I moved to Sonoma County four years ago! When God brought my husband and I to this beautiful place I was in awe of it’s natural beauty!  Hills upon rolling hills were covered in a velvety green blanket of grass. The sky was a bright blue colored, full of fluffy white clouds.

The clouds seemed to slowly billow into formations that drew my attention and had me guessing what animal shape they were in, just like I did as a child. The hiking trails were numerous and lined with statuesque trees of every kind. Wild blackberry bushes would pop up everywhere and deer with their fawns would grace us occasionally as we hiked in and between their natural habitat. All of these sights and more drew my attention and heightened my senses, but nothing captivated me like the vines.  

I was after all, smack dab in the middle of “Wine Country!” The vines were everywhere!

As we hiked, rode our bikes, or walked the winding paths through our new community the vines were ever present. My captivation with them came through the changing of the seasons.

We arrived in our new home that November. I was thrilled to have caught the end of Autumn and the beginning of Winter in my new residence. The hills had been doused with downpours of rain and remained green for quite some time. The trees had just begun to drop their leaves and the berries were not yet ripe on the bush.  But the vines were ablaze with brilliant Fall colors!  Red, yellow, orange and green all together gave an elegant splendor to every vine I passed.  

Winter turned into Spring and the Vines were as beautiful as ever. Their leaves were stunning hues of every shade of green. They started out small and by the end of Spring were large and full. Summer brought the fruit!  Oh yes, it had been growing though the Spring, but now the evidence hung full and plentiful in plain sight. Autumn returned and the vines began to display hints of those vibrant colors, red, yellow, and orange.  Each season brought change, and a glorious surprise in each new phase! Yes, the Vines were quickly becoming one of my favorite pieces to our move.

Overnight, that first Fall in our new home, changed the Vines without warning!  Several fires began high above us and high winds were forcing them down through the Vines and right to our back door! That first year was frightening! The fire swept so quickly and unexpectedly that not only were the vines burnt, many neighborhoods were burnt down as well. We were evacuated for over a week and lost power and dwelt with contaminated water, but our home remained untouched!

The following year the fires returned. They did not come as close as before but we were evacuated. The third year it happened again!  Each time we were evacuated, but safe!

Today, I find myself writing to you after another sleepless night of warning sirens and threats of evacuation after yet another fire rages above us in the hills!

Of course I am praying for safety! Of course I am praying for the people around me to be safe! Of course I am texting faithful loved ones who I know will pray for all of us!

But this time I found myself asking God a question,

“WHY ARE THE FIRES CONTINUING TO CHASE US?”

I was tired and weary of this pattern every Fall! I was frustrated with the threat and the unknown. I was exhausted with packing and unpacking our most special possessions!

“Why God are the fires continuously chasing us?”

Then God spoke to me…

“MAYBE YOU ARE NOT TO FOCUS ON THE FIRE CHASING YOU, BUT ON YOU CHASING THE VINE!”

My heart stopped beating for a second as I took in the full meaning of what God had said.

Yes, the threat of fire is not fun! Neither is the threat of a virus, or social injustice, or a divided nation, or heat waves, or many other uncomfortable situations.  But LIFE HAPPENS and LIFE IS DAILY! There are always going to be trials, temptations, fears, doubts, unjust practices, pain, hurt, sorrow, and out right bad stuff. But where is my focus and what am I chasing?

Am I chasing after the VINE, and is my branch firmly attached to Him? Or am I allowing the firestorms of life to chase me and knock me down, and sometimes OUT?

I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. WHOEVER ABIDES IN ME AND I IN HIM, HE IT IS THAT BEARS MUCH FRUIT, FOR APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.”  

JOHN 15:5

I can waste my time, effort and life allowing the hard situations to chase me and overwhelm me, or I can chase after the True Vine, Jesus Christ! In Him I can bear much fruit even through the storms of life!

TRUTH BOMB

STAYING ATTACHED TO THE TRUE VINE IS THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE STORMS OF LIFE!

So let’s be “VINE CHASERS”, and not be chased by every difficult situation that comes our way! Keep on pressing forward my friends, He is on the throne! 

Speak Truth Love

What do you think of when you hear this phrase? 

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Do you get excited? Does it send a thrill through your body as you anticipate great things happening?  

Or do you get anxious? Does it create a sick feeling in your stomach as you think of the pressures the day may hold?

I am willing to bet that depending on the day, you have felt both of these sensations at the mention of these 4 words…TODAY IS THE DAY!

We live in a world that is changing by the minute. This past year feels like things are changing by the milisecond! It is easy to develop what I have coined as, “Covid Caution.” Or the extreme of “Covid Caution,” which is “Covid Crazy!” Due to the fact that today’s norm may not be true for tomorrow!

This feeling of loss of control can produce high levels of anxiety and make us dread the day, rather than seize it.

Truth is, TODAY is all we have each time we wake up until we lay our head down at night.

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not yet come! God willing we will have more tomorrows, but TODAY is what God has given.  What are we going to do with it?

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “TODAY,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”     Hebrews 3:13

Friends, are we allowing the deceitfulness of our sin to rob us of our TODAYS?

I mean, are we allowing the enemies voice to be the loudest voice we hear and deceive us with his lies? Is he still deceiving us by bringing up our past sins and stealing TODAY away from us?

Are you hearing the deceitful voice tell you that you are not not good enough, you are not strong enough, you are not smart enough, clever enough, attractive enough, or known enough?

Are you frozen in anxiety that creates fear and doubt? Are you overwhelmed with the anxious thoughts of what if?  What if I fail? What if I am not prepared? What if this or that happens?  The “What if’s,” can freeze us in our tracks and prevent us from ever living TODAY!

The definition of ANXIETY is, “Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of the unknown and excessive worry.”

The saddest part of ANXIETY is that most of what we worry about, NEVER EVEN HAPPENS TO US!

The truth is God tells us “TO NOT BE ANXIOUS.”

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…”  Matthew 6:25

TRUTH BOMB

GOD WANTS US TO LIVE TODAY AND TRUST HIM FOR OUR TOMORROWS!

“AND WHICH OF YOU BY BEING ANXIOUS CAN ADD A SINGLE HOUR TO HIS SPAN OF LIFE?”  MATTHEW 6:27

TODAY IS THE DAY my friends! It is the opportunity to trust in our great God! It is the time to know that He holds tomorrow in His hands, and that He loves us and will take care of us no matter what!

So let’s live TODAY like God intended us to live it! Let’s remember that, 

“TODAY IS THE DAY The Lord has made! We can rejoice and be glad in it knowing He holds ALL OF OUR TOMORROWS!”

Speak Truth Love

Have you ever learned a Life Lesson that has stuck with you? I mean the kind of lesson that you knew was directly from God and He wanted you to pay very close attention to it!

I learned this kind of a Life Lesson when I was a missionary in Chile. I was thrust in a country where EVERYTHING was different! The language they spoke was not my native language.The food they ate was not what my palate was accustomed to. The grocery stores did not contain the foods on my “normal” shopping list. In fact, it took half a day to make the rounds to each individual store that held the items to complete my list! They shook hands differently than I did. They greeted each other differently than I did. They raised their children differently than I did…

I think you are getting the picture!

They did everything differently than I did!

On top of all of that, they did not look like me! 

My first natural, human response was to put the entire country into a box that fit my understanding. In my mind, they were WRONG and I was RIGHT!

That was when God spoke His undeniable Truth into my life and taught me a Life Lesson I have never forgot…

TRUTH BOMB

DIFFERENCES ARE NOT RIGHTS AND WRONGS, THEY ARE SIMPLY DIFFERENCES!

 “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”  

Romans 14:1   

 “Disputable matters” are non essential values that Christ followers may have. In and of themselves, they are not right, or wrong. “Good” Christians may differ, without being right or wrong. In movie terms, some people like romantic comedies, and some people like westerns or spy thrillers. 

Differences are not rights and wrongs, and they are to be celebrated!  

When we celebrate the differences that God has given to each of us, it creates a beautiful mosaic and begins to mimic the way God intended us to be.

As we approach each other with acceptance in who God created us to be, we begin to listen, learn and grow from one another. We begin to love each other the way God wants us to. And we can watch the fear, the anger and hatred melt away and be replaced by love and acceptance. 

I’m different from you, and you’re different from me. Let’s celebrate that, for it’s the way God intended us to be!

Speak Truth Love

Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING is Back!

Driving through Starbucks and ordering that delectable pumpkin beverage with it’s spicy cinnamon appeal brings warm feelings that Fall is in the air!

Maybe some of you like summer and hate when it comes to an end. That definitely isn’t me! Not by a long shot! Once the fireworks of the Fourth of July have flamed out, and the last piece of corn on the cob has been eaten, I AM SO READY FOR FALL!

Bring on those cozy sweaters! Light those fireplaces and curl up with a warm blanket! Cook, eat and bake everything pumpkin! I even bought a magazine full of new fall pumpkin recipes! My heart and my spirit were ready to drive-through Starbucks, order that pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin scone, put on a cozy sweater or sweatshirt, light the fire and watch college football! Oh Yes, and begin school! And now, Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, and none of this has happened.

Neither Mother Nature nor COVID-19 is cooperating! Smoke in the air, heat waves are abounding, no indoor dining is open, we can’t use the restroom at Starbucks, kids are still at home, no Friday night lights high school football, and my favorite college team isn’t even playing! This doesn’t feel like Fall. And it certainly doesn’t feel like “normal!“

Nothing right now feels normal! But the truth is, transitions happen all the time! In fact the change that I was just talking about from summer to fall is in fact a transition. The problem is it is not transitioning the way I want it to transition! It is in fact, it is not meeting my expectations!

Let me introduce the definition of transition. 

‘Transition is: ‘movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change is constant!’

The truth is most of the cells in your body are different than they were six months ago. Transitions happen regularly in our lives. And it is a good thing that they do. Without change and without transition we become stagnant! Stagnant in my definition from above, would mean that it stays summer all year long. That is not good news for someone like me! And truly it’s not good news for you either! My family and I always hate it when Christmas comes to an end. We love Christmas so much! As I am tucking my grand children into bed on Christmas night, they often say, I wish it was Christmas every day! Can you imagine? At first it would be wonderful! But eventually it would lead to monotony at best and gluttony at worst! Change is necessary and good. One of the things I love most about God is that He knows this, but He also knows us! God knows that change is difficult. So, He has allowed transitions! Transitions can take us smoothly from one change to the next if we allow them to.

Can you imagine if we went from the dead of summer to the middle of December overnight? It would be such a shock to our systems!

Just as the physical shock of sudden change without transition can bring shock to our physical bodies, the shock of the “normal“ to something different without smooth transitions can bring shock to our spiritual self as well!

So the big question is, “how do we transition through these unknown, ab normal, uncertain times?“

We trust in the ONE who it doesn’t surprise at all! He is our constant! He never changes and nothing takes Him by surprise! Clinging to this Truth keeps us constant through the change and transitions!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

God’s awesome, unchanging nature is our anchor point! It is our solid rock! It is the sure and true foundation that we can stand on regardless of the change and the transitions all around us!

“I LOVE YOU LORD; YOU ARE MY STRENGTH! THE LORD IS MY ROCK, MY FORTRESS, AND MY SAVIOR; MY GOD IS MY ROCK, IN WHOM I FIND PROTECTION!  HE IS MY SHIELD, THE POWER THAT SAVES ME AND MY PLACE OF SAFETY!” Psalm 118:1-2

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN LIFE GET’S OUT OF HAND, ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I STAND!

As much as I’d love to throw a pity party for myself, and pout and act like a child who doesn’t get her fall sweater, her warm fuzzy blanket and her college football game while sipping her pumpkin spice latte, I know God wants more of me!

He wants me to remember His faithfulness to me in the past as I go through the change and transitions of the present!

So I want to close today with what I cling to when transition and change is happening all around me. I remember the songs of my youth and hold to their eternal Truth!

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand! ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND!”

Cling to the TRUTH my friends as our heads feel like they’re about to sink and go under, Christ is the solid rock on which we stand!

Speak Truth Love

Today I just want you to know that you are loved! You are worthy, and you matter! You were created on purpose and with a purpose! You are unique and perfect just the way you are! You have significance and you make a difference. You were created on purpose by the Creator Himself! You truly are complex and wonderfully made!

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is MARVELOUS- how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14

Words are encouraging and build us up. They can turn the bluest of days rosey!

They can take a downcast spirit and perk it up! They can remove a discouraged attitude and replace it with hope! Words can even improve our physical well-being!

WORDS ARE POWERFUL!

“Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing! Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed!”  Proverbs 12:18-19

As we begin a new month and end our series on ‘focusing on the “small” things in life to find joy’, I believe the smallest and most powerful way to find joy and bring it to others is through our WORDS!

It costs us absolutely nothing to pay someone a compliment!

How great does it make you feel when someone calls you by name? Then adds a compliment to it?

“Lisa, what you shared today really spoke to my heart.”

“Lisa, I love you in that color! It looks so good on you.”

“Lisa, You are doing an excellent job, we appreciate you.”

Insert your name into any of the above comments and imagine someone saying them to you. Feel the encouragement and uplifting of your spirit. Then, imagine yourself filling in the blank with someone else’s name that you know. Feel the love and encouragement you are bringing to them!

This is our calling friends! To bring the love and encouragement of Jesus into each other’s lives. All it takes is a few “small” words! When we do this we are following the words of scripture when they say,

“Encourage one another daily as long as it is called today.” Hebrews 3:13

Remember, their is no spiritual gift of DISCOURAGEMENT. Let’s encourage one another daily because all we really have is TODAY!

TRUTH BOMB

THE ENCOURAGING WORDS WE SAY BUILD EACH OTHER UP AND BRING HEALING!

Speak Truth Love