The Truth Rises

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
I find in this season of unscheduled inactivity, cooking passes the time better than almost any other activity. So, when I came across a simple recipe for raisin buns, I was only too willing to make them.
As I assembled the ingredients I voiced my misgivings to my daughter that the proportion of yeast to flour was not right.
Against my better judgement, I went along with it, scrupulously measuring everything (that was strange of itself) and adding no extra ingredients.
The dough felt dry and hard but I decided to see the process through. In a few words, I ended up with rock hard pieces of dough, a far cry from the fragrant, delicious treats we were all anticipating. The very next day I redid the recipe using the proportions and no-fail method I have used in my years of making bread. This time I had the results I craved.
The experience reminded me of a valuable life  lesson.  Namely, there is no excuse to digress from the truth we know to pursue something that fills us with uneasiness or downright doubt. We are not given a free pass because someone swears by a better way. Do WE know the truth? Have we proven God to be gracious? Then walk in that truth.
The hesitancy we feel when we are being lured by false promises is none other than the Spirit of Truth throwing up a warning. Pursuing a lie is a lot of hard, useless work and the outcome will never justify the effort. Our best defense is to stick to the old paths, follow the God we have proven to be faithful, and trust the Word within our hearts. When we do, we will rise to God's desire for us and by so doing satisfy the hunger of a dying world.

Happy Nurses' Week

Happy Nurses' Day and week to all my colleagues! Today I celebrate 31 years of being a registered nurse. I praise God I never had to be disciplined or suspended or even have my right to practice questioned in all those years. The journey has been from staff nurse to consultant to Director of Nursing,  Nursing Administrator,  travel nurse, school nurse, to where I am today. Case management may seem like being on the sidelines or doing less that I could. However, I am old enough to have done the limelight and to know where I prefer to be at this time of life. Nursing is good to me. Yes, I have permanent physical injury like so many in this profession. But nursing has also fueled my dreams and allowed me to be an author, to travel extensively, to help others, and to have a great life for my family and myself. I am grateful for my job at Poinciana Medical Center and for the strong beautiful women with whom I work everyday as a case manager. I appreciate every single person from "C" to "E" who makes up the hospital staff.
So, to celebrate I walked my 6.6miles and watched the glorious sun proclaim the promise of a new day. Besides, there is no point in growing older without protest!

BRAVE

Some of us came across the word  brave as a motivational acronym in the corporate world.  But today, for this short Wisdom Walk,  I want to introduce BRAVE from a spiritual as well as a motivational perspective. 

BOLD, know the God in whom you believe and be resolute in your faith. Not obnoxious, or pushy, or argumentative. But know the ground on which you stand and never be ashamed to be counted (or discounted) for being a child of God. I'm entitled to have a belief system and mine happens to be in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

RELEVANT, the Gospel is not a bunch of unrelated ideas. Following Jesus is a way to do life, today. Let us learn to connect our "feet" to our faith. Our walk should match the principles laid out for us by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Examples? The Beatitudes or better yet, Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

AUTHENTIC, the world is full of fakes. Dont be that person. It is better to be genuinely weak than to claim strength one does not possess. Be the same person wherever you are, to whomever you meet. Let us strive to be the good person we wish others would be.

VALUABLE, dont believe the devil's lies about you. You are valuable, you are loved, and you are an integral part of the kingdom of God. Listen what Jesus says: " I dont call you servants, but friends."

EAGER, not jaded or tired or world weary but eager. Eager to learn the things of God and to discover his heart for you. I am eager to grow in my relationship with the Savior and to bring others along on the journey.

    It's not easy but we can do this! God  supports our effort because He wants us BRAVE.

Speak the Word

2 Timothy 1:7, Psalm 56: 3,6

 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

While I am okay with acknowledging these are fearful times, I am just as comfortable saying God is not the one tormenting us with fear. So, what are the practical applications of these verses in the present COVID-19 disaster?

First, look for the good news. Consider the statistics on the number of people recovering and where the curve is flattening indicating a lull in the number of new people being infected. Let’s start by limiting the amount of news we are ingesting as this also feed fear. Most importantly, lean hard on the Word of God. In the words of the Psalmist, “When I am afraid, I will trust” Trust God’s care and protection for you, personally. Fill your mind (and mouth) with the Word.

The power referenced here comes from the same Word of God and from his Holy Spirit. I have inner strength because of where my faith lies. I walk confidently that even if the worse happens, to be absent from the body (die) is to be present with the LORD. This gives me power over the fear of death. The power of love causes me to be unselfish as I practice self-care. I think about others, I pray or intercede for others at gut level, the same way I pray for myself. And, by all means, we help others as much as we can.

Now help can take myriad forms. Many people with full pantries and a little bit of a financial cushion are running empty on emotional support. This forced isolation has effectively closed them in with the demons they normally escape by being busy with work and the everyday association with others. There is nowhere to go and seemingly no reprieve. I hope as you read this post, you will think of someone you can call, or text, or reach out to and let them know they are still a part of your community. Loneliness is not a condition exclusively assigned to seniors. It’s widows and orphans, and single-parents who long for the sound of another adult. It’s the divorced or separated who are now trying to figure out the next page of life and suddenly in the midst of everything, the world has gone silent. Bridge the gap.

Last, God gives us self-discipline. One of the most weapons in this particular arsenal is the words we speak. “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” God has graciously given us a molecule of the power of the spoken word, a seed of the power that spoke creation into being. We just need to be disciplined enough to use it as a verbal agreement with who God says you are. When fear comes activate self-discipline, refuse to give in, and speak the Word.

I am a child of God, I am loved by God, I am valuable – a pearl of great price

I am surrounded by his presence; God places the lonely in families – I am not forgotten

God knows and sees me – even the number of hairs on my head …

Don’t underestimate the Word in your mouth. The Bible says we overcome by the blood and the word of our testimony. Speak faith, speak life, and be encouraged.

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk - Winning and Losing

Surely this COVID crisis ranks as one of the worse in our time.  With death and sickness upon us, we are concerned with containing the immediate threat while remaining acutely conscious of the psychological fallout ahead. In the midst of the losses, however, let us not lose sight of our gains. 

I am in no way saying God did this to us. But in his sovereignty, he is redeeming this outworking of evil and from the tragedy, he is creating beautiful things.

In this 21st century, we glory in doing everything at once without being fully present for anything. But a short few weeks ago, routines came to a screeching halt. 

We quickly learned the world still turns if we are not each moving at the speed of light.

We have relearned the importance of spending time with family, rough places, and all. There is nowhere to run so we learn coping strategies and peaceful resolution instead of avoidance.

For many, creative ideas are once again in full bloom. Without external voices to coach our every move, we find ourselves embarking on our overdue voyage of self-discovery.  

We all take pride in being independent and we proclaim like the toddler, "I can do it, I can do it." Wonderful — until we forget we are but finite people. Our current calamity has reminded us we have a heavenly Father and many are running for help, without restraint, into his arms. And while the losses in pain, suffering, and death cannot be accurately tabulated on this side of eternity, we have gained much. 

There is indeed a renaissance, an awakening, as we are relearning the basics of life, returning to our values, and becoming stronger as a people. We are rediscovering the joy of being our brothers’ (each other’s) keeper, and caring for others as we do ourselves. There is a global effort toward healing; a mission to reverse the work of the few who hide behind science and mindlessly destroy innocent lives.

The challenge will be to internalize these lessons we have learned and bank our gains so we will never again be emotionally bankrupt and socially disconnected. It should not take another disaster to cause us to live like the people we were created to be.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moments-with-jesus-lauren-erika-myers/1136648015?ean=9781973685852

The Matter of Obedience...

It’s super easy to quote Scripture. I mean, all one has to do is memorize and speak. This, however,

does not make one an expert or even a follower of Christ. Jesus said the demons believe, not just know, but believe in his claims as Messiah and tremble. However, the component of faith and even more specifically obedience, is completely lacking.

Our obedience is not dependent on what we think of the subject. It should be enough to submit to God’s directive. It’s about now that we begin to wish the Christian walk was just a leeeetle bit easier.

Jesus says to be his disciples we must love. Love our enemies. And the instruction book may well be 1 Corinthians 13. On my part, let me hasten to say, I have the textbook and still fail the test!

Jesus says we are to give thanks in everything. It is the will of God for us.

How about this one: Rejoice always (evermore). Mood swings are not even “a thing” where this is concerned.

I will close with the command that is going to get me in trouble. See, I already admit it. But I have to mention it because this is God’s idea and I teach the whole truth (as much as I am able).

So, here goes: Pray for your leaders. What? The Bible says that? Yes, it does. But let’s finish the quote.

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, for [a]kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (Timothy 2:1-2 Amplified Bible).

Do we see what the benefits of this particular act of obedience are: peace, a quiet life, godliness, and dignity. If you have never obeyed in this area, please, do so now when the fate of billions are at stake.

The takeaway is, God’s purpose behind obedience is not just to honor him (the universe already does that perfectly) but to enrich our lives.

And quite frankly, if Christ’s followers do not obey Him, who will?

God loves Me

Yesterday as I walked I began contemplating the thought God loves me, and what it means. It is:

Not my service

Not my accomplishments (such as they are)

Not any expectation of perfection

No. Just me.

God loves me and that means:

He appreciates my honesty - about everything

He sees my heart when it is right and when it is wayward

He knows my thoughts before I think them, and he still loves me.

The more I thought about this amazing love the more it became evident "Just as I am without one plea" is not just for those whom we are trying to get to the altar. It is in fact for us who are laid out on the wood, waiting for the fire to the fall. I have nothing to recommend myself, therefore no reason for God to care as he does, But, He loves me still.

This does not mean he is not in the process of changing somethings in my life because the master plan is that I will be conformed to his image. But, no matter what is happening as a result of what God is stripping away or polishing to reflect His beauty, His love for me is not in question.

When I fall, when I stray, when I am lonely, when I am confused, when I am appreciated, when I am on top of the world, when I am hanging between yes and I am not so sure, God loves me.

So my word for you is, wherever you are and whatever you face this week, don't ever forget: God loves YOU. Not necessarily the image you have of yourself. Just you. Let that be enough.