Changes

Things are changing so quickly everywhere!  The beginning signs of Spring are in the air!   The robins are back and building nests for their young.  Daffodils and crocus are showing off their fancy dresses in the sunshine.

Other changes though are in the wind.  The Soviets are again acting as if the Cold War were again happening (if indeed it ever really stopped).   The dollar is weak and threatens our economy.  Many people are without jobs in our land and the world at large, struggling for day to day survival.

I also have heard of earthquakes in California this week and we all know about the mudslide in Washington where rescuers are still working.  We have a jet missing with many lost people on board.

God has promised us He will never leave us nor forsake us.  No matter how many difficult changes there are He is at work bringing people into His Kingdom and using His servants who are faithfully serving to do so.  We must not lose heart at seeing the birth pangs of the end times but be all the more persevering in sharing Christ with all who will listen, serving others in love, not being devisive and looking forward expectantly to our Lord's return!

Diet

It's a new year!  People are talking about diets again.  I am needing to lose weight too and have already begun changing my eating habits. 

I also have been thinking on what stuff do I need to diet from for my spiritual life to improve?
I am not writing as much since I starting working fulltime in October.  But then again, there are things I need to cut out that would enhance my spiritual walk and enable me to write more and create more in my art for Him.


Things like:  playing too many video games on my ipad, watching too many recorded shows on tv, complaining about things I don't like,  reading too much other stuff instead of my Bible. 

What should be on your spiritual diet list this year?  Things and habits you need to cut down on or lose completely to enhance your relationship with Christ? 

Some "food for thought"!

Tree of Life

In the womb

He starts our heart

God breathes life into

Each of us He creates

Giving us a spirit

His image

I am the vine

Jesus

You are the branches

Everyone created

He is our Living Water

Sustainer

All can choose

Remain on the tree

Or be cut off

Take the Living Water

Bearing much fruit

Take the world’s water

Be cut off and burned in the fire

Remain in Him

Sustained as

His Living Water

Flows through you

Growing you

From a tiny twig

Getting stronger through

He who abides in you

Branching out

More and more

As He works through you

Pruned through the

Harshness of this world

To increase His yield

Reaching even more for Him

Blown by the breeze of

The Holy Spirit

Unseen but felt

Directing the path

We reach

Those we touch

Bringing forth fruit

All true believers

Abiding in Him

A spiritual tree

All His plan

Branching out into God's

Glorious tree of

Life eternal

By Tracy Whipple Copyright 2012

 

 

Eden

 

Where has Eden gone?

Did it disappear with the flood?

Man was banished from it forever?

The Bible is the Garden of Eden

The Place where we meet with God

Tranquil

Refreshing

Nourishing

Where He walks with us

Talks with us

Teaches us

Shows us His love for us

His compassion

His mercy

His grace

Who we are to Him

His Bride

His children

Our beauty

Our value

But also

His greatness

His power

Our Redeemer

Our Rock

Our Fortress

Our Deliverer

We treat the Bible like it is a chore

Gotta get it done

Put it back on the shelf

Duty overwith

Just like the fall in Eden

Meet with Him

Then walk away

To be our own gods

Calling the shots ourselves

Fearing, failing, angry

Deceiving, burning out

Carrying the load alone

Not hearing from Him

Believing we are alone

That He doesn’t really love us

When we’ve left Eden on the shelf

Eden

A place to meet with Him

Walk with Him

Learn from Him

Grow in Him

Know Him

ALIVE

 The Living Word

The Garden of Eden

Tracy Whipple ©2012

The Window of Opportunity

Spring has been springing here in Kansas for most of the Winter it seems.  One of the things I know I always enjoy is when it gets really nice and warm and breezy, opening the windows and letting out all the musty, dusty, staleness of being closed in all winter.  I love sitting by the window with the sunshine washing in and feeling the freshness of the breeze blowing across me.  It is so refreshing.

On Sunday, Pastor Joe, talked about prayer.  He mentioned how it is like opening a window of our soul in invitation to God for meeting.

So when I open this window, if I think of the metaphor,   I am inviting God in His Holy Spirit to blow into my soul and push out all the musty, dusty, staleness, and sinfulness I have accumulated.  I am sitting there basking in the warmth of God's marvelous light snug in its embrace as He holds me and warms my soul encouraging me as I walk in this world of darkness.  If I sit there too and open His word, I let the sprinkling of Living Water rain on me like the unexpected Spring shower that blows in my window. 

Then I am thinking why do I have to only open the window sometimes?

                           Paul in First Thessalonians 5:17 talks about praying without ceasing. 

So I can, if I choose to,  throw ALL the windows of my soul open wide and let Him blow through me meeting with me in a freshness I have never experienced.  Basking in His light, love and warmth.

                                                              WITHOUT CEASING 

    That is what He desires for us to do.  But He won't make us open the windows.  He wants us to be willing to open the windows and invite Him to meet with us. 

Take the window of opportunity and start with one window and let Him freshen you and go from there.
                                              You just have to open it and invite Him in

To The Heavens

Psalm 36: 5,7  Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies...How priceless is your unfailing love!


God's love reaches to the heavens.  How many of us box God's love in?  How many of us only let it out when we need it?

There are some of us who never know it at all. Never even open the box to see what His love looks like.

There are some of us who only let His love out of the box at Christmas and Easter when we remember what He did for us and then only allow it out when there is an emergency and we need Him more than ever. 

There are some of us who let His love out on Sunday mornings when we worship and maybe on Wednesday nights at prayer meeting each week but come home and put the box back on the shelf and go our own way all week long after that. 

There are some of us who let it shine in our lives wherever we go fighting against closing Him up in the box.  We are amazed at how He works in our lives and the amazing things He does through His love and it makes us sad to see others who never experience this amazing love all the time.

Go outside one clear night and really look at the sky.  Don't be distracted by stuff going on around you or worried about someone next door thinking you are a kook because you are out staring at the stars.
The universe is IMMENSE!  I can't even begin to imagine how large it is in my mind. 

Psalm 36: 5,7  Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies... How priceless is your unfailing love!

His LOVE is immense like the heavens you are looking up at!  How can we wreck things by boxing that up?   How much do we miss out on when we do?  My heart breaks for all that I have missed.  My heart breaks for all that you have missed.

He loves us so so much.  Unfailingly!

The Art of Lively Discussions

Jesus was a rabbi.  A spiritual teacher.  In the society He lived in young men who showed promise in learning the Torah would follow the rabbi.  This meant that they would eat, sleep, pray, talk, and think like the rabbi.  They were learning to eventually BE Him. 

Another thing that these men would do is that they would talk about various scriptures from the books of our Old Testament.  Not only would they simply have a discussion, but they would hold lively debates over issues often by pointing to other scriptures that apply and using their learning to help them make their point. These debates helped solidify their understanding of the scriptures and gave them further insights as they learned from each other.

God has given us many mysteries in the Word.  In fact, I kind of like to think He is a mystery writer.  I want to read it more to know how it ends and figure out things that are not very clear.  Last Sunday our pastor, Joe, was talking about how God created us to be searchers and discoverers of His mysteries.  I like thinking of that.  It makes perfect sense.

As people we are always learning and searching for answers.  How does the human body work? How does the universe work?  How did people in ancient history live?  I find myself continually amazed by simple things such as petals on a flower or how different plants have different species of insects that pollinate them.  Such small but complex things that are part of God's creativeness. 

Do I approach His word in the same way?  Noticing the complexities in such small things and being amazed by them?  Some things we really can't know for sure.  But He wants us to ponder them, think on them further, ask Him about it and learn more about Him.  I can only imagine at this point in my life that perhaps all of eternity will be spent just learning and discovering Him and His greatness because He is infinite. 

I also think however, that we have missed the boat on lively discussion as Christ followers.  If we are to follow the rabbi as the scripture intends and become more like Him each day.  We also need to engage each other more in lively debate over the scriptures.  I am not talking about arguing each other down in some shouting match over who is right or wrong.  But talking to one another about what we think about scripture, what God has shown us about a passage.  Listening intently to each other.  Thinking together about it and how it applies to our lives.  Then go back to the Word and look it up again and think on it some more.

I had the privilege of a couple of lively discussions this past week.  It felt like a breath of fresh air in a stale dry landscape of personal quiet time.  It enriched my thinking and drove me further into the Word to understand more and think and pursue Him.  Did we agree in everything we talked about?  No.  Did we know all the answers to the mysteries?  No.  Did we get into an argument over who was right or wrong?  No.  It was  lively interesting discussion.  It made us think. 

We are rabbis in training.  How can we train if we don't look at the Rabbi and what He says?

We need to slow down in life.  Take time with each other to meet and talk about Him and what He is doing in our lives, what He is teaching us from His Word, what we think about the mysteries that aren't finished in the Word.  How do they apply to our lives?

Mysteries to ponder that I have been thinking on this week:

1) The Book of Life -  How does one get in there?  When are folks blotted out?  What does it mean and how does what I know it says about it apply to my life?
2)  Did Jesus preach in hell?  Hint:  begin in 1 Peter 3.  If so who did He preach to?  Why?  Does Abraham's bosom apply to this issue?  (this one is what I am looking into now)

Feel free to comment back with other scriptural mysteries to ponder or thoughts you have on these mysteries above.    I would love more things to think on further!
 

Alive

Sawdust I am

Living water added to me

Clay for the Potter

Shaped by His hand

Not a puppet on strings but

A vessel I become

To pour out His greatness

To give Him glory and honor

Part of His plan

Time marches on

Little by little

I disintegrate for Him

And return to a pile of sawdust

Then

Blown by the Holy Spirit

Borne away to the splendor of my Eternal Home

I will be

Reformed and perfect forever

Tracy Whipple ©2011

Lessons From This Summers Garden

I planted a vegetable garden this year.  It is interesting the lessons I learned and how they apply to my spiritual life. 

Water is essential for things to grow.  It was very hot and dry this summer here in Kansas.  Daily watering was necessary and even then it wasn’t enough for some of the plants.  When it rained the plants always did better than when I watered them by hand.

John 4:10  Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.  

Jesus always waters us best like the rain waters the garden.

Weeds will come up everywhere and keep coming back no matter how much you  pull them up.  It was amazing to me that no matter how hot and dry it was, the weeds always grew better than the vegetables. 

We can never get rid of the weeds of sin on our own.  Only God can uproot them out of our lives. They will come up over and over especially when we are the driest and least watered.  

John 1:29  The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Sometimes seeds  get planted where you didn’t intend on it.  In the Spring, I planted bean, carrot, watermelon, cucumber and cantaloupe seeds.  It was a breezy day and the seed packets blew around on the patio.   A while later, I had carrots growing in the strawberry bed where I did not intentionally plant them.  Yet I am looking forward to how good those carrots God saw fit to plant for me will taste!

Luke 8:11  Now the parable is this:  the seed is the word of God

Jesus is the Living Word.  As Christians He is in each of our hearts.  We will sow Him wherever we go as He shines in our life. He will grow seeds even where you did not think to sow them.

Sometimes the plants you grow, don’t always survive to produce fruit.  I had beautiful yellow squash plants.  They had huge flowers, each time fruit came on from the flowers, they withered and shriveled up.  I think we may have gotten two tiny (I mean really tiny) squash off the plants.  One day I came outside and the plant was withered and no amount of watering helped it.  Some insect had infected it and it died. 

John 15: 2  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

I pray that you and I will be fruitful for Him.

Taking a plant and transplanting it to a new place I want it to grow isn’t always a good thing.  When I planted a new raspberry vine, I wasn’t sure where I wanted it to ultimately be.  Later on in the summertime, I had decided so I dug it up and moved it.  I watered it faithfully and still it withered and died.  I am hoping it will come back next season, but can’t be sure til then.

God needs to be the one in charge of moving people He has planted.  We can’t be the ones to decide for them and take over.  We come alongside of them and pray for them and let Him move them to where He wants them to grow and be fruitful for Him.

These are just a few of the things I learned and I pray that they will be of some benefit for you in your own walk with the Lord!

Love Your Neighbor

I just returned from the wonderful weekend for women conference! What a great time of fellowship and teaching!

One thing that reached me in particular is "Starting Something New".

There are so many people in the United States today that will not walk into your church. They are so turned off to organized religion that they will not come. But they are hungry and thirsty for the Only One who can satisfy. He desires that all come to him.

So why not reach your neighbor. I have them on all sides of where I live. I am sure you do too. Invite them over for coffee. Organize a cookout in your backyard and ask them to come. Start a bookclub. Invite them for dinner.

Get to know them. Don't start out with your Bible in hand spouting the Roman  road to salvation and turn them off. Just love them as Jesus loved people. Share in their lives. Pray for them. Ask them what you can pray for them. The more time you invest in loving them, the more Jesus will shine through you into their life. Let Him be the guide in your relationship. He knows their needs and heart.

You can also simply shine Him where ever you go. In the store, smile and make eye contact with people. It is so hard for them not to smile back. It is contagious.

So many people today feel so lonely or busy that a simple smile, or holding the door open for them, or letting them go ahead of you in line will lift their heart. God will use the simplest of things to touch someones heart.

It's all about compassion and loving your neighbor.  Jesus did it, why not start right now?

What's Your Handicap?

We all have handicaps.   We don’t like to think we do but we have them nontheless.

There are lots of things I can’t do.

                                                     Many I can’t do well at all.

                                                                                               Some I am afraid to do.

They are my handicaps. 

Isaiah 41:10  “ Do not fear, for I am with you;

                                                 Do not anxiously look about you,

for I am your God.

                                     I will strengthen you,

                                                                       surely I will help you,

                                 Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

God likes to use handicaps. 

                                                 In them HE gets the glory and credit, not us.

He used Moses to lead millions to a new land.  He could not speak well.

            He used Esther to save her people.   She was a Jew in a foreign land.

He used Jonah to preach to Ninevah.    He was terrified to go and hated them.

            He used Mary to give birth to His Son.       She was not married.

He used a demoniac to spread His gospel.             He was demon possessed.

            He used Peter to preach the word.       He was impulsive.

He used Paul to reach the gentiles.   He hated Christians and had a physical handicap.

            He used Zaccheus to reach the lost.        He was short and a tax collector.

He used a Samaritan woman to reach the lost.         She was an adulteress.

            He used a blind man to preach to Pharisees.          He was blind from birth.

2 Corinthians 12:9   “ And He has said to me,

                                                MY grace is sufficient for you

                                                                        For power is perfected in weakness

                               Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast

                                                                        About my weaknesses

                                    So that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

We are afraid to be weak

The world wants us to be strong in ourselves and hide our weaknesses.

               It wants us to fit in and go with the crowd doing their thing, choosing their path.

The crowd shuns handicaps.  

                God sees them as useful, beautiful, a way to give Him glory and honor.

What are your handicaps?

                                          We all have them.

                                                                        Turn them over freely to God

And let Him use them for His glory.

           

           

God Is......

                  We spend a lot of time talking about attributes of God.

                                      Things like redeemer, healer, provider, shelter, savior, friend…..

                  Lately, I have been thinking of….

Painter

    Vibrant sunsets

Wildflower meadows

                     Sparkling daylilies

               Faraway galaxies

                                                                                           Butterfly wings       

                                                                                                           The  iris of our eye

 

 

         Engineer

     Solar systems

                       Mitochondria

                                         The Great Barrier Reef

                                                                    A bird’s feather

                                                                                              Tides

                                                                                                        Seashells

                                                                                    

                                        

Musician

     Gentle breezes

                        Thunderstorms

                                        Bees buzzing in the garden

                    Children’s laughter

                                             Ocean Waves

Knitter

     Tree leaves

                  Human bodies

                                   Kelp forests

                                                   Rain forests

                                                              Food Chains

                                                                               Puppies

                                                                                                                                                            

Sculptor

            The Grand Canyon

                                 Sand Dunes
                                                             Glaciers
                                                                        Volcanoes
                                                                                     Infant Fingers and Toes

Psalm 104

                                                                               God Is…..  An Artist

                            

                       

Tied Up In Knots?

As an avid crocheter,   I often get really irritated by the fact that a lot of yarn has poor quality control. Not long ago while making a shawl, I had a huge tangled mess come out of the center of a pull skein.  Through it, God gave me some interesting insights to share with you.

Sometimes we are like that skein of yarn.  On the outside we look all nice and neat and orderly.  But on the inside we may be tangled up.  We may be harboring unforgiveness, anger, frustration, feelings of inferiority, disappointments, stress, or a myriad of other things that keep us feeling tied up in knots.

Some days in pulling the yarn from the skein, a small looped knot will come out.  Work on the finished project has to stop and the knot pulled loose.  Usually this is easily done if the knot hasn’t been pulled too tightly.  Then work can begin again on the project. 

We often have these looped knots in our life.  It may be just some simple crummy event in our day, but God has to stop our forward progress and remind us of His word and presence in our life and He gently untangles the knot and gets our attitude back on track moving us forward.

Other times, pulling the yarn from the skein results in a huge tangled up mess with lots of knots and loops that look like a pile of spaghetti on a plate.  Once again, the finished project must go on hold, needle put down and lots of untangling removing one knot after another gently and slowly so as not to make it worse. 

Sometimes there is a huge mess inside of us that builds and builds till we are a tied up tangle of knots.  God has to stop our forward progress and slowly, patiently one by one untangle all the things that have built up inside of us.  Removing them one by one, gently showing us that we need to let go of them, until all of them are untangled, before we can begin to move forward on the path He has for us.

Then there are times the mess comes out so tangled up that no amount of working on the pile can remove all the knots or tangles.  After many patient minutes, I realize that the yarn isn’t going to untangle and if I could untangle it, it will be so out of shape that it won’t crochet properly.  It is time to take the scissors to it, cut it, retie it beyond the tangle and move on back to the project.  Trash the mess and continue forward.

Sometimes we have such a bad thing in our life that it is impossible to untangle all the feelings, frustrations and pain and move forward.  Only God can move in and help you cut out that mess and begin anew so that you can move forward.  Only He can enable you to get rid of it totally. But even then there will still be a small scar left behind but He can work it into His finished project of your life.

Notice too though in all of this, the skein of yarn could not fix itself.  So often, we try in vain to fix all our problems that are mixing us up and we want to not admit it to God and let Him do the repair.  But to really be fixed, we need to stop and be still, talk to Him and let Him take us in His able hands and untangle us and not fight Him while He does it. 

Are you looking good on the outside but inside are you balled up, tied in knots?   Let go and let God take hold of the mess and let Him fix it for you guiding you through His Word, showing you the way to go.  Ask Him to help you get untied.  Only then can He finish His work in you to the end allowing you to become a beautiful work of art for Him.