I am Meant to Be an Oregonian...

 When I started this blog I meant it to be honest to goodness, real life, encouragement with a focus on Christ.  I know this blog and writing is gonna go to dust someday.  And I am really bad at sticking with too many things for very long.  Not to mention the fact that there are a billion out there, but hopefully it serves a greater purpose for the one person who reads it and needs it. Often times I feel like when I write I am trying to encourage myself, but I get too excited about what God is revealing to me and it becomes preachy or too deep.  Don't get me wrong, I end up there because I love Deep.  But as much as I love it I am often shallow in my life.  So instead of being a conduit of the living water I am often a runoff from the rain.  

Today Ron and I went on a walk in the park.  We live in a small town that has started to adopt some big town things and ideas...well, at least some bigger town things and ideas.  the park is nice and one place where change is happening slowly.  The old park benches are decaying, new ones are in different places. Most of the old play equipment has been changed out with the new fangled, ergonomical, plastic stuff. I realize how much my husband and I sound like old farts with how we miss the old stuff that really has little impact on us.  

As we walked around the park I still really found some joy in the fact that for being almost July it was overcast and cool.  Everything is super green right now.  It made me start to think about growing up in Portland and working for a year down town and never going to any of the parks in that part of town, though I rode the bus there every day.  I cannot even remember what anything on my 6 block walk from the bus stop looked like.  
Now, to be fair, I was 18 at the time and pretty self absorbed.  I had appreciated sights, sounds, and nature as a kid, but as a teen it lost the magic for me in the wake of boys, malls, and self.  Also, I remember always being scared of people I didn't know and avoided eye contact and confrontation.  
I am plenty beyond that now.  Two grown kids and two half way there.  Married 22 years this week.  I realized that I still take very little time to actually suck in the beauty and appreciation for the stuff God created without my input.  I didn't know God back then, but what are my excuses now?  I am often still absorbed by what ever is currently in my life.  So boys, malls, and self have given away to children, second-hand stores, and the husband.  All the same in different clothing.  
Most of all I came to realize that I never appreciated those things when it was raining.  Nothing like being a native Oregonian and hating the rain.  

And yes, I know there are parts of Oregon that are not that stereotypical. But I have always lived in fitting places.  I have lovely seasonally affected emotions and when it is gray, wet, and cold I tend to be a real drip myself.  I know it is not going to kill me and I am not going to drown in it, but I just don't like it.  There, I said it.  I don't like the rain.  But, I want to like it...
I have heard all the Pollyanna positive points to the rain.  And I know them in my heart.  God's way of watering the earth.  So as I walked around the park I appreciated the greenness, but I had no desire to get wet and was glad that the rain held off for the walk.  I did enjoy really taking in the sound of the large creek, the wind in the trees, children laughing, the soft touch of Ron's hand in mine.  The smell of the flowers and green damp earth. It was nice.  But I am still not sure if when another 25 years pass if I will even remember anything about it.  I still come home and realize there is a water leak, kids fighting, housework to be done.  I wonder if the fleet moment of joy in the park will make a stand out memory, as nice as it was.  

I love my God, but I do not appreciate everything that he has surrounded me with in life.  I realize it all has purpose.  And it serves a greater purpose that I do not even have the brains to comprehend.  But I don't like some stuff.  I find myself having to pray so verses I learned from the bible to help me not just want to call myself a lost cause. (Yes, that is being dramatic.) And really in a world where people who don't have faith believe reality is what you make it I would be (and was) feeling hopeless and miserable.  But God gave me some insight into the fact that there are bigger things and bigger meaning to things in the last 15 years.  
I know I am not perfect and I don't ever intend on achieving anything close in this life.  I still stave off some of those same self focused fatalistic emotions.  I am still a sufferer of the weakness and frailties of humanity.  But I am gradually learning to spend more time, than not, now focusing on the meaningful things and appreciating God's handiwork more than mans.  Maybe I am getting old. Maybe a spark of wisdom is creeping in my life.  Or maybe God is just whispering louder so I can hear him touching my life.  I don't know exactly. This is what I can hear Him say...This is the way you felt, 

Ecclesiastes 3:1- 22 (NIV)
A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:
 a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
 a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
 a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
 a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
 a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.
What do workers gain from their toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
 Whatever is has already been, 
    and what will be has been before; 
    and God will call the past to account.
And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgment 
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”
I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.  Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

...But now you and others have a greater view of things because of the hope we have made possible through Jesus and the truth we live by.  The writer in Ecclesiastes got a lot of it right, but like so many of us he filled in the blanks with his own limited knowledge and the evil one found a way of making him feel hopeless.  Unlike him, we know that the human soul has a great hope!

Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)
Peace and Hope

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God

My hope for you is that you too find some encouragement in what God has to say and what I share.  
Blessings!

What's the Matter?

When I am thinking I often get this question.  I am very expressive and my face shows what is going on whether I like it or not.  And when I am thinking it tends to read blank or all tightened up into deep concentration.


I have been very introspective and extrospective lately.  I know, big words.  I love big words. I work at trying to find out what they mean.  Actually I tend to try to find words to actually sum up what I am doing or thinking and sound good too. It makes me laugh.  I am probably someone who can sound so smart and so stupid all in the same conversation.  I am often guilty of making up my own words that do not have a place in the dictionary or trying to use an analogy that is completely off base.  One area I work hard at not doing any of this is when it comes to sharing God's word and His truth. 

I will never forget the impact in had on me, early in my walk with God, to have someone I respected as a teacher misrepresent God and His words to me.  I was very niave about the Lord from a learned prospective and, though I had a personal relationship with Christ, I was trying to learn all I could from those who were wiser and older in the faith.  Nothing wrong in that.  God says in Titus 2:1-8 that Christ's believers should be doing that.  But at the same time everything we hear should be crossreferenced with God's word and character.  Even the best or well meaning mentors and leaders can have misguided beliefs that were passed down to them or that they came up with themselves.  So to learn to be wise ourselves we need to rely heavily on God and be accountable for what is being taught to us.  God will have a reckoning with those people who teach falsely.  After having been lead into false doctrine, teaching, I was lead to where God says in James 3:1-2 (NLT):


Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.  Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.


Not only did this make me wary of teaching if I didn't know what I was teaching, but it made me realize my responsibility to help others know what God is really saying if He so leads me that way.  Sometimes even correcting or disagreeing with others.  


Titus 1:9 
He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.

A few other verses that Paul speaks on this subject had to do with the ministry that Timothy was doing in the church at Ephesus.  There were others who were teaching wrong things about the faith.  Paul wrote this epistle to Timothy to remind him of his responsibility to stop false teachers and set things in order in the church. He commanded Timothy to maintain pure teaching and set an example for other churches to follow.  Here are some key passages that cover what I am referring to.  Please always read all around these so that you are seeing the context for yourself and can have confidence in what I am referring to and saying.

1 Timothy 1:3-11
 When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth.  Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.


The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.


We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.  The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching  that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

1 Timothy 6:3-5
Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.

2 Timothy 2:15-19
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus.  They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.


 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”

Some areas we will not know what God intended on meaning, for sure, until we can ask the Savior himself, but we can do our best to make sure we are honoring God through our teaching, and our learning, by aligning it to what we do know of God, His word, and His character.  If it doesn't sound like what you know of God, it may not be.

I have been wrong and corrected several times myself.  And I have learned to accepted this admonishing and correction with grace and humility.  I am a baby of the faith in so many respects.  But I intend on growing and making sure that I am a servant that God is pleased with.  That when I tell someone about Him it is the God I know, not just the God I know about.


2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.


I encourage you today to make sure you are doing the same.  Let us walk in faith, by faith, and for faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Blessings!

Healing Prayers

“ 

And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” 

James 5:15-16 (NLT)

I love this picture that has floated around Google.  I don't know where it originated, but I see a set of hands that have worked hard.  I am thinking this person is probably tired, sweaty, and dirty, from a hard days work.  Nevertheless, these are the hands of someone praying.  

Many times, we feel too busy or get too distracted by the business to go to the Lord in prayer.  We save it for bedtime, or mealtime, because it fits in there.  However, I am asking you to consider something different for your prayer life. In the bible, Ephesians 6:18 Paul gives us a template for when we should be praying.

'Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.'

What does that look like in your life?  You’re at work, what ever your job, and a prayer request comes to you.  Pray as soon as you can step aside from your work.  If you’re a mom, it may mean a moment with your head bowed in the laundry room, or a construction worker taking a moment on his break.  It doesn't matter what your occupation is, it matters that you are responsive and obedient to the call to pray at "all times and on every occasion."  

This has been something I have been doing the last couple of years, especially.  If a friend asks for prayer on fb, over the phone, or in person I now tend to go to prayer right then, or soon there after.  Any longer than that and it could slip my mind and I know only too well the importance of prayer and what it means to be on the receiving end of prayer.

With being down and healing right now from surgery, I have asked for prayer much.  I know that God is my strength and I need that reminder so others praying for me is a strength and I feel that God is honoring those prayers.  I have also had problems with bleeding and other complications.  I still feel at peace, even though I may not like it, because I know ultimately God is in control and that one way or another everything is going to be just right by divine standards.  I know the prayers of those who lift me up are helping to make that my reality.

Lastly, I want to end this letter posting more of Ephesians 6.  Preceding the call to prayer in 18 is some important instructions that I think prepare us for this life of prayer and something we should keep in the forefronts of our minds.  It ends with a prayer that I hold in my heart and ask you all to lift me up to be.  May it teach you something new, encourage you, and give you a heart of prayer!

Blessings,

Stephanie

The Whole Armor of God

 Ephesians 6:10-20

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.