It is the final day of August, finally! 

August is a long month and the hot days can seem endless. For many of us the heat of August has not just come in soaring temperatures, but in smoke filled skies. For others it has been the heat of feeling like the Covid virus will never end. And for all of us it has definitely been the hot searing pain and grief of watching those suffering in Afghanistan.  

Do you know that there are over 25 definitions of the word HEAT in the dictionary.

One being;

“Extreme pressure, as of events, resulting in tension or strain.”

Has this definition defined you anytime during this hot month of August? I know it has defined me. As hard as I try, I cannot escape the drastic temperatures during the month of August any more than I can escape the “HEAT” of this world I live in.

This weekend I found myself in one of my happiest of all places! I had not seen two of my grandchildren for almost a month. I could not wait to hug them, run and play with them and watch them play sports. We drove the two plus hours to their home and woke up the next morning to hot temperatures. We were able to walk a bit in the morning and ride bikes and scooters for a short time, but soon the temps were soaring. We made the best of it only to wake the next morning with the temperature reaching 102 and the air quality climbing into the hundreds as smoke filled the air from nearby fires and it was unhealthy to be out in.  Disappointment reached an all time high as soccer and football games were cancelled and our plans for the day were dashed.

You know how that feels, right? Disappointment is never a good feeling. It grips us and can easily make us feel sad and discouraged.

As we drove home on Saturday we felt a bit like that. We had a great time just being together, but our plans were certainly disappointing.

We began looking toward the next day.  The smoke was definitely traveling our direction and the air quality, while a bit better, was not good. The feeling of disappointment and discouragement began to grow. We had an outside event planned for our church. In fact, we had the entire service planned for outside. It was our ‘All Church Picnic.’ It had been cancelled the year before due to covid and it now looked like it may be cancelled again!

I felt the disappointment growing inside of me and taking over. I began to get discouraged and grumble and complain…WAS THIS EVER GOING TO END? Then as quickly as the discouragement came the prayers came. “PLEASE God, you are in control. You have all the power. If you want this picnic and outdoor service to happen then calm the hot August temperatures and the heat of these terrible fires.” 

And God answered our prayers! I knew I was not the only one praying. As a church family we were praying. We needed to be together. We wanted to raise our voices in worship and praise to our Heavenly Father outside for all to hear. We wanted to offer food and community to our community in Jesus name. And God heard our prayers!

The next morning the weather was calm and beautiful. the air quality had improved and dropped in half! And God demonstrated to us the Truth of His words in I Corinthians 12:21-22

“The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’ In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most important.”  

We were together as the body of Christ, eyes, hands, feet and every other part, doing it’s part to set up, prepare food, lead worship, place chairs and canopies, speak God’s Truth, hand out programs, greet, welcome and clean-up.  Every part doing their part in love and unity to bless the community God has placed us in!

Needless to say, it was a wonderful event! One that turned this girls discouragement to encouragement as the body of Christ came together and blessed others in Jesus name!

TRUTH BOMB

A family works best as it works together!

Our discouragement can turn to encouragement when we all do our part together as the family of God side-by-side!

Speak Truth Love

Pumpkin Spice is Back! That delectable spice mixture that warms you straight down to the bottom of your toes is back! That frothy steamed milk poured over that rich deep espresso, topped with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves is here! 

All I can say is, “WELCOME BACK PUMPKIN!” 

My heart races, a smile pops spontaneously on my face and I run out the door to grab one of those tasty drinks. I grab the handle of my car door when something strange begins to happen. A drop of sweat trickles down my forehead. Slowly but surely the sweat drops increase until the back of my neck feels damp!  Then it hits me…

No Fall drink, as tasty and delightful as it may be, can make Fall happen. IT IS STILL SUMMER!

Does that mean I am going to wait for those crisp mornings, cool nights and sweater wearing weather to appear before I sip a pumpkin spice latte? Not a chance! I may not be the first in line today to grab one, but I certainly will not be the last!

We may still be in the ‘Hot August Nights’ of Summer, but the HOPE of Fall is real!

The way I see it is this…I can mope around with my sweaty neck feeling the heat of Summer and let it define me. Or, I can raise my wet, sweat-drenched brow and look to the Hope of Fall!

It really is a mind-set. We are no more in control of when Summer ends and Fall begins than we are of when people move or when they stay. Nor are we in control of when people get sick or when a life ends or how it ends. Neither are we in control of how long a prayer takes to be answered. We are not in control of life’s circumstances, but we can be in control of our attitude toward the circumstances life brings! 

“Have this MIND among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:5

It is possible for us to have the mind-set of Jesus because He lives in us! 

Admittedly, this is not possible in our own strength! But with God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

The old saying goes, “Mind over matter.”  I believe as Christians, Christ followers, Christ living in us, we can say, “CHRIST OVER CIRCUMSTANCES!”

TRUTH BOMB

WITH THE MIND-SET OF CHRIST WE CAN HAVE HOPE IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!

So, as Summer lingers and these Hot August Nights Persist, let’s keep the mind-set of Christ and look to the hope of cooler days ahead!

HOT AUGUST NIGHTS SUMMER SIZZLER-HAVE THE MIND-SET OF CHRIST WHICH IS OURS IN CHRIST JESUS!

So, if you catch me at Starbucks today sipping my Pumpkin Spice Latte, don’t judge me, my mind-set is dreaming of FALL! 

Please join me!  Pumpkin Spice Cups Up!

Speak Truth Love

Here we are, in the middle of August, and it’s still hot!

Have you heard it said that heat can make our temperatures rise? It’s true! And this occurs not just physically but emotionally as well. Because this phenomenon is true, I have a question for you…when is the last time that you have felt insulted?  

For the majority of us it may have been a week away, a day away, or even moments away.

God in his wisdom, has created us as emotional beings. Those emotions in and of themselves are not bad.  It is what we do with them and how we use them, that can be good or bad. We all receive insults, whether intended or unintended, in our lives.  But if we identify with Christ, and we are called to live like him. Therefore what we do with these insults becomes vitally important!  

In the book of first Peter, it is laid out clear for us how we are to respond to insults.

“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.”

1 Peter 3:9

That word “instead” stops me in my tracks. It implies that I am doing something incorrect that I need to make correct. This response, in my own human flesh, is impossible. But with God all things are possible. Only by God’s Spirit living and active in me can I accomplish this correction. Nowhere in my life has this been practiced and proven true more than in my marriage. 

My husband and I are very different. And it

Is not an understatement to say that we

Do not always see eye to eye. Given that I am a passionate person by nature and take words very seriously, I could feel insulted almost every day. But knowing my husband’s heart and character and knowing that his heart is not to insult me, I can take a step back, take a deep breath, say a quiet prayer, and respond with a blessing instead of retaliating with an insult. This is easier said than done but with the power of God’s Spirit living in us, we can do it! One of my favorite quotes from my husband is: “It is instant oatmeal to say, and brain surgery to do.”  

The proof of this truth by God, put in to constant practice, is our marriage. We celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary tomorrow. Relationships are not easy.

They take much effort, a lot of prayer, and self control, also known as taming your tongue. But living our lives by God’s directive, and not the world’s, we can accomplish good and right relationships through His power!

TRUTH BOMB

RETURNING AN INSULT FOR A BLESSING BLESSES US AS MUCH AS THEM.

Hot August Night Sizzler #3: Return a blessing for an insult!

Speak Truth Love

Today’s Blog is short and simple! 

It’s still August, the mornings and nights are still hot and sticky. In many places the air quality prevents you from even going outside for very long. That nasty “C” word is still around and seems to be on the rise. Emotions are high and temperatures are HOT! How do we get our hearts and minds in the right place? How do we lift our spirits when there are so many reasons for them to be low?

It’s really quite simple…WE SERVE!

Jesus set the standard, I didn’t, I just practiced it, and so can you!

“FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY.”  

MARK 10:45

This verse is repeated in the gospels several times. Jesus sets the ultimate standard for living. We are to SERVE others!

If you believe that you do not have anything to offer others, you do! God has gifted each of us with different gifts so that they can be used to meet different needs for different people!

“EACH OF YOU SHOULD USE WHATEVER GIFT YOU HAVE RECEIVED TO SERVE OTHERS…”   

1 PETER 4:10a

Serving others not only fulfills the mandate given to us by Jesus himself, but it takes our focus off of ourselves and onto God and His purposes! 

TRUTH BOMB

There is no greater cure for what ails you, than to serve others in Jesus name!

I tested it out this week, myself!

In last weeks’ blog I wrote the first Hot August Nights’ Sizzler: The need to keep our eyes focused on what God has in front of us.

At that point, it was easy! I had my beautiful newborn grandson in my arms and my sweet two year old granddaughter on my lap! My older two grandchildren were on their way and I would soon be living the DREAM! All four of my children and all four of my grandchildren together with my husband and I! All of us under one roof? That is a rarity! Given the callings placed on our lives by God, we don’t have many weekends or holidays together! We cherish these priceless moments together and do our best not to take them for granted!

But as the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” And it did.

I found myself at home, lonely, and practicing my therapy, CLEANOLOGY. You can try and look that up, but you won’t find it anywhere. That’s because it can cause sore muscles, the inability to stand up straight for a time, and cracked and sore fingers from the over use of Clorox! Therefore, it has not been approved by Doctors or Psychologists. It however remains my go-to therapy whenever I am missing my family! It does however produce a very clean house with a very distinctive smell!  

Problem is, my therapy only works for a short time. I work my body physically while my emotions spin around and around. I am still left with that indescribable whole in my heart!

Enter the true therapy that works…In less than 48 hours after returning home from being together with my family, our church was taking part in a city outreach to children and their families. We worked side by side with other churches in our city setting up booths and games and providing supplies for under-resourced children to receive backpacks to begin school with, and lots and lots of fun and smiles! We served from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and my muscles were sore but my spirit had soared to a beautiful high! The kind of high that is only felt when we use our gifts and resources to serve others!

That night I went home exhausted and HOT from the August heat, but filled with a joy unspeakable! God is the only one who fills us with true joy and love, and serving others in His Name is what produces that joy and love!

HOT AUGUST NIGHTS’ SIZZLER # 2-SERVE OTHERS IN JESUS NAME!

I pray you will go out and serve others this week through the love of Jesus, I know from experience that you will be blessed if you do!

Speak Truth Love

In the month of August the nights can be hot and sticky! It can feel sometimes like the day only got darker but never cooled down! We go to bed and we wake up feeling like summer may never end. Hot August nights make us yearn for Fall! The promise of crisp mornings, followed by cool afternoons and chilly evenings…but that is a series for next month! This month it’s still Hot August Nights!

I love the Fall! I can’t wait to wear my cute, cozy sweaters! I can’t wait to sip on a pumpkin spice latte! And I crave eating everything pumpkin flavored! In contrast, I don’t like the heat of summer. And yet here I find myself in those Hot August Nights! I am afraid I am suffering from PRESBYOPIA! 

Presbyopia is the lack of ability our eye lenses have to change in focus from far away to close. Our eyes get tired! We stretch them, push them, and downright wear them out as we strain to look so far ahead and then by necessity, have to bring our focus back to right in front of us. We simply wear our focus out. It becomes foggy and cloudy at best! 

The goal of course is to have 20/20 vision! It is to be able to see clearly what is in front of us. Defined it is, “Visual acuity; clarity and sharpness of vision.”

Not perfect vision mind you, as most people mistake it for, but clarity of vision and sharpness of vision. Now who of us does not want to be clear and sharp in what we see? I know I do!

The terms I have described above are typically connected to physical vision; our eyes, pupils and lenses. However, what I am talking about is spiritual presbyopia.

And boy have I had it bad! I have spent so much time straining to focus on what might be out there or may happen or could be ahead of me that I have failed to focus with clarity and sharpness on what is right in front of me!

My first Hot August Night Sizzler is: The need for 20/20 vision spiritually!

This week God graciously reminded me of my need for this in my life!

Last week began with me frantically trying to, “Get all of my ducks in a row!”

I wanted to be sure that I was ready to pick up and go the minute our new grandson was born! The call came, they were in the hospital and the labor was going fast! 

My world came to a halt. Suddenly, all I could see was what was right in front of me! My vision had narrowed to 20/20! We were about to be grandparents again and all I cared about was the healthy birth of that baby boy! In less than 6 hours he was here! I saw with great clarity that what was most important was that I’d be there!

For the next four days my vision was sharp and perfectly clear. Everything else seemed to pale in comparison! The ducks that I thought needed to be in a row could fall out of line for four days. The problems that I thought I needed to solve suddenly seemed to take care of themselves. The schedule I thought I had to keep went along fine without me. Add the to do list which seemed endless suddenly had a period at the end of it. 

This beautiful gift from God that I was able to hold in my arms, and his sister that I played with and rocked to sleep, and his parents that love me and I love them cleared my focus to a sharp 2020 vision!

TRUTH BOMB

OUR SPIRITUAL VISION IS 20/20 WHEN WE FOCUS ON WHAT GOD HAS PUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105

On these Hot August Nights, I pray that my focus stays clear and sharp as I allow God’s words to light my path!

Speak Truth Love