Friday, March 26, 2021

Zacchaeus was a wee little man...


Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week and the "triumphant entry" into Jerusalem.  Jesus had been preaching and teaching for three years and His time had come.

The city of Jericho was about 15 miles outside of Jerusalem, about an 8 hour walk, and where Jesus would stay on his last night before entering Jerusalem.  The crowds had gathered, anxious to see this Jesus they had heard so much about.  

Zacchaeus was there too... "and a wee little man was he!"  
Like me, did you sing that song about a zillion times with your kids??

This story has always intrigued me, so of course I googled it "to see what I could see!"  And this is THE tree!  Or at least believed to be THE tree that Zacchaeus climbed to get a good look!  It is in the heart of old Jericho and dates back well over 2000 years.

I have tried to imagine what that day must have felt like... the energy, the crowds, the hope for their future.  Zacchaeus climbed the tree... why?  Did he arrive late and the crowds were too large for him to see?  Did he want a birds eye view of the whole scene?  As a tax collector, maybe he was a little nervous to be found out to be a follower of Jesus.

I wonder and ask myself, where would I have been that day?  Would I have thought, that's a good idea... and climbed to sit next to Zacchaeus in the tree watching from afar, or maybe I'd be standing along the side of the road hoping to get a glimpse of the savior, perhaps reaching out for a touch of his robe?  Or would I have been one of his followers, maybe for days or weeks or months in this journey.? Or, would I be right by his side, talking with Him about this journey and faith and God.

I wonder.... 





Monday, March 22, 2021

Relationship


"...If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, 
I will come in and eat with that person and they with me."
Revelation 3:20

 "Ask, and it will be given to you; 
Seek, and you will find; 
Knock, and it will be opened to you."
Matthew 7:7

One of the things that makes Christianity unique is that this door swings both ways.  
He desires more than our adoration and worship, 
He wants more than to answer our prayers and bless us beyond measure....

He desires relationship with us.

He wants to be our best friend.  
The one we run to first when the good things happen, 
and the one we we desperately want to be held by when bad things happen. 
And the one to share the day to day moments of just living.

Knock Knock.
Whose there?
Jesus.
Jesus who?
...  get to know your Savior, He's there waiting for you to open the door.



Monday, March 15, 2021

Here comes Spring!

Spring can't come soon enough this year!   

Other than the week of Christmas, I do not like winter.... and this year especially has tested my patience!  But officially it begins this Saturday... hooray!

After the cold has killed my ground cover and a few plants that I didn't take care to cover, after the yellow pollen has come and gone, when those little green sprouts and our beloved Texas bluebonnets start to appear, I am happy again!  

Our lives have seasons too... and with each spring, I feel a renewal and newness in my own life.  I look at the opportunities I have with a fresh perspective.   No matter what "season" we are in, in our own lives, we get to choose where we "live" today... to cling to the past, to dream of the future, or to embrace where and who we are today.   I choose today!!


And God said, 
"Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night.  
And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years."
Genesis 1:14



 

Sunday, March 7, 2021

You CAN DO it!


 Today Monday, March 8th, is International Women's Day!  
So, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to share this story....

Ten years ago, my dear friend Marguerite and I were both actively volunteering for Habitat for Humanity with our local church builds.  We noticed that when a challenging task was at hand, working on the roof or a loud, scary power tool, for example, we were gently nudged aside by the big, strong men on the worksite!  
Hey! I can do that, we'd say.... and the CAN DO CREW was born!

For the next two years we gathered friends and co-workers, raised the funds and went to work.  On Mothers Day weekend in 2013 we dedicated our first "Women Build" home for Habitat!  Since then we've completed two more houses as well as many projects to better our community... and we've had a whole lot of fun in the process!

When we started we had no clue where to begin, 
but with the inspiration of Ephesians 2:10 we jumped in.

"For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do."

What challenge are you facing?  

A favorite expression of mine is "God can't steer a parked car!"  
It's time to get in gear and let God show you the way.  It might be straight up the face of the mountain, or it might be along a meandering path through the back woods along a path to the top...  either way, He knows the way and He will lead you on the path you are meant to go on.   And best yet... when you get there the view is terrific.

You CAN DO it!!



Thursday, March 4, 2021

True Love


I saw this photo on Instagram, posted by the Audubon Society and immediately felt... love.  The way the male cardinal sits so proudly and protective behind the female.  Did you know cardinals mate for life?

I couldn't help but think about this as how God feels about us!  

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in  his sight,  In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship thought Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Ephesians 1:4