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A Mother’s Flowers

I read this story from Readers Digest recently:

When the supermarket clerk tallied up my groceries, it was $12 over what I had on me. I began to remove items from the bags when another shopper handed me a $20 bill. “Please don’t put yourself out,” I told him. “Let me tell you a story,” he said. “My mother is in the hospital with cancer. I visit her every day and bring her flowers. I went this morning, and she got mad at me for spending my money on more flowers. She demanded that I do something else with that money. So, here, please accept this. It is my mother’s flowers.”

Leslie Wagner, Peel, Arkansas, Readers Digest “30 Stories About the Touching Kindness of Strangers That’ll Make You Tear Up”

Today, my wife is letting me use her car to take my daughter on a promised shopping trip to Charlotte, NC (as part of my daughter’s birthday celebration). My father in law, Larry Fowler, is going to help us out by picking up Mandee from work and bringing her home (probably a solid 1.5 hours out of the way for him). My parents, Jean and Jim Ballinger, are in Myrtle Beach, SC (about 4 hours from us) and have been working with Carmax there last night and today to test drive and help us purchase a replacement vehicle for my stolen truck — which my mom is going to drive to us when everything is finalized. I’ve had several friends at work (John Cooper, John Robitaille, Austin Bruce) encourage me by driving me to and buying me lunch while we’re dealing with this. And I’ve had so many friends that we see at work (Jim Blaine, Traci Hill, Jennifer Mason, Brianna Smith, Tricia Brown, Travis Bowers, Donnie Williams, Ken Marler, Jessica Bonds, Julie Coates, +more) , at church (Andrew Smith, Austin Barnett, +more), online (Tom & Christy Pierce, Susan Cope, Dakota Milton, Michael Mcleymore, Matt Elder, Hillary Brackins Anderson, Eddie Pat Glance, Jay Horton, Allison Uhler, Daniel Hutchins, +more) etc. that have been especially encouraging and helpful through this whole process.

Sometimes, it is easy to overlook the many small kindnesses around us. But when we are able to slow down and recognize them, it sure is inspiring. It makes me want to look for opportunities to do the same thing for others! And when I look at how kind and loving the Lord has been (and continues to be) towards me and my family, it inspires me to see more clearly the many ways He shows us love — through them and through the precious Blood of the Lamb.

Maybe today I will get to carry that gift of love and deliver it to others? I really hope that I won’t miss an opportunity to show kindness! We never know when our small act of kindness is part of the story that keeps someone else’s heart warmed against some of the harsh and cold realities of this life’s challenges.

Someone might look at me writing stories regularly about Jesus, love and hope — and mistakenly believe that it is natural, or easy for me to remain hopeful, to not hurt, to not doubt, or to be positive — but I’ve dealt with deep depression, suicide attempts, hopelessness and overwhelming anxiety and grief too. But I can truly say that I was blind to see the loving kindness that was around me, and I was only looking into the darkness. I have turned and gone another way (towards the light), and I see your kindness now — and I want to be that kindness now.

Thank you each for your loving kindness towards me, and towards whoever you’ll encounter today. Thank you Jesus for revealing your love powerfully like light breaking through the darkness. Amen.

‭John‬ ‭13:35‬ ‭ESV‬
[35] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.13.35.ESV

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All the Ingredients for a Heartwarming Story

For the past few weeks, we’ve been dealing with the challenge and uncertainty that comes with having a vehicle stolen. Looking around at the many people around us dealing with bigger and more challenging issues like loss/grief, health issues, etc. has really helped us keep things in perspective. There is a lot about the situation that is uncomfortable and challenging — the inconvenience of only having one vehicle, the time required to deal with the situation (police investigation, insurance claim, shopping for a vehicle, coordinating transportation), the added expense of purchasing another vehicle, and the stress to our budget during the month of December (our daughter’s birthday, Christmas, and additional giving commitments).

Yesterday was probably the hardest day of all for me to stay positive and to trust that God is doing good in all of this. Earlier in the week I had taken a day off of work so that dad and I could make a special trip to Columbia, SC to shop for a vehicle at the Carmax wholesale auction lot. And we had found a vehicle that I let myself get excited about purchasing. But late yesterday, we find out that the vehicle had a slipping transmission that would have required significant time and money for repairs. So while I’m very glad that we found this out before buying the vehicle — it also crushed the images I already had already played out in my head about this vehicle. So I was disappointed — both that the expectation I had set in my mind was not going to be met, and the realization that I now had to start shopping all over again.

Hopefully, we will hear back from our insurance company this weekend on what they are offering to cover my stolen truck. Hopefully it will be fair and reasonable — that’s the expectation that I’ve set in my mind. But that imagination could be crushed if whatever they offer isn’t in line with the research we’ve done ourselves. And we may set our eyes on another vehicle that we become interested in and get let down again. Just because we worship Jesus and we try to make reasonable decisions doesn’t mean that life will not throw us some curve balls with regards to “what we want” versus what reality presents us.

I have to remember that I didn’t expect to have any insurance coverage at all, but that the Lord had blessed my wife with a wise advisor in our insurance agent who had convinced her to carry additional coverage that I would have declined. I have to remember that we have multiple friends who have showed us the power of God’s love and faithfulness by offering to help us out while we are down to one vehicle. I have to remember that we’ve received what we’ve needed just in time to keep us afloat this month. I have to remember that much of the inconvenience caused by this situation is humbling us about just how blessed we truly are. I have to remember that a certain vehicle or expectation that I’ve set in my head is not an idol that I can put ahead of my trusting in God.

I’ve had so many people share with me how they have been encouraged by how we are dealing with this situation. And like a fool, I had overlooked that extremely valuable point.

Yesterday, I watched a Chevy Christmas commercial about a grandma with dementia. I wept and hurt deeply for at least 20 or 30 minutes after watching it — but it was so positive and moving that I had to share it. Then I commented to my friends and shared it with them, mentioning how I miss those heartwarming Christmas commercials that more companies used to put out.

Later on, I watched commentary about Ted Talks where the person speaking became emotional because of how personal and real the subject was to them — and how it impacted their audience in a positive way. Maybe this challenge is “my Christmas commercial” — being transparent and honest about how it is hard at times to stay positive, yet we still have a reason to hold out hope. I’m not here to manipulate your emotions so you might buy something, or visit my page, or build my followers. But I’ve found in Jesus someone worth worshipping even in the midst of the storms of my life — ESPECIALLY in those challenging times.

This Christmas, I hope we will get to spend time talking about the awesome wonders of God — like I got to do at our company Christmas party this week, like I get to share with friends through these posts, like we share daily with those we love life alongside. I hope that we’ll remember the hope, the joy and the celebration that this season is really about — and we’ll see past the distractions of any presents under the tree or in the driveway– to see the greatest gift we’ve ever received, a baby Jesus in a manger. Amen.

What is your heartwarming story this Christmas? Please share it!

‭Colossians‬ ‭3:12‭-‬17‬ ‭ESV‬
[12] Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

https://bible.com/bible/59/col.3.12.ESV

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Why are some people so excited about worship?

Imagine being so proud and foolish that we do not worship the Lord.

I realize that’s a bold statement that might offend someone. But please hear me out and consider what I have to say — even if it’s just to better understand what makes those crazy Jesus-freaks tick. Lol.

I’m not making that opening statement so we can turn our pointing fingers towards others out there in the world who do not worship the Lord (like we’re an accuser or a judge). No, this is a self-examination exercise not an opportunity for us to blame our judge others. So let’s imagine ourselves being so proud and so foolish that we do not worship the Lord.

Some of us don’t think that it’s proud or foolish to not worship the Lord because we can’t truly worship something we don’t even truly believe, right? And that’s about as far as many who don’t believe will go on the topic of worship if they have no interest in considering our underestimate the fascinating lives of “those people who are all about Jesus”.

Most of us “Christians” don’t have to “imagine” — we just have to remember a time when we have been proud and foolish enough that we did not worship the Lord. We don’t have to play make believe, because there is a real time we can point to.

I’m not asking whether or not we showed up at church to check off the box of our religious traditions and outward obligations (so that we would be seen by others a certain way). No, I’m talking about worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth.

I’m not asking if we’ve listened to preaching and sung familiar songs for our own benefit or entertainment. No, I’m talking about a heart of actual worship that seeks and looks to the Lord in awe and wonder.

And if we are so proud and foolish that we can’t remember a time when our hearts were cold and dark and refused to truly worship the Lord — then how cold and dark must our proud and foolish hearts be right now? How far from the humble and contrite spirit that God seeks have we run?

Every single one of us has failed to (even refused) to truly worship the Lord — not just with our prayers but with our lives too. So it shouldn’t be that hard for us to imagine or remember.

And yes, there are many that might say that there is no Lord, or that if the Lord does exist that He isn’t worthy of their praise or worship. But even they can hear that still, quiet voice convicting them of this lie. Even they can see the love and blessing in the lives of those who truly worship the Lord and can be jealous that it is lacking in their own.

And even those of us who at one time were in deep awe and humility before God but who have now put ourselves and the distractions and temptations of this world ahead of our truly worshipping God — we can see those who are truly in awe of God and who are so eager to worship Him with their every breath and living moment. And we are either frustrated by these people — or jealous of them — or worse of all, complacent about their abundance of worship compared to our own deficient or barren state.

We all have room in our lives for repentance when it comes to truly worshipping the Lord — when it comes to abiding in Him and walking with Him throughout our day — when it comes to dying to ourselves and being His Kingdom representatives doing His will on earth as it is in heaven.

We all have room in our lives to put our opportunity to worship Him NOW well above and beyond some promise of a “some day going to heaven after I die”. If we refuse to worship Him now, what does that tell us about how much we truly appreciate a Heaven where He is worshiped with never ending praise? If we act as if worship is burdensome, or unnecessary, or not a priority to us now — being surrounded by radical Jesus-freaks who can’t stop worshipping the Lord with their whole being (with all of their hearts, minds, spirits and bodies) for all of eternity — would that be heaven to us or some kind of hell?

How many of us have been proud and foolish enough that we think that Heaven should be about us being the ones receiving praise and honor and reward there? How many of us act as if we should be on the throne of our own worship? Lord help us!

As you can see, I’m not selling the snake oil of some prosperity gospel — or asking you to send your money and build up a cult of followers around me so that you don’t have to fear death. No, I’ve found a friend in Jesus and a heavenly Father who is worthy of worship. I’ve seen past the veil of what man has turned into ugly religion for his own purposes, and I’ve found the one true God — and it isn’t me. I’ve found that His way is not just good, but is best. And I’ve found that He is worthy.

I love how Psalm 95 says “Come let us worship the Lord”, and that should be our prayer. That the Lord would overcome and replace our stony hardened hearts with a heart of worship so that we can know the abundance of a life on fire and eager to worship the Lord! Let’s enter into His rest today! Let’s worship Him in spirit and truth because His promises are true, let’s bow down our bodies before Him because He is the creator of everything who has breathed life into us, and let’s kneal our hearts remembering what He has done for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen.

‭Psalm‬ ‭95:6‭-‬11‬ ‭ESV‬
[6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! [7] For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, [9] when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. [10] For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” [11] Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”

https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.95.6.ESV

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My Love Letter to You

‭
My friends,

Since God loves us so much, is there any doubt or confusion that we ought to love each other?

Not even one of us has ever seen God.

But if we truly love each other (not lust or codependency or mutually beneficial, transactional or manipulative behavior — but committed, faithful and sacrificial love for others) — isn’t it clear that God lives in those of us who live this way, and that His love is brought to full bloom and full expression of His Spirit alive within us?

Is it an offensive claim for some to hear us say that — God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and that He lives in us?

Is it an even more offensive claim for some to hear us testify that — the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world, and that all who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God?

If we know how much God loves us, then we have put our trust in his love. We know that God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows and blooms more perfectly in His love.

If we love one another, if we love both our friends and our enemies, showing mercy and forgiveness and love eagerly to all, then we have nothing to fear and only an electable of more opportunities to show this love while we still breathe.

And if we love one another, we will not be afraid after our last breath, because even facing a day of judgment, we can face him with confidence because we live and live others like Jesus gave us the example here in this world.

This love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we were afraid, it would have been because we feared punishment, but this would reveal that we have not yet fully experienced his perfect love.

We do not teach fear, we teach love. We do not live out of fear, we live out of love.

And we love each other because he loved us first.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, hates a family member, hates a neighbor, hates another person, hates an “enemy” — that person is a liar.

If we refuse to love people that we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love one another.

And for those who misunderstand or wish to twist this to justify their fear or hatred for some and their preference for some — Jesus has made it clear. We must love not only those who are like us, but we must love our neighbor, we must love those in need, we must love those who are undeserving, and we must love even our enemies.

This is how God has loved us who have all at one time or another proven ourselves enemies of God — yet He has loved us and shown us a different path along The Way — a life that abides and grows in His love. Amen.