Friday, May 23, 2008

Turtle in the Shade


Don’t be like the faith lesson “sign” I saw recently in my driveway – where you might be trying to hide and catch a few zzz’s in a shady place. This turtle had wandered a ways from his normal water source, one of the ponds near our home, I’ll assume. I hope he made it back alright.

There could be a few lessons here. Pick the one that applies to your life, or be inspired to add your own!

- Don’t stray too far from the “water source” or life source especially on a “hot” (challenging) day! We need all the refreshment of God’s love and grace we can get for trying times.

- Trying to pull into your shell if things get too hot outside may work temporarily, but you’re going to have to come out eventually and face the heat. So rest up quickly, get recharged, and then be sure you know where you need to go to get back into a supportive environment! Trust God to know what’s best for you, even when you feel like hiding from your problems.


- Sometimes due to hurts and hard knocks we find we have built a hard shell around our hearts. Yes, it's for protection from further anguish. But God knows what's on the inside, how precious we are, and the soft vital tissues inside. He knows we're really longing for that tender loving touch from our Heavenly Father. He is the only one we can trust 100% to heal up our wounds and to do what's best with all the up and down times of our lives.
- Know anyone who is too slow about going where and doing what they know they need to be doing?! Sounds too familiar to me! Let's remember to keep our eyes on God, so we can move ahead in life with whatever issues we need to face head-on.

- Think about the tortoise and the hare lesson – slow & steady wins the race. Be consistent daily, taking small, steady steps to reach your goals and to become more Christ-like in your nature and outlook.
- The bottom line is: it looks like this turtle never read that fable! He had pulled over to the shade to rest like the hare did, who consequently lost the race! So measure the consequences of your actions carefully!

- Take on the nature of Jesus to run the race for the heavenly crown. Even though we have a turtle’s body (our physical body with its earthly desires), we can make progress toward being who God wants us to be. Day by day we can trust him to change us from the inside out and to bring his work in us to fruition – and to our ultimate reward.

If you think of any more faith lessons, add your comments below. Have a happy and blessed Memorial Day weekend, as we thank God for the freedom we have in him, as well as in this great land!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Squishy Stuff on the Roadside of Life


Sometimes on the journey of life an unusual sight will catch your eye and make you stop and think.I snapped this shot at a stoplight. I thought it looked interesting & might be a great faith lesson to share with you!


The artist in me thinks this squished tube of foam filler is a cool pix – and a fun piece of art! Maybe my photograph could be cropped or sold as is for a few bucks to an admiring lover of abstract pictures and symbolism…! (It happens all the time – don’t laugh too hard!) Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder… ;-)

Here's my takeaway from this picture: Even when bad stuff happens, God can use that for his own glory and purposes. He can even make something beautiful come out of it. Yes, even a discarded and broken tube filled with bright colored chemicals and gooey stuff!

So enjoy your day, as you look for life, laughs and beauty all around you - in even the strange or squishy circumstances of your life!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Powerful Prayers Get Fast Action!

This past week my two grown sons were heavy on my heart to pray for. I was driving along the interstate in town as I was praying for them. When I turned off to go to my next destination, I spied the sign shown to the right. “As ordinary mothers pray, extraordinary things happen.”

Do you think I had any doubt that God had heard my prayer and that the answers were on the way?!! Talk about a quick confirmation of his presence and his love – not only for me, but for my boys also.

Through the Mothers’ Day weekend just past and with progress in the last week, I have heard from my sons and know God is moving in both their lives.

So if you need a sign God is at work, just keep your eyes open as you go about your daily business! That’s what I call the “Daily Faith Lesson” attitude or awareness.

To find out more about London Bridge Baptist, go to: www.LondonBridgeBaptist.org

Friday, May 2, 2008

Sox Attraction

No, that’s not a typo! But it aptly describes the pictures I’ve posted for your enjoyment today!

Ever wondered where all those socks go that the dryer seems to gobble up? Here’s part of the answer! I’ve even seen one mysteriously slide onto the floor from a shirt I’ve pulled out of the closet weeks after it was laundered. So if you’re missing any socks, they’re probably hiding in your clothes!

Well, this experience in the laundry room with all the static cling reminded me of going through life sometimes. When all kinds of things start being attracted to us, whether good or bad, there is usually some reason for it. We must be sending out some kind of electrical charge from our cells or brain. I find that what I focus on is what usually comes into my life. Even though I’m a very positive person (you could call me an eternal optimist!), bad things do happen. Whether or not they were a direct result of my decisions in life or whether they were just happenstance and I did nothing to deserve them, there is always something I can learn and some good that can come through the situation.

I read an interesting article the other day about how taking simple static electricity and applying that charge to a painful area can help relieve the pain fairly quickly.

So my suggestion is to turn the pain and static in your daily life into a powerhouse of electricity working for good!