Carolyn

Happy 16th Birthday!

July 28, 2016July 29, 2016Carolyn

It’s been sixteen years since we welcomed our baby girl three months too early at 27 weeks along in the pregnancy. She was 2 pounds, 3 ounces, and 14 inches.

The early days in the hospital – reminds me of Matt. 10:30, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

We celebrate each year again and remember the miraculous works in the midst of suffering that God accomplished, and we give praise and thanks.

6f8b7-cominghome — 3 months old and leaving the hospital on her original due date, still less than 5 pounds

I feel as though I’ve written about this many times (here and here, for example), but it’s always a reminder to me that we have a miracle-working God who is involved in all life’s details. I want to once again tell of his greatness and not let this significant day pass without remembering once again.

Thank you to all who have prayed for her through the years. You are part of this story, and we are so grateful!

My Brief Political Post

July 27, 2016July 27, 2016Carolyn

I wrote this many years ago, but pull it out every four years to reflect upon again:

I’m thankful for a Sovereign God who is seated on the throne in the heavens and whose kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19).
I’m thankful to know that He alone raises up and brings down leaders and rulers (Daniel 2:21).
I’m thankful that He alone is great and worthy of all praise (Psalm 145:3), worthy as the Lamb who was slain to receive all power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise (Rev. 5:12).
I’m thankful that He sets my feet on the Rock (Psalm 40:2) and keeps me secure.
In Him, I have complete confidence and hope, and I have no cause for fear.
He is my Rock, fortress, deliverer, strength, salvation, and shield (2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18).
He will not forsake those who trust in Him (Psalm 9:10).

May we be particularly prayerful during this political season. May we love those around us and pray for unity in our country. And may God’s good and perfect will be done.

(*Note: I haven’t watched much of either convention—just a few parts here and there, nothing today. This is in no way timed around any certain event or happening. Just a piece that came to mind tonight as I looked for something to post during my 30-day blogging challenge!)

Praying for You

July 26, 2016July 26, 2016Carolyn

The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I’ve been thinking about the “pray without ceasing” command in particular this week. This week I’ve seen friends dealing with death, hospitalization, waiting on test results, traveling, kids heading to college, and the list goes on. I find myself saying over and over, “I’ll be praying for you.” Perhaps you’ve seen the same thing on Facebook or said the same thing. But what does that mean? What do my prayers for others look like?

I suppose if we are to “pray without ceasing,” it indicates hearts that are prayerful, bent towards prayer, praying as we come and go through our days and the situations in them, so we can pray right then for those we commit to pray for. But do I also take the time to really invest in prayer and to pray in faith (James 1:6), asking God to increase my faith where I sense I doubt (Mark 9:24)?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us how to pray (Matt. 6:5-13). Do I take time to get on my knees in a posture of humility and prayer, and find a private place to pray (6:5-6)? Again, do I come in faith, or do I simply come with words (6:7-8)?

From the Lord’s Prayer, we learn to pray by hallowing Jesus’ name and according to his will. We pray for our daily needs and seek God’s forgiveness as we forgive others. We pray deliverance from evil and protection from temptation. We acknowledge God’s glory, power, and kingdom. Each of these includes the aspects of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (ACTS as an acronym to help guide us in prayer).

Those verses enlarge my prayers as I consider things bigger and higher than only what I can see. Next time I say “I’ll pray for you,” rather than simply uttering a few words as I go to be sure I have done what I say, why don’t I also note it on my phone or a notepad in my purse? Then when I sit down to pray, add their names to my journal and pray through the list. Don’t simply depend on my memory, though I can pray for them as often as they come to mind, too. Pray Scripture and pray in faith, believing God to do more than I ask, think, or imagine by his power at work (Eph. 3:20). And record the answers. Nothing is too hard for God (Jer. 32:17). And like the disciples, perhaps we can simply ask, “Teach us to pray.”

Matthew 6:9-13: “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
  as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
  but deliver us from evil.”

Dressed in Readiness

July 25, 2016April 14, 2022Carolyn

One of the things I’m most convinced of is the life-changing power of reading God’s Word regularly. When my kids were young, I had not become convinced of that. I felt I knew a lot of what was in the Bible, and it wasn’t a big deal if I couldn’t find time for it with the demands of being a mom. I did, however, find plenty of time for my baby books and magazines! (I suppose we find time for what matters most to us!) I wondered why my friends were always running off to a new Bible study. And when I would hear my friend pray the Scriptures, I would think it showy.

I certainly wasn’t hostile to the Bible though. I believed it to be true. But that belief hadn’t moved me to action, and I had a pride of thinking I knew it all anyway. I had a lot of knowledge about the Bible, but other people can only give you that information for so long. At some point, you have to embrace it on your own and do something with it. It wasn’t transforming me in the way it could if I read and studied on my own.

What I found, though, was when I began to read and study the Bible consistently every day, seeking the Lord in prayer, my life began to change. It’s like a child beginning to grow up. You don’t notice their physical growth every day, but if you see a child a year or two later, how surprised you are at how they have grown! We don’t necessarily recognize or experience that spiritual growth each day, but it is happening, and then moments will come where you see how God has been transforming us! And this ongoing process of growth will take place as long as we live!

About 14 years ago, when I first began to read the Bible each day through joining a Bible study with friends, I thought what I was learning was really good. I was surprised by how it spoke to certain situations I was going through. Gradually, little by little, I was starting to have more of a desire to read the Bible than to do other things, like watching TV. (Note: I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with watching TV, but for me at that time, I really watched too much. It was the way I relaxed in the evenings after putting the kids to bed.)

One evening, after cleaning the kitchen and after everyone was asleep, as I began to sit down to watch whatever was on TV that night, I thought I haven’t done my Bible study today. I could do that instead. But I quickly dismissed it with this thought: Oh, but it’s been good the last few days, but it’s already helped me with everything I’m going through. There’s really nothing more it can say to me right now.

I’m still shocked by that arrogance and lack of understanding and expectation of what God’s Word said and could do! Today I know that going to the Bible is to worship and behold God and see what it says first about him, then me in light of that; to understand the Scriptures as I observe, interpret, and then apply to my life; that God’s Word is living and active and can speak anew each time by the power of His Spirit at work. But such it was at that time, and God was patient with me, to teach me slowly and guide me faithfully by His Spirit.

As I sat down to watch TV, on what had seemed to be a quiet evening with calm weather, a huge thunderstorm came up seemingly out of nowhere. I still held a slight fear of storms because of this incident, so as the power flickered and warnings came on the TV, I jumped up and decided I should prepare. I thought I should get ready for bed and light all the candles in case we lost power. And once that was done, I thought maybe now I will do my Bible study while I wait out this storm!

So there I was seated at my table, now dressed in my pajamas with candles lit all around me, ready for the storm, ready to read my Bible. I opened up the study book, and the title was, I kid you not, “Keep Your Lamps Burning.” The verse was taken from Luke 12:35-36:

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.”

It sounds almost comical! There I was, now dressed in readiness (my pajamas), with my lamps (candles) lit! But it was such a picture to me of how I should be waiting for Jesus’ return, not wasting my time in idleness. And just when I thought I knew all that God could tell me through His Word, these perfectly timed circumstances arose to show me I really didn’t know all that much! I want to be dressed in readiness, with my candles burning—expectant, responsive, alert, faithful, sensible, obedient, serving the Lord as I await His return.

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.”

Where Does My Hope Come From?

July 24, 2016Carolyn

For the last 14 years, my husband has been leading college student groups around parts of Europe each summer. While they get class credit, he shows them the wonders of the Swiss Alps or the history of the church at places like the Colosseum in Rome. He is a tour guide extraordinaire, and he loves to travel. He’s good at it. He’s flexible, organized, and energetic. He loves teaching and spending time with the students.

I, on the other hand, am a homebody, a creature of routine. I like to travel once I’m there, seeing amazing new places and learning more about the world, but I tend to dread it for the months leading up to it. It takes me outside of my comfort zone.

This summer, while my son was on a separate trip to Italy with a group of students, my husband finally had the chance to take my daughter and me to Italy to see a country that he loves. It was beautiful, and we now love it, too. I didn’t realize there were Italian Alps or an Italian Riviera. I love art, but had never given much thought to what you could see in Florence. The leaning tower of Pisa really does lean, and it’s absolutely beautiful! The waterways of Venice were a favorite. The food was delicious.

Through this wonderful trip, though, I had my eyes focused on July 11. That was the day we would travel home, the day we would meet up with our son’s group in the UK and all fly home together. That was the day the trip would be completed and I would know all had gone well and be able to enter back into my much-loved routine with my much-loved family.

But things don’t always go according to plan. Our flight was delayed. We missed the connection. My son would travel on with his group, catch a ride home with someone to our empty house, spend his first night home alone with us overseas (he is old enough and capable—no concern there), and we would enjoy London and return the next day. That all sounds pretty sweet, really. But when your eyes have been fixed on one moment for six months, when you’ve had this one big expectation, when you’re tired now from several days of travel, there’s a big letdown.

Riding the London Underground into the city, I could finally grab my Bible during which time I was able to refocus on what was true. God is in control, not me. And when I exited the Tube and looked up, my eyes met Big Ben, and I realized this could actually be viewed as a special addition to an already wonderful trip. (We even saw the excitement and activity surrounding their choice of a new prime minister that day.)

When I returned home, I read one of the last things I had written in my journal before leaving, as I had prayed about the trip: “God doesn’t want me to control my circumstances and environment. He by His Spirit wants to control me in them, to help me be self-disciplined and have self-control over emotions, yes, but also to be Spirit-controlled and Spirit-filled—not just to be managed, but to go forward in His will, way, and calling.”

This story is a small example that serves as a reminder: when I fix my eyes and set my hope on anything other than God, I am sure to be disappointed. But when I fix my eyes on God and His perfect plan, I will adjust more easily to the challenges that enter my day.

Since returning home, I’ve had other opportunities to notice how easy it is for me to be led by my emotions, to react and respond with what I feel instead of what I know, to do things quickly then without prayer, using my common sense, instead of looking to God for what He would desire—and it’s never good that way!

When our ultimate hope is God (not British Airways) and we’re looking forward to a destination like heaven (not our earthly home), there will be less room for disappointment, and great cause to rejoice and be glad in all circumstances. When we put our hope and trust in Him, we will see just how much God loves us and is working for our good, transforming us and making us more like Himself.

Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
  nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
  he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
  your going out and your coming in
  from this time forth and forevermore.

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