Going to church today was a little different for me.

I didn’t plan to be here in NJ another week so I didn’t have “church clothes”.  But that didn’t seem to matter once I was at church.

It wasn’t in a “church building”.  But that didn’t seem to matter once the service started.

The “praise band and worship songs” were very loud and not at all familiar.  But that didn’t seem to matter once we began praising God together.

What did matter was the question posed at the end of the service:

If the “church” doors were barred and guarded, would you have enough Jesus in you to sustain you? 

So how do we “get enough of Jesus” to sustain us if our Bibles and places of worship are taken from us?  What was the real question being asked?

I believe the real question was: Are you ready for such a time when no Bibles or public worship services are allowed?  It could happen in our lifetime.

Would you know enough of The Word that you could quote the verses or chapters needed to sustain you? Would your list of verses be enough to encourage you and give you hope or for you to encourage others and give them hope?  Would you be able to tell someone else about Jesus and how to get to know Him?

Have you grown in your spiritual walk so much so that others see Jesus in you and would seek you out with their questions about the reason for your hope?  Without a Bible within reach, would you know how to answer that question?

My challenge for myself today is to take a notebook and begin to write out every Bible verse and reference that I know without any doubt or prompting.   Would my list sustain me?  Would your list sustain you?

1 Peter 3:15   New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

Psalm 119:114   New Living Translation (NLT)

¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and my shield;
Your Word is my source of hope.

Psalm 119:11   New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ I have hidden your Word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:105   GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

¹⁰⁵ Your Word is a lamp for my feet
and a light for my path.

This week I have the pleasure of being in New Jersey for a short visit with my grandchildren, Sammie and Mike, and my great grandson, Bostin.  They live on the side of an amazingly colorful mountain.  I love the beauty of mountains.

The mountains burst with reflections of God’s majesty and power.  They are strong, powerful, immovable and enduring.  The fall colors are breathtaking here.  I try to take it all in as we ride up and down the mountainside going to and from town.  I want to shout to God, “How awesome You are God!  You have given us mountains, seasons and all of creation to enjoy day after day!”

When surrounded by these beautiful mountains there is a quiet knowing of God’s greatness; an assurance that yes, God is sovereign.

I thank You, God, for this gentle yet powerful reminder that You are in control and everything is under Your control! I thank You for rest and relaxation.  I thank You for times to see You everywhere I look during this visit that You so graciously have provided for me.

Psalm 76:4  New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ You are glorious and more majestic
than the everlasting mountains.

Psalm 95:4  New International Version (NIV) 

⁴ In His hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

2 Samuel 7:22  New International Version (NIV) 

²² “How great You are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You, and there is no God but You, as we have heard with our own ears.

Psalm 71:5  New International Version (NIV)

⁵ For You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.

Hi, my name is Lyn and I have lupus.  There, I have said it.  Since 1985, for most of the time, I have tried not to talk about it other than with family but things are changing now.  I can no longer deny that it affects my everyday life in more ways than I want to admit.

Lupus to me means not getting too much sun, not getting overheated or too cold, not getting too tired, not overdoing it, not eating the wrong foods, not, not, not.   Over the years I have learned to turn these around – stay cool and in the shade, get enough rest, get a balance diet (whatever that is with many food sensitivities).  It means tired arms long before my hair suits me, saying no to activities, responsibilities and commitments when I want to say yes.  It’s meant wanting to help but knowing I will be risking being down for a day or two. It means watching more than doing because the strength and ability just isn’t there and the tiredness never seems to end.

Recently it means increased doctor visits and trying new medications by trial and error until we find what works so I can breathe and move or rest without pain. It means so much more but there is no need to get into it right now.

All of this can be very challenging for lots of reasons but the most important and hardest one is that what is seen on the outside physically is not always a reflection of what is on the inside.  Much like our spiritual selves.  One can look healthy spiritually being in church and doing all the right things but God sees the inside and knows the heart.

Speaking of God, if it were not for Him and the power of prayer, I do not believe I would have made it through this maze of do’s and don’ts.  More often than not, my “want to” wants to do what it cannot.   But, God has blessed me with family and friends that fill in the gaps day in and day out! They know it’s not sympathy I want from them but understanding and sometimes tough love. That’s what keeps me going.  On yet a higher level, it is the faithfulness of my awesome God who hears and answers my prayers.

I think these words from a song in the Lifeway Sunday School material says it better than I ever could.

In His Presence I am standing, on His Strength I am depending

In Christ I am, In Christ I am

I am Renewed, I am Restored, I am Forgiven, I am Redeemed, I am Complete

Now I am Living, In Christ I am a New Creation

Taken from Lifeway Sunday School Material

Jeremy Johnson, Paul Marino

2015 Van Ness Press, Inc.   (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

This post from one year ago popped up in my memories yesterday on Facebook of all places. l  do believe God is trying to get my attention!  Hope it sinks in this time!

COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!

What an awesome God I have.  When I am lax He gently but definitely gets my attention! It happened again just yesterday, so quickly and so quietly that I almost missed it.

I have had the joy of spending time with my great-grandson this past week.  Bostin will be three years old next month.  He is a tiny mite physically but a huge bundle of energy and joy.  Seems he talks a million words a minute and for the most part gets the meanings and pronunciation correct.  His favorite word of course is WHY.

We were laying in the hammock and he asks if this is for sleeping.  Of course knowing confirmation of that question would bring an end to our sweet time in the hammock I said, “Not today, it is for looking and listening.”  His response, “WHY”.   We talk about the trees and squirrels and birds that God has made.  We talk too about quietly listening and enjoying all the beautiful sounds of God’s creation.

Not ten seconds later he suddenly slides off the hammock and goes off to find more interesting wonders his young eyes have yet to discover! Well that didn’t last long I chuckled to myself.

Later I found myself wondering if I have been missing special times when God wants me to just stop and listen.  Oh sure there is daily quiet time, Bible study time, and prayer time but what about listening time.   Time where God tenderly says listen, just listen.  How amazing that Almighty God says to me, “Listen, be quiet and listen.”

Today and every day I can find peace and security in just being still and listening to God.  You can too.  God’s Word makes this very clear.  Listen!

Psalm 46:10    New King James Version (NKJV) 

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

For weeks now I have been riding the wave of blessing after blessing – abundant blessings!  Yes, there was a bump in the road here and there but nothing too earth shattering. 

Suddenly, in the last week quite a few things happened that have threatened my peace.  It was like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and gaining strength with each layer of snow. 

So I prayed as I went through the days but one night this is how my prayer journal read: 

Awesome God, You are worthy to be praised.  You are always there for all of us.  You keep everything under Your control. You are with me no matter what I face or what the circumstances are at any given time.   

Peace, You are Peace.  You give Peace, Love, Joy, Hope.  Let me see You in my circumstances today.  Lord help me to keep my focus on You and Your Word.  Rule over my emotions.  Make me yield to You.  Guard my thoughts, attitudes, and words.  Fill me with joy in spite of whatever is happening around me. 

Focus – I need to keep You in the center of my life. 

Believe – I need to count on Your Word, know it, hold onto it.

I need to remember You are in control and You know the beginning from the end.  What surprises me does not surprise You.   

Help me Lord, help me. 

Sincere, jumbled words but God heard my plea.  Nothing changed outside but everything changed inside and as darkness turned to dawn that night His Word came to mind one verse after the other.  He heard, He cares, He understands. He IS in control.  I will share just a few of those verses. 

John 14:27  NLT 

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.   

Romans 15:13a  NLT   

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. 

Philippians 4:6, 7  NLT 

Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

While I was in the Dollar Store the other day I bought a 300 piece puzzle of beautiful hot-air balloons floating through the sky.  I opened the puzzle and sorted the pieces making sure to separate the border pieces from the inner pieces.

It was a little challenging to get the outside border pieces to stay put where they belonged.  However, I thought to myself that once I start working the inner pieces around the edge, the border would be a little more secure and not break apart so easily.  Not so!  Every time I attempted to attach another piece to the border, it quickly fell apart again.

Life is much like that puzzle.

To have a secure fitting puzzle you have to pay a bigger price, certainly, more than a dollar.

To have a life that is not falling apart, you have to give your whole life to God.  We can’t hold life together on our own working from the outside in.   We are powerless to maintain control of all those puzzle pieces of life.  God has already planned out every day, every minute of our lives – every piece of the puzzle of life has its own place and purpose.

So, there is no way around it, God is the only one who can keep all the puzzle pieces in order and stuck together.

Choose to let God be the center of your life.  He will work the puzzle of your life from the inside out.  He created you and He knows the plans He has for your life!  Trust Him with ALL the puzzle pieces of your life today!

Jeremiah 29:11  GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

¹¹ I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.

Proverbs 3:5-6  New Living Translation (NLT)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek His will in all you do,
and He will show you which path to take.