Stop Barking!

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

Mine is a three-dog family. The neighbors to our west are a two-dog family; to our south, one-dog; southeast, another three-dog home. Our adjoining backyards are bound by six-foot tall, wood-slat privacy fences. However, none of these nine guardians believes those fences adequate security from the mangy mongrels on the other side, so they insist on barking and snarling and gnashing their teeth at each other, unseen adversaries that they are.

Many times I have pleaded with my poochies, “Seriously, dogs! You’ve been neighbors for years. Stop trying to eat each other through the fence!” To which the two little Germans respond with a smug dachshund look and the Aussie blue heeler’s hair stands higher on her shoulders. (If you haven’t spent much time around dachshunds, just imagine a teenager being reprimanded. OK, you now know the look I’m talking about!) With a farewell gnashing of teeth, my three usually cower to my bidding and saunter back inside.

Now, you would think after many years of residing in close proximity, that these animals—a species known for its scent recognition skills—would be quite familiar with each other. But no, each encounter is a new and fresh adrenaline rush, littering the air with loud shrills. And each time, I shake my head and think my dogs are like Pooh, “a bear of very little brain.” I love my dogs, but they cannot seem to love their neighbors. They continue to consider them enemies.

As humans, we are called to love both our neighbors and our enemies. Yet sometimes we do no better than these dogs.

Matthew 5:43 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” Many people stop right there and ignore verses 44-48. They find fault with their neighbor, whether the neighbor be a nearby resident or a regular acquaintance, and they camp out in resentment. They disregard the remainder of Christ’s advice, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Do not smile and wave if inwardly you resent. Do not feign friendship, then slander when out of earshot. “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). Stop sneering through the knot holes. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 12:20). And above all, love one another.

Connecting the Dots

By Dawn Wilson –

Sometimes it’s hard for me to connect the dots of my life in the moment. One example of this disconnect occurred a few years ago while traveling in Paris with my husband, Bob, his sister, Jan, and her husband, Tom.

After several days of taking in many of the lovely sites around the city, we decided to visit the Eiffel Tower. There, near the top of the tower, I pointed out some of the places we’d visited days before: The Louvre museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées.

But then I got frustrated. I moved along the railing slowly, all around the inner platform of the tower. I looked near and far, and started pointing and naming the sites again. “There’s the Louvre,” I said to my brother-in-law, “and there’s the Arc, and there’s the Cathedral … but where’s the Eiffel Tower?”

Tom’s mouth dropped open. “Dawnie,” he said with a chuckle, “You’re on it!”

As everyone around me burst into laughter, including a Frenchman who exclaimed, “Oh, you silly American!” I blushed to the bone! It was one of those “duh” moments when I didn’t connect the dots.

I find that this is sometimes true in my spiritual journey with God. I get so focused on looking around at the circumstances in life, or the culture or my own ambitions, and I lose sight of where and whose I am. I forget that I am secure in the family of God, with my identity and purpose firmly in Christ.

God spoke to me about this through Colossians 3:2. In The Message, this scripture reads, “Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” In other words, look to Jesus, and He will help you connect the dots!

If our vision is not God-ward, our perspective may be skewed. In practical terms, our financial needs truly aren’t about the money; they are about whether we will look to our heavenly Provider. Our marital struggles aren’t about our spouse’s inadequacies or hang-ups; they’re about living biblically and learning to love, respect, and serve our spouse.

God desires that we will seek His perspective and then, gaining wisdom, trust Him for the outcome. Though we may not fully comprehend His will or the purposes in each situation—His thoughts and ways are beyond us (Isaiah 58:8)—we know that He will use our circumstances to conform us to the image of Christ so that we can ultimately bring honor to His name.

The simple truth is, connecting the dots of life begins when we connect with our Heavenly Father in prayer and in the Word, asking Him to open our hearts and minds and show us His will and ways.

He’s Got Your Back

By Liz Cowen Furman –

Last summer we decided that our house was in serious need of staining. I borrowed a power washer from a painter friend who said it would be better than sanding. So to prep the siding for a new coat of stain, I set out to “wash my house”. I closed all the windows tight so I no water would go in through the cracks.

The machine was amazing. It removes paint at 15 feet; get closer at full blast and you will be erasing the siding. It took me a few minutes to get used to it; I blew out a few light bulbs on porch lights. But after doing the bottom half of our house from the ground I felt like I could do anything. I wanted to have the whole house done before my husband got home from work to surprise him.

I enlisted the assistance of my teenaged son to help me get the washer set up on the roof and myself up there. He went into the house and I began my work. Just as I was finishing a thunder storm rolled over the hills and the lighting was heading my way.

The roof was very wet now and getting on the ladder without someone to hold it didn’t seem safe. But neither did standing on my roof like a lightning rod. So I did what any self-respecting person would do, I started hollering for my son to come out and help me get off the roof. Because I had closed down the house tighter than a drum, he could not hear me. I pounded on the only window I could reach from that particular roof portion. No answer. I yelled. No answer. I screamed. No answer. I am sure the neighbors and all of the front-range could hear me but not Martin. Since we live in the mountains above Denver, a summer storm also usually means a drastic drop in temperature. So there I was drenched to the bone from my washing, frozen in the cold as the storm rolled in. Lightening crashed, thunder rolled, I shivered. After yelling myself out I sat against the side of the building and waited.

While I was sitting up there I watched the storm roll over the mountain and I prayed. I was reminded of the saying, Sometimes He calms the storm and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child. That vantage point provided the best view of a thunderstorm I have ever witnessed. It was beautiful, powerful, and a bit scary. But as I prayed a peace washed over me like the rain coming across the valley.

I knew I was going to be ok so I just sat and waited. I am ever amazed that over and over again God shows me that He is in control and He’s got my back. And He has yours too. So you might as well relax and enjoy the ride. Even if you are shivering.

Once it started to rain, Martin remembered I was out there and came running out to see if I was ok. I got off the roof safely and he made me a cup of hot tea. And the house was clean before my husband got home from work. So it is; another example of what my Mom always says…Things have a way of working out.

All Aboard

By Judy Davis –

My daughter, Cindi, and I always dreamed of going on a cruise. The excitement of thinking about the rest and relaxation thrilled us. We decided to celebrate our birthdays on a cruise to the Bahamas.

As I reflect on the memories, I know God blessed us with this time of fun and fellowship. We had the opportunity to not only enjoy rest from our jobs, but time together reading and meditating on God’s Word. Each morning we started off the day reading our devotions and sharing prayer time.

Cindi picked me up early in her red sports car, all dressed in a straw hat, shorts, and sandals. She said, “Hey Mom, let’s stop at Waffle House.” After eating delicious waffles, we were on our way.

I had made reservations at a motel for our first night in Florida. The ocean view room was breathtaking and the weather delightful. After checking into the Holiday Inn, I said, “Let’s eat lunch at the Cove, a nice little sea food restaurant.” We ate a delicious lunch filled to the brim with shrimp, clams, and fish.

We woke up bright and early the next morning and got ready for another great day. “Oh, Mom, look out your window,” Cindi pointed at the great big ship with a huge red fin on top. Wow! We were ecstatic! We arrived at the Cruise line by 9:00 and couldn’t board until one o’clock. But we found a close parking place. I laughed, “We have the whole parking lot.” We found a nice cool area to sit and dream of our next few days.

The stewards treated us so special. They placed neat little towels folded like cute little animals on our bed each evening and left little pieces of chocolate on our pillow.

We shopped at the straw market and bought a few souvenirs. As I was looking through my selected items, I heard Cindi yell, “Hey mom, look, take a picture.” She ran across the street to have her picture made with one of the native Bahamians.

Later that evening, we dressed up in beautiful black and gold evening dresses for the Captain’s dinner.” The crew always takes plenty of pictures so we have special memories of a most delightful journey.

Then, of course, the midnight buffet was “a sight for sore eyes” my grandmother would have said. We took plenty of pictures as no one would believe us if we told them how much food was on the buffet.

What a blessing we shared on our first cruise! It was truly a wonderful trip full of memories. Our birthdays will be remembered forever as a time of celebration, reflection, and most of all, the love of a mother and daughter. “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” Psalm 90:14.

Grand Opening

By Rhonda Rhea –

I read somewhere that when a man can’t open a jar, he has to throw it away and never speak of it again. Another guy told me that if he can’t open a jar, he comes back with a blunt instrument. What is it with guys looking for any excuse to crank up the chain saw? Okay, so I do understand a chain saw is not a blunt instrument. Unless, of course, you use it to try to pry open a pickle jar.

I admit I personally have an extremely underdeveloped jar-opening-muscle. It’s withered away from lack of use. That’s because I’ve been married all these years to a really great jar-opener. When Richie is out of town for any length of time, I’m in a real pickle, jar-wise. Not a pickle jar. A pickle. Jar-wise.

On the spiritual side of the story, however, I’m all about opening up. I never want to neglect exercising my faith by failing to keep a prayer connection with the Father open and active. We need to build spiritual muscle or we become withered, wimpy semi-believers who shrivel at the slightest pressure. It’s true, if we want to keep our spiritual muscle operating at full capacity, we have to consistently pray, thanking and praising Him, loving Him with our thoughts and words, trusting Him with every need, struggle and hurt, staying ever open and transparent before Him.

Allowing “prayer” to become merely a “churchy word” can happen all too readily. It’s easy to let it become more about what we want, or what we want others to think we’re doing, or what we say we’ll do, or even what we intend to do, than it is about communing with the Heavenly Father. It can become a ritualistic, empty religious duty in our hearts and minds rather than the enormously high privilege and sweet exchange that it truly is meant to be.

Any time we find ourselves stuck in a prayer funk, we need to give ourselves a little tap on the shoulder—a reminder of our vital need to open up those lines of communication and to see our intimacy restored. Paul said in Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer.”

We need to get extreme in that devotion, and to stay extreme in our desperate desire to faithfully connect with the Father, heart to heart. Romans 12:11-12 says, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Dictionaries further describe that zeal as enthusiastic devotion and diligence, tirelessly passionate about a cause, idea, person or goal. That’s the kind of passion we want to take with us every time we enter our prayer closet.

A sluggish or apathetic spirit may squeeze out that passion now and again, but if we want to please the Lord and fruitfully live in His joy, we need to be all about getting right back on track in opening that prayer closet door.

That’s one thing we can always open on our own. With a grateful and expectant heart. And it’s the sure way out of any spiritual pickle.

Of course, now I’ve gotten myself all hungry for pickles. Guess I’d better call my husband. Somebody’s got to open this jar.

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