We often talk about God’s grace, mercy, faithfulness, power, and love. When was the last time you thought about His independence?

Please join me in my living room today for some encouragement and conversation.

You need to know that:

God’s independence has everything to do with your significance

May you never forget that the independent God of the universe chose to create you. He doesn’t need anyone or anything, yet He wants your heart to love Him.

Your love for God moves the heart of God.

Blessings significant one,

“…giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”

~Colossians 1:12, NIV

Notes:

• Passages that mention God’s independence: Exodus 3:14, Job 41:11, Psalm 50:10-12; 90:2, Isaiah 46: 9-10, John 1:3, Romans 11:35-36, 1 Corinthians 8:6, and Revelation 4:11.
• In the Vlog I read from the book Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, Inter-Varsity Press/Zondervan Publishers, 1994, pages 160-162.

It is summertime! 

When I think of summer, I think of sweet tea and juicy red watermelon. I can smell sunscreen and hear fireworks. Summertime also used to mean no school, which meant no homework. I still remember the euphoric feeling of cleaning out my desk, turning in my school books, and the bittersweet, all important ritual of signing yearbooks.

Summer was a magical time to slow down, unwind, and become downright lazy.

“Summer, summer, summer time

Time to sit back and unwind.”

~Lyrics from Summertime sung by Will Smith, circa 1998

I may be dating myself here, but I listened to this song all summer long when it first came out. It gave me a false sense of coolness. The goofy side of me will admit that it still makes a small part of me “happy” when I hear it. I trust that some of you can relate, but I digress…

My son's first trip to the beach!

Now that summer is officially upon us, I look forward to the many adventures that await me. In June we are moving to a new city and a new home. In July I will be attending my first Speakers conference. I LOVE patriotic music, fireworks, and all things relating to the 4^th of July. I look forward to time in the pool with my highly energetic toddlers. I am excited to cheer on the Yankees with my husband. Don’t even get me started about the gallons of peach tea from Sonic that I plan on consuming either…

A part of me is looking forward to summer because I still believe it is a season in which I can slow down, unwind, and become lazy.

However, my school days are long gone. I am a devoted wife and a stay at home mom with two toddlers. I am not able to spend hours unwinding anymore.

Spiritually speaking, I do not want to become lazy either.

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

~Hebrews 6:11-12 NIV, emphasis mine

If you are given the opportunity to slow down and unwind this summer, I encourage you to embrace it. Enjoy traveling, nature, and time with friends and family. But do not become lazy spiritually. Remain in God’s Word even if your Sunday School class or women’s Bible study breaks for the summer. I encourage you to use your walks along the beach or through the forest as times to pray, and as times to listen for the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

As I wrote in my very first blog post, each of our days matter. Every day we encounter provides an opportunity for freedom to be found, change to be embraced, and glory to be seen. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 ESV) I do not want you to miss out on what God is doing in your life, so remain diligent in your faith as the temperatures rise.

May the warmth of the sun remind you and me of the Son who gave His life for us. May you feel His presence wherever your plans for the summer take you!

Lord, help us to use our time wisely this summer. Help us to have fun and to relax. Keep us diligent in our pursuit of you. Grow our desire to soak in your Word, and quiet our minds and hearts so we can hear you clearly. We thank you for the many blessings and adventures you have planned for us. You are so good God! We love and praise your name above all else. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

The following post was written by my best friend and husband, Chad. He is a pilot in the United States Air Force. I am so proud of my husband for how he serves our country. This weekend I honor him, his fellow comrades, and their families. For those who have lost a loved one, Chad and I offer our prayers for you and your family this Memorial weekend as you remember your hero…

It was July 2005, and I was sitting in my C-130E at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The temperatures hovered over 120 degrees in the flight deck. I sat at the controls of the aging transport as troops walked down the ramp of our aircraft and into the history books. My crew and I were anxious to get airborne since Balad routinely received mortar fire, which was dropped indiscriminately on the airfield from insurgents outside the wire.

As we waited for our cargo to arrive, a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk landed on the taxiway next to us.  With nothing else to do but wipe the sweat from my face and wait for our cargo, I watched the Blackhawk come to a stop.  The radios came alive with a call from the helicopter, and they informed base operations that they had a “Hero” to deliver for offload.

We used code words for everything during the war, and what was a “Hero” one day may have been a “Baseball” the previous day.  Curiously, I watched to see what the “Hero” was that prepared to offload.  The side door on the armored helicopter opened up, and the aircrew jumped out and carried the “Hero” out to a waiting truck.

A lump grew in my throat as I realized that the “Hero” was not the bag that they carried out of the helicopter, but rather the precious cargo within it. It was a body bag. For once, the code word matched the item.  I witnessed one of America’s finest carried by his comrades-in-arms, knowing that within hours a family would be devastated.

This soldier was and is nameless to me, yet he is my hero.

As a father, I cannot imagine receiving the news that my son had been killed in action.  Yet, nearly 2,000 years ago, God sent His only Son, Jesus, into earthly combat, knowing that it would cost Him His life.  John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV, emphasis mine).  The following verse says:  ”For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him” (John 3:17 ESV, emphasis mine).

The hero that left the helicopter that summer day gave his life for the cause of freedom.  His death reminds me that there is only One man whose death eternally saved me and provided me freedom from my sins. As I remember those Americans that have given their lives for this great country on Memorial Day, I will also pause and thank God for giving me my freedom and eternal life through the death of His Son, Jesus.

I invite you to join me in remembering those who gave their all for us.  Today, I honor that nameless soldier, as well as my fallen friends and comrades:

Major Troy Gilbert, USAF

Captain Dave Wisniewski, USAF

Captain Joel Gentz, USAF

Technical Sergeant Mike Flores, USAF

Staff Sergeant David Smith, USAF

Sergeant Tyler Prewitt, USA

Senior Airman Ben White, USAF

May God bless and comfort their families this Memorial Day, and may God bless the United States of America.

Chad Steel

My husband and I love to pull out the movie projector, fill our bowls with unhealthy microwave popcorn, and relax by watching a movie. One of our favorites is the movie Inception. The way it is filmed is incredible. Modern special effects seem to make the impossible possible.

When Jesus walked on the earth, there was no Christopher Nolan and no George Lucas. There was no CGI or 3D. Jesus Himself made the impossible possible.  No one else has walked on water, fed thousands with one meal, raised the dead, or restored a withered hand.

Jesus spoke,

the man obeyed,

and the withered was no more.

⁶ On another Sabbath, he [Jesus] entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. ⁸ But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. ~Luke 6:6-11, ESV

Tragically, this miracle made the scribes and Pharisees furious. They focused on a broken rule instead of a restored man. They chose to worship the Law instead of its Fulfillment.

Yet Jesus knew their thoughts and intentions. He knew that restoring this man’s hand would ultimately lead to His own hand being nailed to a cross. He knew that He wasn’t there to save those who appeared to be healthy, but to save those who were broken and withered.

A One Degree Moment

If we are not careful, we can believe that the impossible only becomes possible because of Hollywood. Jesus has not changed (Hebrews 13:8). He still makes the impossible possible. He still saves the broken and heals what is withered.

Have you accepted his invitation to come and to stretch out what is withered in your life before Him? Or are you clinging to things other than faith and missing the Messiah completely?

Jesus is speaking,

will you obey?

If so, then what is withered in your life will truly be no more.

The other day I royally messed up the pot roast that we were supposed to eat for dinner. I then proceeded to make an ice cream cake for dessert. Instead, we ended up with a vanilla shake that had been lovingly poured into a pie pan. This morning I woke up early to bake something delicious for my Bible study group tonight.

And…

it got burnt because I forgot to set the timer.

my poor small group…

Until recently, I thought the weather man on the news was saying windshield instead of wind chill. So I have told countless people about the negative windshields I endured while growing up in Kansas. Nice.

As I was cleaning up dinner the other day, I looked at my husband and said, “Chad if you don’t want to eat the last taco, I will just go ahead and delete it.” We both decided that I needed to put the keyboard down and step away from the computer.

I have also managed to put two contacts into the same eye.

The other day I thought I was coordinated enough to jam out to the song “Conga” by Gloria Estefan while walking at speeds higher than 3.0 on the treadmill. I wasn’t.

Fortunately, there are plenty more “why in the world did I just do that?”  moments in my life. {smile} These moments are truly funny and yet so humbling, for they are teaching me to show myself the same amount of grace that I strive to show those around me.

A One Degree Moment

Sometimes we need to stop and laugh at ourselves.

Life is stressful and it can be painful. But sometimes in the middle of the stress and mess, an opportunity to laugh presents itself. I pray we take the opportunity to embrace it. So if your day has not been picture perfect, I pray that this post has put a momentary smile on your face and that a small giggle was allowed to escape from that weary heart of yours.

 Let’s choose to spend the rest of today laughing.

“All you saints! Sing your hearts out to GOD!

Thank him to his face!

He gets angry once in awhile, but across

a lifetime there is only love.

The nights of crying your eyes out

give way to days of laughter.”

~Psalm 30:4-5 (A Psalm of King David, from The Message)

Can I pray for you? 

Father God, we do thank You for Your goodness in our lives. We know that the Psalmist above, King David, was a man who was well acquainted with suffering and loss. Yet there were times when You filled his heart with laughter. Please comfort my friend during their ”nights of crying.” Please ensure their nights give way to “days of laughter.” May our laughter be contagious and brighten the day of those around us. We praise You for there are no bloopers in You or Your ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I am in the mood to keep laughing, will you join me?

Have you ever wondered “What just happened? Did I really just_____?” You know you have cracked yourself up plenty of times! I would love to hear about your own amazing (and humbling) bloopers, or I mean, acts of pure awesomeness. Let’s keep on laughing…