Clothed

By Cheri Cowell –

My mother is a terrific seamstress and made most of my clothes as I was growing up. What she didn’t make, we received as hand-me-downs from my cousins. I learned early that the clothes I wore made a statement about me, and that it also had an influence on my attitude. If I dressed sloppy, my attitude was sloppy, and if I was proud of what I was wearing I carried myself with pride. I also learned to prepare what I was going to wear the next day on the night before. This way I could make sure my clothes were ready and appropriate for the event. I still do this even today.

Jesus told a parable about clothing yourself properly and having a right attitude. He has something to say to all of us about choosing our “clothes.”

It was customary in Jesus’ day to receive two invitations to a wedding. The first invitation informed guests that the feast was being planned–a sort of “save the date” notice. The second invitation was an announcement telling everyone it was time to come. Along with the second invitation, wedding clothes were also sent for the guest to wear to the banquet. It was considered an insult to the host not to wear the garments given.

In the Parable of the Wedding Banguet, not only did those first invited refuse to come, but one of the men who came with the second invitation refused to put on the royal robe. As gentiles, you and I are receiving the second invitation. However, simply accepting the invitation is not enough; we must be appropriately dressed in robes of righteousness. These clothes have been provided for us. Have you put on the robe?

PRAYER: Thank You, God, for Your invitation. I recognize he filthy rags I still cling to and ask You to help me to finally take them off. Clothe me in Your garments which are clean, pure, and holy.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless” (Matthew 22:11-12 NIV. See verses 1-14 for the full parable).

Seize Your Day

By Peter Lundell –

I paid close attention at my daughter’s promotion from middle school to high school. The student speeches were good, and I was struck by these thirteen-year-olds talking about how “time flies.” Oncey they’re adults, they’ll find out how fast it can truly go.

I reminded myself of the commitment I made almost ten years earlier: When my kid’s name gets called to receive her high school diploma, I will NOT sit here and wonder where all the time went.

If time flies, each of us is a pilot. We choose how it flies. Whether we actively decide what we do with it, or passively let things take their course, we determine how time flies—or doesn’t.

But let’s get real, time doesn’t fly at all. Every minute, hour, and year is a set length (even leap year). The “flying” part is entirely our perception. Ask someone in a penitentiary or someone with a terminal illness if time flies. We all have time when it drags, even if temporarily.

So what should we do with these conclusions? The same thing writers have said for centuries: carpe diem—”seize the day.” But in a way that is more life enriching rather than just living for the moment.

Seizing the day is something we consciously decide every day—otherwise the day’s potentials vanish like mist. We make choices deliberately, and fully engage in what we do, rather than drift through life letting things happen to us. We engage meaningfully with people and events around us, and we nourish a caring heart toward them. We live for each moment rather than wallow in the past or pine for the future. We refuse to live in perpetual busyness, and as in the Luke 10:38–42 story of Martha and Mary, we focus on what is most important.

How will you seize your day?

PRAYER: “Lord and Master of my life, each day I live is a gift from You. Lead me to seize it as a zealous steward of time and experience. Open my eyes to see Your hand in all of it. . . .”

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14 NIV).

Exhilarating

By Elaine James –

“Oh my gosh,” I screamed as I approached the top of a small hill. I clinched the brake handles of my bicycle and came to a screeching halt. There I was, face to face with a deer. I got off my bike in utter disbelief as eight other deer pranced across my path. They stopped only 10 feet away, then turned to stare at me. My heart was racing with delight. Life seemed to stop.

“This is exhilarating!” I thought to myself. “God does this moment really have to end?” It would be dark soon so I knew I couldn’t stay much longer.

The deer stood motionless for minutes, but began to leave one at a time, before I was ready, confirming the moment was over.

Some people approached from behind. When they caught up to me, I asked, with enthusiasm “Did you see that?”

“See what? “They retorted.

I gulped. “The nine deer that just surrounded me. ”

“No, we did not see anything.”

I could not believe it. I am so electronically challenged. You would think that I would be able to get my cell phone camera working to capture the moment! Without proof, would anyone even believe me?

“God, what just happened?”

God’s still small voice answered, “I brought you out to this forest preserve, just as I brought Elijah out of the cave to the cliff edge so I could pass by him. He discovered I was not in the wind, earthquake or fire that appeared before him. I am not in the deer. I am the creator of the deer. I chose to reveal myself to you.”

As I left the park that day, crying, I knew this was no coincidence. You see, I had been asking God to help me prepare to teach at an upcoming retreat that weekend. I had been meditating on 1 Kings 19, which is the story of Elijah.

As I laid my head on my pillow that night, I felt giddy, just as I felt as a little girl when I saw my favorite animal at the zoo. I giggled with excitement, for I knew I was ready to testify that “God wants to reveal himself to you too! Seek Him and you will find Him.”.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, help me to stay close to You so I can experience You more in my life.

“But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him” (1 John 2:27b).

Wondering What Happened

By Jarrod Spencer –

Have you ever returned to a town you used to live and noticed, in your time of absence, things changed? Changes such as businesses closing, buildings torn down, and town expansion, etc. We reflect back to the days when we lived there and the way the environment used to appear.

I remember taking my wife to a town where I used to live. It was very small and it only took about 15 minutes to “tour.” I enjoyed the trip down memory lane, returning to the “Prairie Chicken Capital of the World”, with a population of 130 (in 2000), according to the Wikipedia website.

Change is happening in our world all the time. In order for change to take place, someone must be willing to work and carry out the work that creates change. For those that do not put in the work, they may wonder what happened while they were away. This brings us to a quote from a friend of mine, DudLee Brennfoerder, that challenges me as I think about change and the effort it takes to implement. “There are those that work, those who talk about those working, and those that wonder what happened.”

Which category do you generally fit into?

Usually those in the latter two categories have a difficult time seeing the purpose in a project. The more we’re a part of a project, the more we see the purpose and develop a passion in the project.

As you look around your community, workplace, or church, think about how you will be involved with a project/program. If there isn’t a work going on to be involved in, think about an area that you are passionate about and see how you can make it happen. Your passion may end up being magnetic to others, creating a desire in them to also be involved.

I am continually energized by being involved. It is very enjoyable to be involved in areas we are passionate about. It motivates us to the point that we may find it hard to quit. Get involved. Who knows what fun adventures are right around the corner that we never would have known without choosing to pursue our passions.

PRAYER: Thank You, Father, for giving me passions and open doors of which to practice those passions. I can’t wait to see what You have planned next for me to be involved in.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter 4:10-11 NIV).

Theme Songs

By Janet Morris Grimes –

One of my favorite songs is Through the Eyes of Love, which was the theme song to the move Ice Castles. I love the lyrics, but more than this, it takes me back to the closing scene of that movie, when an ice skater who has gone blind from a tragic accident chooses to skate again in front of a crowd that has no idea she cannot see. The song moves me to tears every time, and sums up the struggles of the movie perfectly.

Theme songs are that way. They combine the thoughts, feelings, memories, and even scents of an event and sum it up nicely into a moving piece of music; a magic carpet that can take us anywhere we long to be.

My nine-year-old nephew proved the power of theme songs to me when he recently heard Neal Diamond’s Sweet Caroline on the radio. “That’s the song they played when I went to the Atlanta Braves game, and we all sang along and ate popcorn.” The twinkle in his eye told me that it was already one of his fondest memories.

A college baseball team here in town has taken the ‘theme song’ idea a bit further. When each player gets up to the plate to bat, a line or two of his theme song plays. They introduce him by name, and then his song goes even further to explain who he is, and what he is all about.

It caused me to wonder what my theme song might be, if I could choose something for people to hear when they first meet me. Would they hear something joyful, catchy and upbeat, that would cause them to want to sing along?

I believe God is writing our movies as we go through each day. His desire is for others to be drawn to Him, through us. He is a masterful creator, and His stories should overflow in all areas of our lives.

My prayer is to live in such a way that when others cross my path, they will search until they find out the name of my theme song. I don’t know yet how the closing scene of my movie will play out. But I hope that my theme song will be something that others want to hear again and again; like a favorite song kept on repeat.

After all, my song comes from He who rejoices over me, with singing.

“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV).

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