Mora Than Just a Box of Cards

Sometimes we face unusual events while on our journey. Sometimes God leads us to that unusual object, bizarre encounter with a stranger, and unfathomable quest of it all - not for ourselves - but for others. Several years back the Lord thrust me into a moment of His working. In the end - it all made sense.

I love going to yard sales. In fact, I am a yard sale fanatic! However, I must confess that I am not an “early morning yard-saler.” I have always heard that, “the early bird gets the worm.” Well, unfortunately, I miss out on breakfast much of my life. I just can’t seem to get up and get moving at the crack of dawn. I operate on the idea that God knows exactly what I need and if it isn’t there when I get to the sale, then I guess I really didn’t need it.

One sultry summer day pillows of cotton hung in the baby blue sky and I basked in the glorious day that God provided. What made it even more glorious was that He provided a yard sale for me to stop at on my way into town! (I love that God of ours!)

I said my thanks to God, parked the car, and off I went like a horse out of the shoot. After scanning the area, I walked over to an extra large box of old cards. There were greeting cards, birthday cards, valentine cards and every card you could have imagined. Someone had a great collection. I started pulling out cards that I felt my mother would like. She sends cards every year for every occasion and never misses.

While rummaging through the stack, a young woman came over to me and asked,
“Would you like the whole box?”

“Oh, no,” I responded, “I’m just trying to find a few for my mom.”

“Well, I am about to close and you can have the whole box for five dollars.”

I hesitated for a moment and replied, “Okay - I may as well take the whole box.”

When I finally had time to sort through the box, I realized that I had stumbled upon a treasure. The box was filled with antique containers of unopened stationary. There were postcards, sticky notes, and large stacks of writing paper. I found all sizes and shapes of cards. There were pop-up cards, three-dimensional cards, button cards, and cards with pins in the center. I found coloring books, plastic cups, plates, and napkins, all created by the same person and all unopened. I stumbled upon someone’s Betsy Clark collection! I didn’t know who Betsy Clark was, but according to her cards, she wrote for Hallmark.

I immediately called my mother and shared about the treasure. My Mom‘s high-pitched shrill let me know of her excitement. After our discussion, we both agreed that the collection should remain together.

For about one month I searched and prayed about what I should do with the box of cards. I called antique malls, flea markets, as well as the cute little shops in our downtown area – never-the-less, I was unsuccessful in finding the cards a home.

In the meantime, my mother-in-law came for a visit. She, being a collector of antiques herself, was in awe over the found treasure. We agreed, once again, that a collector should have the box. After our wonderful visit together she and my father-in-law left to make their way back home to Montana.

My husband soon received word that his parent’s van broke down in a small town somewhere along the way home. A man out of nowhere immediately stopped to help and escorted them to one of the pastor’s homes in the area. I, being a pastor’s wife myself, felt an immediate bond.

It wasn’t but a day later when I received an urgent message from Mona to please call her. The urgency in her voice concerned me so I quickly returned her call. Mona shared her story about the van breaking down and how they miraculously ended up at a pastor’s home. She then began sharing with me about the pastor’s wife.

“Tina” she said, “When I first walked into their home, the first thing I noticed was the Betsy Clark collection! It was everywhere!”

“No!” I shouted overly excited. “I can’t believe it!”

We both chuckled and giggled for a while on the phone, reading each other’s thoughts.

“God sure went to a lot of trouble to bless someone!” We laughed. This woman had been collecting Betsy Clark since the seventies. She had every Betsy Clark piece imaginable (well almost). As my gift to her, I sent the entire box of Betsy Clark collections.

I have no idea why I am always amazed at the length God travels to bless someone or show His love for them. A woman in Colorado had a box of cards. I stumbled upon the yard sale at just the right moment – to get the entire box. My in-laws had to break down in a small town on their way to Montana. A stranger had to come along at the precise time and then escort them to the correct pastor’s home just for a pastor’s wife to get a box of cards? Maybe there’s more to this journey of ours? This particular journey was for more . . . than just a box of cards.

Rita's Journey - A Precious Stone

"My husband and I had done errands and seen a movie. During a stop at the supermarket, I felt something sharp on my left hand. I was shocked to find the prongs on my engagement ring empty. No diamond! As we re-traced our steps through the store, I prayed for God to help us find the stone. The search turned up nothing. After leaving name and phone number with the cashier, we left for home. The manager had told us he would have the store swept. During the drive home, we considered asking our insurance agent if the company would pay a claim for a new diamond. I was already missing the stone I had worn for 43 years. The house was searched in the areas where I thought it could be. No diamond. The stone could have fallen in any one of the five places we had been that afternoon. As I put away the groceries, a strong urge grew to go take a look in the back seat area of my car. I opened the car door, and there was the diamond shining against the black floor mat. It never looked more beautiful. My immediate response was a joyful, "thank you, Lord; you are awesome."

Rita H.

As you can imagine Rita's precious stone could have been anywhere. What I love about Rita's journey moment is that she yielded to the discernment of the Holy Spirit. That nudge and pressing from the Lord could have been easily pushed aside. Who knows how long it would have taken for Rita to find her stone as well as relief. The Lord wanted her to have that relief and to have her precious stone. Rita listened to the prompting and obeyed. We all have those moments when we second guess our feelings and thoughts but just suppose the Lord is trying to speak to you - get your attention - teach you something at that very moment. Do we yield or do we push it aside? If we listen He will guide us - He will teach us - and He will lead us to those very precious stones that we can grab hold of and take with us.

May your journey be successful today and may you find God in all things.

Recognizing The Lord in the Midst of a Storm

Sometimes you can spend all the time in the world with God and still not recognize Him. Why is that? We have all been there - done it - and come away scratching our heads when it is over.

You gotta love those disciples. One particular day the apostles returned to Jesus after their tour of ministry. Everyone was so tired. Jesus said to them, "Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest." (Mark 6: 31) As a pastor's wife I can certainly understand the need for those moments of sweet rest.

Of course we all know the story, a crowd gathered and the end result was the feeding of five thousand with five loaves of bread. "Immediately after this, Jesus made his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. Afterward he went up into the hills by himself to pray." (Mark 6: 45-46)

At some point in the middle of the night, a storm hit and Jesus saw that the disciples were in "serious trouble" on the lake. They were "rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves." (Mark 6: 48) Isn't it amazing how that very thing happens to us in life? Without warning storms hit - we panic and begin to struggle just like the disciples.

The Bible doesn't say that the disciples actually called out for Jesus. What would you do? I am sure they called out something or maybe they were too busy fighting the waves and trying to stay in the boat.

About 3:00am Jesus came to the disciples walking on water. This is the part I love because it truly hits home. "When they (the disciples) saw him walking on the water, they screamed in terror, thinking that he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him." (Mark 6: 49-50)

I'm laughing. I guess it would startle me too. After all Jesus didn't tell them he could walk on water. What really hit home for me was the fact that the disciples could spend every waking moment with Jesus, travel with him throughout the country, see his miracles, hear his teachings, and still not recognize him during a storm. Does that sound familiar?

Sometimes when we are in the midst of the storm, struggling and working hard against it, God is not so obvious when he shows up. In fact it startles us at first. Our eyes are some other place. But when we hear, "It's all right. I am here! Don't be afraid." (Mark 6: 50) and Jesus climbs in the boat with us - then we see the storm calm, the seas settle, and the boat stops rocking. Once again we are astonished - just like the disciples.

God will show up in the midst of your storms, He will climb in the boat with you, and He will either ride the storm out with you or he will settle it - either way know that God is there. God is there whispering . . . "It's all right. I am here! Don't be afraid."

A Child's Gift

I have no idea why I am always amazed when God speaks to me. Do I not expect it everyday? I should and I teach it. When it finally happens the message seems unbelievable - Why?

A friend asked if I would be interested in going to children's camp with her as a sponsor. I agreed and felt deeply blessed. The girls were a joy! My friend has a gift of giving as well as serving. Her passion to minister and bring others to Christ truly is a testimony of her character and love for God. I honestly have no idea how she gets it all done! I thought I wore a million hats.

Her selfless acts of love spilled over into our week. My first day there I walked into the room to find a gift sweetly wrapped. There it lay with a card, “Thank you for being the girl’s counselor.” Like a warm embrace I felt touched and surprised! The aroma from the gift filled the room. I loved it!

The next day another gift came, only this time I felt even more blessed because it was from some of the girls. The day after that came several more gifts! The gifts sat neatly on the bed with a sweet note written on it - “Thank you Miss Tina!” What a blessing! At some point I realized that the girls used their camp spending money to bless us! I will never forget their act of love. The girls did not know how God was going to use them or their gifts to bless me in more than one way.

A week after our time at camp, I became overwhelmed with worry about my son. He had been sick and having tests run. On this particular day I feared the worst. I wanted my son to be well and not have to suffer anymore. I did not want to think the worst. “I know you are the healer,” I thought to the Lord. “I know I shouldn’t think the worst,” I said aloud. Nevertheless, for some reason I had a very bad feeling about it all. Suddenly, in the midst of my fear, I hung my head down and caught a glimpse at one of the gifts given to me by one of the girls. It was a bracelet made of red, white, and blue beads. Between the beads hung a small oval shaped pewter jewel. Engraved on the plate were the words – FEAR NOT.

The words penetrated deeply and I absorbed it all as if a sponge. A peace came over me and I felt as if I had been transferred to another place. “Fear Not,” I said to myself. I said it again with authority and joy. "FEAR NOT!" I will Not Fear! Somehow at that moment the Lord seemed to grab hold of it and release it from my back. He does cast out all fear! I thanked God right then for reminding me of His goodness. I thanked Him for always giving me His peace, but most of all, I thanked Him for a child’s gift that spoke to me in a very incredible way.

God Speaks Through Resources

What is a resource and can God speak to us through those kinds of things? According to Webster:

Resource: Noun

1. Available source of wealth; a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed.
2. A source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed: "the local library is a valuable resource".
3. The ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems; "a man of resource".

God is one of great resources. He created them as well as gave man the ability to create. Our world is filled with resources. With that said, of course God can speak to us through resources. When God led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert what resource did he use to do it? He used the pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. Some scholars believe that it is one in the same - fire. By day the Israelites could see the smoke from the fire but not the flames. By night they could see the flames but not so much the smoke. Either way, God used that resource to lead them and to guide them along the way and of course He would use the resources of their time.

We are fortunate in that today's society, we have many resources and God can use any number of them to speak to us. We have all heard the song on the radio at just the right time, the billboard with the words that tend to jump out at us, and even the message on the side of a van that touches our heart.

This past year a friend of mine lost her husband in a tragic vehicle accident. He left his young wife with four children all below the ages of 13. I had just finished teaching the lesson at her house on Resources and how God can speak to us through them. The day of the funeral and after the graveside service, she went back to the grave and sat beside it. Crying and trying to understand everything, she called out to God for help. She said that at that very moment a carpet cleaning van drove by. On the side of the van the words - "Heaven's Best" was written on it. Those words penetrated her heart, tugged at her soul, and embraced her grief as if God Himself were speaking. Then came some sense of peace, reassurance, and comfort for at that very moment she understood God to reveal to her that heaven was best for her husband.

It didn't mean that she could get up and walk away - never grieving again - no. It meant that somehow in the midst of her suffering and struggling to make sense of it all - God reached out and gave her comfort - He spoke to her and of all things through a carpet cleaning van.

God tries to get our attention every day and we miss it. He wants to be able to speak to us. God wants to have our attention. He does not want us to go through life miserable and lost. He wants us to know that He does speak and in so many ways. Search for the Lord this week. Find him in the details of your day. Allow God to penetrate your heart with His words . . . whatever form they may come in.

For more information about More Than Just a Journey Bible study click here.

Puzzled By Life?

We have all faced loss while on our journey. Every loss if different and we tend to handle our grief in different ways. I am sure you will remember 9-11 in 2001? That horrific incident hurt our entire country. On October 7, 2001 - Almost one month to the day - my family would not only grieve for our country and the starting of the war but we would grieve a personal loss as well. Some things in life are puzzling and we do not always understand but this I do know - the Lord will never leave us or forsake us and He will always be there to help us through those most difficult times.
I learned that even in the midst of our grief we can still find God in the details of it all. He truly works in all things, speaks in all things, and dwells in all things.

Read Puzzled By Life?

The Mysterious Valentines

I pulled out of our snug little neighborhood of only eight months and drove my two boys to the local grocery store to buy valentines for their classmates. Zach, my youngest, was as gentle as a newborn kitten and just as vibrant. His sandy soft brown hair framed his big blue eyes and ivory skin. My oldest son Jaren was tiny and frail - small for his age. He had such a tender heart and everyone adored his soft blond highlights that gently softened his ivory skin and and blue-green eyes. They were beautiful, but of course, I would think so, being their mother.


Zach had energy enough to last all day and I believe he used up every bit of it. He was always thinking of something to do and getting into things he shouldn’t.

“Mom, make sure I have some valentines left over,” Zach said sly and cunning. I had no idea why he wanted them, but agreed.

I stood over the stove and watched as he addressed the ones for his classmates and then began addressing the rest.

“What are you going to do with those valentines, Zach?” I asked as he worked diligently.

“It’s a secret,” He replied, looking up at me with such a sweet sneaky smile that I had to smile as well.

After Zach signed his name, he began to gather his things and recruit his older brother to help him with his mission. They huddled in a corner near by and filled the room with whispers. I pretended not to notice, but kept a close eye overall.

“All right! Let’s Go!” Zach shouted.

“Remember what we’re going to do?” he asked his older brother.

“Yeah! I remember,” Jaren said and they were off.

They hustled towards the door, their feet carrying them as fast as they could go.

“Hey! Where are you two off to?” I had to ask.

“We’re just playing in the cul-de-sac mom,” Zach answered.

“Okay, but stay together and remember not to go out of the cul-de-sac.”

“We will!” they both shouted excitedly, slamming the door behind them.

I stood in the moment of silence until curiosity got the better of me. I guess I had to be a nosy mother at this point - so began my snooping. I slowly pulled back the ivory-laced curtains that adorned our large window.

“Where are those boys and what are they up to?” I asked as my nose and half my face slowly peered through the window. I held the lacy curtains close to the other side of my face hoping to stay out of sight.

Suddenly I saw a head drop down behind a car that was parked in one of the driveways of a neighbor’s home. I dropped the curtain and looked closer trying to figure out what they were doing hiding in our neighbor’s yard.

I watched as they went to the next neighbor’s house. My eyes focused on my son as he rang the doorbell, knocked on the door, and then scampered behind one of the cars. Panic stricken, I gasped, stood straight up hitting my head on the side of the window.

“I am going to get those boys!” I yelled, rubbing my head.

I stumbled over the couch to get to the front door as fast as I could, the whole while hot lava began to ascend within me.

“How could they do such a thing?” “I know I raised them better than to torment our neighbors like that!”

Groping for the handle, I finally fell through the front door. Catching myself with my hands, I stood up and opened my mouth to call, “Boys!” It was then that something caught attention.

By this time, they were at the next house. I watched Zach take out a small white envelop from his pocket. I could tell that it was crinkled and worn. He took the envelop and placed it at the base of the neighbor’s front door. He then proceeded with his routine of ringing the doorbell, knocking on the door, and then scampering behind one of the cars.

His older brother applauded him and shouted his approval, “Okay! Come on! Hurry up!”
They both giggled the whole while, hardly able to contain themselves.

A middle-aged woman with dark hair opened the door and glanced around the corner. She looked side to side and around the door. I stood on my front step watching her every move. Her forehead crinkled and her lips puckered. Frustration took over and left her puzzled.

“Look down. Look down,” I whispered to myself, standing on the front steps.

She held the door with both hands and slowly pulled it towards her as if to shut it, still fixing her eyes out at the open yard.

I grabbed my face with both hands and wanted to shout, “Look down!”

The boys were nestled behind the vehicle with the tips of their heads in view and all four eyes intensely turned toward the woman.

Right before the door was pulled fully closed her eyes caught the envelop at her feet. She cautiously picked it up and looked around again. Standing in the doorway her fingers slid through the seal and opened the folded leaf. Carefully she pulled out a red card. It was one of my son’s extra valentines.

At a snail's pace, her droopy lips curved ever so slightly until a large smile embraced her. The crinkled brows were now smooth and uplifted. Her face softened as she continued to read the valentine. I have no idea what the valentine said, but knew that whatever it read was sufficient for her.

At that moment, I wanted to cry. I know - I'm a sappy mother. There I was ready to tear into both boys, thinking that they were up to no good and what I received was a sweet surprise. A sweet surprise just like the others were receiving.

As soon as the woman closed the door the boys galloped off to the next house. I stood from a distance and kept my eyes upon them the whole while. They had no idea a mother’s glow was not far behind them. I was beaming. One by one doors were opened, faces were lightened, and smiles were formed. That day they went to all the houses in the cul-de-sac as well as the ones on the next block. They traveled to every house until their hands were emptied of the valentines.

I was proud of them for giving to those whom they did not know. I was proud of them for sharing this simple gift and revealing to me such an act of love. That was the best valentine’s gift I could have ever received and I believed that for many, the mystery valentine, was the best gift they had ever received.

My son is in middle school now and of course life is different for a middle schooler - but for several years he continued his tradition of passing out the mysterious valentines. I'll never forget those moments of:

“Mom, Valentine’s day is almost here. We have to go get the valentines.”

I smiled, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, “Let’s go sweetie, the neighbors will be waiting.”

Like Lena - God Speaks in the Silence

When Lena laughed, her whole body jiggled like a bowl of Jell-O. She certainly knew how to laugh and her laughter caused a domino effect as it trickled onto others and they too began to laugh. Lena, a senior in high school, had a round body and big rosy cheeks. Her smile covered her entire face leaving only her squinty eyes.

Getting to know Lena was extremely difficult because she could not speak. She would not make eye contact with anyone she didn’t know and Lena was very tactile defensive. If someone approached her, she would pull her arms inward and up close to her side. She would then turn her head and body away from that person and let out a very strong vocal cry. Like an injured bird her harsh call could be heard throughout the school. Lena had no way of really communicating with anyone except through her own gestures that she made up and a few signs she learned from sign language. She was trapped.

One day a thought occurred to me, “I wonder if Lena could learn to use a communication board?”

I spoke with the teachers and introduced the Mayer Johnson Communication Board systems to them. This was a simple device where pictures were used to help an individual speak. The teachers immediately took action and before I knew it, the school was installing the system for Lena. Of course today that system would be outdated.

The task of opening up a completely new world for Lena had begun. That last year of school, Lena learned to communicate with others in a new and fresh way. The teachers mentioned that they wished they had known about the Board Maker sooner. They spoke about the things Lena could have learned had they known about that system before her senior year.

By the end of her senior year, she was “talking up a storm” so to speak. She carried a communication board around with her all the time. She would often approach me, tug at my shirt, and point to a symbol on the board. She and I were able to have a conversation and even though I could not hear her voice, she still spoke.

Sometimes, when I open up the Bible and read a passage it says exactly what I am feeling. Many times I open up the Bible to read something and it is as if God is trying to speak to me through that passage or scripture. The scripture comes alive - pops out at me - and pricks my heart in deep places. Something stands out and there is a strong stirring. I know then that God is speaking to me through His word.

I used to look at it in disbelief and say, “How could that happen?” - but not anymore. Now I know. I know that God speaks . . . even though I cannot always hear His voice . . . He still speaks and in so many ways.

Open up your Bible, get to know God, and have a dialogue with Him. Before we can find Him in the details of our walk we must build that relationship. I’m sure you can pick your best friend out of a large crowd – but what about finding God in the details of your life? Will you be able to recognize when He is speaking to you and in what way? - You can have a successful journey with the Lord!

The Voice of God

Hannah prayed that God would send her a child. . . He did. As soon as Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the temple of the Lord and gave him back to the Lord. I imagine that it took great courage and love for the Lord for Hannah to be able to release her son. Samuel would now be raised by the priests in the temple.

One night while Samuel slept he heard a voice call his name.

"Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." (1 Sam:3:4)

The Bible says that "in those days the word of the Lord was rare." (1 Sam3:1) Even though Samuel lived in the temple, worshiped in the temple, and grew up in the temple, he did not recognize the voice of the Lord. Eli told Samuel that he did not call for him and to go back and lay down. Samuel obeyed and went and laid back down.

"Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" (1 Sam:3:6) Samuel got up again, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; you called me."

Eli told Samuel once again that he did not call for him. "The Lord called Samuel a third time and Samuel got up and went to Eli." At that moment Eli realized that the Lord was calling Samuel and he told Samuel that if God called again say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

God did call Samuel's name again and Samuel did respond. We will have those moments on our journey when we hear a sound, a voice, a whisper, or something we are unsure of. "Can it be?" we might ask ourselves. Many of us will dismiss it or say "I must be hearing things."

Samuel did not recognize the voice of the Lord because he didn't know Him. "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him." (1 Sam: 3:7) Good knews for us - we can know God. The word of the Lord is available to us anytime we want it. We can have a personal relationship with him. The lessons are there for us - we just need to dig in and get to know Him. Below is a personal moment from a young woman who took my Journey class. I asked her if I could share her experience with you and she agreed.

"This specific moment actually happened to me during our class. I am really not sure why I didn't share it. I guess a part of me was a little scared because I still don't know what it means. Ok, here goes."

"I was laying in bed one night feeling very emotional and lost. I had been out in Colorado away from my loved ones for a long time. It seemed like everything I had planned was not working out. Before I went to bed I sort of just rushed a prayer, "God, do I stay or do I go?" Later that night I woke up to hear a voice I have never heard, and can barely describe, say, "Stephanie, this is the voice of the Lord, stay." I was very startled and started shaking. Then I heard almost a laugh, like one you'd make when a child asks a silly question. The voice then said, "Do not be afraid. Stephanie, this is the voice of the Lord, stay." After that I went right back to sleep. I still don't know what is out here for me in Colorado, but I'm glad I decided to stay."
Stephanie

God still speaks - he spoke back then and He will speak today. Build that relationship with Him, study His word, listen for His voice, and your journey will be changed. God will speak to you and you will find God in the details of your journey.

A Journey of Love

“Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his
friends. ”John 15:13


“Katie,” “Please hold your head up,” I said while walking her back to her classroom. I looked to find Katie’s eyes to the floor and her fingers spinning the invisible web. Katie’s head clung to the floor and I wondered how she could find her way anywhere around the school. Most of the time her eyes would be closed – it was her way of keeping everything out.

She was a sweet elementary student of mine that I enjoyed very much. Katie was diagnosed with severe autism along with other developmental delays. Her vocabulary was very limited and she needed a large amount of prompting to engage in any activities. In fact, Katie needed a great deal of prompting just to answer a question or to speak any words at all. Although her sentences consisted of one-word utterances, the bond between us, spoke a language of its own; a language that only she and I understood.

After a few moments of silence, I felt Katie slip her hand gently into mine. Her hand was warm to the touch and very relaxed which rarely ever happened. She was usually extremely tactile defensive. (Meaning she did not want or like to be touched)

At that moment I heard, “Miss Tina?”

I turned with her hand in mine and responded, “Yes?”

With her head still hanging down she said, “Do you love me too much?”

I turned in amazement to focus on one of the most beautiful complete sentences I have ever heard. For Katie to speak a complete sentence was indeed a miracle that did not happen very often. She suddenly lifted her head somewhat to make eye contact with me and I watched once again, astonished as the curve of her lips curled ever so slightly. I will never forget that smile or that moment.

I seemed to understand what Katie meant by that sentence. Not do you love me too much, but do you love me very much! I smiled back as my heart bubbled, “Yes Katie, I love you too much!” I wanted to grab hold of her and give her a big hug, but I knew that in Katie’s case a gentle more subtle hug would mean the same.

On the way home that day I reflected on Katie and those words. I thought of how little she knew and appeared to understand compared to most students. I thought of those few simple words that flowed from her tongue and how even to her they had meaning.

My thoughts moved to our comparison to God. We know so little and appear to understand so little compared to our heavenly Father, yet we can still find and comprehend love . . . just like Katie.

I love the passages in Job where God truly represents how great and powerful He is. He says to Job, “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightening bolts on their way? Do they report to you? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?”

“Who gave understanding to the mind?” I thought again reflecting back on Katie. I imagined that Katie could not express half as much as she really knew. She was brighter than anyone imagined.

There is so much more in the Bible that expresses how powerful and wise God is - and with all that power God gave us the ability. . . .to love. That in itself is power, that in itself is strength, and that in itself is amazing.

When does it happen? When is the heart so touched that with every beat it produces passion, desire, patience, kindness, and selflessness? When does love begin to take over so much that we would lay down our life for another? To love as Christ truly loved we could never do or understand. We can read about His love, study it, and try to follow it, but in my own heart I feel we have just touched the surface of how deep His love really is. One thing we can do is to strive to have that love for one another – that is something we can move forward in learning and doing. The only way to do that is through Christ. It is only through His love that we can love to begin with. It is only through His love that we love when we don't feel like it. It is only through His love that we can love those we hate. Christ gives us the ability to love. Christ’s love is indeed immeasurable but not untouchable.

To love as Katie does, I could never understand, for she has her own way of doing so. I may not be able to measure her love but I learned that day that her love was not untouchable.

I continued to drive quietly home reflecting on God and His greatness when I found myself asking, “Lord, do you love me too much?”

The Lord seemed to understand what I meant. Like a warm blanket covers a child suddenly I hear a whisper, “Yes, Tina, I love you too much!”

It's Not About You

"It's not about you it's about God." It seems as if I am hearing so much of that lately. Saturday evening I heard Charles Stanley preach those words. Sunday morning one of our praise team members said the same words to me in a private conversation. A little while into the service another man testified and shared the exact words again! "Okay!" I said to the Lord. "You must be trying to tell me something." I have learned to take notice when things like that happen.

In my Bible study More Than Just a Journey, that I wrote and often teach, I share in the second lesson that God speaks through others. On our journey we will come into contact with other people whom God will use to speak into our lives. Sometimes our "others" moments might involve ministering to them instead of receiving, either way there is a reason we come into contact with certain people throughout our day.

When Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt the Bible says that "they walked out boldly in full view of all of the Egyptians." (Num 33:2) I pondered the "full view of all the Egyptians" part and allowed God to speak to me through that passage. Why was it important for the Israelites to come into contact with all the Egyptians that day? Why not a hand full or a few? Or maybe the Israelites could have left while no Egyptians were watching. We understand by reading the scripture why the Egyptians were out in full view of the Israelites but there was definitely more to it than that.

As we study the passage we come to understand that on the way out God used the people who tormented the Israelites, who persecuted them, who looked down upon them, to actually bless them before leaving. The Israelites were told to go and ask the Egyptians for their clothing and gold. There was a reason they were all out in full view. I can only imagine what God might have tried to say at that very moment - to both of them - the Israelites as well as the Egyptians. How could God have been teaching, not only the Israelites but the Egyptians as well, through that dramatic encounter? There are so many lessons that could have come from that moment but one of the most important lessons is that God used others to accomplish a task - of course that is one of our purposes for being created in the first place - and don't we forget about that one? We spend countless hours passing strangers on a daily basis most of whom we rarely take notice of.

Let's do an experiment: Spend time this week noticing the very ones who cross your path. Tune into what God might be trying to say to you through that contact with another person. Maybe the Lord will give you a nudge to say something to them. Instead of ignoring it - move forward. You may find that your journey that day had meaning and purpose and that it truly was something more than an every day routine. You may find that it was not about you - but all about God.

To learn more about Tina's Bible study click here.