Devotional Archive Page

While watching some news coverage of returning soldiers the other night, I was impressed by something one of the mothers told a reporter. The reporter had asked what the mother did when she first saw her son step off the ship, safe, back home again. The woman smiled and said, I ran and hugged him, then took a deep breath of him!

Wow! A deep breath of him! Isn't that the most amazing image ... for this mother to want to so totally take in the essence of her son, that she breathes him in?

I want that in my relationship with God, don't you? The opportunity to be able to totally breathe Him in ... to inhale His exhale, to take Him in so fully. And you know, that makes me think about something scientists have said for years, that certain smells are powerful memory triggers. The mere hint of certain smells brings up a myriad of images for us ... a certain smell (maybe a whiff of perfume) triggers memories of a parent, or friend and all the joys that they represent in our life. Wow! I want that............... I want people to get a good whiff of me and be reminded of the father! I want to be in such an intimate relationship with the father God that when I leave His presence, His scent is all over me, so that I remind others of being with Him too.

Merry Christmas

Isn’t Christmas just the best time! The other night I was sitting in my living room…I Susan O’Donnell had my own home and my own living room for the first time in my life. I was sitting with all the lights turned out except those twinkling on my tree, and the light from the fireplace. As I sat alone watching the changing lights - the star at the top of the tree caught my eye. I wondered what that first Christmas night must have been like for the shepherd in the field - sitting that night by the fire…keeping watch – when that brilliant star fairly blinded them with light! I mean, they’d been sitting in the dark and suddenly they were assaulted by the bright light! Frightening!!!!!! No wonder the first thing the angel said was DON’T BE AFRAID!

Now,here I sat in my living room with the words…."Do not be afraid" fairly echoing in my head…..Do not be afraid…for unto you is born…a Savior….

In this day and time…in this season of Christmas unlike any other season of Christmas we’ve faced in our world…how much more do we need to cling to the words…Do Not Be Afraid…I bring you Good news of great joy that will be for ALL people…today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you…He is Christ the Lord! May the joyous news bring you peace. Merry Christmas! From all of the O’Donnell girls Susan, Sarah and Megan…and from all of us at Susan O’Donnell Ministries!

A New Year

“But I trust in You, O Lord
I say, “You are my God,
My times are in Your hands.” -- Psalm 31:14,15a

A New Year!?! I’m just getting used to the old one! It seems like time is on fast forward!

I watch as my children mature at breakneck speed. I watch as my mirror ages my image. In the midst of it all, I beg for a moment’s reprieve from the onslaught of time. It doesn’t come. Time marches on. And as it does, I’m reminded that time and life are precious.

Which of us watches as our newborn infants now dress in graduation gown, military uniform, or wedding dress without wondering, “Where has time gone!?” Who of us has not spent time since September 11 reflecting on our time and how brief and precious it can be?

Time is precious! And now we begin a new time – this New Year … Are you planning your New Year? Are you prepared to treasure this time?

Lose Your Luggage

I have a number of trips coming up... and I was getting ready the other day, trying to pack a “basics” suitcase that would contain the “travel version” of all of my necessities so that I could simply add the clothing and shoes to it, and boom! I’d be ready to go, it hit me…

We do this throughout our lifetime. We carry around emotional, mental and spiritual luggage that we keep packed for each and every situation, adding some experience or another to it for a time…but the basics remain the same, and they travel with us where ever we go. For some of us that may be good…it’s filled with grace and compassion for others and ourselves. But, for others of us (probably most of us), it often gets packed with frustration and hurts from our childhood or from recent experiences. Maybe it’s bitterness over a marital breakup or simply anger over an unresolved situation. Whatever the hurt … whatever the emotion it’s packed to go along with us, wherever we are headed! It’s neatly packed in the bag and off we go with our “carryon”!

In Philippians 3:13 Paul tells us to leave what is behind….in order to move forward to our goal. He doesn’t say pack it up and carry it with you…he says leave what’s behind!! Is your ‘baggage’ weighing you down and holding you back from achieving your goals in life - emotionally, spiritually, or relationally? Leave it behind…and you’ll be amazed at how light you feel, at how much more energy you have to reach the goals you are striving toward!

From My Journal…

Do you ever just sit, and listen…not doing anything, not thinking anything…just sitting and listening - being. Every once in a while I get an opportunity to do that, and when I do…. I’ve got to journal it! I wanted to share a page of my journal with you…just to share the joy of the moment with you….

It’s another day of listening to the sounds of your creation, the far away call of the plaintive bird, the wind rustling leaves above me, and the dry clicking sound of a leaf cascading through the branches as it makes its way to the ground.

What an orchestra you’ve designed for this moment! It is the strings of the wind in the trees, the brass played by a loud blackbird in a nearby tree…the percussion of footfalls passing on the path, and the low bass rumble of hushed voices on the other side of our garden wall. It is as you said, ‘creation sings’ of your greatness…From orchestras to paintings, the masterpiece hails the Master!

Your brush has painted the sky…and against it a bird takes flight and I am amazed at its grace, the lines of its wings beating against the white of the clouds, then eyes follow it to the trees where they burst with silver and green colors. How many colors are there in green? The dips of yellows, and browns mean there is no end to the variety of the leaves, it’s too beautiful for words!

Is that how you see us, Father? Have you made each of us so individual in who we are so the whole tree of life will be even more beautiful? Do we try too hard to look or be like the others – is it More to be unlike rather than to conform…or is it simply to find who we are and revel in the uniqueness of it all? I struggle with the question!

But, I don’t struggle with the praising of you, Father…with the wind on my face, the sun warming my back, I lift my voice in praise, and simply whisper…. Wow! You are Amazing!! Creator God, Daddy God….. Thank you.

Remember to take the time, to just BE with God….it can change you, profoundly!

Are You Snatching Defeat Out of the Jaws of Victory?!

Having grown up in Indianapolis, I am a Cubbies fan. Have been all of my life, and it is a common phrase among those of us who have endured the typical Cubs season ... "Once again, they've snatched defeat out the jaws of victory!" (The Cubs are the quintessential bad luck bears).

I accept that with the Cubs, it's just as I've come to laugh at the way it is. BUT, I am concerned about those in the Church who are willing to use the same phrase for their life. We all have really tough times in our life, and that can certainly get us down. For some it can be something as simple as being disappointed in a job or a friend. For others it can be something more severe, like being disappointed by a loved one, divorce is looming or has already happened. For still others, it could be that they've been knocked down by the enemy, falling from their place in the ministry.

Whatever it is that has given you momentary defeat ... do not get comfortable in that defeat! Do not allow your heart to accept that you've snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory! You are promised a victory (Jer 29:11) and Jesus has promised never to leave you, or forsake you! If your strength is waning ... that's okay, Phil 4:6 says you can do it with Christ's strength! Don't give up!

Remember the mother who's son was being attacked by an alligator ... she grabbed her child's arms and wouldn't let go ... no matter how hard the alligator pulled and pulled ... she was able to snatch her child victoriously out the jaws of ultimate defeat, literally out of the jaws of death! Did the child have scars ... yes ... those on his legs from the alligator indicating the ferocious attack ... and those on his arms, indicating the ferocity of his mother's battle to keep from losing her child in those big jaws!

God is hanging on to you, His Child, and his fight to bring you into the victory of life that He promises is far more ferocious than that of any enemy or sin that comes against you. Leave the Cubs to live "snatching the defeat out of the jaws of victory". Because you, are a Child of the King and will NOT be defeated! Live in Victory.

Blow Your Horn, and Blow it Loud!

I heard the most interesting story the other day about Napoleon’s bugler (the man that played his bugle). It seems Napoleon’s men were in a terrible battle and it was not going well for them….Napoleon called the Bugler to the front and instructed him to sound the Retreat. But, the Bugler told Napoleon he couldn’t do that! When Napoleon asked him why not…..the Bugler said, "you never taught me how to play Retreat…but I can play Charge!" So, Napoleon said….”Then play Charge!” He did, and the soldiers believed that if their General was calling for them to charge ahead, they must be winning…so, they charged…and they won the battle!

Ever wonder if we, in our life’s journey…our spiritual battles, sound the retreat too soon. What would our life be like if we didn’t know how to sound Retreat at all…and all we could do was have the confidence of having Christ, who is already victorious, leading us forward! How amazing would that be?

In Psalm 27 David sings …"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall…though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear, though war break out against me, even then will I be confident!"

Are things getting tough for you? Are you warring against the hardships of life? Has the Bugler been called in to play Retreat in your heart or spirit? Read David’s song again, and believe, then pick up your own horn and blow it ... blow it loud! CHARGE!

Get Thee Forth, and Sparkle!

I was out in the country the other day; up early for a retreat, when I passed a beautiful flower garden. I was admiring the beauty of the flowers and the greenery when something shimmering in the morning sun caught my eye. I looked deep into the garden and there shining like a diamond studded necklace was a beautiful little spider web.

With the dew droplets clinging to the threads of the amazing structure it literally sparkled! There in the corner of that beautiful little web was the spider herself, and I was struck by the intricate work she had done, something I know she does day after day throughout her life. That's when it hit me. Does she know what a beautiful addition to the garden her little web is this morning? Probably not! She continues on her routine never knowing that it would stop me in my tracks and make me marvel at what art her daily work had become in my world.

As you continue your daily routine today, remember that little spider and her beautiful, sparkling, dew-covered web in the garden. You may be going about your day, not realizing that the work of your hand and or the work of your heart becomes a thing of art and beauty for someone else who comes across it in this garden of life.

To you, it's the same sort of day and the same sort of work with your family, friends, church or community that you've been carrying out in almost a mundane manner for days, months, even years! But, today could be the day that someone is going to see it covered in the refreshing morning dew of God's new mercies and it's going to sparkle like diamonds! So, work today as to the Lord. and wait for the Son to shine and turn that work into a beautiful work of art!

I Want to Hold the String!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a part of my daily routine at my job at KSBJ, I spent time today looking at articles, and pictures from the Washington Post. There, in a series of pictures from war torn Afghanistan, was a photo of a colorful kite flying above the ruins of Kabul.

I was struck first by the contrast of the brightly colored kite floating in the blue sky above the brown and black of the ruins. The little kite was so beautiful.

I looked at that brightly colored little kite like the spirit of the people in that land…a spirit that was soaring above the brokeness of their situation below. It had risen above the ruins of the battles fought there and flew with abandon and joy in a beautiful blue sky that gave not a hint of the darkness below.

Which of us has not faced dark battles in our life, and wanted to soar (like the little kite) above them…to have joy again, to have love and life again?

That’s when still another thought struck me…what about the person flying that kite!? Obviously, someone had chosen to fly that kite…to tie the string to it’s tail and to launch that kite into the breeze…. so it could feel the power of flight..so it could rise above the ruins. Someone was encouraging that kite to fly – to victoriously fly!

I meet so many people in my ministry who are struggling with the battles of their life…some living among the ruins of decisions they’ve made, or that others have made, leaving them feeling broken and defeated! So now, with that image of the little kite in my mind’s eye, I began to ask God to make me one who launches their spirits - like that person at the other end of the kite’s string.

I want to lift people’s spirits by reminding them of God’s love and peace, of the joy of knowing Daddy God loves them! I want to be a reminder of the new victories that overcome past defeats. I want to be someone who holds their spirit to the winds of God’s grace - to brace them against the fresh breeze of His ultimate victory for them…and to watch as they take flight…soaring above the battles lost, or not yet won…the ruins of past hurts to soar into the blue sky of God’s promise for their future.

I pray we will all consider that little kite…and become the ones who will encourage the spirit of our war weary brothers and sisters to feel the strength of his wings of grace and mercy, to fly in the fresh breeze of HIS promise — to SOAR in victory in the name of Christ! Oh yes! When you see the bright kite flying above those ruins…. Don't you want to hold the string?

The Devil's No Mel Gibson...

Do you ever get those moments when someone says something you've known for years, but all of a sudden in strikes a bell? That happened to me the other day at church, and I wanted to pass my epiphany along to you!

The pastor was talking about the Devil's attacks in our life...and said the devil doesn't make his attack obvious, it's subtle like a whispered hurt in your ear! How right is that!

I thought to myself, I've heard that voice in my dear little ear whispering his attack on my life and me! We all watch for the attacks by the devil, but I'm afraid we too often watch for them as though the Devil is going to come like Mel Gibson and his clan in BRAVE HEART.... screaming down the hill alerting to the attack. NO WAY! When the devil comes after me, he's not in my face, he's in my ear...whispering that I will never be good enough, that God doesn't love me as much as He loves the others. Whispers that cater to my insecurities about the way I look, or how other people perceive me! The attack is as destructive as any frontal assault, and much more menacing because He sneaks up on me with his wicked whispering hoping to drown out the voice we are SUPPOSED to be listening for.

Scripture says in John that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep know the sound of his voice! It's true, if we will keep our spirit in tuned with the Holy Spirit, we know the difference in the sweet warm loving voice of the Good Shepherd and the Wicked whispering, hate filled voice of the Devil. But, we have to stay alert!

Next time those demeaning messages of defeat come to your mind....listen very carefully.... Recognize the voice?! Listen only to the voice of your Lord and Savior who talks of love and redemption...not condemnation and separation! The Devil is no Mel Gibson.... screaming down the hill to attack you, he's the whispered message that will get ya!

Don't be deceived! Listen for the voice of your savior, your Daddy God who soothes you with His love, whispers sweetly in your ear...I love you, I gave my son for you, I've known you since you were in your mother's womb and I take great delight in you. Listen, hear your Daddy God rejoicing over you with singing.

At the Feet of Love

As a child, I was raised by a widowed father. It was my two older brothers,
my dad and me! If it had not been for my father's mother, I would have been
alone in a world of men. When mother died, Gram stayed on to help Daddy with
"the kids". I was seven, she was 76.

Gram was a Kentucky born woman of mountain stock. She was tough as nails!
She wasn't one of those Grams who would cuddle you and tell you what a
sweetie you are or promise to make all of your hurts go away. She was more
of a "buck up, you can take it!" sort of person. But, she loved us deeply
and worked tirelessly to make sure we were well fed, clean and respectful!

Gram was frustrated by the fact that my father and brothers had turned me
into "a Tomboy!" One Christmas I asked for a pop gun. She got me a doll.
I couldn't believe it! A doll!? What was she thinking!? I had to convince
my friend Gary that it was an oversized "action figure" so he'd quit calling
me a "GIRL!" It disappointed her that I thought it was more fun to play
cops and robbers than to play beauty parlor-- but, she still helped me make
a tin foil sheriff's badge.

When dad remarried, years later, it was to a woman with multiple marriages
in her past and three children of her own. It was an extremely difficult
time for me. I found myself never feeling at home - at home again. except in
Gram's room.

You see, at the foot of Gram's chair I was safe. No one dared to come into
Gram's room to yell, or insult me or make me feel inferior. At the foot of
Gram's chair there was peace. I could sit for hours while she read her
Bible, or knitted footies, and know for that time, I could relax. There was
peace. There was love.

Isn't that what God has for us in such a more spectacular way? As the
King's Kids we're given privileged entrance into the throne room of the God
of the Universe. We're able to sit at His feet, feeling loved and knowing
peace. In His presence we are loved. to the depth of our souls, we're loved.

Now, I don't have my Gram's room as sanctuary any more. Yet, I've gone on
to make sanctuary for my own children. Isn't that what we learn by the
experience of being in the presence of the Love? - how to be that kind of
love for others? I pray that it is.

God, make me an instrument of your peace. May I be love in your name to all
who so desperately need love! May I be sanctuary for those who need peace.
God, thank you. for the gift of Gram and her love, and for the gift that is
YOUR love! In Christ. Amen

Don't Get in the Way

This devotional is an excerpt from Susan's new book, "MY LIFE, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT.." (not published yet)

Three years after mother's death my father was transferred to another Eli Lilly plant. The transfer meant the family had to move from the only home I'd ever known to a new town. I wasn't sure about it all. Brill Road was the only world I'd known and the people who lived in our neighborhood were the entire populace of my world. In order to help me feel as though I was more a part of the process, Dad and Grandmother began to take me along with them as they looked for a new house for us to live in.

At one of the homes there was a terraced patio, pink brick and very impressive! But, Gram turned to talk to Dad about the patio, and slipped and fell off one of those terraces, breaking her hip. The break was severe enough that she was hospitalized at St. Francis Hospital. The same hospital where mommy had been many times during her illness.

The thought of Gram being ill was terrifying for me, I had images of her dying a slow death as mother did, and I was inconsolable. For that reason, my father (who was usually a stickler for rules) told my brother Jerry and I that we could climb up the fire escape on the outside of the hospital and peek into the window of Gram's room. That way I could see that she was okay. Too young to be allowed on the hospital floor, it was the only way we would be able to get the satisfaction of seeing for ourselves that Gram was not dying, she was going to be home as soon as her hip was healed.

St. Francis Hospital was run by an order of nuns that marched around the thing like the Winkies Soldiers at the castle in Wizard of Oz. I mean I never heard them singing that Oh EE Oh song or anything, but I was pretty sure they might have had those big spears hidden under their habits! Growing up in a catholic neighborhood, as the only protestant kids for miles, we'd heard every horror story there was about the ninja nuns! They were married to God and had nearly as much power as He did to find your sin and punish you for it!

Armed with that misconception, and determined to achieve our objective of climbing the fire escape to check on Gram....Jerry and I formulated a plan. We would stealthily climb one landing at a time, pressing our bodies up against the brick wall of the hospital, crouching to crawl beneath the windows and thus avoid being spotted by the sisters of doom. Then, once we were at Gram's window, we'd quietly sneak a peek to see that she is okay. Mission accomplished we'd return to the parking lot via the same route. Check!

We began by crouching behind Dad's big Green Chevy...checking to see if the coast was clear, Jerry motioned me to follow him. We crouched and ran squatting behind the cars and ending with our back pressed against the back bumper of a black Ford - just steps away from the bottom of the fire escape. One last check of our surroundings and we were off....running across the lawn we leapt to the fire escape. Just as planned, we made it up to the landing where Gram's room was located. We stopped to catch our breath while staying close to the wall. Then, we stepped into the opening and pressed our faces to the window. THERE SHE WAS! Gram was sitting up in her bed, our father standing nearby helping her reach something on her bedside table.

She looked great and we couldn't resist. We jumped up and down yelling her name and telling her it was us! She waved. We waved. She smiled. We yelled our hellos and began a litany of shouted information about what we'd been doing while she was staying at the hospital....in mid sentence my brother Jerry stopped stone cold. Noticing his silence I turned to his white face, followed his eyes to see.....the doorway to the fire escape open. There filling that doorway was the largest nun I had ever seen in my life. She had fire in her eyes and her arms folded across her chest. She was stepping toward us .... I don't know what I thought she'd intended to do....but it didn't matter, because she'd only advanced a single step when my brother Jerry took off! Leaving me alone on that fire escape. Determined not to die alone at the hands of Attila the Nun, I too took off....down we ran...zig zagging down that fire escape until we'd cleared the bottom and sprinted across the lawn toward the parking lot.

I don't know how long we'd been hunkered down behind that old blue car. But, when we finally gained composure enough to look to see if the nun had given chase, we were alone. We were safe. We'd conquered. Mission accomplished!

How many times in our adult life have we run from "danger" only to find that we have seen the enemy and it is us! Jerry and I imagined the Sinister Sister in Black was just steps behind us, we could almost feel her hot breath on the back of our necks as she closed in for the kill! In truth, the sweet sister had never moved from her perch atop the fire escape. We often run from the "dangers" we perceive only to find that the trouble is we are own worst enemy. In Galatians 5:7 we're reminded that we should run the race without allowing ourselves to be distracted ...."you were running a good race, who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" Don't let anything come between you and your quest for Christ...even if it's you getting in the way!

To: YOU From: God, with Love!

I bought this great Christmas card last year...on the front was the hand of an infant, and when you open the card there was an adult hand with a single nail print in it...I love that card.

I know that Christmas is about the birth of the infant Jesus. It's a special time for all of us and it's a beautiful time too. But, I can't help but think of what the same people who attended his birth must have been thinking hours after his crucifixion.

Mary, looking at the hands that had been nailed to the tree, remembering how soft and sweet they were as they first touched her face and reached for her hand. Joseph, remembering the baby's hand that first curled around his callused finger on that starry night...then the son's hands that became a man's...rough from hard work in the carpentry shop...strong and sure hands that would later be fastened to a wooden cross in the cruelest of ways.

I wonder if those young boys who were shepherds in the field and who were first to hear the news, to see the baby in swaddling clothes laying in the manager ever thought of that infant king..And wondered why He was crucified so.

I wonder if the very angels who proclaimed his birth were the same that silently waited for his resurrection with "Gloria" "Good News" again on their lips.

It is Christmas, a time to remember the birth of our savior...but it is also time to remember the rebirth that savior offered to us. It was for us he came that starry night and it was for us he died that dark day..and again it was for us that bright morning when he arose again...defeating death forever! For us!

I sometimes want to put a name tag on my manager scene...To: Susan. From: God....with Love...With Great Love!

Christmas...it's about Love...and gifts ...the greatest gift of all...Christ.

Much Love and Joy this Season,

Susan O'Donnell and Sarah Beth and Megan & Corkey too

Mending Fences

There was a horrible storm on Monday before Christmas here in Houston. Tornados destroyed some homes. Winds up to 65 mph are blamed for knocking huge trees over tearing them from the ground and slamming them into cars and homes. While my home didn't sustain that kind of damage, the back fence collapsed to the power of the wind.

I awoke on Christmas eve to find a large section of the backyard fence lying flat in my neighbor's yard. Now, that's a problem because our Boxer puppy, Corky, lives in our backyard. Thankfully, he was in the house for the night when the fence went down...no telling where he'd have run off to.

But, that meant, for the balance of the Christmas vacation, I've been working through insurance adjusters and such to try and have the fence repaired. When I finally learned that the insurance would not offer much money to help with the repairs, and a fence crew would cost more than a thousand dollars, I decided my best choice was to replace the fence myself. Thus began the adventure.

I had help with the tearing out of the remainder of the fence from friends Pam and Pete Peaco. Pete helped me with the post holes and taught me about cementing those things into place. I was amazed at the process of putting the framing pieces into place to hold the pickets. Then there was the nailing of more than 120 pickets! That was a task I could tackle on my own. Not that it was an easy task...my muscles are screaming from the toting...hammering and all! It was a rewarding work, but sometimes painful (hit my thumb a couple of times).

As I nailed those pickets into place it was just me and the sound of my hammer ringing in my ear for much of the day and I began to think of what my grandmother used to talk about ... Mending Fences. I thought, "here I am preparing for another New Year celebration and I'm "mending fences." That's when it hit me...at church Beth Moore and our Associate Pastor talked about forgiveness and starting over for the New Year, and here I was mending fences.

Isn't that such a wonderful place to be as we head into a New Year? Shouldn't this be the exact kind of activity that we are involved with at this time...mending fences. It is something that takes an effort, it's sometimes pretty painful. It is so important. Why enter another year with the hurts and broken relationships of the past year or years. Why carry that kind of weight into the newness? Why work another year to avoid or ignore a broken relationship (fence). Mend your fences.

Remember when Pete helped me cement those posts...nothing could have been done with that fence without that framework that was cemented into place. God offers us that kind of framework for our relationships and for mending them. It was He who first taught us about forgiveness and grace and love...the very framework and base for all that we do in life...just as the mending of the fence was keyed on those new cemented posts and the framework built on them...mending fences requires our understanding that the framework has already been laid for us in Christ's forgiveness for us..and in the line from His Model Prayer..."forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors".

When it was all over and I let our puppy out in the backyard for the first time in nearly a week...he ran and jumped and barked happily...running to the fence and enjoying it's security and all was right with his little world again...all things were new again! He was overjoyed - and so was I! There is joy in the mending...So mend away!

Whatever storm has broken your ‘fence' ....your relationship with someone in your life...Mend your Fences BEFORE the New Year...don't carry that broken stuff with you into the new year....instead....Mend your fences and really celebrate the newness of 2003!

I hope you have had a great Christmas! I got a future son-in-law for Christmas this year! Now, I'm looking forward to a wonderful New Year...praying for the same for you!

Have a Very Happy New Year!

I Can Do It!!!

I work with a young man who loves to play with his little three year old son, Jeremiah. Jeremiah has a motorized little pick up truck that he loves to drive around the neighborhood. He's proud of his skill as a driver and loves to show how well he can handle the little truck. But, like most kids, he gets distracted...sometimes he picks up the little plastic CB mike to talk into it, sometimes he is mesmerized by the neighbor's dog in the yard, or the neighbors waving hello. When he gets distracted, little Jeremiah (like so many of us who drive real cars) tends to steer off the road. But, when Jeremiah begins to steer too far off the sidewalk his daddy(ever present and nearby) reaches down and turns the wheel to straighten things out. That's when Little Jeremiah shouts " I can do it, Daddy!" and pushes his daddy's hand away.

Sound familiar? I don't know about you, but I've shouted a couple of "I can do it, Daddy!"s in my day. I've tried to make my own path and my own way..gotten distracted by something, and just like little Jeremiah who would surely crash into the next mailbox without Daddy's steadying hand...I've crashed and burned a few times trying to go it on my own. But, if Jeremiah were to skin his knee or bump his head, his Daddy would rush to pick him up, wipe him off...kiss his hurts, bandage his wounds and give him the support to get going again. Our Daddy God is just as careful with us when we've spiritually crashed and have wounds to be healed...He has promised never to leave us or forsake us...and in Psalm 56 we learn He actually makes an accounting of each and every tear that we cry. He's loving..."one thing I've heard two things I know...God is strong and you oh God are loving!"

I guess as Jeremiah gets older he'll realize he really did need Daddy's help after all...I know I've come to the understanding, FINALLY, that I have to replace that cry of "I can do it Daddy!" with the admission..."I can't do it without you Daddy!"

In His Arms

With this country at war…let me ask you, are you like me? I sit for hours in front of the television set and computer…pouring over the news about what's happening on the front. I am a news junky when it comes to this sort of thing.

In the last Gulf War, I was studied on each and every weapon that was being employed in that war! I could have told you how much they weighed, how they were used and why. I was a young talkshow host at the time, anchoring news and working to keep lively, informed debate going about the war, the battles and the politics of it all on the air with KFAB in Omaha, Nebraska.

This time it's different…I'm older, more experienced…and here at KSBJ. I still sit for hours pouring over the news, but my heart doesn't rest on the weapons and the play by play of the battle. The faces of the young men and women who are braving the battle catch my heart. My heart is caught by the doe-eyed Iraqi children begging for food.

I saw a photo of a military man cradling a small boy in his arms. I imagine you've seen it too. You saw the determination on the soldier's face and the trust in the face of the little boy. At first, it broke my heart! I was struck by the situation that brought these two souls together..the war! A war that neither had begun or called for, but a war that never the less had placed both in such a place as this, for such a time as this. I cried for them both…and then, I took another look at the picture, and my heart jumped in my chest!

Isn't that photo the best image of how God the Father is taking care of each of us…even now. It is HE who wears the armor and carries the weapons against those who seek to destroy us. It is HE who braves the battle to gently cradle us in his mercy and protection. He fights our battles for us, and at the same time, He comforts and cares for us in His gentle grace. SO, I imagined in my mind's eye a new photo, a photo of -- not a little boy in the arms of soldier -- but of a soldier, in the arms of God.

At such a time as this, I am reminded over and over of the scripture in Psalm 20:7. "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God".

Sometimes it's hard to trust when the world seems to be careening out of control…like now…but that's when I remember in whom I trust, and in whose arms I rest…

Thank you Father, God, that you have spoken, and "two things have I heard: that you, O God are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving!"* Hold safely our men and women in the military on the battle front, our president and leaders…and our family on the Homefront…In Jesus, amen.

Never Wax Your Own Brows or Cut Your Own Hair!

Okay, I'm a woman…I have to have my eyebrows waxed and my hair coiffured just right! But, I have a steadfast rule in my life: NEVER WAX YOUR OWN BROWS OR CUT YOUR OWN HAIR! Now, that's my own personal mantra, maybe yours is different…maybe you feel like you can cut your hair in the mirror and never have trouble with the fact that the left is the right and….well, you know how confusing doing anything in a mirror can be. Heaven knows what my eyebrows would look like if I tried to put that sticky hot wax on em and rip it off myself. I have a feeling I'd have one eyebrow constantly arched in a question, or I'd have to simply draw them both back in after yanking every hair out of my face!

With that said…isn't it strange that while I'd never do these little trivial tasks on my own for fear of the outcome (which by the way in both cases a disaster could be answered with simply…it'll grow back)….then why do I think I can shape my own future better than the Creator/Potter can?

Are you like me? In My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers talks about the visions God gives us. He gives us a vision and then takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. Well, too often while I feel the hammer and chisel begin its work, I find my hand springing out to grab it and do the work myself. It's sometimes hard to trust God with that which we've not yet seen and easy to misunderstand the shaping of our life to fit that vision! What am I thinking!? He's the Creator of the universe, the Author of our Faith….and I think I can reshape what He's shaping?!

Right! I can't wax my own eyebrows but I'm going to shape my own destiny…bang out my own vision for myself! I'm working on learning to trust the vision God has given me, and to trust God in what work He's doing to accomplish it. I'm working on being the vessel and let the Potter shape it for His purpose. I'm trying to learn to stand still as the sculpture and allow the sculptor's skilled hands to chip off just the right amount here and there until I'm the completion of His vision for me, or at least prepared to accomplish His vision in me.

Father God, creator…I am so sorry for those times when I try to take up my own hammer to reshape that which you've so carefully shaped in your image. I want to learn to be the vessel that remains in the hands of the Potter - not only until you've finished with me, but while you then use me for that which you've fashioned me to become!
Thank you, Father for your patience and here's the hammer and chisel back…I'll try not to try and take them back again!

My Dusty Family Organizer

I'm not the most organized person in the world. Any of my friends, family or just people who have to deal with me will tell you…the word "organized" never pops into their head when they are thinking of a way to describe me!

So, I got a really cool Family Organizer. It was a gift from a speaker who was going to be on my show. It's spiral bound and it's sitting right by my computer on my desk as I type this. It's got all kinds of wonderful features to help me organize my life. It's got the day-to-day planner that's been broken down into day parts…you know early in the day, midday and the ever-popular evening! It's got a Things to Do list. It's got a place in the back to keep my addresses and phone numbers I might need…and it's got a list for me to put the email addresses I've been contacting. Why, I think the woman who invented this particular Family Organizer thought of everything, there's even a daily meal planner and shopping guide in this thing! It's perfect for getting or keeping just about anyone organized.

BUT….it's sitting on my desk, collecting dust and getting piled up with all kinds of other papers, like magazines I've not been able to read yet, newspaper articles and notepads with portions of addresses and or instructions for some task I've got to get done,…uh…sometime soon. As wonderful an organizer as it is…it's doing me no good at all, because I'm not using it…learning from it…making it a daily tool!

But it sits on my desk…I don't pick it up and read it, learn from it …make it a tool in my life that can make my life easier…more organized!

Where's your Bible? Does it sit gathering dust on your desk, the shelf….or nightstand? Are its pages crisp and clean? Is it making any difference in your life? If we treat the Word of God like I treat my organizer we're going to get the same results I get from ignoring my organizer…it really doesn't make any difference in my daily life. It is a wonderful tool, it is the Bread of Life…the Word of God…but if I simply own it and don't OWN it - it will not be effective in my life…I won't become more than I am.

While I may not do well with my Organizer…my Bible sits atop any and all piles on my desk, it's ratty looking now, Philippians title page tends to fall out if you're not careful with how you handle it. The ribbon that marks my favorite passages is starting to look frayed and it seems to be shorter all the time! The binding is broken and it looks well worn, well loved. It speaks to my life…it matters in my life..it guides my life….The Word is Life!

Where's your Bible?!

Love your guts

I Love Christmas

I love Christmas….and I love children, so is it any wonder that one of my favorite Christmas memories (that doesn’t include my own kiddos) is about a little girl. She was the first child of a friend of mine…a sweet little blonde girl with curly hair and the most innocent smiling eyes… But, she kept taking the baby Jesus out of the nativity scene. No matter how many times her mother would retrieve the baby Jesus and place it back into the scene…this little girl would sneak back and pluck him from the manger to clutch him to her chest, and shout the 3 year old’s mantra “MINE!” Baby Jesus went everywhere she went…she took him with her to the store, to lunch….and even to naptime. Her momma would often slip into her room after she’d fallen asleep and find Baby Jesus sitting in her tiny little limp hand, lying on the pillow by her head.

I remember my friend’s frustration when she called and said…”I can’t get her to leave baby Jesus in the manger!!”

Oh! that we would all have that attitude…that none of us would want to leave Baby Jesus in the manger! We could take Him with us everywhere we go this Holiday season.

Having Jesus along while we’re shopping might make us think more about the true meaning of the season, and not so much about what we have to get this person, or that person! Having Jesus along while we’re navigating Holiday traffic, or looking for a parking space at the Mall might just cause us to keep His love and grace in mind while dealing with others!

As you look at those beautiful nativity scenes this season…think of that little blonde curly headed angel…grasping that baby Jesus to her heart…and think about doing the same! Jesus is more than the reason for the season…He is our living Savior. So, in the words of that little girl….. The baby Jesus of nativity, the Christ on the cross and the Resurrected Lord ….He is “MINE! MINE!” Let’s not leave Jesus in the nativity scenes of our life…let’s take him with us everywhere we go this Holiday Season!

Happy New You

Happy NEW Year! You probably can still hear the horns, the firecrackers and the applause of the celebration of yet another New Year coming. Why do we all love the New Year so much?! Is it because of its NEWness? I mean, it’s like it should have that New Year smell like a new car has that distinctive new smell….

It’s a lot like that too, isn’t it? I mean how many times when you or a friend get a brand new car do you resolve to not eat in it, not allow it to get cluttered and to always keep it clean and shiny and ‘NEW’….but about the time the new smell goes away, you begin to order something from one of those outside speakers, drive up to the second window and find yourself munching on lunch sitting in the not-so- new-car-now. You may even find yourself tossing a couple of things on the backseat with the idea that you’ll pick them up eventually…after all the newness has worn off and it’s just not as important.

New Years tend to start out like that car….smelling all new and they fill us with resolve to do better and lose weight, or drop this habit, or be more attentive with our bank balance or our waistline…and while all smells nice and new we’re doing great…but once that newness begins to wear off…we’re often off the diet and back into our old habits!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve done the resolution thing …many times at New Years. Sometimes I’ve succeeded…I gave up Coke to drink two years ago and with it all caffeine. I’m still doing well with that one. Last year, I resolved to make this the year I lost weight and got in shape, and I am doing well with that one so far too, but there is a list longer than your arm of the resolutions I made that were broken before the smoke had cleared from the New Year’s Fireworks display. I’ve had successes and utter failures in my Christian life too.

That’s why I’m so glad that God’s Mercy is New every morning. (Lamentations 3:21-23) The newness can’t wear off because the very next morning…it’s new again! We get do-overs, so to speak, each day of our life with Christ. It’s not so that we will toss care to the wind and live as though we have no need to live for Christ…because tomorrow we get the new mercy. It’s because we are not capable of living a perfected life in this life….and so; we have a deep need for that new mercy again and again. God offers it too, again and again.

Celebrate that NEW mercy not once a year, but each morning…. And…. offer new mercy to those around you too. They need it just like you!

Alive Again

April! It’s Here! It’s such a beautiful time of year…. I love the flowers, the planting, and the newness of Spring! I remember on the farm when the pasture would begin to fill with new little lambs and calves…all legs and head and wobbly as they emerge into this new world. I loved the smell of freshly turned earth as we began the planting of the garden, and sweet smells of cherry blossoms.

Spring, the flowers that have been sleeping all winter long are stretching after their long nap and beginning to paint our bleak world with color again! That which was dead is beginning to show life again!

It’s like the very time of year is perfect for the season...EASTER. The dead is alive again! I face this Easter with a renewed sense of childhood anticipation. I suppose it is (in part) because of the impact of seeing THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST movie a couple of months ago. It brought all of the suffering of Christ, His crucifixion and His resurrection new vividness for me. That mixed with my memories of Easters past has brought me a new excitement for this season, this year.

I can remember being so excited about Easter when I was a child. I knew it was a special time of year for us at our little church in Charlottesville, Indiana. My father would prepare the Sunrise Breakfast that we would have in the basement of our little church. All of the men would plug in their electric skillets and do all of the cooking, while the women decorated the church with Easter Lilies and purple drapes. We’d come there for breakfast after the Community Sun Rise Service that was held in the auditorium of our High School. I loved that service! It was the one time of year when the choirs from all of the local churches would sing together as one big choir. Now that I think of it..that big choir, wasn’t even as big as my own churches choir now…but back then, it was HUGE to me! There was this really great bass singer from one of the other churches who would boom out the ...”Up from the grave He arose…with a mighty triumph ore His Foes!” It just sounded like Jesus coming up out of the grave!! Powerful and Exciting!! That would thrill me, even as a child! Every Easter it would thrill me so much to hear that bass voice booming that line, that I wanted to sing bass when I grew up! Okay, I know that isn’t something to aspire to for a woman my age, but at the time….

Now, as an adult, I am finding that thrill all over again….I am anxious about the morning when we celebrate His resurrection! It is the defining of who we are, isn’t it? Christ is alive and well! Yes, He suffered and died for all of our sins on the cross. He paid the price for me, for you…for each of us…a horrible price that caused Him great suffering. He died, was buried and then…..and then…three days later “Up from the grave He arose…with a mighty triumph ore His foes …” No, with a mighty triumph over MY foes!

Easter represents the final blow and ultimate triumph! Jesus had paid the price and was now again, alive and well and anxious to live among us!

I am excited and impatient for this Easter to come…when we celebrate! I feel like the little lambs and calves in the fields back home…I feel like bouncing and hopping and jumping all over the place in the joy of knowing there is NEW LIFE! The tomb is empty…He is not there! He has risen! He has risen INDEED! Don’t you just love Easter?!

At Home in Christ

Sarah Beth and I took a trip to New York recently! I love visiting that city! It has an energy that is unlike any other place. This time, we stayed at a hotel directly across the street from the United Nations. It was a beautiful view…and one early morning I decided I would go out for a walk/jog along the East River. (I’d been watching boats on the river from my window) Thinking that I could simply walk the block down to the U.N. and along the river behind it…I started out from our hotel.

First I passed the Korean Embassy…the sign on the outside, the flag flying above it…all indicated it was a little bit of that country in the midst of the U.S. A couple of steps more and it was the German Embassy with the big bird on the crest outside…and the distinctive flag, it declared itself to be a kingdom in the midst of another country. Only a half block from the door of my hotel was the Kingdom of Kuwait. The big brass doors and the plaque declaring its true identity and set the building itself apart from the others surrounding it…it was obvious that this Kingdom did not want to be mistaken for that which was around it, but very unlike it!

I began to think about that. These little ‘kingdoms’ set down in the middle of the ‘kingdom’ of the United States…while we may not be a kingdom, we are certainly their host country. We’re their real residence - or are we? They have their own rules and laws within the walls of these embassies just like they have those laws back in their own country. The diplomats who serve within the embassy have a different set of criteria even outside of their own embassy - with diplomatic immunity in some cases. They don’t function under the same laws that the citizens of their host country do.

Isn’t that the way it is for us? Oh, we live here…but this is not our home. Our kingdom is HIS and is to come…we have a different set of rules and laws to live by than those that surround us. It is for those around us to love when it’s convenient and when all is right for loving…but it is not so for us…it is for us to love unconditionally and to offer a grace that was costly to the One who purchased it for us…but is free to all! We are to be free with that grace too! We are to be emissaries of the RULER of our true kingdom….an image of that Lord in a world that desperately looks for Him. While we must “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s”, we are not to be caught up in that, we’re to be caught up in living a life that examples Christ’s peace, love, and mercy. This place is not our home. But, while we live here…we are to live like we are citizens of the kingdom of Christ.

As I continued my jog….unable to get to the East River because of all of the security measures around the UN, I started wondering if I am living closed off from the world around me…or was I living IN but not OF the world around me. Was I a clear citizen of the Christ, or was I living like a resident of this place that is not my home? And with each step I prayed a prayer that remains on my lips….God, let me be a citizen of Christ, no matter where my home is set down, let me only be at home when I am truly IN YOU! And God, without gold plaque or flying flag, let my citizenship be known to all! Like Francis, let me tell them about Jesus…and if necessary use words!

My Little Box O Blessings…

On my desk at work is a small metal, flower covered, heart shaped tin. It was a gift from a listener and it has a note on the top that was taped to it…typed clearly is the instruction “Daily Blessings….read one each day” For more than a couple of weeks that box sat on my window sill, and I never reached for it. Then today, I saw it’s entreaty to read a blessing…and I thought, ‘you know, I could use a blessing right about now!’ So, I opened that little box…and there lying inside that heart shape were dozens of little rolled up blessings carefully tied with tiny blue ribbons. Blessings that had been sent days before, but I was only getting around to them today. I thought, “Now someone was so very caring for me that they did an awful lot of work to give me my blessings each day! Even wrapping it in that tiny little blue bow” How precious!

But, that’s when it hit me, God offers me so many blessings each day, and sometimes I think I’m too busy to take the time and unwrap them…to stop a moment and contemplate that blessing as it comes my way. How many times has God wrapped up a special blessing that is just for me, and I’ve been so occupied with this or that - that I’ve not taken the time to lovingly stop and take a good look at it as a blessing! Blessings that just stack up while I wait to realize what a gift it is, and how carefully it was tied with a little bow especially for me!

Do you ever do that? Do you get so busy in the business of your day, your life, that you forget that it’s good to once in a while just stop and pay attention to all the blessings God has placed around you?! That’s when we begin to believe we’ve not been blessed…because we haven’t felt them, seen them…heard them! Yet, there they are all stacked up waiting for us to reach out and touch them, feel them, experience them….appreciate them, and thank HIM for them!

You know, I think for the rest of the day I will see my friends and imagine a little blue ribbon tied around them. They are my daily blessing. I will see my daughters and imagine that little blue ribbon tied squarely around their punkin heads because they are my blessing today! I will look at the sunrise tomorrow or the sunset tonight and there is that little blue bow…I will pray that throughout this week, I can see my life with God’s view, and see all of my daily blessings with their little blue bows that mark that they are precious and a gift to me from the Great God of all Creation, the All Mighty Lord of all, and my Daddy God!

I will pray that for you too! Because just in the little time it’s taken me to unwrap my first little blessing out of the box…I’ve found such joy and praise for the Father in knowing it’s only one of dozens of blessings that I still get to unwrap today! Praise Him, and take time to unwrap your blessings today!

And know that for me…you’ve got a little blue bow tied around you today! You’re a blessing!

My Life as a Dragon Fly ... or Sort of!!

I was just reading one of those lists of meaningless facts…and I noticed several things, one….and you may not have known this unless you’ve had a lot of contact with the alligator, they can’t stick their tongue out!? Explains why I’ve never seen one do that, no matter how much it looked like he’d like to. There was also a notation that a Dragon Fly’s life expectancy is just 24 hours. That’s phenomenal. I thought there must certainly be little baby Dragon Flies that are growing up watching their parents flit from this lily pad to that one….learning the swoop pattern that is so often a part of their method of getting from this place to that. But, no! Dragon Flies are apparently the Dixie cup of the bug world, one day and then….they’re gone!

Maybe it’s just me, but that made me wonder about the length of my own life. Were I, like the Dragon Fly, offered only a definite length of time for my life…would I live it differently? There’s a Country song that has a line in it that says “ Someday, I hope you have the chance to live like you’re dying.” Would living like that be more full of life?! Another line in the same song was “I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying”. Living like that would be more full of life!

We’re all going to die, everything that has life and breath has an end to both…I’m not trying to be morbid, I’m simply scouting my life to see if there is a way that I’m living like I’m always going to be living…or am I living like eventually I will die, so I can get all of the living and loving in that I can.

If I were like the Dragon Fly with only that 24 hours, I’d love on my children more, spend more time with my friends and family. I’d stop complaining about the things that bug me and talk more about the things of my heart that I want to last. I’d pet kittens and kiss cute babies on their little punkin heads! I’d wrestle with my dog in my FRONT yard and let him lick my face even when people wrinkle their nose at my wet doggy kisses. I’d talk to total strangers about love and life and Christ without worrying that they might think badly of me… and I’d “love deeper, speak sweeter and give forgiveness I’d been denying”

What a gift! To know that our life here on earth is temporal. But our life with Christ is Eternal…I don’t know about you…but I’m gonna do all the lovin and livin I can NOW! And look forward to the eternity in the presence of the One who loves me!

It's Not a Small World, But You'll Be Fine

I was playing with 2 year old Jeremy the other day. We were on the floor playing with his favorite truck. As we played there, I began to look around me and wondered, “Is this the way he sees things?” I mean, from down on his level, everything looked tall and BIG! I started to take stock of those things from his height…the dog (our boxer, Major) was huge! No wonder Jeremy gets scared when Major jumps up and barks to be petted! The stools by the Kitchen Island looked like they were ten feet tall!

Then I thought about how God sent His son to see life from our perspective, someone that would understand our view of it…and who could prove to us that He KNEW all that we go through and experience because He experienced it on this earth too. It wasn’t for His sake that He came to earth to understand us…it was for OUR sake that Jesus came to earth - so we could understand His love for us!

Now, when I spend time with Jeremy, I remember how different things look from his viewpoint and I’m careful to help him understand not to be afraid. You see, I know what it looks like from where Jeremy is as he looks up at it and it seems looming, large and too much. But, I also know from my vantage point that it’s not so big and with my help, he’ll be fine!

Know that God has seen the world from your vantage point, so He understands your fears…but that which seems looming and large to you, from God’s vantage point is not so big and with His help, you’ll be fine!!

My Bunny Suit

Recognizing the Ring of Your Own Cell Phone

The other day I was sitting in a restaurant and I noticed something, there were a whole lot of people answering their cell phones. The thing would ring and that person would immediately pick up their phone and begin that very public “private” conversation. Interesting that in a room full of rings, I didn’t see anyone trying to answer someone else’s ring…because for the most part, people had very individual rings on their phones. They KNEW their own ring, recognized the sound of it, whether it was a song, or a tone, they responded only to their own ring.

Wouldn’t it be great if we were that tuned in to God’s voice for us? If we were that tuned in to knowing that the message we were getting we were getting directly from God! I have to tell you, after years of being a Christian, I still sometimes struggle and ask – “God is this you that I’m hearing from?”

The key is to become familiar with His voice, just like you personalize and become familiar with the ring of your own cell phone, you can become familiar with God’s voice for you. Not just the voice that comes to you in prayer, but the voice He has left in His Word for you. God isn’t going to change the message He gives you from the one He left in scripture. You can become familiar with the Living Word of God in Christ!

If you hear a different and opposing message, you can know that’s not God. You can begin to respond not to all of the messages and voices around you, but to that one familiar voice. In John 10:1-14 we are reminded that we need to know His voice.

I pray that the next time you hear the sounds of ringing cell phones that you will be reminded that we need to learn the sounds of His speaking in our life as personally as we know our own ring…and reach only to respond to HIS message.

Remember, you are loved!

Devotional Archive INDEX

Take a Breath of Him