Here are my friends Beth and Libby

and Libby and Dawn.

We have a blast doing radio together and sometimes it gets a little crazy

This is our friend Wilma, who has her own ideas of how radio should be done

And our Beth - who is always up for a challenge.

And me? I'm smart enough to stay behind the microphone and the camera!

Listen to Circle of Friends Radio at 10 am weekdays.

You never know what might be going on!

95.9 Canton www.thelight959.com

91.5 Columbus www.freedomfm.org

All for Him,

Missy

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"You should be the happiest woman in the world."

My husband told me this recently. He meant that he wanted to do whatever it took to make me happy. Aside from the fact that it is not his job to make me happy or that that is a choice I can only make for myself, I was struck with the thought that he was right! I should be the happiest woman in the world!

Paul told the Ephesians, "I have everything I need" (4:18) and you know what? So do I! Christ has promised us abundant life (John 10:10) and that is exactly what He has given me.

I am the most blessed among women - God has given me abundant mercy and grace and poured out His love to me. I truly am 'lacking nothing'. What more could I want? Psalm 16:5 says, "the Lord is all I need. He takes care of me."

Are you the happiest woman in the world?

All for Him,

Missy

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Recently our kids brought their dogs, Charlie and Lucy, to visit us. They brought along a neat invention called an 'invisible fence'. Its a small plug-in-the wall portable unit that works with shock collars. All of that sounds a little mean until you realize that its more of a tingle that stops the dogs from crossing an invisible barrier. The nice thing is that they get used to this 'fence' and the kids can take it anywhere and have a safe place to let their dogs out without worrying about them wandering off.

Our backyard is on a hill and the sight of all that space to run was too much for my son-in-law, he wanted to let the dogs go free so he took off their collars.

It took a lot of coaxing, but finally Charlie followed him up the hill. Lucy,however, was much more reluctant.

Eventually, she risked crossing the line and when the two dogs finally realized they were free, they raced up and down the field. They were having such a good time with all that freedom they wouldn't come when he called to them. In fact, Eric had to physically catch them, pick them up and bring them back to the porch and put their collars back on.

Collars on, collars off, collars on - all this was a bit of confusion for Lucy and she raced beyond the invisible barrier across the hill. Fortunately, no yelping - no shock; her battery in her collar had died. Unfortunately, she was able to reach the two neighboring dogs who came over to check out what was going on.

It shouldn't have happened - I saw her crouch in submission - but the big lab must have taken exception to Lucy's friendliness with the Beagle and he took a bite out of her nose. Now we had yelping and dogs barking and scurrying - holding poor Lucy with a bleeding nose and trying to hang onto Charlie so he wouldn't get into the fray.

When it all died down and we had the dogs all in their place and Lucy's nose mopped up and the damage assessed - except for Lucy's sore nose, everybody was okay.

Here's a lesson for us. God's boundaries - even ones that seem to keep us from 'the good stuff' are there for a reason. He gives us rules and principles to live by - that others may perceive as being 'strict' or even 'old fashioned' - but they are for our good.

God is looking out for us. He is for us! He loves us and has a plan for our good - We need to trust those boundaries - those things in His word that don't always make sense to us - why we should or shouldn't do something.

When we think we might have a better plan - better think again!

Obedience keeps us out of trouble -and staying in the boundaries will keep our noses from getting bit.

All for Him,

Missy

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At my husband's pastoral ordination, one of the pastor's prayed for him to have 'the hide of a rhinoceros.'

Are you familiar with this phrase? It's always kind of fascinated me. People use it to suggest having 'thick skin', something impenetrable, armor-like.

In fact, a rhinoceros's hide is thick.

Some species of rhinos even have what looks like armor plating.

It's actually just folds of their heavy, leather-like skin.

Their hide has actually been used in making shields and armor.

Funny enough, this skin is quite sensitive to insects and sunburn. That's why they roll in the mud.

They also have a unique relationship with a species of birds known as tickbirds. These birds attach themselves to the rhino's backs and at first glance might seem to be pests and an irritation to the rhinos.

But there is a great benefit and advantage to consider. These birds eat the parasites from the rhinoceros' hide. They also alert them of any nearby predators with squawks and shrieks.

I wonder if some of the things that irritate and annoy us (generally people!) don't have some benefit and advantage in our lives as well. If we're praying for patience and God brings someone into our lives that is trying and difficult - has He not answered our prayer? So many character traits we need can be learned from the 'tickbirds' in our lives.

The trick is, we need to be like the rhino and recognize that the irritating nipping and squawking of others can often be to used to further our maturity in our walk with Christ.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:1-3 "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love."

And the benefit? Keep reading to verse 13: "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (this means mature) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"

What's a few tickbirds compared to that?

All for Him,

Missy

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Several weeks ago I talked about success but today I'm feeling philosophical about failure.

How do you define 'failure'? Is failure sin? I'm sure (continuing in) sin is failure- yet are any of us without sin? We can't be perfect here on earth so if we sin, as we do everyday, does that mean we live defeated lives because we sin? We strive to be like Christ - we aim to please God - yet sin is there and will always be there with our old nature. Have we 'failed' before we've begun?

I don't think failure is sin - unless we fall into an apostasy (ie - "abandonment of a previous loyalty" or "renunciation of a religious faith") or become an apostate in our spiritual lives. If we cease to strive to be Christ-like, if we cease to move forward and grow - if we cease to allow God to change and mold us - that is failure.

Each day we live we make a hash of something - we fail to speak up when we should, we fail to keep silent, we fail to be kind and patient in trying circumstances, we fail to be joyful - we 'fail' to be free from anxiety and worry.

As we grow from childhood to adulthood we try - and fail - many tests. I've taken ballet lessons, but I'm no dancer. I majored in art in college, but I'm not an artist. I've studied French (a total of eight years of it) but guess what? I can't speak French (and lost whatever understanding I might at one time have had of it). These and so many more things I've attempted - and 'failed'. Is this how we define failure?

The only failure is not to do the best that is in you - yet we can fail at that, too, can't we? I think the only failure is in giving up - is giving in - is not allowing God to finish the good work He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6).

Our mistakes may be massive (with far reaching consequences) or minute (with slight irritations) but there is a world of difference between a 'mistake' and 'failure'. Mistakes are a daily part of life - a part of our sin nature. Perfection just isn't part of the Christian walk - yet. And though we strive to be perfect it is unattainable. I'm sure God never set a goal for us that was already mapped out as a 'failure'. God Himself is perfect. To be like Christ we must be perfect, yet we won't reach that goal 'til we see Him. If we have expectations of perfection - they are more than unrealistic - they are impossible!

That's the battle of the old nature and the new. Paul talks about it in Romans 7. "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"(v 15-18).

So, I say with Paul, what a wretch I am - who will rescue me? -

"Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (v 25).

All for Him,

Missy

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I tried something unusual the other day. Bubblegum fudge. It was surprisingly good. At least for the small sample I tried.

When I was a kid I loved bubblegum.

Bazoooka was my favorite.

Mostly because of the comics, but also because they made the best bubbles.

The soft kind was no good - not enough consistency for the bigger bubbles.

I could blow a bubble as big as my head!

The problem, of course, was knowing when to stop

so it wouldn't pop in my face.

The smaller bubbles were easy to handle - especially when the gum still had some resiliency. You could use the gum to stick to itself and mostly it lifted right off your skin. But the big bubbles - those stretched so thin that it was harder to remove. More than once I had to have a chunk cut out of my hair. I often spent a week or more scrubbing at the sticky residue left by one of my mishaps.

I've often used this word picture to describe shame (which is not the same as godly sorrow that leads to repentance - this 'shame' is a false guilt that blames, criticizes and declares us 'unworthy' and decries the blood Christ shed for us). Imagine blowing a bubble as big as your entire body and having it pop all over you. Shame sticks to us like that. it's almost impossible to get rid of -

There are other sticky 'residues' in our lives that are equally hard to get rid of - anger, jealousy, bitterness, fear, worry, anxiety, discontentment. Just like bubblegum, if we chew on these things and roll them around in our minds, like popping a bubble they can end up stuck all over us.

Ephesians 4, verses 31and 32 tell us to clean up our act. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).

And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you."

Hmmmh.No more bubbles for me.

All for Him,

Missy

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It's funny how you think you know what you want out of life. I was a young mother with two active boys and I was working hard to get in shape and had just gotten down to my before-babies weight. I 'wasn't ready' for another baby. I felt that way until the instant I saw the positive pregnancy test. Another baby? Oh yes!

Twenty-four years ago today my little girl was born. I've always teased her that her dad was 'out to lunch' when she was born (and he was - he missed her actual birth and so did the doctor!) but I have always assured her that I've been there every moment for her.

I haven't of course. I've messed up so many times I couldn't begin to count them. But I've wanted to be there for her, longed for her to become more than I am. Giving her the best of what I had to offer - as little as that seems - but most of all to see her love and follow God with all her heart.

As I've reminisced over this last week, looking at pictures and thinking about that precious time in our lives of having this bundle of pink frills and bows (this was back in the days you didn't find out what you were having beforehand and after three boys, she was a definite surprise!), thinking of all the birthdays that have passed and the years of change and growth and maturity, I noticed something about the pictures taken of us together. We are laughing or smiling in nearly everyone of them. Oh, the joy of having a daughter!

I've never lost the wonder of my children, or the joy of watching them become what God designed and created them to be. Finally having a little girl made it all the more special. She's a gem, this girl of mine. Gorgeous, creative, smart and funny - but more important than her outward beauty is this inner sparkle that never seems to dim.

She's always been a bit of a hero to me. She's caring and compassionate, but she knows her own mind. Courageous and confident in her beliefs, she has grown into a strong, godly woman whom I admire very much, even someone I aspire to be like. As a child she could keep me laughing. She still has that quick wit I enjoy so much, but she's grown in depth and spiritual insight as well. I've watched her grow from this darling little imp with the biggest blue eyes and sweetest smile to become a gifted young woman whom I am so proud to know and love.

Of all of God's marvelous gifts to me, my children are my greatest treasure.

"Children are a gift from the Lord'" Psalm 127:3

I love you, Emy.

Happy Birthday!

All for Him,

Mom

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God's blessings come in every season of our lives. I have never looked forward to getting older - but this autumn season of time for me has produced some amazing blessings - the best one has been seeing my children become parents.

I have the first rule of being a grandma down pat: I love to talk about my grandkids (I don't mind showing off their pictures, either!)

Having one beautiful granddaughter was amazing -

having two

is too wonderful for words.

Adalie Grace

Is not too sure what to think about

Isabel Grace

But I have a feeling

It won't be long

Until she's as crazy about her as the rest of us.

All for Him,

Missy

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Everyone strives for success.

As I was thinking about this today, I had to wonder exactly what 'success' means. Webster's defines it as 'favorable or desired outcome' and also 'the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence'.

Mmmh, somehow this seems in direct contrast to what Scripture tells me to pursue -

In Mark 9:35 Jesus gathers His disciples and tells them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

Proverbs 13:7 says, "There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches."

Isaiah 66:2 "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word."

James 2:5 "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"

Author Henry Nouwen writes, "Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame." He goes on to say, "Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another's wounds...true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness."

Jeremiah 17:7 says, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."

'Success' breeds confidence in ourselves - but those with confidence in God and His strength and abilities and not their own will be "like a tree planted by the water" ( Jer. 17 v. 8) who '"never fails to bear fruit."

Are you looking for successfulness or fruitfulness? Success in the world's eyes - or 'success' in God's eyes - which may look like nothing at all to the world!

I think I would rather be a 'doorkeeper in the house of my God' or as the Message puts it, "I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin." (Psalm 84:10)

All for Him,

Missy

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My friend Beth is great at giving word pictures that depict wonderful spiritual truth. The other day we were talking about forgiveness and she said it was a little like stretching - it loosens us up and frees us to move on. I like that.

In fact, I think we are often stretched in our spiritual lives. We can get stuck in so many areas of our life - the difference between knowing what we need to do and learning to do it.

There was a wonderful lady in one of our first congregations who, when she was in her mid-seventies, crawled under the wooden pews and scraped gum from underneath the seats. Even in my early thirties I couldn't do that - to say she stayed flexible is putting it mildly!

Stretch, grow, flex - have you ever thought of these as spiritual disciplines? We are often resistant to change - the very thing God wants for us ('be not conformed to this world, but be transformed' Rom. 12:2). Just like the transformation of our physical body when we are disciplined in our diet and exercise, so this is true of our spiritual lives as well.

My husband reminded me of this recently with one of his sermon illustrations. He talked about a time when he and I took a canoe out on Lake Huron and jumped out and swam in about twenty feet of water, then got back in and canoed back to shore - all without tipping the canoe over (yes - that was a few years ago - I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be physically possible for us now!) We've failed to maintain the balance and flexibility we had in our younger years and it will take a great amount of discipline to get that back.

I used to be able to jump on a horse and ride bareback. Now I think it would be a stretch to get my foot to the stirrup! Again - it would take the discipline of working and stretching my physical body to be able to accomplish that same task.

We are all growing older (if you aren't here yet - just wait!) but my point is that in order to maintain the flexibility of being able to be free to move on to other things in our life, or to continue to change and to grow spiritually, we need to continually be putting spiritual disciplines into practice.

And the good news is - it's never too late! Physically or spiritually. We can start today - and every little step toward that goal is an improvement. Feeling stuck in a rut spiritually? You can begin stretching those spiritual muscles - prayer, reading the Word, meditating and listening to God - and you will find that in your spiritual life you will begin to look like a new person - a transformed person.

The key, as my good friend Beth likes to say, is making sure that God's Word is getting in you. You have to read it, study it, meditate on it - then obey it.

That's when you're stretched and you find that maybe those things you thought were impossible - with God, they're not!

All for Him,

Missy

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Just in case anyone needs my opinion on the matter - I hate shower doors that are attached to the tub. Just sayin'. You know, if you're out there today and you're trying to make a decision - should I get my shower doors attached to the tub or not - Not.

I'm not sure whose genius idea this 'convenience' was - it's anything but. They restrict access to the tub, collect mold and gunk in their cracks and attract soap scum like magnets. And the worst of it - they pop out of their tracks as you slide them back and forth.

Yup. It's my latest frustration. My husband is gone and the shower door popped completely off its tracks. It's easy to fix (so he tells me over the phone) but of course it doesn't work quite that well for me. So I've given it a temporary fix until he gets home and can take care of it.

I'm queen of temporary fixes. Don't like the look of shower doors attached to the tub? Cover them with a shower curtain. Kids' rooms messy? Shut the door. Company coming? Sweep stuff in closets and move on.

Temporary fixes are fine - but they catch up with you. Eventually the shower door, the messy room or house - they all need the proper attention given to them.

So it is in our spiritual lives. A 'temporary fix' isn't good enough. Oh, it may keep you going for awhile, but you won't be, as my friend Beth would tell you, spiritually 'healthy'! It's like those TV commercials where the guy's hair is on fire and his co-worker is trying to get his attention and he's laughing it off as unimportant.

Webster's says that 'temporary' means 'Lasting for a limited time". So our efforts to fix something 'temporarily' are just that - limited.

The Scriptures talk about something else that's temporary. It's on the other side of this coin - we fix things 'temporarily' because we don't want to go through the hard work and inconvenience (and sometimes pain!) of fixing something properly. It takes time and effort we don't want to put into it. The flip side of that is looking at our inconvenience and hard work as temporary.

I once heard it said that short term dissatisfaction (the hard work of getting to the root of a problem) brings long term (long lasting) satisfaction - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 puts it like this: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Don't we get that backward? Our 'fixes' are temporary - and we think of our trials as never-ending. If we do the hard work - getting to the root of our spiritual problems - we can appreciate the benefits - which are eternal.

So I guess 'temporary' can be good or bad - it's all in what you do with it.

All for Him,

Missy

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Don't you love how children seem to throw themselves into everything they do?

Their wonder of discovery of new things never fails to delight me.

Jesus calls us to come to Him as a child, to welcome the kingdom of God with childlike exuberance and faith. (Luke 18:17)

Have you run to your Father lately and danced in His presence?

Have you embraced the sheer joy of all that He gives us through His Son Jesus?

Maybe it's time you did.

All for Him,

Missy

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I want to be here. Warm tropical breezes, waves caressing my bare feet, squinting at the gorgeous sky as the sun sets slowly over the water.

Instead I am wiping up melted snow and mud on my kitchen floor that has been tracked in from outside. I'm throwing on another sweatshirt and huddling under blankets. Scraping ice off the windshield and digging out from several feet of snow.

Winter has settled in. Spring and Summer are mists of a leftover right-before-waking dream. Even shutting off the alarm and snuggling back under my covers doesn't work to bring back my wonderful illusion of playing in the waves and relaxing on a beach somewhere.

Isn't that just life - with all it's inconveniences and uncomfortable elements? But if I'm focusing on the negatives, I may be missing the beauty of this season of my life. Truly.

Recently as I got out of bed much too early one morning (you can read about my aversion to early mornings here and here) I was grumbling not just about getting up before daylight, but leaving my nice cozy bed to shovel snow. Gritting my teeth, I went outside and got to work.

But when I paused for a break and actually looked around me I was halted by more than my bursting lungs and panting breath. It was beautiful. So serene and quiet. No one was moving on the streets and everything was blanketed in a beautiful down quilt of snow. And then I heard them -

A family of birds were lifting their song to the skies. It sounded like spring! In the midst of winter? Yes! Hope can be found in every circumstance of life because of the One who is our Hope.

God gives us great blessings each day. We just have to look for them. In the meantime, I'm headed back to my nice comfy bed to dream of warm tropical breezes - with birds singing somewhere in the background.

All for Him,

Missy

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As a part of Circle of Friends Marketplace Ministry Pastor Bruce Hamsher teaches character development classes to area businesses. The other day I had a unique opportunity to participate in a drama at one of his leadership seminars.

The skit involved three women discussing their everyday lives. I got to play the obnoxious one - you know, the whiner and complainer. I even got a laugh when I complained about how the people of the church were always criticizing each other and talking behind each other's back. (I was obviously leading the way there!)

I joked later that I was 'type-cast' - but the uncomfortable truth is - it was an easy part to play because I've been there, done that. It was way too familiar to me because I have been in that situation again and again.

Whether it's listening to others complain or even taking part in conversations that drag others down, I have seen the effects of criticism and complaining. I've even talked about it in a prior blog 'Toxic Waste'. Once you start down that path it's a slippery slope - everything goes down hill from there!

The thing that struck me about it was how comfortable I felt - how easily the words rolled off my tongue - how quickly I slipped into the role I was playing. Like I wasn't even acting!

Just shows you how quickly we can get off track and veer onto our own railway line - usually ending in a dead end or worse - remember the old cartoons where the tracks went straight over the edge of a cliff...

I am reminded of Jeremiah 21:9 where the prophet proclaimed, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?"

It is a constant fight against my old nature to be shaped and molded into His image.

Time to find a new character to play.

All for Him,

Missy

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Did you know that they have actually done research to prove that dogs really do look like their owners?

Really.

It's out of the University of California, and they say it can only be proven with purebreds.

If you're interested in the scientific data you can read about it in the journal Psychological Science.

In order to discover if this phenomenon were true, they approached random dog owners in several parks and took pictures of the owners with two dogs, one of which was their own.

Then 'judges' looked at the photos and matched the owners with their dogs.

And voila! The judges made a majority of matches.

The study out of California concluded that "it does appear that people want a creature like themselves."

All this fascinating reading made me think of how God created us 'in His image' (Gen. 1:27) and that His desire is that we are 'conformed to the image of His Son' (Romans 8:29).

And it made me wonder, do I look like my Master?

All for Him,

Missy

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You've seen the commercial that asks, "What's in your wallet?" that leads us all to believe that only that specific credit card will fulfill all our needs and bring happiness and prosperity to our lives. There's so much wrong with that thinking that I won't even go there! But it reminded me of a conversation I had recently.

My friends and I were discussing the power of the tongue. James warns us that such a little member of the body holds the power of life and death - that it is full of 'deadly poison'. With it we praise God, then curse people - whom He made in His image. He also warns us that praises and curses coming from the same mouth just shouldn't be!

Probably for most of us struggling with our tongues isn't a new concept - but our conversation went beyond restraining the spark that can grow to a wildfire. We have to get to 'the heart of the matter'. In Mt. 12:34 Jesus tells us that. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

What comes out of our mouths - what our tongues speak - is exactly what is in our hearts and minds.

So, what's overflowing out of your heart? Fear, insecurity, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness - any of these things can cause us to speak what James calls 'evil' - negative speech, criticism, cursing, lies, off-color jokes and innuendos.

Our conclusion was that it takes discipline to tame the tongue - a discipline of looking at what's in our hearts and recognizing the root of our problem. In order to speak life and not destruction we must do what Phil 4:8,9 tells us -to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable - whatever is excellent or praiseworthy.

In other words, if I find myself being critical of others, I need to check my heart attitude and see what's lingering there. Once I recognize and confess the root issue, I have to discipline myself to speak what's right and admirable instead of criticizing. It's a re-training - first of the heart and mind and then of the tongue.

Struggling with your tongue? Join me each day and say with the psalmist:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart. Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." Ps 19:14

All for Him,

Missy

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• What hair color do they put on the driver's license of a bald guy?
• Does fuzzy logic tickle?
• If I'm unique, doesn't that make me like everyone else?
• If a tin whistle is made from tin - what is a foghorn made out of?
• Do Lipton Tea Company employees get coffee breaks?
• Is there another word for synonym?
• Where do forest rangers go to get away from it all?
• Isn't it scary that doctors call what they do "practice"?
• Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
• Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
• Would a wingless fly be called a 'walk'?
• Is it possible to be totally partial?
• Shouldn't the word abbreviation be shorter?
• If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
• Do they use sterilized needles for lethal injections?
• Can you be a closet claustrophobic?

All kidding aside, there are tough questions in life that just can't be answered this side of heaven. When I look beyond my own telescoped vision of my own life and see the great big world out there - I only have more questions. Questions I don't have the answers to - like what about the people of Haiti who are suffering? Or children, women - around the world who are starving or being abused? With free will comes great responsibility - just ask Eve! (I think I'll have my own questions for her when I get to heaven.) Okay, so I can't say I wouldn't have made a better choice. My own life proves that.

Recently I had a discussion with a friend about this very thing - how can a good God let bad things happen? Her response was that we often blame God for things He never caused, and fail to thank Him for all the good He brings into our lives. A little lopsided, isn't it? The Bible says the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Mt 5:45). The Message puts it this way: "This is what God does. He gives his best-the sun to warm and the rain to nourish-to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty."

God created the perfect world, gave man a choice to live in it or not, and when sin entered the idyllic garden God created - it messed everything up! And still, God chooses to give us good things. James tells us that 'every good and perfect gift' comes from God.

So my questions - and yours - may not be answered this side of eternity. But we can trust in a good and loving God who is there through every difficult challenge of our life - and brings good things from it. That's just the kind of God He is!

All for Him,

Missy

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Sometimes life takes an unexpected curve. Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." We map out our lives and expect them to go according to plan. And then -

You lose a job,

have to move

or abandon a dream,

You learn you are pregnant or that you can't have children,

or you face unexpected health issues or take on a new challenge,

or run into some other unforeseen development in your life.

Life is like that, always surprising us. While I sometimes wish I knew what tomorrow held, there are more moments when I'm thankful I don't know what's coming because I am able to enjoy the moments of the day without worries of tomorrow. That's my new motto -

Hey! I think I've heard that somewhere - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Mt. 6:34)

All for Him,

Missy

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I was talking the other day with my good friend Beth (see her blogs 'Confessions of a Peace Lover' and hear her weekdays at 10 am on the radio WNPQ 95.9 or www.thelight959.com). We were discussing the parable of the sower and the seed (found in Mt.13:3-23) on our Circle of Friends radio program and she posed a question that has continued to drift around my thoughts and heart.

"How's the soil of your heart?"

You remember the story of the farmer who planted his crop and his seed fell in different types of soil - some fell along the road - never even made it into the soil and the birds came along and ate the seeds. Some fell on rocky ground - it grew quickly because the dirt was shallow - but it died quickly because there were no roots going down into the earth to support the crop. Some of the seeds fell into thorns and weeds that choked the crop until the weeds overtook the good plants.

And then there was the seed that fell on the good soil - but even there the crop was multiplied better in some instances than others. In some places it was a hundred times more, some places it grew sixty times more, and some places the seed only multiplied thirty times as much. Jesus goes on to say that we need to 'see with our eyes' and 'hear with our ears'.

What does all that mean? The explanation of the parable is found in the latter verses of that portion of Scripture. The seed along the road that never even makes into the soil is like a person who has no understanding. He 'hears' the message, but doesn't 'see' what it means. The birds represent the Evil One who snatches the seed right out of our hearts before we have a chance to cultivate it into the soil of our understanding.

The rocky soil represents the person who takes in the message of Christ's kingdom with joy, but that's as far as it gets. It doesn't 'take root', change his life, make any real difference. He can't handle trials or persecution or even inconvenience.

And the seed among the weeds? That's the person that is consumed with this world instead of eternity. That worry and focus on themselves keeps the seed from growing. It is only the good ground - the cultivated soil, the fertile heart that produces fruit. And how much fruit? That depends on what Beth calls the 'fertilizer' of our life. The muck and the yuck we don't like to deal with - in a nutshell, it is how we are transformed into the image of Christ through trials and struggles that we allow God to use to change our attitudes, which leads to a change in our actions and behavior.

Her point was that - whether we realize it or not - we are sowing seeds into our life everyday. Those seeds will someday reap a harvest - the question is, what kind of harvest are you reaping? The good news is that even if we're reaping a harvest of bad habits and wrong attitudes, we can start today to sow a good harvest for tomorrow!

Farmers don't cultivate a field once and then are done with it. Soil needs constant attention - fertilization for maximum growth. How's the soil of your heart today? When you are presented with a teaching about God's kingdom from His word is your heart ready to let it go deep into your life? Will that teaching produce fruit or be snatched away, set aside as not that important, or choked out by the world?

Maybe this question will linger for you as it has for me.

All for Him,

Missy

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Today when we came into work there was a message left on our business' voice mail. It was an irate customer. A lady who was furious over an oversight on our part. She had cause to be dissatisfied, and in the end she changed her tune because we made things right with her, but in the meantime she left a long tirade that spilled over onto the entire office.

It got me to thinking - I wonder have you ever considered your words may be toxic? If we replayed that message to her would this precious lady feel justified in ranting and raving (not an over-exaggeration) or would she regret them - the tone, inflection, the words and meaning conveyed? I'm sure it was hurt and wounding in another area of her life totally unrelated to the issue at hand that caused her to lash out and over-react to the inconvenience she experienced.

I hate to confess it, but I've done the same thing. Recently. And not with an indifferent answering machine to a room full of strangers. Sometimes we dump our worst on those closest to us. Maybe even more than 'sometimes' - more like 'often' or 'mostly'. Is your home the place you let go of what should be eliminated in a safe place? Anger, frustration, disappointment, hurt - all these emotions are real and we need to acknowledge them, but pouring them out on our unsuspecting families is like unloading hazardous materials with no protection.

Psalm 140:3 speaks of those who plot evil and says, "Their tongues sting like a snake;the venom of a viper drips from their lips." I'm sure when I let go of my anger or other destructive emotion I don't consider myself as 'plotting evil' - but stinging and venom sound pretty close to the results. James says that our tongues are "a flame of fire". Verse 6 goes on, "It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself." He tells us that if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and control our selves in every other way. He goes on to say that no one can tame the tongue - it is restless and evil and full of deadly poison. Yikes!

'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks' (Mt 12:34) and we know from Jeremiah that above all things our hearts are deceitful and 'desperately wicked' (Jer. 17:9). It just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?

The only solution is found in yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit's control. His fruit is the opposite of toxic, it gives life, wholeness, healing: 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control'. I know left on my own I would choose foolishness over wisdom every time and lose control of my tongue.

Did you know that the same tongue that can 'promote health' (Prov. 12:18) also 'break a bone' (Prov. 25:15)? Proverbs goes on to say that 'life and death are in the power of the tongue' (18:21) and whoever guards his mouth keeps his soul from troubles (21:23).

Jesus, in Mt. 12:36-37, warns us, "And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you."

Okay - enough of the word study on the tongue - I'm starting to squirm!

I think I will say with the psalmist:

I said to myself, "I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me."
But as I stood there in silence-
not even speaking of good things-
the turmoil within me grew worse.
The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
"Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered-
how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath." (Psalm 39:1-5)

All for Him,

Missy

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Old Chinese Proverb

"A water-bearer in China had two large pots.

She carried them on the long walk to and from the stream to collect water.

One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I'm ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value for your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table.

In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as God calls you to the tasks He has appointed for you, don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to take advantage of them, and you, too, can be the cause of beauty in His pathway."

All for Him,

Missy

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