My friends have threatened to bring along a straightjacket when we see Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman in concert tomorrow night. They still remember the state I was in at a Third Day concert last year. I promised that if they left the straightjacket at home, they could just pretend they don’t know me. Thirty-six hours until the concert, and I am already ten feet off the ground!
Nothing transports me to the Throne of Grace like praise and worship music does. When that takes place in an arena with thousands of other worshipers, I cannot contain myself. While I adore the Christian artists who bring messages of hope and praise, my elation is not for them. It is for the One they proclaim.
Concerts bring to mind what it will be like when we leave this broken world and stand before the One who has pursued us since before time began. What a glorious day that will be! I picture myself as a war bride whose Hero has finally returned from distant shores to begin our real life together. All the nights of loneliness and painful longing for Him will be over. He will be home for good. I will see Him with my own eyes. He will hold me and never let me go.
In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul described faith as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). When I hear the lyrics of praise music and see others worshiping joyfully, it strengthens my faith. I become more sure of what I hope for and more certain of what I do not see. Now how is a girl supposed to sit still for all that?
What about you? What brings you into view of our joyful arrival Home? I invite you to crank up the music and join me in remembering that this earth is not our home, that a day grander than anything we can imagine lies ahead if we will just hold on!
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.
1 Corinthians 2:9, NIV.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Step Away From the Binky
Self-pity has been called the great emotional pacifier. If that’s true, I probably have a cleft in my lip from sucking on mine. Last week, I experienced disappointment as a humdinger sinus infection kept me from a much anticipated conference. A few other “calamities” coincided. Just enough to send me spiraling into a royal case of “Woe is me”.
The problem with a pacifier is that it may soothe for a while, but not a drop of milk comes out of it. After a while, it just becomes a rubbery mess that doesn’t satisfy. I finally reached that point, feeling miserable enough to change what I was doing. I’ve felt sorry for myself often enough to know exactly the antidote I needed. It always involves less me time, more knee time and reaching out to help someone else.
On Friday, I went to see my friend Dorothy. Dorothy is eighty years old. Her world consists mainly of her tiny living room, cramped on every side by old newspapers, broken furniture and dime store reminders of days long gone. Dorothy consistently refuses to let anyone clear out her living space. At her age, ties to the past are too fragile for the blunt edge of a cleanup. She has made herself quite content with the sofa she lays on and one questionable chair reserved for visitors.
While Dorothy’s surroundings are meager, her love is lavish. She always greets me as if I’d just been rescued from years on a deserted island. Face beaming, she reaches out to embrace me, exclaiming, “God bless you, Baby! Oh, I am so glad to see you. How you been? How’s dem girls?” News of our simplest goings on can send her into fits of rapture. I will risk the rickety chair any day just to bask in her affection.
When I left Dorothy’s, I stopped by to check on my friend Catherine. Catherine is a single mom with two children and a growing case of cancer. Her pocket-sized apartment sits in a neighborhood where you don’t let your children play outside, day or night. She gets a disability check the first of each month, but the money always seems to run out before the month does. When she had a visitor last week, she prayed the person would not ask to use the bathroom since she had no money to buy toilet paper and was relying on torn napkins from McDonald’s until the first.
Pulling out of Catherine’s, I felt like a different person. Here I had been fretting over missing a trip I will likely make next year. Dorothy won’t be making any such trip, and Catherine may not have a next year. Yet, both of them radiate a joy that’s contagious. Thank God they are willing to let me come and drink from their waters whenever I need the boost. I don’t know what I would do without them.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
James 2:5, NIV.
The problem with a pacifier is that it may soothe for a while, but not a drop of milk comes out of it. After a while, it just becomes a rubbery mess that doesn’t satisfy. I finally reached that point, feeling miserable enough to change what I was doing. I’ve felt sorry for myself often enough to know exactly the antidote I needed. It always involves less me time, more knee time and reaching out to help someone else.
On Friday, I went to see my friend Dorothy. Dorothy is eighty years old. Her world consists mainly of her tiny living room, cramped on every side by old newspapers, broken furniture and dime store reminders of days long gone. Dorothy consistently refuses to let anyone clear out her living space. At her age, ties to the past are too fragile for the blunt edge of a cleanup. She has made herself quite content with the sofa she lays on and one questionable chair reserved for visitors.
While Dorothy’s surroundings are meager, her love is lavish. She always greets me as if I’d just been rescued from years on a deserted island. Face beaming, she reaches out to embrace me, exclaiming, “God bless you, Baby! Oh, I am so glad to see you. How you been? How’s dem girls?” News of our simplest goings on can send her into fits of rapture. I will risk the rickety chair any day just to bask in her affection.
When I left Dorothy’s, I stopped by to check on my friend Catherine. Catherine is a single mom with two children and a growing case of cancer. Her pocket-sized apartment sits in a neighborhood where you don’t let your children play outside, day or night. She gets a disability check the first of each month, but the money always seems to run out before the month does. When she had a visitor last week, she prayed the person would not ask to use the bathroom since she had no money to buy toilet paper and was relying on torn napkins from McDonald’s until the first.
Pulling out of Catherine’s, I felt like a different person. Here I had been fretting over missing a trip I will likely make next year. Dorothy won’t be making any such trip, and Catherine may not have a next year. Yet, both of them radiate a joy that’s contagious. Thank God they are willing to let me come and drink from their waters whenever I need the boost. I don’t know what I would do without them.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
James 2:5, NIV.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Bench Warming
This year, my daughter moved up to the varsity team in high school volleyball. She went from the proverbial big fish to the new kid behind a dozen ultra-talented girls. Coach talked to her about it before the season started. He warned that she would see very little court time this year but would be positioned as a starter for next year. She said she understood and could accept that. Slugging it out in practice day after day, knowing she will likely warm the bench the entire game didn’t sound so bad in theory. A third of the way into the season, she finds living this challenge harder than she expected.
I know just how she feels. For decades, I've been an expert in my professional field. After twenty years, motherhood is mostly familiar territory. But now God has called me to something new in this writing and speaking business. Now, I am the new kid behind dozens of ultra-talented ladies in the game. Like my daughter, I was warned at the beginning that there would be a long period of practice with little or no court time along the way.
God really thinks He’s funny. It is just like Him to put me in a position to advise my daughter on her frustration. What will I suggest she do? Go back to something that isn’t so hard? Change sports to improve her chances of visibility? I don't think so.
I am always amused when my kids back themselves into a corner where they have to answer their own question. Today, I feel God smiling. He has to be amused, watching me squirm and knowing that in the end I will do the right thing. Just like my daughter. So let the endless practices roll on—for both of us.
What about you? What waiting room are you in today? Is there something you keep practicing only because you know there will one day be a harvest? I would love to hear from you. It's much more fun to travel when others are on the same road.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6, NIV.
I know just how she feels. For decades, I've been an expert in my professional field. After twenty years, motherhood is mostly familiar territory. But now God has called me to something new in this writing and speaking business. Now, I am the new kid behind dozens of ultra-talented ladies in the game. Like my daughter, I was warned at the beginning that there would be a long period of practice with little or no court time along the way.
God really thinks He’s funny. It is just like Him to put me in a position to advise my daughter on her frustration. What will I suggest she do? Go back to something that isn’t so hard? Change sports to improve her chances of visibility? I don't think so.
I am always amused when my kids back themselves into a corner where they have to answer their own question. Today, I feel God smiling. He has to be amused, watching me squirm and knowing that in the end I will do the right thing. Just like my daughter. So let the endless practices roll on—for both of us.
What about you? What waiting room are you in today? Is there something you keep practicing only because you know there will one day be a harvest? I would love to hear from you. It's much more fun to travel when others are on the same road.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6, NIV.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Merrill's Been Lynched
The financial headlines this week have a lot of folks worried. My nest egg currently looks like a wool sweater inadvertently tossed in the dryer. But it wasn’t long ago when the only eggs I knew about came in a carton of twelve. When I worry about where money will come from, I do well to take the apostle Paul’s advice and, “think of what you were when you were called” (1 Corinthians 1:26).
Several years ago, God told me to quit a full-time job with benefits to start a Christ-centered business. At the time, I had two clients, two school-aged children and two hundred dollars in the bank. Literally. Today, I know where next month’s groceries are coming from. My daughters will likely graduate college without a crippling load of debt.
The world’s assessment would be that my “gamble” paid off. I know better. I know that God delights in using impossible situations to demonstrate His sovereignty. The years have taught me that even if I lose every dime tomorrow, my needs will all be met.
God has promised to supply all our needs (note He didn’t say “wants”), according to His glorious riches (Phillipians 4:19). Not according to Wall Street. Not according to the Federal Reserve. Not according to the price of a barrel of oil. So when we hear the financial sky is falling, we can remember that God is planning something far greater than our golden years. And we know that, "He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23). In that thought, we can always find the peace that surpasses our human understanding. We can leave it to the world to panic.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
Psalm 37:25, NIV.
Several years ago, God told me to quit a full-time job with benefits to start a Christ-centered business. At the time, I had two clients, two school-aged children and two hundred dollars in the bank. Literally. Today, I know where next month’s groceries are coming from. My daughters will likely graduate college without a crippling load of debt.
The world’s assessment would be that my “gamble” paid off. I know better. I know that God delights in using impossible situations to demonstrate His sovereignty. The years have taught me that even if I lose every dime tomorrow, my needs will all be met.
God has promised to supply all our needs (note He didn’t say “wants”), according to His glorious riches (Phillipians 4:19). Not according to Wall Street. Not according to the Federal Reserve. Not according to the price of a barrel of oil. So when we hear the financial sky is falling, we can remember that God is planning something far greater than our golden years. And we know that, "He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23). In that thought, we can always find the peace that surpasses our human understanding. We can leave it to the world to panic.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
Psalm 37:25, NIV.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Avalanche
The trajectory I’ve felt in the past five days would shame Busch Garden’s highest roller coaster. On Wednesday, I sat with a friend and her husband overnight as she lay dying. On Friday and Saturday, I sat in an arena with six thousand other women praising God at the Extraordinary Women Conference in Lynchburg. On Sunday, I traveled to Richmond where my parents and all three of my brothers had gathered. It was the second time in fifteen years we have all been together.
Today, I took the dog for a walk. That was about all I could handle. What a relief that Christ often spoke of withdrawing to a quiet place to rest. If the Son of God needed a break, it would be arrogant to think we mortals can go without it. So an extra nap is in order this afternoon.
If you are visiting this page, you are someone I love whether or not we have met. Please come back again this week when I have regained consciousness. The words are stuck for now, but I know there is much to relay when the thaw comes.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Mark 6:31, NIV.
Today, I took the dog for a walk. That was about all I could handle. What a relief that Christ often spoke of withdrawing to a quiet place to rest. If the Son of God needed a break, it would be arrogant to think we mortals can go without it. So an extra nap is in order this afternoon.
If you are visiting this page, you are someone I love whether or not we have met. Please come back again this week when I have regained consciousness. The words are stuck for now, but I know there is much to relay when the thaw comes.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Mark 6:31, NIV.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Fear of Failing, Part II
Recent weeks have seen a fizzle in my writing momentum. Satan has been running tapes in my head that are not true (see post 09/05/08 for details). When truth eludes me, my best bet is to go to God’s Word. When fear is the problem, I turn to the first chapter of Joshua.
As the Book of Joshua opens, Moses has just died. God has appointed Joshua to take Moses' place and lead Israel. Joshua’s first assignment leaves no time to reflect on the new limelight. God commands him to move the nation into the Promised Land within a matter of days. No pressure here! So what does God tell Joshua (read, Gail/insert your name here)?
“I will give you every place where you set your foot.” (v. 3)
“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (v. 5)
“Be strong and courageous.” (v. 6)
“Be strong and very courageous.” (v.7)
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (v. 9)
God did not repeat Himself because Joshua was hard of hearing. He said it over and over again because Joshua needed to hear it over and over again. Hmmm . . . sounds like someone else I know.
God’s question to Joshua was, “Have I not commanded you?” I need that reminder. “HELLO?!! Who commanded you to write? Was it Satan? Was it some mere mortal? NO! It was the Creator of the universe, the Great Jehovah, the God of Israel, the One who swallowed up death. Now, what was it you were afraid of?”
I forget. At least for now, which is all I need to get started again.
Come back later this week as we look at more strategies for moving ahead when the fear beast is calling.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the (wo)man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3: 15, 16 (NIV).
As the Book of Joshua opens, Moses has just died. God has appointed Joshua to take Moses' place and lead Israel. Joshua’s first assignment leaves no time to reflect on the new limelight. God commands him to move the nation into the Promised Land within a matter of days. No pressure here! So what does God tell Joshua (read, Gail/insert your name here)?
“I will give you every place where you set your foot.” (v. 3)
“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (v. 5)
“Be strong and courageous.” (v. 6)
“Be strong and very courageous.” (v.7)
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (v. 9)
God did not repeat Himself because Joshua was hard of hearing. He said it over and over again because Joshua needed to hear it over and over again. Hmmm . . . sounds like someone else I know.
God’s question to Joshua was, “Have I not commanded you?” I need that reminder. “HELLO?!! Who commanded you to write? Was it Satan? Was it some mere mortal? NO! It was the Creator of the universe, the Great Jehovah, the God of Israel, the One who swallowed up death. Now, what was it you were afraid of?”
I forget. At least for now, which is all I need to get started again.
Come back later this week as we look at more strategies for moving ahead when the fear beast is calling.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the (wo)man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3: 15, 16 (NIV).
Friday, September 5, 2008
Fear of Failing, Part I
When I see planes flying, I daydream about where they might be going and what adventures await their passengers. I will jump on an airplane at the drop of a hat. I once got on a plane in New York, flew half way around the world and moved to a country where I knew neither the language nor a single human being. That honestly did not scare me.
Yet somehow, this tough cookie has found herself in a paralyzing bout of fear over the past several days. With another writers’ conference just weeks away, I find myself balking to the point of inertia. What if my writing dreams are no more than dreams? Perhaps it is better to not look than to look and find out I am deluded about my ability to craft words. My keyboard sits silent, taunting me as an enemy rather than the old friend I know it to be.
The Evil One has been working me over with the shadow of doubt. “Who are you kidding? You know you can’t do this. You are different from all those other people God used. They were worthy. They were persistent. They were chosen. You are none of those things.” I really do hate that guy.
Since he first sowed seeds of doubt in the mind of Eve, Satan has stuck with this powerful strategy. What’s a girl to do when fear sets in like a thick morning fog? Join me over the next few posts as we explore the ways of the Son who can burn away the most tenacious mist.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44, NIV.
Yet somehow, this tough cookie has found herself in a paralyzing bout of fear over the past several days. With another writers’ conference just weeks away, I find myself balking to the point of inertia. What if my writing dreams are no more than dreams? Perhaps it is better to not look than to look and find out I am deluded about my ability to craft words. My keyboard sits silent, taunting me as an enemy rather than the old friend I know it to be.
The Evil One has been working me over with the shadow of doubt. “Who are you kidding? You know you can’t do this. You are different from all those other people God used. They were worthy. They were persistent. They were chosen. You are none of those things.” I really do hate that guy.
Since he first sowed seeds of doubt in the mind of Eve, Satan has stuck with this powerful strategy. What’s a girl to do when fear sets in like a thick morning fog? Join me over the next few posts as we explore the ways of the Son who can burn away the most tenacious mist.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
The last Word:
He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44, NIV.
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