If the word, ‘LOT’ was not in the above title, it would not even fit!  Christmas is in full swing, and with it all of the “FEELS!”

The happy, joyful feels, like Christmas baking, Christmas Shopping, and Christmas parties!

Also the stress producing feels, like Christmas baking, Christmas Shopping and Christmas parties!

How quickly the “Happy Christmas Feels”, like baking, turn into the stress producing feels, as we search to find enough time to get all of the baking done, and then the time to clean the house afterward and make it look like Christmas again! Not to mention the Happy Christmas feel of shopping for those on your list you most adore, to be quickly turned into the stress producing feel of, “I’m out of money and time!” Worst of all is the festive Christmas feel of that once a year Christmas party that you look forward to all year, only to have that stress producing fear creep in and steal away  the joyful feel as you fret over what to wear and how you look!

How quickly that wonderful feeling of Christmas can be stolen AWAY, as we allow stress to rule the day!

The Miracle of Christmas is that we have the remedy! It is found in a manger.

“So The Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only son.”                                                                           John 1:14

Jesus has come! He was laid in a manger over 2000 years ago. He grew up the Bible tells us, in “wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man.”  He lived for 33 years on this earth, demonstrating the way we should live. And then He allowed Himself to be crucified, buried and raised to life on the third day so that we may live with Him FOREVER!

Now, if that doesn’t “Look a lot like Christmas,” I do not know what does!

Away in a manger was my favorite Christmas song as a little girl, and continued to be as I sang it to my two babies as they grew up and is still to this day as I sing it with my grandbabies!

How changed would our hearts be at Christmas if we allowed the words of this simple song to penetrate our very lives with it’s Truth?

How happy and filled with joy would our “feels” be then?

“Away in a manger… The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay!”

The King of all creation, The Lord of the universe, The Savior of the ALL, entered our world as a baby in a manger!

Truth Bomb

Away in a Manger, the Lord of the Universe slept!

As we lose our “happy, joyful feels,” and begin to trade them for our “stressed out feels,” may we whisper or shout out loud that beautiful Christmas song, ‘Away In A Manger,’ and let it’s Truth change our attitudes!

One more week Friends! May the Truth of His manger feel you with happiness and joy!

Speak Truth Love

“OH, COME LET US ADORE HIM!”

What image is conjured up in your mind when you hear these six simple words?

You may picture the image of a sweet and innocent little baby wrapped snuggly in a plush, warm blanket and nestled in a cozy, soft bed.

Perhaps the image of giving honor to a King, surrounded by splendor and magnificence?

Both of these images have been true of me at times when I belt out the words to one of my favorite Christmas tunes,

“Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ The Lord!”

But, when they say a “picture is worth a thousand words,” they are not kidding!

As I walked where Jesus walked, down the streets of Bethlehem, where He was born and laid to be “ADORED,” the image I had dreamed about, became reality!

Jesus was laid in a rock hard(literally), manger where animals feed from.

 I stood there looking at this hard animal feeding trough and thought of putting my sweet babies in it to sleep. I could not imagine their soft, tender skin placed on top of scratchy hay.

I could not picture their fragile heads laid on rock hard stone! I stared for minutes on end at the place the baby Jesus laid.

Suddenly, my mother’s heart was overwhelmed with love and compassion for a young mother placing her sweet baby in this hard crib. Her trust in her Heavenly Father must have been “Rock Solid!” Pun intended!

I knew in my heart that she ADORED Him like no one ADORED Him! I knew that she would willingly have given her own life for His! I knew that she would instinctively give every one of her comforts up for the sake of His comfort! She was His mother, the first to ADORE Him on this earth!

There was no other word in my vocabulary at that moment but HUMILITY!

The Humble birth of our Lord, Savior and King. The Humble heart of a mother trusting in her heavenly Father to provide for and care for her newborn son.

“God blesses those who are humble.”       Matthew 5:5

The birth of Jesus was surrounded by HUMILITY!

How do I approach ADORING Him at the celebration of His birth?

As I was blessed to physically walk where Jesus walked, I believe I need to strive to walk as Jesus walked where He calls me to live. Jesus was born humbly, adored humbly by His mother, and walked humbly on this earth.

My prayer for this Christmas, and every one He gives me, is to “ADORE MY JESUS WITH HUMILITY!”

TRUTH BOMB

HUMBLY ADORE THE KING OF KINGS!

I pray that as I sing ‘Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him,’ this Christmas season, that I will sing, worship and ADORE Him out of humility and thankfulness!

It truly is “Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!”

May we Humbly come and Adore Him, JESUS CHRIST OUR KING!

Speak Truth Love

One month ago almost to the day, I boarded a plane for a land I never thought my feet would touch this side of heaven! We had been blessed with a special gift! We were going to the land of Israel, the land where Jesus walked!
My head and my heart were so excited that they were causing my feet to dance and practically lift me off the ground as I walked through the airport. Could this really be happening? I had read passage after passage of Jesus walking this earth and being with people!
Jesus standing at the temple mount and turning over the tables of the money changers as they were making God’s house into a place of business. Jesus in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples! Jesus in the Jordan River being baptized by John!
Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane! Jesus walking down the Mount of Olives to the city of Jerusalem! And so much more! Was it really happening? Was I about to step in the very places where Jesus had stepped? Was I going to walk where Jesus walked? As I collected my passport and walked outside of the airport and stepped into the cab driven by an Israeli man, telling us all about this land we had entered, I knew it was real! It was dark outside but inside my heart there was nothing but light as I anticipated the next eight days of walking where Jesus walked!

As we enter in to the Christmas season this year, I am excited to share with you some of the steps I took in walking where Jesus walked!

Step One: A New Covenant

Walking in the very place where Jesus called his disciples to Him as He explained to them for the first time that a New Covenant was here! Jesus Himself, was the New Covenant, His blood would be shed for the forgiveness of our sins. His body would be broken so that you and I could live someday forever with Him in Heaven!

If you follow Jesus, then you too are one of His disciples. And He is still calling you today to remember Him. To remember the sacrifice that He made for you so that you could be forever with Him!

Touching those walls and stepping in His steps, made it so real to me, that they gathered around Him as He explained this “New Covenant,” that we are as confused as we are sometimes in understanding the full meaning of His words.

“For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until it’s meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”  Luke 22:16

He isn’t going to have another meal until what? The Kingdom of God? What exactly does He mean by that?

“He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to his disciples saying, “this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.“              Luke 22:19

“Then He took a cup of wine and said, ‘this Is the New Covenant between God and his people-and agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.’” Luke 22:20

But then I realized, I have something they didn’t have at that point. I have the power of the Holy Spirit because of this very sacrifice that Jesus made!

I was standing where Jesus stood as He shared the same good news with his disciples then that He shares with you and me today!

HE IS THE NEW COVENANT AND BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT SACRIFICE ALL OF US LIVE UNDER THIS NEW COVENANT AND HAVE ACCESS TO ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD THROUGH HIM!

Yes, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” And it’s all because of what Jesus Christ Himself, did for us!

I will never take communion again the same way. I will close my eyes and see those walls and see the path that His feet walked, as He willingly chose to shed His blood and allow His body to be broken as the New Covenant for me!

Truth Bomb 

Jesus’ words, “Remember Me,” should echo in our hearts as we celebrate Christmas!

Speak Truth Love

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His faithful love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:29

In over 6 different places in the Bible, this phrase is repeated over and over.

Why?

Because our God is faithful!

When we can see it, He is faithful. When we can’t see it, He is faithful!

God loves us faithfully and His plan is for us, regardless of our circumstances.

Three years ago this Thanksgiving Sunday, we made a difficult move. We left our home, family, friends and jobs we loved, and hardest of all, our kids and grandkids, to move North.  We heard God’s call clearly, but it felt like anything but good.

Three months in, our home had fallen out of escrow 3 times, we were about to lose the home we were staying in, the church family was struggling with the change and so were we! My heart never felt more alone as I faced not only living away from my kids and grandkids, but also not teaching anymore. I could not feel God’s faithfulness, I could only cling to the Truth of verses like the one above and know that God’s faithfulness endures even when I cannot see it!

The word endure, is such a great word! It is a word that is not used much in our modern language. Probably because it is a word that is not demonstrated much in our modern culture!

To endure means that something is resilient, it stays the course. It doesn’t tarnish or fade and it doesn’t break after years of use. It undergoes great stress and pressure without yielding! It makes it through storms that rage against it and comes out resilient!

That is God’s faithfulness toward us! It has SUPERNATURAL STAYING POWER!

Fast forward 3 years…

I am sitting in the front row of our church listening to 4 testimonies of God’s faithfulness, and realizing that God is demonstrating His faithfulness to me through each one!

One was raised at the church and has just in this last year found love. One has been at the church 12 years and in the past two years has lost her husband, job and has in this past year started a new job with great benefits for her family. The third one has been at our church for two years and has been baptized and began serving. The fourth one came to the church only 6 months ago, has come to Bible Study and placed membership.

Tears began to roll down my cheeks as God revealed His faithfulness to me! He was always there, orchestrating His perfect will and plan in their lives and mine! I may not have always seen it, but God was and is always faithful!

TRUTH BOMB

God’s faithful love endures when we see it AND when we don’t.

In two days when we celebrate THANKSGIVING, I will sit side by side with loved ones and will joyfully with a pure heart thank God for His faithfulness and that it endures forever!

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

Our God is Faithful!

I am thankful for you!

Speak Truth Love

This week is a very special week for me! My grandson turns five and my son, my baby, turns thirty!

To anyone who knows me I am a girl with a theme! I love celebrations, I love parties, and a theme is a must! My husband always jokingly says, “you don’t do anything without a theme.”   And the baby boy turning five, and the big boy turning thirty certainly demanded a theme! Problem was…The spirit was willing but the flesh was truly weak. For those of you who have traveled internationally you know what I am talking about!

We were gifted, blessed and thrilled beyond measure to be able to take a trip to Israel! It truly was a trip of a lifetime! I thought that I would never see Israel this side of heaven! We had a marvelous trip in every way!  When we were gifted with it we were in awe and our feet hadn’t quite reached the ground as we were entering the airport to make it a reality. Then something happened that I still haven’t recuperated from! We stepped up to the baggage counter to check in our bags for our flight and receive our boarding passes. The clerk behind the counter told us that we were in seats in the front of the plane. I argued with him that, “Sir, here’s my itinerary, those are not our seats! His response back was, “they are now.“ My beautiful friend had bumped us up to first class! Yes, you heard me right, this is not a typo! I rode to Tel Aviv, in a non-stop first class seat! My feet never hit the ground as I danced through the airport and into my seat! I was living out one of my favorite movies, The Holiday! For fourteen glorious hours I was Cameron Diaz in a pod all to myself! I stacked my reading books up just like she did and sipped my sparkling water as I flew through the international skies!

Then we landed, and we got to our hotel sometime in the middle of the night? I knew at least it was dark outside! For the next eight days we were up at the crack of dawn with our bags packed and downstairs ready to board the bus to see the holy sites we had come to see. I was about to walk where Jesus walked! I was thrilled and beside myself with the anticipation of what I was about to experience!

My next blog series will be on ‘Walking Where Jesus Walked’, but for now back to celebrating my boys!

If you have traveled anywhere for seven days or longer, changed time zones to over ten hours of a difference, and walked on average over 12,000 steps a day, you know the tired that I am talking about! From the first step I took, to the last step I took, each and every one was magnificent! I saw more and learned in greater depth then I had ever imagined. But the plane ride home was not first class, so…back to reality Lisa. The 10 hour time difference and thirty hours of travel before hitting my pillow at home had taken it’s toll!

I went to sleep in my own bed that night knowing, that the week ahead of me could only be accomplished with God‘s strength and not my own!

I prayed Psalm 23 out loud, trusting God to renew my strength!

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.“

I went to sleep at about 1:30 in the morning and woke up at 8am. I felt refreshed and knew that my best bet was living out the day as normal as possible, laying my head back down on the pillow again at night and trying to sleep. I drove to my granddaughter‘s final soccer game and she became a league champ! Then I was able to hear my son preach, which thrilled my soul! I drove back home laid my head back on the pillow at around 10:30 at night and got up for church the next day! It was so encouraging and fun to be with my church family again, I had missed them!

Slowly, but surely, God was renewing my strength! Now it was time to get my theme on!

What do you do when one of your best boys is turning five and the other one is turning thirty? You go to the happiest place on earth!

We loaded up our cars and we drove to Anaheim! We celebrated together as a family and spent one full day in the most theme-filled place I know!

While my spirit was willing and excited, God began to do in me what only He can do, He began making my weak flesh strong!

Isaiah 40:30-31 is one of my favorite passages and one of my most constant companions!

“Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles;  they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

We celebrated to our hearts content and made new and precious family memories that we will cherish and hold onto forever! I could never have made it without God renewing my strength!

As we walk through our daily lives we have so many reasons to “grow faint!”

But God is our Strength Renewer, He promises to restore our Strength if we will be obedient and lean on him!

TRUTH BOMB

Our Lord God is our Strength Renewer!

That’s our Truth Bomb Tuesday friends! We don’t have to go this road alone! We can and do become weary and tired, but we will not grow faint when we pull our strength from our Strength Renewer!

Be renewed this week my friends! I love you!

Speak Truth Love

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His faithful love endures forever!“                                  I Chronicles 16:34

Today I am praising and thanking God for water! Most of all, I am praising and thanking him that He is THE LIVING WATER!

When you are traveling away from home one of the first things you think about is water. Not just drinking it but using it!

Your first thought is, can I drink this water?Even if the people around me are drinking it, because I am out of the area and could get sick if I drink it. Then there’s the question of, should I brush my teeth with it? If I bathe in it, should I keep my mouth closed so I don’t swallow it?  

If your trip is more than one or two days, the answer is never,  I won’t drink water until I get back home! Nor is it, I won’t brush my teeth or bathe until I get back home! WE NEED WATER TO SUSTAIN OUR LIVES!

We are quickly reminded of how easily we can take it for granted when we are in a foreign place and it is not as easily accessible to us or safe for us to drink or use.

As I am following my Good Shepherd through Israel I am also thankful that He is also my Living Water!

“He lets me rest in Green Meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.“      Psalm 23:2

My Good Shepherd leads me and guides me and even allows me to rest in green meadows that have been watered and are growing lush and full! He leads me to peaceful streams where the water flows gently and ever so calmly without feeling pushed or prodded!

In this crazy “go, hurry up and go,“ world that we live in, I need quiet peaceful streams that still provide the living water I need for my sustainment, but also bring me peace and calm. I know that connecting to the Living Water Himself, is the only way that I can get this in this crazy world we live in!

Jesus himself makes the clear distinction between the physical water we need for life sustainment, and the spiritual water that is essential for our souls!

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that ask you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have giving you living water.”   John 4:10

As I take step after step and walk where Jesus walked, I am more aware of the culture he lived in during his 33 years of life on this Earth. The rich meaning of each word He spoke and each illustration He used make more and more sense, and come to life in a significant way!

As Jesus speaks here to the woman at the well, and asked her for a drink of physical water to quench his thirst, He is offering her living water that will give her eternal life in Him, The True Living Water!

I can see clearly now, when I look at where the well actually is, and how far the women would have had to carry all of the water in jars from the edge of town to their household, bringing all the water they needed for each and every day to sustain life.

In this one statement to this woman, Jesus is claiming to be all the sustainment that she needs for everything in her life!

He is claiming to quench her thirst. He is claiming to cleanse her and wash her clean. He is claiming to be the vital water that she needs to grow, and He is claiming to be the power that will give her the energy she needs to live this life!

Water is all of that and more!

Jesus is offering all of this to you and I as well. Are we willing to except it and to have the rest and peace that only He can bring us? Or are we still putting the Living Water God has put at our disposal into empty pails? Do we allow ourselves to go thirsty, to remain dirty, and parched and powerless by not accessing our Living Water?

C. S. Lewis puts it beautifully in The Chronicles of Narnia:

“Are you thirsty?“ Said the Lion.

“I’m dying of thirst,“ said Jill.

“Then drink,“ said the Lion.

“May I– could I – would you mind going away while I do?“ Said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl…

“I daren’t come and drink,“ said Jill.

“Then you will die of thirst,“ said the Lion.

“Oh dear!“ Said Jill, coming another step near. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.“

“There is no other stream,“ said the Lion.

There is no other stream friends! The Lord is our Living Water! Through Him our lives are completely and fully sustained!

We can reject this Living Water and wither away. We can accept this Living Water, put it in an empty pail and continue to be thirsty, dirty, parched and powerless! Or, we can receive this Living Water and have all that we need and rest in green meadows and walk beside peaceful streams!

TRUTH BOMB

There is no other stream…only the True Living Water will quench our thirst and provide us all we need!

Speak Truth Love

This first week of September, 2019, marks a week of great significance for me!

It is not significant because I know what’s ahead of me. I actually have no idea of the outcome! The significance actually comes in the “not knowing!”

I know that it is the first week of November, and I know that I love love love November! My family laughs at me as I clap and cheer on the morning of November 1st!

The first significant mark is that it is November and my heart and mind are turned to giving thanks to my God!

“Give thanks to The Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.”                                     I Chronicles 16:34

I do not know the outcome of my giving thanks, I just know My God is good and He deserves my thanks!

In other words, I do not give thanks to God because of something I want. I am not thanking Him in advance for doing something for me.

I am simply giving Him thanks because HE IS GOOD!

He is my Shepherd, and He leads me even when I can’t see where I am going!

This year we were blessed to all be together as a family on November 1st,  at one of our favorite places, Apple Hill!

The reason that we were there was because we had been evacuated from our home due to the fires near us.

As I focused on this verse I realized that God is good all the time, regardless of our circumstances! And in the middle of some of our most difficult times, God gives us blessings!

My second significant mark this week is that I am leaving for Israel TODAY!

I am going to walk where Jesus walked! I can hardly stop shaking from the excitement to make my hands be still enough to write these words!

I truly never believed that I would see Israel this side of heaven! But last February, Jim and I were gifted with this trip. It is truly a gift beyond measure! We are humbled and thankful!

My mind cannot even begin to wrap itself around the significance of this trip and experience in my life! I have prayed, I have fasted, I have asked God to open up my heart, my mind and my spirit so that I can fully take in all that He has for me during this trip, but I can’t. In my humanness, I am not smart enough, strong enough, or astute enough to prepare myself for something this big! I need my SHEPHERD!

Sheep by nature are not smart. They will wander right into running creeks of water to satisfy their thirst, then while standing in that same water they keep slurping it up while their wool grows so heavy as it becomes wet, that they actually drown.

In preparing for this incredible trip I have felt like a dumb sheep! I have been running around, fretting at times, that I have not prepared properly. I keep asking myself constant questions…Have I packed the right things? Have I attained the right things to take? Have I bought all of the right sizes so they’ll pass through customs? Have I turned off certain features on my phone or computer?Have I bought the right adapters?…And the list goes on and on.

Most of all I have struggled within myself to prepare my spirit for this trip. As I was feeling like a failure on Sunday as I walked out of church, saying the words of one of my favorite Winnie the Pooh characters Eeyore, “I’ll never make it.” I was reminded that God is my shepherd! He will lead me and guide me when I am not wise enough to do it myself and that He is ALL that I need!

TRUTH BOMB

My Good Shepherd is all that I need!

In the book of Psalms we are given a beautiful picture by David who was a shepherd, of our Lord, The Good Shepherd!

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.“ Psalm 23:1

Stop worrying! Stop fretting! Stop trying to figure out everything in your life before you even live it! Our Lord God is our Good Shepherd! He goes before us, He goes behind us, and He goes beside us! He is ALL that we need!

So as I get ready for my plane to takeoff and land in Israel, I am committing to walking alongside my Lord God, my Shepherd!

As I do, I am committing to take these two significant events in my life this month, and share on Psalm 23 with you as I walk step-by-step where Jesus walked, following my Shepherd, and beginning each and every one of my days by giving Him thanks!

I can’t wait for this great adventure and I’m excited for you to walk it along with me!

Love, prayers and a heart full of thankfulness for all of you!

Speak Truth Love

Today my granddaughter is 7 months old!  She is so beautiful, so sweet and perfect in every way. She is learning new things each and every day. She sits up now, grabs her blocks and toys with both hands, puts absolutely EVERYTHING in her mouth, and speaking of putting everything in her mouth, she has been introduced to food! That’s right, the baby girl is no longer just drinking milk, she is grabbing at every food item she can get her hands on! She smiles and laughs out loud and looks at each and every person with great intent! She loves being outdoors and is soaking up and absorbing the big wide world around her more and more with each passing day.

 I adore her and would give her anything she wants. But truly, what I want most for her in this whole wide world, is for her to be protected! I want her perfect innocence to never be taken away from her. I want her to be given every opportunity this world has to offer. I want her to understand that we love her with all of our hearts, and that God loves her more! I want her sense of giving love freely without expecting anything in return to never be diminished or robbed from her! I want her to always be free of illness, or harm. I want her to grow up and be anything she wants to be and have no one ever tell her she isn’t good enough or worthy of it!

I want her to be PROTECTED!

The definition of PROTECT is, “to defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc…it is too cover or shield!”

While my desire, and I know the desire of her parents, may be to cover, shield her, and protect her from all ill or harm, the truth is, we can’t! As much as we want to. As much as we would be willing to give our life for hers, we cannot guarantee her protection!

What we can do, is entrust her to the only one who can truly protect her, the Mighty Protector Himself, God.

TRUTH BOMB

God is the PROTECTOR of His children!

God reaches out and speaks to two of His children and assures them that He will PROTECT them. He actually uses two of the words in our definition of PROTECT…

Cover and Shield!

God speaks to Abraham in Genesis 15:1 and says,

“Do not fear, Abraham, I am a shield to you.“

God assures Abraham that He is His shield of protection and that he does not need to be afraid!

We also see God protecting Ruth in Ruth 2:12 that says,

“May the Lord the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.“

God is “covering” and protecting Ruth, “under His wings”, as He leads and guides her to her Kinsman Redeemer, Boaz. 

In the Psalms, David cries out to God over and over and over again for His protection…

“May he reign under God’s protection forever. May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.”    Psalm 61:7

“O, Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced.”  Psalm 71:1

“My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection.”         Psalm 71:7

Throughout Scripture we see God protecting His children and shielding them and covering them with His love and protection!

I have great peace and confidence as I cry out to God and put not just my youngest granddaughter into His hands, but also my other granddaughter and grandson.

They are God’s children and He is their faithful, strong PROTECTOR!

“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises are true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for PROTECTION.”      II Samuel 22:31

Do you struggle with holding on too tightly to what you cannot control?

Do you allow fear to override the Truth that God is a shield and protection for all His children?

Do you deal with anxiety over what you want to fix but cannot?

If you do, you are not alone, anxiety, fear and desire to control is skyrocketing out of control in our society.

The only antidote my friends, is God! His Word is Truth! His promises are true! He is your shield and cover, your refuge and PROTECTOR!

Speak Truth Love

Do you pride yourself on being “CREATIVE?”  Can you put together a great party, shower or event? Can you take a blank piece of paper and draw something, anything, that looks similar to something else? Can you take 3 simple ingredients and make a meal out of them?

If you can do any of the above, then I consider you “CREATIVE!” I also, admire you!

As a teacher I used to commonly pronounce that I was a very good “copier.” I could observe others ideas and copy them well. It is not a hidden fact to anyone who knows me, that I can barely draw a stick figure that somewhat resembles a person. I was not personally gifted with an artistic flare!

My father however was! His handwriting to this day, remains the most beautiful I have ever come across. I have saved many cards and letters he has written, and even though he is in heaven now, I still love to take them out and look at them and read them.

He could also draw free hand and paint extremely well. His profession was a Contractor, but he still drew and painted on his truck and truck windows before it was an actual “thing!”

One of my sisters inherited his natural artistic ability, but I did not! I was in awe of the way they could look at a mountain and draw it or paint it and create something that actually seemed to come to life. My dad especially loved horses. He grew up on a farm, and when he finished playing professional baseball and settled down to run his contracting business, he bought an acre and a 1/4 of property within the city limits, but zoned for horses. I grew up with two, and at one point even three, horses in my backyard. My dad loved them, rode them and at one point decided to draw them. His painting of our horse looked almost more real than the horse itself. 

I posses, and to this day possess, many traits from my father, to my disappointment, one of them was not his artistic ability! To this day I stand in awe at Museums, art exhibits, and even school art fairs, and marvel at the ability to create something beautiful.

The realization came to me one day as I lay in the grass and looked up at the dancing leaves on our gigantic weeping willow tree. Through them, the whispey white clouds floating slowly across the clear blue sky…and then it hit me. Only the CREATOR Himself can truly create something out of nothing! What I marvel at, and is a gift given by the creator to some, is actually an excellent copy of the original.

My dad could draw and paint a horse. But he could not create the horse itself. Only God the CREATOR could do that. The best we can do is to reflect the image of what the CREATOR created in the first place.

“To whom will you compare me?

Or who is my equal?” says The Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of His great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing…

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

 The Lord is the everlasting God,

the CREATOR of the ends of the earth.”            Isaiah 40:25-26, 28

We like to think we are creative and indeed we are prolific at making things! The list of human inventions over the last 100 years alone are phenomal! They indeed make life easier and are noteworthy. We have the ability to do this because we have been created in God’s image and we are his image bearers.

But only God Himself, The CREATOR, can create something out of nothing!

The definition of CREATE, is “to cause to exist, to bring into being.” 

God alone can truly cause something to exist that never existed before. God alone can take meaningless nothing, without form and void, and make it something significant.

Using the gifts God has put at our disposal, we as God’s image-bearers draw, paint, perform, compose, sculpt, weave, knit, cook, write, sew, and yes, even sometimes come up with something that has a fresh sound or look to it. But truly, the best creations of the image bearers are at most reminders of and reflections of our CREATOR Himself!

I love created things! I love climbing a mountain or skiing down it! I love sitting on the beach and watching the tide roll in and putting my feet in the sand as the powerful force of the water tries to drag me out to sea! I love watching the birds build a nest in my apple tree, and I love eating the sweet apples that grow on that tree! I love listening to children laugh as they play with each other on the jungle gym and I love seeing the joy in their faces as they eat sticky sweet cotton candy! In my heart I know that only the CREATOR God could bring any of this into existence. Only the CREATOR God could make any of this be!

TRUTH BOMB

ONLY GOD IS TRULY WORTHY OF THE NAME CREATOR

Today as we claim the name CREATOR for God, my prayer is that we would give Him all the glory and credit for what ONLY HE CAN DO, CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING!

Speak Truth Love