Category Archives: Learning….Always

Discovering MIRACLES in the Mailbox

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Discovering Miracles in the Mailbox

It’s #FiveMinuteFriday and the prompt is DISCOVER. Join me for a for a personal flashback story!

My earliest memories at the mailbox go way back to my favorite mail lady, Sandra Sylvester (pronounced Saundra). She actually delivered the newspaper and her husband was our mailman, a wonderfully kind and humble gentleman was this U.S. postal employee. As nice as he was, it was the familiar sound of Sandra’s little VW bug coming up our hill, but still a few houses away, that would cause me to put down whatever I was doing, pause any fights with my little brothers and head for the mailbox/paperbox.

Sandra always had time to say, “Hello” and give away her lovely smile. She literally allowed Jesus to shine and I wanted what she had. I can remember running to the box when I heard her coming, not because I loved to read the paper, only thing good in it for my age at the time was “the funnies”. (For you youngsters, that is what we called the comics. For those younger than that, a newspaper, “what is black and white and read all over”, was how we discovered what was going on in the world and our town…before smart phones and apps!)

My excitement was not in The Herald Times, I wasn’t even a teenager yet. But Sandra always seemed to have time for me, for everyone, and the short time she spent talking to me seemed as if it were so much longer. I was always encouraged and felt as if a little heaven had stopped to visit. She literally glowed with the power of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, she was taken from this life all too young and too soon but her memory lives on in her beautiful family (my cousins) and those who loved her.

Some things you expect to see in your mailbox and others you dread:

  • Advertisements. No need to explain, we probably all stand at the trashcan and sort our mail, most of it is junk.
  • Collections. Bills, bills and more bills.
  • Solicitations. Mostly in the form of THIS IS NOT AN ACTUAL CHECK…but it could be if you want to pay 75% interest on a loan!
  • Samples. Isn’t it crazy how we could get excited over a half ounce of dishwasher detergent?
  • Cards. Okay, okay, let me explain this one too. Back in the day, people sent these little things we called greeting cards that wished you a happy birthday or anniversary, conveyed good thoughts about your illness or loss and even congratulated you on an accomplishment or a new home. Now, we have social media to save us from the $6/per card ridiculousness! (sarcasm is free)

But sometimes, on rare but exciting occasions, there would be a miracle. One particular that comes to my mind happened shortly after we returned from Latvia. Our financial situation was not one to brag about, most of our donations did not come through as promised and we had survived on a wing and a prayer for sure. Obviously, we weren’t starving, but we were learning how to depend on God. I don’t remember praying that particular morning for a miracle to be in my mailbox but when I sorted through all of the junk, I discovered a letter with handwriting I didn’t recognize. I opened it to see a beautiful hand-written note from a pastor’s daughter in another state. Her words?

“In prayer this morning, I strongly felt led to send you this and pray you are not offended. I don’t know the need but God does and we appreciate your sacrifice and honor your ministry today with this small gift.”

Inside the card? $500.

And a side note; we had never even met this young lady.

I had long forgotten about this miracle until recently when I opened our mailbox and once again discovered a miracle. This was something I had prayed about and I had great anticipation and faith that He would provide…and He did. Now, it doesn’t always happen just the way we ask, or pray, or even think, because HIS timing is perfect but it is rarely what we are anticipating. He always knows what is best and the answer, HIS perfect answer, will arrive right when it is most needed.

But this past week was that timing and when God performs the little miracles for you, it gives you faith to believe for other needs. You know He has done it before and He can do it again, according to His will, the key ingredient in every prayer.

What do you anticipate being in your mailbox? Do you look forward to what God might do each day? Do you anticipate you might discover a miracle? Your mailbox can look like many other things; the miracle may come through another person, through a spoken word, a message or through prayer. You might see it in tangible form or it might be a promise of good things to come. When He speaks and you KNOW you have heard HIS voice, that is a miracle of fantastic proportions, no one can take it from you!

So go forward today, anticipating that you may discover a miracle and it could just show up in your mailbox.

Share with us today a time when something unexpected showed up in your mailbox, or in your life, that has built your faith to believe He will do it again. Encourage someone else with testimonies of answered prayers!

For the kingdom

 

Jesus Uses Broken Things

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When The Sweetheart and I first arrived in the country of Latvia in 2011, we were part of a team; a team we had never even met. We were of varying ages, from different areas of the United States, most married, some not, others with small children, some conquering life with teenagers. But, we all discovered we had one thing in common, we had been through STUFF. The Sweetheart even fondly called us The Misfits. Why, we wondered, with our different backgrounds, did God bring us all together to start churches in another country, another world to us? (You can read part of my story here.)

If grace is a kingdom
I’ve stopped at the gate
Thinking I don’t deserve to pass through after all of the mistakes I’ve made

The Apostle Peter experienced plenty of STUFF on his own. As a follower of Christ, he was able to see so many of the miracles of our Lord and vowed to follow Him to the very end. We know that instead, out of fear of the people, he actually did what Jesus said he would do: he denied Him, not once, but three times!

But I heard a whisper
As Heaven bent down
Said, “Child, don’t know you that the first will be last and the last get a crown.”

Peter’s mistakes didn’t keep him from being used of God, and in a mighty way! He preached the first message after the Upper Room Outpouring at Pentecost and saw 3,000 people saved in one day. He didn’t stop there, but right along with Paul and many others; kept preaching the Gospel until his death.

Now I’m just a beggar in the presence of a King
I wish I could bring You so much more
But if it’s true You use broken things
Then here I am Lord, I am all Yours

King David was christened with the title, Man after God’s own heart. Yet David committed adultery and murder! Of course we know sin is sin but David paid dearly for his sin against God and Uriah, the Hittite, with the death of his infant son, born from his relationship with Uriah’s wife, Abigail.

The pages of history they tell me it’s true
That it’s never the perfect; it’s always the ones with the scars that You use

Did that mean it was over for David? No, David repented and God forgave because David desired to please God, he loved the law of God! David is credited with writing over half of the 150 Psalms in the Bible. Most of them were born out of trouble and over and over David repeats how much he loves God’s Word. Psalms 119:47–48: “For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” 

It’s the rebels and the prodigals; it’s the humble and the weak
The misfit heroes You chose
Tell me there’s hope for sinners like me

There are many, many other people in the Bible who failed God.

  • Jacob cheated
  • Peter had a short temper
  • David had an affair
  • Noah got drunk
  • Miriam gossiped
  • Martha worried
  • Thomas doubted
  • Sarah couldn’t wait
  • Moses stuttered
  • Zaccheus was short! (there’s hope for me!)
  • Jonah ran away
  • Gideon was afraid
  • Rahab owned a brothel
  • James and John wanted special seats beside God
  • And Lazarus was dead

True, they, and many others too numerous to mention, made mistakes, they fell down, stumbled and maybe even involved others in their mishaps. But, the good news is they got back up and allowed God to take their slip-ups, their bloopers, gaffes and outright sins and forgive, forget and then empower them to do great things in the Kingdom.

I hope you haven’t missed reading the lyrics in this post. They are from a powerful song, Broken Things by Matthew West. The first verse grabs me because he stops at the gate. Why? He didn’t feel worthy to enter, the enemy was whispering in his ear his past, his many mistakes, and it hindered him from being all God wanted him to be.

It’s never the perfect that God seeks out! It’s the ones with the scars, those that have been through STUFF, such as our team in Riga, Latvia. Maybe just like you. But who better to reach broken people than people that have been broken?! We have learned, we have persevered and we have compassion for others who may also be struggling. (I could turn this into a series on my mistakes alone!)

It is said that if God chose the perfect, those that seemingly have no mistakes in their past, then the credit would go to them, not to God. But when He chooses the imperfect, those that have humbled themselves before God, discovered that they can’t make it without Him, have needed Him to bail them out, save them, deliver them, etc., then God receives the praise and the glory!

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 ESV.

Do you feel as if you belong in the band of misfits? That maybe you have made too many mistakes for God to forgive? Or maybe you have accepted His forgiveness but think that you can’t be restored to ministry? Remember these heroes of the faith that believed GOD was able to take their mess and turn it into ministry.

Grace is a kingdom
With gates open wide
There’s a seat at the table just waiting for you
So, come on inside

He calls the broken because they are dependent on Him, they rely on His power and His might and when they turn it over to Almighty God, no one can turn them away from the King’s table. They are not perfect but continually chase after the One who is.

Enjoy this song, let it be a blessing to you today or pass it on to a friend. God is ready to restore and use you again! And be sure and comment, share with us someone in the Bible that may have messed up or had a past to overcome that God was able to use regardless of circumstances.

What Place is This?

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What Place is This? #FiveMinuteFriday! Say what??! I know I have been absent and this post will explain a few things, hopefully. Join Kate and the others and check out their take on the word prompt, Place!

Habakkuk 2:3 “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

Places. I’ve been to quite a few places in the last several years. Seventeen fabulous countries, countless states in the good ole’ United and untold adorable and quaint small towns. As Johnny Cash so ably crooned, “I’ve been everywhere, man.”

But there are other places I have found myself in that were not a dot on the map. Some might call them seasons instead of places. Whatever you title them, they have been times of learning, listening and hopefully, growing.

When I first came home from Latvia in 2012, I was restless because of some severe back pain and SI joint issues I was battling. My days were long and painful and I was discouraged because I didn’t seem to have a place to land. Enter Hope in the Healing. I struggled so when God first nudged me to start a blog. Oh, how I resisted! I cried, I wrestled like Jacob and prayed like Moses. Surely, God didn’t mean me!

He did. And I gave in and for the last five years I have tried to write what He has given me.

It was a wonderful place to be, meeting so many new people, making friends online and in real life all because of a blog. A book was even born because of a season of fasting with online friends. All of these things were God-ordained at the time and I know my life was impacted. I hope a few others were as well.

But, every season transitions and the last year and a half have been quiet on the blog. I cannot explain it but when I go to write there is just silence. I have countless, amazing titles for articles that I just am at a loss to put a body with. There is calm, there is stillness at the edge of my pen.

So, what does God want for Hope in the Healing? What does He want for me? I wish I knew the answer to that. The anointing to write may return, I pray it does. But if not? There will be another season, another place that He wants me to land, minister, glean, give, and pour into. The key is being willing to be led, willing to be used and willing to go when He says, “Go” and to stop when He says, “Enough.” Until then, much as I look forward to fall when it is a stifling summer or spring when winter is brutal, I will look forward to the next season, guided by the One who is in control of all things and resting in the peace that only He can give.

Do you find yourself in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable or even, unwanted Place? Wait for His voice, His prompting; His guidance. It will come, it will be clear and it will be right. Your Place, your Season, is in His Will and sometimes there is quietness, a stillness that will be even more strengthening and relational than any platform could ever be, preparing you for your next step.

For the kingdom