Since we were in the process of moving we played musical beds.   I had sold my daughters bed  so she  slept in my room while I took the couch….with the 9 month old puppy.   Before falling asleep I prayed as usual.  I don’t know what all I prayed, but I do know that I asked for God’s protection while we slept.  I slept well and when I woke up headed down the hall to the bathroom which I had scrubbed from top to bottom just the day before.  I was appalled to discover large shoe prints on the floor along with a mess as though someone had cleaned themselves up and left the mess behind.  I immediately assumed my teenage son had carelessly trashed my freshly cleaned bathroom. 

When my son awoke he looked at the shoe prints and assured me that they were not his as his feet were not that big and proceeded to show me that the prints on the floor were at least a size or two bigger than his own footwear.   Quite truthfully the footprints made his size 10 feet look small.  He also assured me he would never make such a mess in a freshly cleaned bathroom. 

My daughter  walked into her bedroom to get some clothes and noticed the window standing wide open.  It had been closed the night before, but not locked.  When she opened her dresser drawer she discovered her small stash of cash missing.  She came to report her findings. 

We lived next to some railroad tracks and presumed someone jumped off the train, came thru the bedroom window, cleaned up in the bathroom, stole the money and left.  All of this happened and the 9 month old hyper-active puppy didn’t once bark. 

We slept through a stranger entering our house while our angels watched over us.  I’ll have to admit that ever since then when I pray for God’s protection I do so with a lot more meaning and appreciation than before.  I used to pray such prayers and then just blithely assume all would be well, without giving it a second thought.   I now truly appreciate the mighty power of the right arm of the Lord.

He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge…. Psalm 14:2

The afternoon was nearly over and I had spent the entire day cleaning.  This was quite an accomplishment since my kids were about 2, 4, and 7 at the time.  I put the finishing touches on the master bedroom and headed out to the living room to crash on the couch for a well deserved break before preparing dinner.  My mind envisioned my sparkling clean abode until I took that fateful step into the living room.   All my sparkling thoughts came crashing down around me.   My youngest son had dumped an entire box of Cheerio’s over the living room floor;  and there he sat with a big smile on his face munching happily away in the midst of  the mess he had created.

Now isn’t that just the way life happens sometimes.  You have worked so hard and everything is so sparkly, then all of a sudden it falls into a million Cheerio’s on the living room floor.  Joseph must have felt that way when his brothers sold him into slavery.  Fortunately the vacuum made quick work of the cheerio’s on my floor.  But, for Joseph it must have felt as if the lights had been turned off and in the process of picking them up one by one more were being crushed into a bigger mess.  Despite all the discouragement in Josephs life, He trusted God with it all and God blessed him.    Through the lessons he learned in the mess, he was able to do the work God had prepared for him. 

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.  Psalm 143:8 NIV

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13 NIV

  They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.  Psalm 112:7 NIV

For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son…

When God the Father called Jesus to surrender His life, He did.  He didn’t just walk to Calvary and then say, “That was quite the walk, and after that beating and all, I’ve done enough”.  He didn’t hang on the cross for 15 minutes and then say, “Well, that was long enough, it’s been a  physically and emotionally exhausting day, guess I’ll get down now”.  No, He didn’t!  He surrendered His life entirely to his father and died so that you and I could have the opportunity to live in freedom, not slavery.

To who do you surrender daily?  A selfless God, or a selfish god?  It is time to loosen the tight grip of your fingers on your heart and entirely surrender it to your Father who loves you.

…that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

I sat down in my chair in front of the computer, opened the draft i had been working on and found the last sentence i had typed.  I pecked away at a few more sentences, then paused for a moment and said to myself…..wait a second, what was I writing about?  I glanced up at the title, no help there, I scrolled back to the top of the page, read a few sentences and figured out the direction I had intended to go.

Isn’t that kind of like life?  You can live it, but unless you have a destination in mind,  you will aimlessly wander from one path to the next and end up nowhere.  It is a good idea to go to the Author of our story and let Him give us the direction we need.  Open your Bible, make Jesus your destination and keep your eyes on Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Richard and Jane packed their bags, boarded the airplane and headed for the jungles of Africa.  The plane floated down through the clouds and the wheels hit the runway, bumped, and rolled up to the airport.  Their safari guide met them at baggage claim.  They wearily grabbed their bags, rolled them through the airport, and across the parking lot to the safari jeep.  After the eleven hour flight Jane enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair.  In about 15 minutes the concrete gave way to dirt and the jeep bumped down the road to the safari campsite.

Richard and Jane were the last of their group to arrive.  The sun sat low in the sky when  Richard and Jane dropped their bags inside the tent.  They joined the others sitting in camp chairs around the fire and listened to the safari guide giving instructions.   Jane listened intently while Richard nodded off and began to snore.  Some of the others gave him looks of disdain. 

Richard didn’t feel the need to listen to the guide.  He had picked up an “On Safari for Dummies” book about how to navigate the jungle and felt he knew all there was to know.  The guide wrapped up his speech and Jane reached over and nudged Richard awake.  “Hey, you missed a lot of valuable information.”  Richard yawned and mumbled, “Aw, I read “On Safari For Dummies” and I know everything I need to know about how to survive in the jungle.”  Jane rolled her eyes as they stood and walked back to the tent for the night.

Jane smiled,  she was watching her favorite TV show with a huge tub of Chocolate Praline Pecan ice cream.  If only that fly would leave her alone and quit tickling her arm.  “Hey, hey,  wake up!”  Her favorite TV show and the tub of ice cream slowly faded away and the reality of Richard shaking her arm came into focus.  “Sweetie!  Let’s go look at the hippos down by the river.  The book says that wild life viewing is fantastic in the dark by the river.”  Jane’s eyes no longer needed toothpicks to stay open!  “Are you crazy?  Didn’t you hear what the guide told us last night?  He specifically said not to wander the jungle at night and to especially not go down to the river because of the crocodiles.  They will eat you before you can see them!  No, I’m not going!”  Richard laughed, “Of course I didn’t hear that, I was taking a quick nap so I could be up tonight to go exploring.  Besides, what does he know, I read that book and the writer is an expert.  I told you to read it too, remember?  Now you’re just being an ole stick in the mud.”   Jane was wavering and Richard knew it.  “Don’t you love me, sweetie?  It’ll be so much fun to explore the jungle with just the two of us.”

Jane crawled out of her sleeping bag, found her clothes in the dark and slipped them on. She didn’t know her shirt was on backwards.  “It’s so dark in here,” she complained.  “Do you have a flashlight?  “Yup, sure do.”  “Well, then turn it on.”  she whispered.  “I don’t want to wake up the whole camp, I’ll turn it on later when we get on the trail.”  Richard always had a plan, that’s what she liked about him.

Richard led the way as they tip-toed through the camp and started down the path to the river.  He stumbled over a root, stubbing his toe and  scraping his nose on a protruding root.  Jane tripped and landed on top of Richard,  poking him in the eye with a branch she had grabbed onto mid-fall. “Why haven’t you turned on the flashlight?  Jane fumed.  “Real men don’t need flashlights.  I can find the river without it.  We don’t want to show the lions and tigers where we are do we?  That’s what the book said.  Besides, can’t you hear the river, we will just follow the sound and get there.”

Richard and Jane untangled arms, legs, branches and vines and managed to get back on the path in only slightly worse shape than when they started out.  The moon peeked through the branches and offered a little light.  But it grew pitch black when a gust of wind blew a dark cloud over the light of the moon.  “R-r-r-richard?  I’m scared.  I’m holding onto your shirt tail and I can’t even see you,”  whimpered Jane.  “T–t-t-turn on the flashlight, p-p-please.”  “Alright,” muttered Richard.  He turned around to face Jane while pulling the flashlight out of his pocket.  He flipped the switch and pointed it at his face.  “There, are you happy now that you can see me?”  Jane screamed like a teenage girl in a horror film.  “What?!  What’s wrong now?” grumped Richard.  Jane lifted her trembling arm and pointed.  “Did your “Jungle Dummy” book tell you what to do about that?”  Richard turned around and looked straight into the teeth of a smiling lion.

Richard thought he knew everything there was to know about surviving in the jungle.   But, he had never been to a jungle before and if he had done his research he would have realized the guy who wrote the book, “On Safari for Dummies” hadn’t either.  He should have listened to the Safari guide who had spent many years in the jungle. 

If we want to know how to survive the jungles of this world then we need to look to Jesus, because He lived here and overcame temptation.  If we want to live like Jesus then we need to pick up His guide book for us;  The Bible. 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.   Psalm 119:105

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

I’ve been thinking about forgiveness lately.  There are times when I can mentally forgive someone and feel pretty pious.  But later, should the issue cross my mind again, I feel angry.  In which case, I don’t think I have actually forgiven the person.  Something new I’m trying when that happens is to say, “Here God, You take the anger.  Here God, You take the unforgiveness, because I don’t want it.”  

Unfortunately, so many times we want to hold onto unforgiveness and anger like it was our favorite chocolate bar.  It’s rich, sweet smell tickles our olfactory senses, and melts so smoothly on our tastebuds.   Our mind floats away on a cloud of theobromine induced euphoria.  Life is wonderful until the fateful day we step on the scale.  The chocolate euphoria dissipates and we come crashing back down to earth.  The consequences of eating too many chocolate bars stares us in the face.  Gorging ourselves into unthinking oblivion wasn’t such a great idea.  Neither is holding onto that unforgiveness and anger.  Revenge can seem so sweet, until it comes back and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.  Ephesians 4:32 tells us to, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” 

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”  Proverbs 19:11 ESV

 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  Matthew 5:44 ESV

In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.   Proverbs 3:6 TLB

There it is.  In all its simplicity.  The “One Step Plan For Success”: PUT GOD FIRST.

Keep in mind though that as my wise husband likes to say, “The solution to almost all our life dilemmas are simple, just not necessarily easy.”

Rande’s car wouldn’t start.  Luckily her boyfriend thought he could help out so he asked her to run inside the house and get a screwdriver.  She came inside the house and said, “Hey mom,  Where do we keep the screwdriver?”  I glanced up from reading a book, “Look in the cupboard above the drier.” She headed towards the laundry room, got half way there and turned back.  “Hey mom, what does the screwdriver look like?”

I used to think that the knowledge of the difference between pliers and a screwdriver was implanted in the brain before birth.  I have since found out otherwise.  Such knowledge is not inherent.  Rande didn’t know the difference between a screwdriver and the pliers because she didn’t have any experience with that.  Now, most three year olds do not know how to read.  But, Rande did.  The day of her third birthday, she could read.  Long vowel sounds and short vowels.  Why?  Because when she was two I had found a book at the library called, “How to teach your toddler to read”.  We spent every night reading “Dr. Seuss’ ABC’s”.  In about six months she learned the big letters, the little letters, the sounds they made and eventually how to put them together to make words.  But, I don’t recall ever reading her any books about tools.   

Most of us have a Bible in our homes.  But, do we even  know what it looks like?  I mean, really know what it looks like.  Not just a black cover with gold writing.  Do you know what it says between the covers and how it applies to you?  Or do you keep it on the top shelf and never take it down? You can have a bucketful of tools, but if you never pick them up and familiarize yourself with them, they will do you no good whatsoever.

Jesus answered and said unto them Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”  Matthew 22:29

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Tim. 3:16

But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Matt. 4:4

And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 3:15

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.  Isaiah 40:8

Rande wanted to go to a local theater show with a friend.  There was only one small glitch, Rande didn’t have a driver’s license.  Not that she had one and couldn’t find it, but she literally didn’t have a driver’s license.  She did have a car though, and soon Rande and  friend were driving the back road to the next town.  The drive went by without a hitch.  They found the theater, parked and went inside to enjoy the play.  When it was over they walked out to a now dark parking lot.    Rande and her friend got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot onto the street,  unfortunately Rande forgot to turn on the car headlights.    As luck would have it a police officer saw the mistake and the dreaded flashing lights appeared in Rande’s rear view mirror.   Fear gripped Rande as two police officers strode up to the car window and asked to see her driver’s license.  She fumbled through her purse and finding her passport asked if they would accept it.  They took it and walked back to the  patrol car to call it in.   Rande conscience pricked her so she stepped out of her car  to explain her deception.  She didn’t know that getting out of the car in that situation was not allowed.  The officers jumped out of the car and loudly said, “Get back in the car!  Get back in the car!”   Rande’s insides were trembling, but she just wanted to make things right so she replied,  “But, I just…..I just wanted to tell you that….”  She was cut short when the officers loudly repeated themselves.  “Get back in the car!  Get back in the car!”  By this time Rande was an emotional wreck.  She slid  back into the driver’s seat and when the officers approached the window of her car she tearfully explained that she didn’t have a license.  The officers looked at her friend.  “Do you have a license?”  The reply was negative.

The officers strode back to their car and spent some time talking while Rande waited apprehensively in the car.   The officers stepped out of their patrol car and once again walked over to Rande’s car window.  One of them spoke the following words, “Alright, you can just go ahead and drive home.” That was it?  Free to drive home?!  No ticket?  No impounding the car?!  Yes, that was it, just drive on home.

I know that using an “I got pulled over and didn’t get a ticket story” to illustrate how God forgives us is a little cliché, but this story did seem a little more over the top than just being let off for speeding.   God will forgive us, it doesn’t matter how black our sins are, if we ask, He will forgive.  He wants you to just drive home!

How blessed is the person whose sins the Lord will never charge against him!”  Romans 4:8 ISV

Rande placed her cell phone in her bag along with a jar green juice and hurried out the door to work.  Unfortunately, the green juice leaked and Rande’s phone met its demise.    As an on call flight attendant, Rande’s cell phone was her lifeline to work.  Since the phone was due for an upgrade in a month my wonderful husband, Brett, made a trip to the local  Verizon store.  He explained the situation and asked if Rande could have an early upgrade.  The two young men at the store shook their heads and quickly dismissed him with a hurried reply, “No, no……we’re sorry, but we can’t do that.”

Brett arrived home and explained that Rande’s phone could not receive an early upgrade.  Being a woman and having more experience in these types of situations  I told Brett, “They may not do it for you, but they will do it for Rande.”

The next day I drove Rande to the very same local Verizon store.  Rande explained her situation to the two nice young men behind the counter.  They looked her phone information up on the computer and said, “No, we are so sorry we can’t give you an early upgrade.  BUT, we do have a loaner phone you can use until you phone is eligible for an upgrade.  There was just one condition, she needed to bring the phone back on the very day she could receive the upgrade.  Of course Rande agreed  and she walked out of the store with the loaner phone.  The young men behind the counter seemed as pleased to do the favor as Rande was to receive it. 

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t play favorites like that? When you come to God he doesn’t care if you are a 40 something man or a 20 something young woman.  He doesn’t care if you have brown hair or blonde, curly hair or straight.  Beauty or the Beast, if we desire God in our lives He will accept us. 

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  Ephesians 2:4-5