Exceeding Sweet Delight

By Makenzie Allen –

“They say there is a young lady in New Haven who is beloved of that Great Being, who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this Great Being, in some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for anything, except to meditate on Him—that she expects after a while to be received up where He is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up into heaven; being assured that He loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from Him always.” Jonathan Edwards

This story was titled “Sarah Pierrepont”, and it is believed that Jonathan Edwards wrote it as letter to his future wife whom he had never met. It goes on to say that Sarah could not be persuaded to do anything wrong or sinful because of the sweetness in her mind.

Meditating on God and being filled with the delight of Him deteriorates the strength of the flesh. In a culture where immorality is pushed, our thinking can easily become polluted with all kinds of evil. I’ve been noticing the grip Satan has on the media especially.

If we, as children of God, desire to honor Him in the decisions we make, we must remove the earthly lies from our thoughts and replace them with the loveliness of God and His word. The earth has fallen into sin, but the King is risen!

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” John 15:19 (KJV).

So although it can sound convincing to believers that we should act like the world in order to reach the lost, it is far from what God’s word says. We are expected to have the exceeding sweet delight that Sarah Pierrepont had for our King, not the corrupt longing for sinful deeds. When we learn to fill our mind with whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, we then naturally make decisions that honor and glorify God, and that is what reaches the lost.

They say there is a body of believers throughout the world who are beloved of that Great Being who made and rules the world. And one day, they shall be received up where He is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up into heaven being assured that the God of the universe loves them all too well to let them remain at a distance from Him always. Until that anticipated day, this body is needed here, on earth, to embrace the lost souls still searching for exceeding sweet delight.

Letting Go Brings a New Hope

By Diane Mayfield –

I feel like I am on a fast train, like the ones in Europe, speeding through the countryside so quickly my eyes cannot focus. Here it is December and the holidays are upon me. Once again I face them in disappointment and not joy. Even at my age, almost sixty, I still want to capture the magic of the season, be filled with awe and hope and marvel at the greatest gift of all. And yet, here I am, writing this article with sadness in my heart. Once again I’m challenged to let go. This season of life is about letting go, and I’m not good at it.

I’ve always been a fighter. I don’t give up on what matters to me very easily. Now, it seems I am forced to do so. Quite frankly, I do not like it one bit. I feel out of control and powerless. I vacillate between anger and sadness. Internally, I’m like a toddler having a tantrum because I want what I want.

Then I think of Mary. How could I not, during this season? She gave birth to her first-born son, a miracle child. She had much less time with Him than I. Even at age twelve, he was no longer his mother’s son alone. She had to begin sharing Him with others, as when he stayed in the Temple to discuss the scriptures. Her life with Him was continually about letting go.

This morning after a somewhat sleepless night, I woke early and beheld the glory of God in the sunrise. The sun’s reflective light penetrated the darkness and displayed orange and blue steaks of color in the Eastern horizon. I was awed.

I asked God, “I know my waking and seeing this display of Your glory is no accident. What are you saying to me?”

It was as if He said, “If you focus on me, morning by morning new mercies you will see. My light will chase away your sadness and once again you will know joy. Just wait as you wait for the sun to make its appearance in the sky.”

Then I was indeed reminded that to save my life, I must lose it. Losing it for me in this season of life is about letting go: of expectations, traditions, dreams, plans and, yes, even the joys of my early years—all those things that were life to me once. The hope is in the promise of the new life to come once I let go. I saw hope this morning in the glory of the new day dawning.

Blueprint Through the Ages

By Makenzie Allen –

“The fact is fiction.” –Switchfoot

In the field of science there are many examples of facts being rooted in emotions thus creating the contradictory statement, “The fact is fiction.” Many people are set on denying God, and for this reason we have evolutionists. Evolutionists like to claim that they have the evidence and creation scientists don’t. Evolutionists have the facts, we have the religion. When in reality, they have the religion; we have the relationship plus evidence for a Creator.

Why evolutionists see the need to believe they evolved from apes, I’m not sure. What I do know is that evolutionists don’t want to accept that there is a God and that He is above them. This kind of biased outlook should have never been allowed to take over such a large portion of the scientific community.

The scientific method starts with a question, makes a hypothesis, conducts a series of experiments, analyzes the results, and finally, draws a conclusion. This solid way of proving facts is not being used in modern science often enough. Instead of following the blueprint, scientists are following their emotions.

God doesn’t want us to be robotic, He gave us emotions and they are good. However, emotions should not be used to make conclusions without comparing them to what the Bible says. Just as scientists should follow the blueprint of the scientific method, we should follow the blueprint of God’s Word.

My childhood dog passed away recently, just barely missing my eighteenth birthday. In my mind, it almost signifies the end of being a kid. The problem with this thought is that I love being a little girl. And I loved having my puppy sitting beside me when I stayed up late into the night writing these articles. Emotion and I have been in close proximity these past few months. I have to say, it is a tiring relationship.

Emotions can be draining, but God’s Word is so reviving! Words written by inspired men thousands of years past still have the ability to remedy my festering emotions. As I continue to miss my dog, I am reminded of God’s perfect plan and mercy towards me. The Bible is God’s blueprint for overcoming the death and decay we see around us today; it is the only way I am set free from emotions that would leave me crippled and captive.

My emotions have never left me longing for the relation between man and ape, but they have caused many other circumstances that could be labeled as fact becoming fiction. There is friction between truth and falsehood, fact and fiction, evidence and impulse.

“The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 KJV).

The Word of God is a sword that divides the truth from the false. It is sharp and piercing, able to cut through fiction and nonfiction and discern which is which. What a comfort it is to know that God has given me the truth to combat my emotions. The blueprint of the ages is available to all who long for structure founded on truth.

“The fact is fiction.” Not so with my God!

The Dance of Gratitude

By Diane Mayfield –

I start planning for Thanksgiving dinner in August. I think about which kids I get to have home with us, if we are going to the Thanksgiving Day football game and what time the game is so I’ll know when to plan dinner. Last year we had dinner on Friday. This year I have a small group for Thanksgiving Day, so we are going to the Four Seasons Hotel for its fabulous lunch before the game. No cooking and cleaning for me this year. Woo Hoo!

Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food, but it typically gets most of my attention. I don’t think about what I’m thankful for until the day of Thanksgiving. As Christians, the Bible says giving thanks is to be part of our every day existence. In fact, praise and thanksgiving is the posture we take to come to our Father. “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (NIV Philippians 4:6b).

For a year I faithfully wrote a gratitude journal. Then, for some reason, I quit. This day, I am thankful that I was reminded to start it up again.

I’ve been listening to The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown. She talks about foreboding joy, which is basically sabotaging those moments when we experience a little taste of heaven by projecting a future catastrophe. The antithesis to foreboding joy is gratitude. Now Brene is not writing from a Christian perspective, but the truth she presents is very biblical. She speaks of practicing gratitude and her suggestion is to start a gratitude journal. I believe God was nudging me back to my discipline of writing in my gratitude journal again.

So I started writing each morning. I’ve been doing it for a week now. As a result, I am more mindful throughout the day of the blessings that come my way. Here’s an example: My sister came into town at my request to help me with painting, cleaning and decluttering my Alzheimer diseased mom’s room at her assisted living facility. Those of you who have lived with and through this disease understand what I’m up against just saying those words. If you have not experience it, think about what it’s like to clean up a toddler’s room with the toddler present. Impossible!

After two days of working together and feeling very satisfied with our accomplishment, we sat in the car exhausted, looked at each other and said, “I’m so grateful we could do this together.” Truly, at that moment, gratitude ruled our hearts and not exhaustion.

I took it even further. For that moment, I believe the Sovereign God of the Universe knew I would need a sister to go through these times with me as the oldest in the family. We have a brother, too, but let’s face it, guys just don’t take care of elderly mothers in the same way women do. I for one feel so blessed to have my sister to go through this very difficult time with me. I am so grateful we have each other to lean on.

During this Thanksgiving season, I hope you will take some time from the meal planning to create your own gratitude journal. I have even set my phone to alert me every day at noon to stop and reflect on what I am grateful for in the moment. I know many of you have probably practiced this for years. I’m just now getting back to this dance of gratitude. Come join me if you have not started.

Impartial Eyes

By Makenzie Allen –

Sitting beside a rosy-cheeked, bubbly little girl, I listen as she describes things about her room that bring an element of excitement to her childhood. One by one, she introduces me to her dolls who are all tucked in bed. Moving from one thing to another, she reaches her bookshelf and pulls out her favorite book. On the cover stands the main character. With a smile she says, “I always pretend she is you.” In that moment I am struck by the realization that she claimed me as the living, breathing version of her favorite character. I feel a grin spread across my face that beams with happiness at her admission.

Something I’ve noticed recently is how real children are. They don’t plaster on a smile when they are upset, nor do they say things just to gain an alliance. If something is on their mind, they say it without hesitation. The more I think about it, the more I realize how refreshing that kind of honesty is.

Scary as it can be, she looks up to me. And I wonder how many times I haven’t been the kind of example I should be for her and other children. How can I be worth looking up to? What can I do to be a true and beneficial example?

Walking along the lake with my little cousin, I look down at her tiny hand clutching mine. My heart melts at this small gesture of companionship. Peering up at me through blue eyes, she giggles at the silly face I make. And she laughs some more as I reach down and weave sticks through my hair. In her slowly improving speech, I hear her say, “Makie so silly.” Makie. I love it when she calls me that. And on we walk, everyone thinking I’m the one blessing her when really, it’s just the opposite.

Have you noticed the moment a child accepts you, a day that felt like failure practically shouts with success? For me, not many other things bring more happiness than when a child decides that I seem fun to be with. Maybe it’s because I know that the friendship they give isn’t just for show. They truly want to be with me, not because of what I look like or who I’m associated with, but because they enjoy my company. It’s as if children see things through impartial eyes, worldly qualifications don’t matter to them. It is so reviving to see how children look at the heart, just as God does.

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