Author Archives: sagescenery

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About sagescenery

Christian, licensed minister, author, wife, mother, teacher, and drama team pastor who loves landscape photography and writing. Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved. Photos and Text.
Jul12

May I Step On Your Toes?

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“Let me tell you why you are here…You’re here to be light…”  Matthew 5:14-16  from The Message

“Watch what God does, then do it…God is strong and He wants you strong…”  Ephesians 5:1-21 & 6:10-18 from The Message

Whether your shoes are on, or you’re walking around barefoot, stick your toes back out of the way, because the Holy Spirit is going to step on your toes.  It’s inevitable.  I have the sore toes to prove it.

The Holy Spirit wants to change us, and sometimes it hurts.

We’re all God’s children.  We’re the light and love of Jesus that will consume the darkness.  How can we do that without allowing God’s light to change our darkness first?   We need to be light.  Do you know what the darkness in someone’s life is like?  People in darkness always have a crisis, because they can’t see.  They have no light.

We must be their light.  Don’t condemn them, Jesus didn’t condemn.

Tell people you’ll pray for them, or pray with them…they probably haven’t heard someone say that to them in a long time, if ever.  Don’t be critical, encourage them.  Be light.

Whether we’re a small light, a deep penetrating light, an illuminating light, or a glaring light depends on the differences in our personalities, but be light.  We can illuminate and expel the darkness around us.

What kind of light are you?  I’m a pretty steady light, but I know that in the past, I was just a flickering light going off and on, trying to stay lit by myself.  Now I know that the Holy Spirit wants to help me be a brighter light.

Church, we need to be many, many lights that merge into a great force in our society.  Even if we’re little lights that think our influence doesn’t go too far, all our little lights together across the world will chase the darkness.

Think of a map, lit up with every Christian in the world.  How awesome!  It’s like global networking, or a gigantic Charlotte’s web, connecting hearts.

I live in Florida where almost everyone is originally from somewhere else.  Do you know how much influence that gives us around the world?  It’s mind-boggling.  How far does your influence extend?  Let your light shine through to all your family members, friends and acquaintances.  Visit, call, write, text, e-mail, we’re all just a prayer away.

When the darkness is gone, people will see Jesus.  Eyes that have been blinded will see, ears that were deaf will hear, sickness will leave.  People will believe and bow down to Jesus.

We’re not strong.  We’re weak.  We have issues, we have baggage, myself included.  I used to think people needed to meet my pastor to be saved.  Or, go to my church.  I talked mostly about programs or activities.  Now I know they can learn about the goodness of God through me.

We pray and ask for change on the inside.  Amen.  Ask for that, receive it and be better.  But, here’s where the Holy Spirit is going to step on our toes.  And it hurts.  Tuck your toes way back out of the way and remember there isn’t anyone God doesn’t love, so it’s not a finger pointing game.

Please hear the Holy Spirit.   If our inside is filled with God’s joy, we should let it come out in how we look and act (which includes what we say).

Are we trying to please man?  No.  We want to please God.  We’re THE CHURCH.  We believe in Jesus, we’re saved; we’re filled with His Holy Spirit.

WE NEED TO LOOK LIKE THE CHURCH.  WE NEED TO ACT LIKE THE CHURCH.  WHEREVER WE GO.  WHATEVER WE DO.

Who else do we think can do the work God has given us?  We’re THE CHURCH.  Who else can truthfully say to those in darkness, “Life is hard, but God is good.”

It’s not about fashion.  I like to look nice.  It’s not about etiquette.  I like to act nice.

It’s about something burning inside us that comes out and radiates all over us and spills out onto someone else.  Onto the world.

Why us?  Why NOT us?  Why can’t we change the world?  Why couldn’t God use us?  Right now, in the place He’s planted us.

What’s stopping Him from using YOU?   What are your obstacles?  What’s keeping you from shining?  Close your eyes.  Visualize the obstacle.  Is it finances?  Is it your spouse?  Is it your children or your grandchildren?  Is it schooling?  Is it work?

Ask the Lord to help.  Talk to Him about your passions.  I believe He will find a way through those obstacles, so that your passion can be used to light the world.  Pray about it.  Go for it.  Pursue it.  Do it.  The Holy Spirit will help you.

Taking your child to Gymboree  or to a play group can be your mission field.  Going back to school or starting a new job can be your mission field.  At one time, going  to therapy for my shoulder was my mission field.

It’s not about “looking the part of a nice Christian lady or gentleman.”  It’s about looking the part of THE CHURCH.  We’re THE CHURCH.  People need to listen to us.  They need to hear what we hear from God, they need to see what God is showing us, they need to feel the love of God we feel in our hearts.  They’re lost, they’re in darkness.  We’re the Body of Christ.  Bring them the Light.

How can we get their attention?  And why would we want to turn them off?  We need to listen to God.  We need to do what God tells us to do to reach the lost at work, in our neighborhoods, at the marketplace, and in our schools.

Bring the light of Jesus with you wherever you go.

We must dress the way He tells us to dress, fix our hair the way He tells us to.  We should be healthy and weigh what He tells us to weigh.  If we don’t know, we can ask Him.  “Lord, what is your will for me?  What can I do to show Jesus’ love to those around me?”  We can’t fight God about our body.  We told Him He could use us, let’s let Him use all of us.  If He tells me to wear glasses, so I won’t be squinting all the time, until He chooses to heal my eyes completely, I need to get glasses.  If He says I lose my glasses all the time; go get contacts, so be it.  If I can’t hear and have to constantly say, “What?” and He says get a hearing aid, until He heals my ears, I’ll have to make an appointment to get my ears checked.

We’re vain.  Do you think I like getting older by the minute?  No!  But, I’m telling you, if I couldn’t control my bladder, until God chose to heal my condition, I’d wear those diaper things and be happy to have them.  It’s not easy to take care of ourselves.  It’s not always fun.  It’s time-consuming.

But, God wants us to be witnesses for Him, so He can save souls.  He put us in the world.  If someone tries to witness to me and looks and acts weird, I’m sorry, I’m from New Jersey and I’m going to be suspicious.  Let’s ask God how we can show them Jesus, not simply how religious we are.

Pray about it.  How does God want each of us to look and act?   We…who are His CHURCH?   If we’re not yet the BEST we can be for God, He can help us change.  Listen, I DIDN’T SAY “PERFECT”!  I’m still working on all this!  But, let’s be the best we can be…be the best weight, eat the best foods to fuel our body, do the best exercise we can do, wear our hair the way it looks best on us, and find the best style of clothes for ourselves.

God can empower you to reach higher, so you can reach more lost souls for Him.  Extend your influence.  Take the confidence God gives you in Him as His child and let it consume your whole being, so what you project to others is His Light and His Power.

People want to see the God you see.

When they’re in a crisis, they’ll look directly into your heart.  Give them every reason to suspect He’s in there.

Be assertive.  Look the part of the Glorious Church, the Bride of Christ.  A bride’s life is about to change and she’s headed for a honeymoon.  That’s how we should feel.  Be radiant.  Be joyful.  Be the best you can be, pray, fill up on the Word of God, be constantly filled with His Holy Spirit, put on your armor, be warriors dressed for battle, joined together, marching forward against the enemy.  That’s how you dress for spiritual warfare.  Amen.

Being the best we can be will allow us to finally get ourselves out of the way, so the Holy Spirit can move.  Be you, but be the best you, you can be.  It’s not about us.  We can’t be stubborn.  We need to listen to God when He says, “I want you to change.”   He wants us to go up to the next level in our service for Him.  Do it.  Believe me, it’s better.  Don’t be afraid, and even if you are afraid, do it anyway.   As Joyce Meyers would say, “Do It Afraid!”

He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to hurt us.

We don’t like change, but I believe God is positioning His Church to be a mighty force in this world.  Can you feel it?  Things are changing, God is moving.  Have you noticed that God has been putting people in your path and your light is starting to dispel their darkness?

Show God’s love.  Seeds have been planted, we need to water those seeds, and shed as much light on them as possible, so they will grow.  Don’t hold back…share God’s love by shining.

Line up with God’s plan for you to reach the world.  Some of you may be just starting out in your walk with the Lord, no problem, keep asking Him for more light.  Some of you are at a higher level already, but I believe the Lord is ready to move you higher.  Your light needs to penetrate farther.

It’s very exciting!

Church, some of the darkness may come to us and sit right down in the pew next to us.  Be ready.  It’s your light from Christ that will make their darkness disappear.  They need to see your light shining…point the way to Jesus…the Light of the World!

As God is positioning all of us, He’ll be calling some of us to go deeper into the darkness to expel it with His light.  We can’t do it without His Holy Spirit.  Be immersed in His light.

What will you allow God to change in you?  Don’t dwell on things that can’t be changed.  At five foot two inches, don’t you think I’d like to be taller, if for no other reason than to reach upper kitchen cabinets?  Don’t dwell.  Get a step stool and go on.  Be happy and celebrate the things about you that God loves.

Ask Him to change the things He needs to, so you can be who you are meant to be in Christ.  Then, see yourself as God sees you, a child of the Almighty God!

Okay, you can uncurl your toes now!!  God loves you very much.

Gracious Heavenly Father, forgive us for not seeing ourselves as You see us and for not allowing You to help us be the best we can be.  Show us areas that we can change with Your help, so we’ll be confident in rising to the next level of service for You.  We want to show Your love to others and tell them about Jesus.  Position each of us to do an awesome job for You.  We’re ready to stand up and stand out in Your Kingdom.  In Jesus Name we pray.  Amen.

Jul11
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“…Try to shine as lights among the people of this world…”  Philippians 2:15 CEV

     There’s a huge, stately, old, white lighthouse on tropical Gasparilla Island in Florida.  It stands on the sandy beach straight and tall.  It’s bigger than life.  I take many photos of it; it’s just so gorgeous.  Its awesome beauty is in its stateliness, like a fine, beautiful statue; though it’s actually worn and rustic.  The bright, blue sky is an ever-changing backdrop for my photos, but the lighthouse doesn’t change.  Its uniqueness in the landscape always dominates the picture.

I think about that lighthouse and realize I’ve never had to use its life-saving light in a storm.  Even though it has the potential to help me, standing right there in plain view.  Very majestic.  It’s really just an icon, a symbol to me of a safe harbor or sanctuary.   It’s a safe haven I can cling to.  Something I can trust.

What draws us to a lighthouse?  Usually it’s found in the most beautiful settings; perhaps a rugged coastline or sandy beach with palm trees swaying in the breeze.  With its remote and extreme location, sunsets and sunrises can often be enjoyed in complete solitude.  The walkway encircling the lantern room atop the lighthouse offers a perfect viewing platform for the spectacular setting.  Lighthouses are built to endure the ravages of the elements; they’re strong, sturdy monuments even in their exposed locations.

The giant lens of the lighthouse rotates sending beams of light extending for miles, like the spokes of a giant wheel.  It’s breathtaking; like thousands of tiny prisms.  They’re simply beautiful structures that offer a true service.   Heroic and remarkable rescues are possible through man’s devotion to tending the light, polishing the lens, or sounding the fog signal.  They warn of danger or mark safe passage into the welcoming harbor through the light, which is a beacon of safety and security.

“Perhaps it is because of this, and the imagery, that lighthouses seem to appeal to the spiritual side of people, symbolizing He who is ‘the light that shineth in darkness’ and reminding us that we are also to let our ‘lights so shine’.”   (Kraig, Lighthousefriends.com).

I don’t understand how a lighthouse works, or know all the people it has saved from death with it’s penetrating light.  I can zoom in with my camera lens to try to get a closer look.  Or, read about its history to learn more about its function and use, but until I actually trust its light, I’m not going to know how powerfully it can help me in a storm.

I believe people see Jesus as I see that lighthouse.  He’s right in plain view, standing straight and tall, like a statue.  Majestic and beautiful, but with His worn and rustic Cross.  He’s an icon, a symbol of safety.  He’s bigger than life.  We know our circumstances constantly change around us, but He’s always right there never changing.  We love photos of Him.  We love His light.  We read about His history in His book, The Bible; we pray to get closer to Him.  But until we actually trust His light, we aren’t going to see how powerfully He can help us in a storm.

Church, light the way, go up to the top of the lighthouse and shine!  People need to get to that lighthouse; they need to utilize that light.  They need to be warned of danger; and have their safe harbor marked by the light.  Let them see your footprints in the sand.  They need to know they can trust that light.  Shine the lamp on their walkway.  Carry His lantern wherever you go.  If you don’t tell them, then Jesus is just a photo they carry with them.

What causes people to turn to a lighthouse?   They need to be rescued.  Even if they live in a beautiful beach setting, at times it seems like there’s a dangerously rugged coastline, instead of a sandy beach.  Their location away from the Father may seem remote and extreme.  Our relationship with Jesus is built to endure.   His lighthouse offers solitude with a perfect viewing platform for all our sunrises and sunsets.  He’s the monument that stands firm and unchanging in the exposed locations.  His lens rotates in a beam of light that extends forever.  A life lived for Christ is breathtaking.  He offers us eternal life with Him, the Light of the World.

Allow Him to make a remarkable rescue.  “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalms 119:105, KJV)  Church, devote yourself to tending the light, polishing the lens, and sounding the alarm.  Warn of danger, mark safe harbor, and welcome those lost in the storm home, where they’ll be safe and secure.

Shine!

Hurricane Charley hit Gasparilla Island beaches and blew over the wooden protective structures that cover the picnic tables and provide shade for beach-goers.   The lighthouse is still standing.  Storms hit, but the lighthouse is still there.   Look to the lighthouse; follow the light, and be safe from the storm.  “Our Lord and God, you are my lamp.  You turn darkness to light.”   II Samuel 22:29 NIV  “Your Word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.”  Psalm 119:105 NIV

Beach Blessings-The Lighthouse

Jul10

Beach Blessings-Lost To Sea

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‘If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.”  II Corinthians 4:3 NIV

Have you ever gone to the beach and found mounds of shells, only to go back a week later, and find that the tide has changed and all the shells are lost to sea?  The shore is now almost completely devoid of shells.

We  passionately pick up the few whole shells we see and lovingly rescue them.  We can see how they got caught up in the seaweed as the tide came in, but amazingly they’re not lost yet.  We can readily see broken ones, also, and we set out to rescue them, too.  Remember, we know the “Broken-Shell-Repair-Man.”  Don’t cry because they’re broken.  Rejoice, because they’re not completely lost yet.  Just bring them to Jesus.

There will always be rocks, dirt, debris, and obstacles in our way.  Try to walk around carefully to find a way to help them not get dragged out with the raging surf.  Wait for the flowing, cleansing waters to wash over them and when the tides goes out, we can see our solid ground.  Our next step?  Imagine the beauty, even the broken ones can have, when they’re fixed and whole again.

Save them from being lost, rescue those entangled in seaweed.  Keep them from being stepped on and dried out in the sun.  They’re fading.  Shine Jesus’ life-giving light on their lives before it’s too late.  Society has worn them down.  They’re discouraged and in despair.  We know the answer, we know the “Broken-Lives Repair-Man.”  We’ve had His Living Water wash over us.  We’ve had Him light our way.  The dictionary says, “Lost” means “not to be found, ruined.”  The Bible says, “…I have wandered away like a lost sheep.  Please come after me…” Psalms 119:176 NIV

Seek,  grab hold of, hunt down, pick up, and find.  The Christian calling is this.  Like a day at the beach!

God’s waiting for us to show the way to Jesus and His Holy Spirit.  Gather people up, stay with them, and bring them home to Jesus, where wholeness lives.  No longer broken.  You can ask people how they got broken?  Or Why?  But, what’s the point, they probably don’t know.  No one means for it to happen.  No one grows up thinking, “I’d like to make a mess of my life.”  It’s the enemy’s the plan, not theirs, but we know the remedy.  Their seasons change, the tide turns on them, they don’t even know how or why they got broken, they just know that it hurts.  They’re helpless, because only more brokenness surrounds them.  It’s time for repair.  Restoration.  Wholeness.  Useful purpose.

All we really want to know is,  “Will they let Jesus fix them as only He can?”

Should we be looking for blessings in the debris?  No!

Dig in, get messy, get dirty, we’re trying to rescue souls from hell.  It will get hot on that beach.  It’s the enemy’s job to try to scorch us, burn us, and entangle us with cares, junk, messes, and hard times.  So…do it anyway, pick up the broken pieces at work, at school, at play, wherever we go.  It’s not going to be all glitter and glamour.

Are we looking for beautiful shiny objects in the debris and seaweed?  Are we looking for comfort and relaxation among the pointed, jagged rocks?  Have we ever found a blessing while scrounging in a garbage dumpster?  Not likely.  Or located something precious and valuable among old, dirty, disgusting, worn-out, and broken items?  Maybe some gold jewelry, money, etc?  Again, not likely.  And if we did, its value wasn’t readily noticeable at first.  We had to pick it up, look it over, clean it up, and repair it to it’s lost beauty.

That’s what God’s does…it’s His job and He does it well.  Doing God’s rescue work does bring blessings to us, because we’re obedient to His calling, but don’t look for the blessings, or even any appreciation, from the broken and messed up.  Those who do, pass up God’s creations looking for the shiny, glittering, glitzy prize.  That’s their reward.  Ours is in Heaven.

What family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, will be lost forever, if not found before it’s too late?  Don’t think it’s all blessing to work in Children’s Ministry?  Teen Ministry?  Hurting Women’s Ministry?  Or the “Rise-Up-Strong-Men” Ministry.

God needs to disentangle the debris, bag up the baggage, set the issues straight.  It takes time.  Don’t do it to find the blessing or reward.  You’ll get that from the Lord.

Has anything ever hurt us, bit us, pricked us, or stung us while we were hunting for shells on the beach?  Has it stopped us?  No, if we love shelling, we go on, as with anything we’re passionate about.  The enemy will always try to stop us.  Be unstoppable.  Keep going and keep doing it.  Seaweed is choking them.  Things that choke us, take our breath away.  Allow the Lord to breath on them again with His Holy Spirit.

God sees beauty in their brokenness.  Go deeper.  Find the hidden beauty buried.  Remember, God saw the beauty in our brokenness.

Shells don’t just drift; they crash and break when they’re churned up constantly in the surf.  The more rocky the landscape, the more broken shells.  The more rocky the environment, the more broken lives.  Drifting lives will eventually crash.  Show them the safe haven; help them become the one that was found.

Jul10

Beach Blessings “Broken Shells-Broken Lives”

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I really love the beach!  I love hunting for shells.  In the first 4 years after we retired to Florida, I had collected so many shells, I didn’t know what to do with them!  I had them in baskets and in containers, on shelves and around mirrors; just about everywhere you could look in our house.  They’re so beautiful and diverse, I see God’s divine hand in their creation!  I spent hours walking up and down the shore, picking up all the most beautiful, perfect shells.

I always throw down any broken shells I find.  Sometimes, I can’t tell they’re broken right away, because only half of the shell sticks up out of the sand.  So I pick it up, only to see its brokenness.  Eww!  Then, I toss that one away!

If I only see a shell from the back, sometimes I’m fooled.  I’ll turn it over and see ugly colors, or no color at all.  When just a little part of it looks good, it’s of no use to me!  When sand and dirt covers them, it’s hard to tell the difference between the perfect ones and the broken ones.  I pick them up, look them over, pick and choose, until I have a perfect batch to bring home to put on display in my home.

The best ones are often caught up under the rocks in the water where the surf breaks.  All you see through the debris and seaweed is just the tiny tip of a shell sticking out. When I’ve retrieved it, I can’t believe my eyes at what I’ve found!  That’s where the biggest and best shells are, where no one else has gone before me.

My husband seeks the biggest and best shells by actually wading waist deep in the water to scoop them out with his golf ball finder.  It’s difficult and time-consuming, but he always comes out victorious, he has perseverance.

Which shells get broken?  The fragile, lightweight sand dollars, for instance, get churned up in the waves and it’s really hard to find them intact.  The sturdy, strong shells don’t break as easily, but still a lot of them get crushed in the surf and shattered on the beach.  Sometimes the shell isn’t broken at all, just surrounded by broken shell pieces, dirt, sand, and other debris.  You must take the time to look at each shell individually.

The reason I don’t pick up the broken shells is that I can’t fix them.  They’ll just stay broken and useless to me, because I can’t see a use for them in the condition they’re in now.  There’s no future for them with me.  But what if I was the “Broken Shell Repair Man?”  Then?  Oh, now we’re talkin’!  I’d bring them all home.  I’d take the time to soak them and clean them to get all the dirt and smell off them.  Shells often smell like something died in them.  I’d make them look shiny and new again.  Then I’d find many uses for them.  Wow!  I’d love and want them all, so I’d need to scoop them up with a shovel, there’s so many of them and they’re so heavy.   I’d have to load them up in a truck and cart them home to repair them.

But that’s not possible, I didn’t create them, so I can’t fix them.

Lately, I’ve been seeing potential in the less than perfect shells.  If a shell has a hole in it, for instance, I could string several of them together and make a beautiful, colorful necklace.  I wouldn’t even need a drill.   So now I’m looking for shells with a defect, a little hole or opening that I can use.  After collecting all the perfect ones over the years, I’m now looking for the ones that are a little different, a little unique in size or shape or color, with a different crack, mark, or blemish.

Every day and at every beach it’s different when it comes to shelling.  Some days there’s nothing, other days there are mounds of shells.  Sometimes they’re along the shoreline glistening in the water and sunlight.  At other times, they’re stacked up by the rocks all broken, piled on top of each other, fading in the sun, washed up on the sand, and stepped on and cracked.

Brokenness happens in nature…and in the spiritual realm, also.  Fragile lives get broken.  The waves of life churn us up and toss us to and fro.  We’re bound to get broken.  Even the sturdy lives can bend in the sea of trials.  Society tries to crush us; it’s difficult to stay intact. Without warning, we’re shattered.

God wants us to see what He sees when He looks at broken lives.  He is the “Broken Lives Repair Man.”  He can go out into the deep water and persevere to rescue those of us in deep trouble, caught up on the rocks covered with dirt and debris…when we’re cracked and people have stepped on us, and over us, our whole lives.  God can fix broken lives and He can find an awesome use for each one, even when our dreams are shattered.  When we don’t look good, or  we don’t think we’re good enough, God is searching for broken lives to mend, and we should be looking for them, too!

People have gotten caught up in the sand, rocks, debris, and seaweed of life.  They’ve been tossed up on the beach and are fading the sun.  Hunt for them, get in the sunlight and look at them from every angle.  Look under the debris and find them.  Look at the little piece of goodness showing out from the dirt in their lives and take them to Jesus.  He can fix them.  Let His Living Waters wash over them and clean them up.  Let the “Son” Light make them shine again.  He’ll put their broken lives back together and use them in the Kingdom of God.

Sometimes a person’s life isn’t broken, but others around them are, and they get discouraged.  All they need is a godly person to encourage them to do what they already know is right, even when the people around them lead broken lives.  The broken people around them can’t point the way.  You can step in, pick them up, and take them to the “Broken Lives Repair Man.”

Do you hear the awful crunching sound of all the broken lives being stepped on around you?  Ask the Holy Spirit to make your ears sensitive to the sound.  Do you see their brokenness and pain?   Pick them up.  You know they can’t pick themselves up.  Dust them off, bring them to Jesus, so they can be made whole and be used in His Kingdom.  Holy Spirit, help us to hear the magnificent sound that whole, unbroken lives make to the ears of our Lord.

As the Church, we act like they should come to us whole.  How can they be whole if they don’t know the “Broken Lives Repair Man?”  Something’s missing in their lives.  It’s Jesus.  They’re broken when they don’t know Him.  They can’t fix themselves!   They need only Him.  Often, we get weary of all their brokenness.  It seems like a heavy burden to us.  Broken lives are heavy, there’s lots of baggage, lots of issues.  Don’t try to fix their lives on your own, just bring them to Jesus!

Church, let’s pick them up, and bring them to the “Broken Lives Repair Man.”  The One who repaired us, when we were broken.  The One who continually seeks to use us even in our weaknesses.  He will repair them and use them in His plan.  If we’re the Church, the Body of Christ, we need to go out into the world to hunt for broken lives along all the shores.  All over the world.  We’re His hands, His feet, and His love.  We can love, we can teach, we can disciple.   Don’t pick and choose and toss someone back just because they don’t look like us or act like us, we’re not perfect either.  Don’t judge.  Just pick them all up.

Don’t give yourself the job of fixing them, only God can do that.  You can’t fix the broken shells and you can’t fix the broken lives.  But, God can.  If they’re broken, see a use for them just as Jesus does, see through Jesus’ eyes.  Speak truth in their lives, speak blessing, speak encouragement, and let God’s Holy Spirit change faded, broken, and shattered lives.

He’s going to repair them and make a beautiful, perfect display with all those once broken lives.  It’s called, His Glorious Church.

“I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:  I am like a broken vessel.”  Psalms 31:12 KJV

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:  a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”  Psalms 51:17 KJV

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalms 147:3 KJV

“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:  but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”  Proverbs 15:13 KJV      (Happiness makes you smile; sorrow can crush you.” Proverbs 15:13 CEV)

Jul10

Beach Blessings-Every Wave Changes The Landscape

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I love walking along the beach!  The mixture of sights, sounds, and smells overwhelms me.  I feel so close to God because I’m concentrating on His magnificent Creation.

My husband and I enjoy looking for collectible shells, odd-shaped and colorful rocks, or sharks teeth while walking together along the water’s edge.  We watch the tide coming in and going out, to see what’s new in the wet sand.  As we walk, he turns to me to whisper, “Every wave changes the landscape.”

I simply look at him as my thoughts turn to God…  “Every wave of the Holy Spirit changes the landscape of our lives.”  The wave of God’s Spirit can be a forceful, roaring tidal wave during a revival.  At other times, it may come as a soft mist or light wind, when God seems to be speaking only to us.  Once the wave of His Spirit falls, it changes us!  It changes those close to us…family, friends, and acquaintances.  It changes the landscape of our homes, neighborhoods, and communities.  Our cities, countries, our world…

If we let it!!

Sometimes, I’m amazed at how much I bring to the beach, just to leave it lying in a pile to set out for a walk unencumbered by it all.  I want to encourage and inspire all of us to let the waves of the Holy Spirit wash over us, so we can experience His peace and awesome joy.  To empower us to allow God to change the landscape of our lives with His moving tide.  To let the waves get us soaking wet, by swimming and splashing in them.  To let the Holy Spirit change us forever.  To encourage us to drop everything, when we walk to the waves.  To lay all our burdens and baggage aside, and just dive in.  Then, to look up …and simply bask in the warmth of His Presence.

When I look up, at the beach, I see the pale blue canopy, polka-dotted with white puffy clouds.  And, even if I close my eyes, I can still see the aquamarine water creating a silvery foam against the tawny, pebbly sand as I walk.  I take a moment to deeply breathe in the salty, moist air.  Seagulls are squawking and the waves are lapping against the rocks.  The sensations of the beach surround me and literally compel me to lay down all my cares and worries, and just drink in the natural beauty of the world around me.  And then, I suddenly realize that I’m hungry and thirsty!

That’s how we should feel about the waves of God’s Holy Spirit…hungry and thirsty!!

Perhaps it’s the wave of the Holy Spirit felt by a loving adult holding a newborn baby.  Or the wave of the Holy Spirit a toddler feels while singing about Jesus.  Tender hearts that respond to the love of God means landscapes that are changed forever.  We can all recall other moments when the wave of the Holy Spirit washed over us!  We were never the same afterward.

So, why do we resist the Holy Spirit?  Are we like the little children playing on the beach?  Dancing and racing back and forth between the sand and the water, the children are uncertain of the power or predictability of the waves, so while they run towards the coast, they soon scamper away from the shore line, when it seems the wave might actually reach them!

But, those standing right in the water where the waves break and crash, will get a completely refreshing experience!  Let the waves get us thoroughly wet…let’s swim in it, let it engulf us!  Let’s be eager to get out of our beach chairs…walk right up to the edge of the water, jump in, and let the waves wash over us.  Let the waves cool us, caress us, soak us, saturate us, inspire us, empower us…as we walk in, run in, rush in, jump in, and dive under.

Let’s drop everything when we walk along the beach.  We can soak up the sun, play in the sand, collect shells, take photos, and forget everything that burdens us…as we concentrate only on the waves that can change the landscape around us.

We need to drop everything also, when we’re in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  We should be hungry & thirsty for every movement of the waves.  Allowing God to remove all distractions, we can lay down and leave our cares, burdens, and worries, and drink in the spiritual cleansing waves.  Then, we’ll hear the Lord calling us and speaking to us, while we’re basking in His warmth, welcoming the next wave of His Spirit.

Whether it’s loud and powerful, or quiet and gentle…welcome it, be immersed in it.  Listen carefully…it’s renewing us.  With every wave the landscape of our life changes for the better.