the experiment

This morning T.Michael was playing outside - suddenly he ran into the house, sped off to the bathroom, slammed the door & I could hear the sink water running at full blast.

"What are you doing, T.Michael?" I asked in my concerned-Mommy voice.

"Oh nothing, just experimenting!" he answered enthusiastically.

"Be brave," I tell myself as I pressed him for more information.

"Well, you know those orange and red flowers out there (pointing to the front yard, where the top flower of the tiger lillies had just opened up) I was just experimenting to see if you crush those flowers, can you make paint out of it."

It's OK, I tell myself, there are lots of buds waiting to bloom on the stem, so what if the first beautiful flowers got pulled off. It's not like that time when he was in T-ball and knocked all the bulbs off the iris stems.

We had a little chuckle together about the 'ole iris story when suddenly he got quiet and asked, "...you mean those balls on the stem were more flowers about to bloom?"

Big sigh...

What is God saying?

Every once in awhile people ask me, "What is God saying?"

His Word is right there to look at, everyone can know what He is saying. But I know what they are talking about - they are checking in with me about my personal quiet times, about my personal walk with Him & what He is teaching me right now.

Years ago one of my friends asked me that question, and I could see a hint of disappointment as I shared what 'God is saying to me.' I think it might have been a little too simple for her, too basic. But I answer the same today as I did back then. God is saying to me:

Keep your eyes on Me

Today I read this verse and it confirmed His Word to me once again:

...My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare. Psalm 25:15

Come on, let's go!

So I have 8 seatbelts in my van, including mine. Who are the 7 others I can go pick up? We have to make this fast to beat the crowd!

Right away my life-long best friend Kelley comes to mind - we met in pre-school. I was 3yrs, she was 4. Kelley has CP among some other conditions that make it hard to get in the van, so she gets the front seat...

Then, of course, I run to pick up Dave's sister LeeAnn, also a front-seater (for the same reasons)...

Let's go on out to Newberg & grab Blake for the day -- he's probably busy leading students on campus, but he's gonna love being part of this...

We need to zip out to Sherwood to pick up Amy, 'cuz my goodness, she's had enough of getting slammed by ailment after ailment!...

We'd better throw in a carseat, so I can pick up little baby Lydia who was recently diagnosed with cancer. I can't forget to bring her new little cap her Aunt knit for her since her soft, new baby hair is about to fall out due to chemo...

Let's squeeze in a Hurley girl (or two) 'cuz I'm gonna need help watching baby Lydia!...

And last but not least, in THIS round anyway (I've already decided I have to go back for more until the gas runs out!) I have to get Gramma Connnie Bubbles! She will love being part of this trip & and we all know she will keep us entertained on the way there!...

JEN, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!!

You see, I was reading this morning in Matthew 4 about how as soon as Jesus hit the town of Galilee, He was teaching, preaching the good news, and healing "every disease and sickness among the people." As you can imagine, news about Him spread like wildfire and "people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them."

I would be all over that! As I pictured who I would load up in my mini-van and take to see Him, immediately this list grew longer than imaginable! Maybe I can't take you to 'see Him' in this same way as I read here, but together we can go get others & take them to see Him now! Come on, let's go!

set your heart

On Thursday a.m. I was reading in Malachi 2:

And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name, says the Lord Almighty, I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.

Some people might focus on the curse, the punishment, but what really stood out to me was the term 'set your heart!'

Immediately I was struck by the question, "On what have I set my heart today?" On work? On a list of tasks? On Facebook? On what's going on at church? On the latest at school? On a problem? On a TV show?

We are all capable of this idea, we do it all the time without thinking about it. Last night I set my alarm and the coffee to go off at 6am. We already set the DVR to record America's Got Talent...about six months ago I set a dentist appointment for 9am this morning -- now that's intentional!

I was reminded that in this walk with Jesus, there are things I must do to keep Him at the center of my life, and one of them is to be intentional about setting my heart to honor Him.

Some might think it presumptuous of me to consider myself a priest. Well, I'm more looking at this whole 'setting your heart' concept of this verse as something that applies to all who call themselves Christ-followers. 1 Peter 2:9 says,

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

That's you and me, baby!