Beloved Prodigal

Preserved in the Wilderness

Blazing sun  
Glaring sand  
Baking heat  
The Wilderness prevailed.

Burning pain  
Stumbling gait  
Weary heart  
The Wilderness consumed.

Wandering warriors  
Hiding caves  
David’s men  
The Wilderness protected.

(Click here to read more of this post.)

I am so excited to share with you the new website

 
Beloved Prodigal

being led by my dear friend, Anna Smit.  About a year ago, Anna and I began emailing and praying with each other. The Lord has led us to work and write together on a few projects over that time. And today, I am so thrilled at the way that He has opened the door for her to walk into the vision he planted within her to see His Beloved Prodigals loved and restored.

Have you felt the crushing weight of praying for and loving a prodigal of your own?

Then I would encourage you to visit this new website, a safe haven for prayers and encouragement. 

At one time or another, we each have been prodigals on a journey to return to our Precious Savior.

I feel so blessed to be a contributing writer with Anna,

calling us all to love our prodigals back to Jesus.

I am linking today with:

Suzie Eller, #LiveFreeThursday
Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses 
Meg Weyerbacher, #TeaAndWordTuesday 

Are Questions Allowed?

When questions swirl here

Float like hazy fog of morn

Will my heart trust love?

As I woke to a fog that covered everything in sight, I thought of the questions that faced me when this Rheumatoid Disease first struck.  And I thought of the questions raised this week when Jayber decided that Seminary was not for him, in 

Jayber Crow, by Wendell Berry.

This is week 2 of the study led by Michele Morin, over at her site: Living Our Days.  Michele has such a beautiful way of gleaning the lessons and stories from every book she shares. You are welcome to join us in the study at any point along the way!

When little Jayber was left an orphan for the second time, he found himself being raised at a very strict orphanage. Over the years of sitting through many Bible classes, when questions rose in his heart for his future, he fearfully chose the path that seemed most likely to please His Maker: he chose the path to be a Preacher and attend seminary.

When the inevitable happened:

How to deal with his unanswered questions?

How to face the seemingly harsh WILL of GOD?

How to lead people when he, himself, didn't know the way?

Jayber brought the questions to the most learned professor there, hoping to hear something solid from him. But what he heard only reinforced the questions:

"'You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out—perhaps a little at a time.'

'And how long is that going to take?'

'I don’t know. As long as you live, perhaps.'

'That could be a long time.'

'I will tell you a further mystery,' he said. 'It may take longer.'"

Berry, Wendell. Jayber Crow: A Novel (Port William) (p. 54). Counterpoint. Kindle Edition. 

And I was taken back to so many times of questioning in my own life:

 

Why did we have to move cross-country, only to be pulled back home again?

Why did the small business we owned fail?

How could the bills mount so high when we had done everything that we thought was right?

Why did our children have to walk a road of suffering

when we, their parents, were the ones who needed to

learn the lessons?

How could God have allowed a church to break apart, and

relationships to be severed?

Why would years of healthy living suddenly

not make a difference when chronic illness struck?

I am sure you could add to the questions, if you were asked to participate. Sooner or later, we all will be faced with the "Great Unknowing." And our FAITH will be put to the test. Can we bring those questions to Jesus?  Will He answer them?

Jesus knew that even His own disciples had questions, and this is how He answered them:

"Jesus replied, 'You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.'”

John 13:7 NIV 

Comforting?

Or was it one more way to say,

"You just don't get it!"

. . . 

Jayber's Professor held the key, in the few short words of his answer to Jayber's questions: 

"You will have to live them out."

We were meant for relationship. 

And relationships test our character,

prove the character

of the one we know.

Is our LORD able to be called upon

when we question HIS character?

Even David felt alone in his questions,

when he cried out to God:

"In my alarm I said, 'I am cut off from your sight!' Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help."

Psalm 31:22 NIV 

He was there with David,

And He is here with us.

When the questions arise

When the doubts swirl

When the truth is put to the test

Is there ONE who will stand?

Can we look beyond the trials

And speak with Job,

even as he recounted the depth

of the darkness he faced:

 
"I know that my redeemer lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth."

Job 19:25 NIV 

Only as my heart 

begins to trust

Only as my love

is poured on HIM

Will my doubts 

be washed away

And filled with 

all HIS light

and truth.

May I pray with you today, my friend?

Dear Lord,

I ask for Your Spirit to be quickened in the hearts

of everyone who reads these words today.

May we all feel a freedom to offer

our questions to you.

May we know in our hearts

a surging of peace,

as You bring Yourself to us.

May we find the answers we seek

fully met in the LOVE of ONE

who holds the universe

and moves the stars,

the ONE 

who gave it all

for 

us.

Amen.

Next week, I will be sharing more about my friend's newest book:

 The Invitations, by Ifeoma Samuel 

 It's available for pre-order now!

I count it a great honor to have worked with Ifeoma in a small way to help in the editing process. You can find her blogging at Purposeful and Meaningful. Join me next Tuesday for a review of these words that God placed on her heart!

I am linking this week with:

Suzi Eller, #LiveFreeThursday
Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 

 

Revival

"And then an old woman I knew as Aunt Cordie gathered me up without asking and sat down in the rocking chair and held me and let me cry. She had on a coarse black sweater over a black dress that reached to her shoetops and a black hat with little white and blue flowers on it there in the dead of winter. I can remember how she seemed to be trying to enclose me entirely in her arms. 'God love his heart!' she said. 'Othy, we’re going to take him home.'"

Thus begins a new chapter in the life of little Jonah Crow, or Jayber as we will later know him.  Today is the start of the fall book study with my friend Michele Morin! Join me for lively discussion over at her site: MicheleMorin.wordpress.com, 

 where we are reading Wendell Berry's book, Jayber Crow. The rich character descriptions in this fictional memoir-type story drew me in from page one.  But even as the small town setting reminded me of my own little village in Wisconsin, it was the memory of how someone stepped in to hold a little grieving boy that touched my heart so deeply this week. Little Jayber had suddenly lost both of his parents, and when he wasn't even sure how to process his grieving, along came an older aunt who stepped in and swooped him up.  


Aren't we all needing to be picked up and gathered close during the hard times of our lives?

On days when the foundation beneath my own feet feels like a swinging bridge, I find myself grasping for good words--hopeful words that speak a lifeline to a stronger way of living. This past weekend I joined in for a simple journaling and crafting time on Instagram at #septgluebookparty17 (thank you for your inspiration Gayl Wright.) It's a way to make a collage, by following a simple prompt to look for pictures and words from magazines or artwork that can fit together to express the thought.  When the first prompt was "favorite fall colors," I happily picked colors and images and words that leaped off the page for me.  When I was finished with my own page, though, I was surprised at the message before me:

Revival?

Could this be a word

of hope

pointing to a

renewed

strength

coming to my life?

Eagerly I began the new week, and wearily I collapsed

yet again.  When I read the words of little

Jayber Crow, I heard my own 

Life-Giver

calling me to climb into His lap.

He was indeed speaking 

REVIVAL

but not in the way 

I had first envisioned.

My weary frame revolted

And squirmed at the thought of

Required rest again

Why now? I cried when

I thought Revival was the word.

                                       

Revive these legs! I envisioned

Strength required when I looked

Ahead to fuller days

Why not? I cried when

I thought Revival was the word.

 

Revive these arms! I hungered

Work to be restored as

Plans could be fulfilled

Why not? I cried when

I thought Revival was the word.

 

Revive this frame! I sought

Fresh energy covering for

Tasks laid long aside

Why not? I cried when

I thought Revival was the word.

 

Revive this heart! He gave

New Love for God alone in

Father’s heart to mine

Why here? I cried when

He spoke Revival over me.

 

Yes here, Yes now,

Taste and See

Rest in this Love

Let ME hold you

And speak Revival over you.

--bg

 "His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 147:10-11 NIV 

Revival? Oh, yes, He is reviving my heart. 

He delights to bring new hope

of His unfailing love.

If you are interested in finding a copy of the book, and reading along for the discussion, you can find a copy of the book here:

Jayber Crow, by Wendell Berry  

I am linking this week with these great bloggers:

Suzie Eller, #LiveFreeThursday 

Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 
Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses 
Meg Weyerbacher, #TeaAndWordTuesday 

  

 

The Living Water

The rains were falling steadily all night, and as I saw a break this morning, I was drawn outside to witness the sparkling of the drops as they caressed the new growth on the peonies:

 

Have you ever been thirsty?

I am speaking about the kind of thirsting

where you feel so thirsty there is a fainting in your soul.

I have been in that land of thirsting,

and I have watched the shimmering waves

of heat baking the desert sands

as my parched soul 

looked up to Heaven

waiting

for even one cloud to form.

Many years ago, my family traveled and shared a drama in which I portrayed The Woman at the Well. Week after week, in many different settings, my lips spoke the cry of a woman so thirsty that she begged for a drink when the well was right before her. You see, Jesus had offered to her a different kind of water: a filling up for her soul's thirsting.

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'”

John 4:13-14 

As the weeks and the months passed, everytime I spoke those woman's words, a deeper longing was planted in my own heart. I didn't know it at the time, though. I thought I was being filled, as I gave out the words of Jesus, week after week.  

Ah, how does it happen?

How does a cry in our heart

become lodged so deep

that only another

longing

can answer in return?

I thought I knew how deep the well in my own heart was. I thought I felt the fullness of my Lord's Words when I shared His heart with those around me.  But I had only scratched the surface.  I offered my praise, and I offered my worship, and my Lord knew what was required to let me see my own unmet longing.

The desert of pain

And the heat of suffering

burned away the 

half-met longings

to uncover

the well where

full-hearted cries

could finally be uttered.

I have some very dear friends who continually pray for my healing. They wait in hope for the day that Jesus will restore movement to me, and a full remission in this place of pain. Where would I be without their sweet prayers of HOPE? And I do see improvement from the awful heat and swelling that began this journey of disease.

But there is a deeper healing 

in my soul

that I would never trade

even for just a day 

without physical pain.

For how can I tell

of the wondrous

filling

for my soul's 

thirsty well?

How can I sing

of my Savior's dear Presence

carrying my heart

to His bosom of rest

when the pain

overwhelms?

And How will I share

these dewdrops of love

poured down on my heart

when the desert sky

breaks

with the water

from Heaven?

Is your heart facing a desert sun today? Are you fainting as the heat of the day wastes your soul?  There is a filling that can happen for you too, my friend.  There is a place of stillness close to the heart of God where He calls you to come. It is His very Word spoken at the end of our drama, week after week. I longed for those words to be mine, years ago, but it took the pain of suffering to bring them home to my heart:

"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."

Revelation 22:17 NIV 

I am linking today with:

Suzie Eller, #LiveFreeThursday 

Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 

 

    

Look Up!

 

 

 

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:10-11 NIV  

If you were my neighbor last fall, it's a pretty safe bet that you would have seen me standing and staring up into the sky. Every fall when I hear a certain distant bugling, you can catch me watching for the sandhill cranes as they fly overhead on their migration south.  There is nothing that compares with the sight of those tiny dots flying so high that they are barely visible, and yet bugling their calls so vividly that I can feel the echo down deep in my chest.

Have you caught a glimpse of beauty flying by?

Is something stirred in your heart when you look up?

This spring morning caught me looking up also.  The Easter weekend was only a few days past, so my thoughts had been dwelling with those disciples who had watched as their Risen Lord left them once again, ascending into the Heavens.

And just like that, the familiar bugling of my shorebird friends sounded through the morning air.  Flying so low with their huge wings swooping in and out, the cranes were returning, back from their springtime migration.

What strange mystery lets them know it's time to return? Is it the angle of the sun? Is it the warming days? Is it the magnetic pull of the poles? Scientists have their theories, but I think I know WHO awakens the stirring in their breasts, because I have felt a similar stirring in my own heart.

When the angels appeared to Jesus' disciples, they asked the men what I have often thought was a strange question:

"Why do you stand here looking into the sky?"

Their Lord had just left them, after all! Into the sky He had vanished! But the angels' next words stir something even deeper in my heart:

 
"This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

For you see, I believe those disciples were looking into the sky, and longing for what "might have been," as they missed their friend and Rabbi.  Those days of walking with Him beside the sea, and listening to His teaching, watching Him heal the sick and raise the dead, had been like no others in their lifetimes.  But the "might have been" could not compare with the true reality that was coming their way.

Oh, I know that feeling.

Wishing and longing for the old days

and the old way of doing things.

Can't I just have one more glimpse, Lord?

But the days of this present

and the days of our future

are more wondrous

than anything the past

could show us.

Those angels did not know the days or the times when Jesus would return for His people. Jesus Himself had told them that only the Father holds those times in His hands:      

 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Matthew 24:36 NIV 

So where does the calendar for the crane 

and the heron, the oriole

and even the little hummingbird reside?

Their Father, who created them all,

holds the number of their days in His hands.

And Our Father,

who breathed us all into Life,

knows the number of our days  as well.

He knows the New Lessons

and the New Kinship

that I will learn

with Him

today.

He knows the pathway

where only Stillness

would help me hear

His voice.

 

And one of these days, it won't be 

the Bugle of the Cranes that I hear.

No, my heart will leap

when the Trumpet of my Lord

will resound!

He's coming back and He won't delay.

When the Father opens the way

"this same Jesus will return for His Bride"  

 

If you have an interest in learning more about Sandhill Cranes, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is an excellent resource here.

I am linking this week with:

Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 

Suzie Eller, #LiveFreeThursday