidren by their parents and what a great time it was and now they are bringing their children and grandchildren to enjoy this place. What a blessing!

We spent most of the afternoon visiting with a new friend and fellow camp host yesterday. Her experiences in this area are very similar as well. The more we talked, we agreed that the Lord had brought us to this place and His ways are perfect.

“ God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. 12 I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, 13 because God’s gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do.” Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 CEV

Many people look for perfect. The perfect job, home, mate…and end up disappointed. If we were only looking at external factors we would miss the perfect that God has placed before us. Others have a newer, bigger, better RV than ours but when we look at where the Lord has called us we find perfection and He never disappoints.

“In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves. 7 In Christ we are made free by his blood sacrifice. We have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace.” Ephesians 1:4-7 ERV

He has placed a calling, a destiny, within each one of us. His plan is for our good.

When we look for perfect we will always find it in Jesus! We are loved and chosen by Almighty God and there is nothing more perfect than that!

Posted on

The Times Are A Changin’

Yesterday morning as I was sitting here writing my blog I heard the birds singing, as always. This time I stopped and looked at my watch; it was 4:45. I remember when I came to the campground in June, the birds started singing at 4:18.

The times, they are a changing.

Stop right now, if you will, and do a mental recap on your summer so far. What have you accomplished since June 1? Have there been any moments worth remembering? Oh, I hope there have been.

You have traveled along with me this summer. We came for a simple two week camping trip starting on June 4 and then had plans to meet up with friends for a few days but all that changed. We were offered an opportunity to be camp hosts at our favorite campground in the mountains. A place we come to every year, a place of many memories.

Then two weeks after that we were evacuated due to threat of fire. Yes, you were with me then too. During our evacuation we met and became friends with other camp hosts. It was an interesting time but we were always on alert that we could be moved from the mountain at a moments notice.

The first bird just started to sing, it’s 4:47. The times they are a changing!

Two weeks ago we were allowed to come back to the campground and resume our duties. Campers came slowly at first but last weekend we were almost full and the same holds true for this weekend.

The rains came and we are still getting rain every day. The wild flowers are blooming, the fish are biting, the elk are grazing in the meadows. It’s beautiful.

And then there were the lightning strikes…just yesterday a large ponderosa pine was felled in one of the campsites because it had been badly damaged by a lightning strike on Sunday.

This is my recap of the summer! Not what I had planned in any way but exciting just the same. I have been able to share God’s word with new friends, and I have prayed with and for others. The thing that never changes is the word of God and the power of prayer.

Each day changes just a little. Plans need to be rescheduled or laid aside completely but the Lord is ever present and those little birds that sing each morning remind me of that.

“ Aren’t two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. 30 Even the hairs on your head are counted. 31 So don’t be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 CEV

Maybe your summer hasn’t gone as planned. Maybe things have changed signifcantly. Maybe you don’t know what to do next or where to turn. Be like the birds – start your morning with a song.

“ I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 ERV

Trust the Lord. He has a plan and a purpose for you.

Posted on

What Does It Take?

At the campground, we get asked lots of questions. What kind of clouds are those, what’s kind of fern is that? What’s that bird or mushroom? What…what…what.

For the last few days I have been asking myself a “what” question. What does it take to be a good Christian?

There are so many Christians who seem to have it all together. There are better teachers, more educated Bible scholars, those who have been blessed with the finances to go and do great things for the Lord. Some are younger, stronger, more articulate.

So, what does it take to be used by the Lord?

  • Adam was disobedient
  • Noah drank too much wine
  • Abraham was old
  • Moses killed a man and he stuttered
  • Miriam was a woman
  • David was young
  • Daniel was a slave
  • Peter was impetuous and crude
  • Zacchaeus was a cheating tax collector
  • Mary was a bossy, work-a-holic
  • Nicodemus was a closet Christian
  • Rahab was a harlot
  • The woman at the well was a social outcast
  • Paul was a religious zealot who persecuted Christians

So, what does it take to be a good Christian and to be used by God?

There two things that all these people have in common. They accepted God’s forgiveness for their failings and they made themselves available. The Lord isn’t looking for people who will “wow” the world, He wants people who are willing to be used.

“Brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his. Think about that! Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 And God chose what the world thinks is not important—what the world hates and thinks is nothing. He chose these to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29 God did this so that no one can stand before him and boast about anything.” I Corinthians 1:26-29 ERV

He provides us with the strength, the talent, the wherewithal that’s necessary to reach the world but He won’t force anyone to serve Him. The ability that He is looking for in all of us is availability.

“They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.

18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:17-20 CEV

Jesus spoke to those who doubted and those who worshiped and gave them the same instruction. Go. You all go and tell the world everything you have learned from me. You won’t be going alone, I will be with you always. Be available and go.

So, here’s the question we all have to answer. Am I willing to be available?

Posted on

I Can’t

The last few days I have been reading about all the intricate details that were involved in building the Tent of Meeting which the Israelites used as their place of worship while traveling through the wilderness.

God had given Moses a specific blueprint for the project and his people were to follow every detailed instruction. Now these were men who had spent half a lifetime making bricks for Egypt’s Pharoah. They weren’t skilled in spinning fine linen, dying animals skins with purple, scarlet and blues.

What did they know about goldmithing? Hammering gold thin enough to be used for thread or sculpting it into intricate shapes of pomegrantes and bells, cheribum, candleholders and rings. Overlaying acacia wood with gold. They also needed to be experts in silversmithing and the casting of bronze.

When you’re given a task this emense, do you throw up your hands and say I can’t?

“The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded.”

2 So Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and all the others who were specially gifted by the Lord and were eager to get to work. 3 Moses gave them the materials donated by the people of Israel as sacred offerings for the completion of the sanctuary. But the people continued to bring additional gifts each morning.” Exodus 36:1-3 NLT

These men knew they had been gifted by God. They simply followed His instructions and when they were finished the Bible says “The Israelites did all this work exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses looked closely at all the work and saw that it was done exactly as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” Exodus 39:42-43 ERV

What has the Lord called you to do? Do you face a task that you feel is just to big for you? Should someone else who is more qualified being doing it?

I can’t.

No one can be the kind of parent to your children that you can! God has lovingly placed them in your care. No one else will be able to touch the lives of your co-workers like you will. No one else can be the friend that you are. Will there be challenges? Surely. Will there be mistakes? Almost certainly. Then why go on?

Why not say “I can’t”?

God has a purpose and plan for your life. He has a design for you to fulfill. There was only one David who faced Goliath, only one Daniel who faced the lion’s den, only one Peter who stood up and preached on the day of Pentecost and there’s only one you!

However, you’ve never been asked to fulfill your destiny alone.

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

With Christ we can do all things. I encourage you to expand upon our original statement. With Christ, I can’t fail!

Posted on

A Sudden Change

One thing we deal with in the mountains is the sudden change in temperature.

Yesterday Dave and I took a drive into Springerville, about 25 miles away from the campground. It’s a lower elevation so we expected the temperatures to be warmer on this beautiful summer’s day.

We spent a couple hours shopping, running errands and having lunch. As we left town to head back to the campground Dave glanced at the temperature on the dash and it said 97*. Within 10 minutes it had dropped to 74* and in another 5 minutes, when we were in a rain downpour, it read 58*. This was 40* of cooling in less than twenty minutes.

A sudden change for sure.

By the time we arrived back at the campground the rain had stopped and the temperature settled at 75*. Still a significant change. Things cool off quickly in the mountains.

But what about the temperature in our lives. How suddenly do they change?

Certain people have a way of changing my temperature. I can cool off quickly with some and with others I may reach a boiling point. Situations and circumstances have a way of bringing about a definite change.

Take a look at the Apostle Peter.

He is having dinner with Jesus and the other disciples and swears, yes swears, that he will always be loyal to Jesus. Everyone else may desert Jesus but he never will. Just hours later, in the garden, Peter tries to defend Jesus from the soldiers and wields a sword cutting off one of their ears.

Now fast forward another couple of hours. Peter is standing in a courtyard, warming himself by a fire when he is confronted by a servant girl. She accuses him of knowing Jesus. Peter has now cooled in his dedication and makes his first denial of knowing Christ. There will be two more times in this setting that Peter speaks forth denials.

At first he is red hot in his enthusiasm for the Lord and then there’s a sudden change brought on by circumstances and his commitment becomes cold.

Oh! How many times have I been like Peter? Around my christian friends my testimony was strong. My faith seemed monumental. Then in a different surrounding, among those I don’t know as well, my testimony cooled. That has happened more times then I would like to admit.

But here’s the good news. After Jesus rose from the grave he confronted Peter and forgave Him. He gave Peter a new mission. Jesus gave Peter the charge to feed the sheep, better known as Jesus’ followers. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter accepted that role and he never backed down again.

No more sudden changes.

“But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” Acts 1:8 CEV

The Lord has given us the same power. My daily ambition is no more drops in my spiritual temperature. I desire to be fired up in my testimony. Burning brightly in what I say and do. How about you?

No more sudden changes!

Posted on

Lending a Helping Hand

It seems everywhere we turn folks are trying to get us to support a cause. We don’t have to watch TV too long to see several commercials that are asking for $19 a month to help with this that and the other.

Just lend a helping hand.

There are social issues, political issues, humanitarian causes, educational, religious, medical, environmental, recreational, cultural and even artistic areas that are asking for our time and support. Each of us have our own areas of special interest but these things should never be our primary focus.

Jesus was faced with all the same issues when he walked the earth that we face today and he gave this admonition to his disciples.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 NKJV

To achieve recognition as one of our communities greatest philanthrophist is futile if it causes us to loose sight of the most important calling we have, our relationship with Jesus Christ!

There is no Nobel prize, humanitarian award, national acclaim or public recognition that can compare with knowing God and having Him speak your name.

“Then Jesus said to his followers, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. 25 Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me will find true life. 26 It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost. You could never pay enough to buy back your life. 27 The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. And he will reward everyone for what they have done.” Matthew 16:24-27 ERV

We can become weary and exhausted from “trying” to fix all the worlds woes. Our own efforts will fall short every time. But there is a place of rest and that is found in Jesus.

“If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. 30 This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 CEV

We should all look for opportunities to do good. Trying to accomplish them on our own is exhausting but when Jesus leads us to lend a helping hand the results are much greater than we could dream of.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress