The Power of Pain

THE POWER OF PAIN
OUR FATHER KNOWS WHAT'S BEST FOR US,

SO WHY SHOULD WE COMPLAIN?
WE ALWAYS WANT THE SUNSHINE,

BUT HE KNOWS THERE MUST BE RAIN.

WE LOVE THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER AND THE

MERRIMENT OF CHEER,

BUT OUR HEARTS WOULD LOSE THEIR

TENDERNESS IF WE NEVER SHED  A TEAR.
FOR GROWING TREES ARE STRENGHTENED

WHEN THEY WITHSTAND THE STORM,

AND THE SHARP CUT OF THE CHISEL

GIVES THE DIAMOND GRACE AND FORM.

GOD NEVER HURTS US NEEDLESSLY,

AND HE NEVER WASTES OUR PAIN,

FOR EVERY LOSS HE SENDS TO US

IS FOLLOWED BY RICH GAIN.

AND WHEN WE COUNT THE BLESSINGS

THAT GOD SO FREELY SENT,

WE'LL FIND NO CAUSE FOR MURMURING,

AND NO TIME TO LAMENT.

FOR OUR FATHER LOVES HIS CHILDREN,

AND TO HIM ALL THINGS ARE PLAIN,

SO HE NEVER SENDS US PLEASURE

WHEN THE SOUL'S DEEP NEED IS PAIN.

SO WHENEVER WE ARE TROUBLED,

AND WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG,

WE KNOW GOD'S WORKING IN OUR HEARTS,

TO MAKE OUR SPIRIT STRONG!!!

Author unknown

A Prayer for Idolization

Lord, I don’t know what to do.

I believed you had delivered me

that I’d never do it again

but here I am, in the depths of sin.

How did this happen?

I thought I was free

Of the chains that bound

so tightly around me

I made a mistake,

Which I know you’ll forgive.

The problem is I’m human and tired

My patience, expired.

What is it you want to teach me?

I’m willing to grow and learn

I’m trying to use your strength

A traveler on this earth, I now sojourn

I didn’t mean to shut you out,

I longed for relief from frustration

over a battle I need not fight

I fell weak in desperation

And missed the path you tried to light

I need your help,

I don’t want to go down this road again.

I won’t survive in my own strength

Please provide your grace and mercy

That’s end has no length

I don’t want to run from you,

I know you’re here with me

That is my belief,

Through the chronic pain I feel,

You will comfort me with relief

You will guard me and protect me

You will keep me under your wing

Even though I’m weak and fail

It’s your praises I continue to sing

I desire you’re best for my life

Knowing you do out of necessacity

Replacing joy and comfort when  

What’s needed is strife.

Your thoughts are not mine,

To your will I do resign

You have my heart

And I know you’re on my side

Please give me a fresh start

Still Able to Fall?

“If you think you are strong, you should be careful not to fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12

I made a mistake. After a year and a half of sobriety, I failed. I did not plan to leave my house at 8:45 pm to buy a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and cheap French champagne. I’m still in shock I allowed myself to do it. I only made a small dent in the vodka, the champagne going untouched because a friend came by and took it away.

It never crossed my mind to drink until the afternoon when I returned home after traveling three days to and from south Texas for my grandmother’s funeral (nine hours both ways). I felt victorious in God’s strength to resist the temptation to drink. I drove past many liquor stores on the way back from a doctor visit, praying for the strength not to go in...believing there was no way God would let me. But ultimately, the choice was mine, and I made a poor one.

I’ve never really needed a reason to drink. I knew better. And the fact remains there is no explanation good enough to take a drink if you’re a drunk. No amount of family drama or a death in the family or physical pain or emotional turmoil justifies drinking. Especially if you’ve spent 14 years of your life consuming an obscene amount of wine and a painful 18 months in recovery trying to get your life back. 

After I stopped on April 4, 2009, I didn’t think I’d ever drink again. I refuse to waste time feeling sorry for myself, beating myself up and believing the lie that Satan would love me to accept – that all hope is lost.

Recently I read an outstanding book called, “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life,” by Hannah Whitall Smith. This is what she had to say about failures:

“A sudden failure is no reason for being discouraged and giving up all as lost.”

Saying I’ll never drink again is as foolish as saying I’ll never sin again. It still remains a day-to-day battle. I trust God has a purpose for it, and I will continue to learn and grow from this experience.

Struggling with Sin

In Romans 7:15-19 Paul expresses something I think most of us can relate to.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.”

Many times I’ve wanted to quit doing something I know isn’t right or good for me, and yet I keep on doing it. How can this be if I say I want God’s best for me?

It’s called sanctification, a process by which God makes us more like Himself by renewing His image in us.

“We are not preaching a state, but a walk. The highway of holiness is not a place, but a way. Sanctification is not a thing to be picked up at a certain state of our experience and forever after possessed, but it is a life to be lived day by day and hour by hour.” Hannah Whitall Smith

God has given Christians the power to break free from the temptations of sin. His will is for us is to be conformed to the image of His son, who He sent to take the fall for all the times I do what Paul did – and do the things I do not want to do, even when I know better.

“It is a life and walk of faith we have entered upon; and if we fail in it, our only recovery must lie in an increase of faith, not in a lessoning of it.” Hannah Whitall Smith

Pretty in Pink Personalized Tissues

“You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle.”
Psalm 56:8b

Have you ever heard of something so ridiculous - a tissue too nice to use? I just found a small package of purse Kleenexes in my bathroom cabinet that I must have stored away for the right occasion because at that time I’d felt they were too fancy for the average tear.

These tissues are pink and white striped, thicker in nature and personalized with the letter “M” for my name. Whoever gave them to me must have really loved me.

I suppose after one has shed enough tears to bring the water level up an inch in Lake Granbury, it’s a safe bet that it’s finally time to whip out the pretty in pink personalized tissues. After all, life is short, and when will there ever be the perfect time to use them, if not now?

I quickly discovered that just one soaks up double the tears because it absorbs the first round so fast. I think in paper towel land, they call it double absorbency. I’m thankful these tissues are less abrasive. I’m thankful for a lot of things. Tears of sorrow. And tears of joy.

“…And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17

Reasons for our Trials

The Reasons for our Trials

By John McAuthor

1.   To test the strength of our faith

2.   To humble us

3.   To wean us away from worldly things and ways

4.   To call us to heavenly hope

5.   To reveal what is really in our hearts and who we really love

6.   To value blessings from God

7.   To enable us to encourage and help others

8.   To develop enduring strength and for greater usefulness

9.   To chasten us and push us toward perfection

We should face trials with:

-      A joyous attitude

-      An understanding attitude

-      A submissive will

-      A believing will

-      A humble spirit

POEM - The Best is Yet to Come

The Best Is Yet To Come

You’re all I need, Lord.

Without you,

I’m incomplete.

I’m waiting,

I’m ready,

to be swept off my feet.

Dazzle me to tears

Destroy all my fears

I want nothing more than

To fall in love with you

Court me

Support me

Like you already do

just make me aware

of things I’ve never seen before

The beauty and wonder that makes you You.

Blow my mind,

Fill my heart with your love,

A spirit so pure and true

Pump the blood you shed through my veins

Make me one with you.

Bring me the fragrance of your flowers                           

The gentle touch of your healing hands                             

the warmth of your holy embrace                                        

leave the kiss of your breath upon my face                                                  

I hear you say,                                                                      

Be patient                                     

I know you’re tempted to run,                                               

but just wait,                                            

The best is yet to come.

My Idea of Heaven

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Living with God in heaven forever is our victory over death. God prepares our hearts for what is to come. Three months ago I did a six week Bible study with Bille, my exchange student from Germany, called “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn.

Not only did this study exhilarate us, bring us closer to each other and God, and help us become more comfortable praying out loud with one another - we both learned so much about what the Bible says about the present heaven. It’s helped comfort me when I think about my own “death” and to imagine all the phantasmagorical things my dad must be doing right now.

Not all that long ago, there was a time when I knew of heaven, much like I knew of Christ, but it was more of a “head knowledge.” Now I have more of a sense of heaven in my heart because God’s revealed a tiny bit of insight through that Bible study.

I had this naïve view that we would just sleep all the time and/or float around on clouds playing harps and singing hymns I don’t like. Boring. I don’t like to admit this, but I almost didn’t look forward to this place the Bible calls heaven because nothing about the idea I had in my finite mind thrilled me. I can be so simple-minded.

I’ve often asked God many questions, such as: How can life get better than my best days here? How can I possibly have a job I’m passionate about and be equipped to perform it to the best of my abilities? How can I be expected to be excited about a place that doesn’t have the same comforts I do now?

God’s answer seems to be: why do you think so little of me? Thank goodness I’m not in charge of the universe, even if I seem to forget this at times. My idea of heaven would be pretty pitiful.

Right before he died, John Newton, the author of the infamous hymn “Amazing Grace” wrote, “I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon.”

Good Grief

“Why should I ever resist any delay or disappointment, any affliction or oppression or humiliation – when I know God will use it in my life to make me like Jesus and to prepare me for heaven?” Kay Arthur

Good grief is being mindful and affected by what Jesus did on the cross for me. How he took the blame for all the mistakes I made and for running away from Him when He was reaching out to me. He is the creator of true love and grief that’s good.

Bad grief is self-destructing, and killing myself slowly – physically, mentally and spiritually, to which I can attest.

Good grief is losing someone in this life to a life with God. It’s what I consider to be a celebration of life, not the finality of it.

Bad grief is the final separation from a person I love who did not love and have a relationship with Christ. This is most definitely a reason to mourn deeply and profoundly.

Have you ever thought about what you’ll say to God as you move into eternity? When I meet God face to face and He asks me why He should allow me into His kingdom, my answer will be: “Because I’m in love with your son.”

“If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.” Vance Hayner

Losing a Loved One

“Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.”  Elisabeth Elliot

Why is it still shocking to lose a loved one who lived to be 90? I’m not sure. And is it really loss or merely a temporary separation? I believe and hope in the latter. My sweet grandmother, Honey, passed away on Saturday due to a complication, after a very risky but successful surgery to remove cancer from her colon. My aunt was with her and said she went in peace.

I’m thankful I got to talk to Honey briefly while she was in the hospital and got to tell her how much I loved her. I’m thankful God gave me a chance to speak with her about Christ and all He’s done for me…and that she responded likewise. I’m thankful she wasn’t alone when she passed. And I’m thankful I got to know her a little better in the last year.

Romans 8:18 has become one of my favorite verses that’s comforted me in times of physical agony. This morning, as I reflect on it, its meaning is even more profound when it comes to my knee-jerk, generic reaction of losing a loved one.

“For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

I recently read “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer. Following is one of his prayers. It’s a rich read that broadened my perspective on God in mind-blowing ways.

“O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things. Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute spiritual perception; enable me to taste Thee and know that Thou art good. Make heaven more real to me than any earthly thing has ever been. Amen.”  A.W. Tozer

POEM - Promises

PROMISES

By: Melissa Wren

Never alone am I

So great You are

Your love, unfailing

Not always giving me what I desire,

Only what I need most, your fire

Holding me close in Your

Promises…promises

My mind a battlefield

Exploding with the enemy’s lies

Carefully disguised

The truth waiting to be found

In the Bible, my solid ground

Obedience doesn’t equal

Instant deliverance

From the consequences

of the life I left behind

but blessings await

that You long for me to find.

When the aching in my body returns,

When the pain makes me weep because it burns

Your tears I feel

impressed upon my face

Cry with me is what you do

How you love me, unfailing and true.

Never alone am I

So great You are

Your love, unfailing

Come good times and heartbreaks

You understand my mistakes

Holding me close in Your

Promises…promises

Listening

“I gave in, and admitted that God was God.” C.S. Lewis

God’s showing me that the most important thing I can do every day is to spend time getting to know Him. Nothing else matters. It should be my main priority. If I don’t carve out time, I grow cold and distant. He’s got a lot to tell me, if I’ll just listen.

I used to be afraid to open the Bible because of what I might discover about myself. But I’ve found it’s not a rule book in what not to do. God’s trying to make my life easier by telling me how to live, like a parent trying to warn their children and help them avoid the mistakes they made.

By finding every excuse not to read the Bible, it made it easy to sit back and convince myself that God wouldn’t speak to me or answer my prayers. He speaks to me all the time because He’s everywhere, and He sits on the throne of our hearts if we’ve got a relationship with Jesus. Many times, I’ve been guilty of ignoring Him, especially if it’s something I don’t want to hear.

How are you listening today? What’s He been telling you?

Obedience through Baptism

Getting baptized is something I didn’t want to do from the time I was 18 until the age of 32, even though I’d accepted Christ into my heart when I was 10.

The reason why – I’d been too busy self-destructing and knew I wouldn’t feel right making a public statement of faith while I continued to idolize bottles of wine and make poor decisions in my life. I no longer walked with Christ; I’d chosen my own way and become my own god.

So this past Sunday, September 12^th, when I finally did get baptized, it was “for real” and out of a pure desire to be obedient to God. I can honestly and joyfully say that I long to live “in Christ alone” now and do His will. He’s all that matters.

Psalm 107 perfectly describes where I was last year before I moved back to Granbury and God transformed my heart.

Verses 17 – 21 say:

“Some became fools through their rebellious ways

and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

And he saved them from their distress.

He sent forth his word and healed them;

He rescued them from the grave.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.”

I’ve discovered there’s no greater way to fill the emptiness we often experience than falling in love with Jesus. He’s given me hope when I didn’t have any left and completely changed my desires.

Psalm 115:1 says: “It does not belong to us, Lord. The glory belongs to you because of your love and loyalty.”

I also became a member of Grace Community Church in Glen Rose, Texas. Check out www.gccministries.org for more info on this church.

Benefits of Illness

“God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut. And if it takes a thorn for Him to make his point, He loves us enough not to pluck it out.”
Max Lucado

Here’s something I never thought I’d say a year ago: I’m thankful for the health challenges God’s given me.

I wouldn’t have a relationship with Christ without illness. I’d have the head knowledge that He died for my sins and everything I learned growing up in church, but I wouldn’t know Him as a real person. Someone who set me free of my old ways and helped me understand that He’s all I need. Illness has forced me to recognize that God’s always with me, whether I acknowledge Him or not.

I continue to ask the Lord to give me the motivation and desire to read His word every day. I'll admit that often times, especially in the past, I've found the Bible a bit dull. God’s been faithful to answer my prayers and open my eyes to the beauty of what’s in His Word.

The Bible is the most exciting book I’ve ever read, and it’s come alive for me. I’ve been blown away by how much God speaks through it and how it applies to my life. Anything we can ever imagine doing is found in these pages.

I’m not too concerned at the moment about being free of illness. The Lord will heal me when and if it pleases Him.

If you aren’t ill, try substituting the word “illness” with another word that represents a challenge in your life. Where would you be without it, and are you thankful for it?

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
Romans 8:18

Wanting God's Will

“Don’t ask God to do what you want. Ask God to do what is right.”
Max Lucado

Most of us have dreams we hope come true. I wrote my first book in the fourth grade and got the principal’s stamp of approval with a note that said, “This book is really super!”

Well of course it was; it was a handwritten lined journal filled with silly stories about a nameless boy who “got in a lot of trouble.” I called it, “Me. Me. Me.” A best-seller at Emma Robertson Elementary. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a writer.

I wrote my first “real” book in eighth grade. I use the word “real” because it was 300 pages long. After my mom read it and told me she was “my number one fan,” I knew I’d officially made it.

I’ve always dreamed of being a famous mystery writer like Mary Higgins Clark. My dreams have evolved over the years though. Now I want what God wants, regardless of whether that includes fulfilling “my dream” or not. I desire to be in God’s will because I know that is true victory. Besides, I’m learning that His dreams for me are a lot bigger than I could have ever thought up on my own.

Last year at the Christian Writers Guild conference in Denver, Colorado, I heard Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales, speak. Just ask him about his dreams and how he succeeded in God’s strength and failed in his own.

He said, “He who has God along with their big dream has nothing more than the one who has God alone.”

Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? I’m curious, what are your life-long dreams and how have they come true?