Send Me. Use Me.

 

…meanwhile, Puerto Rico is devastated and may not have electricity for 6 plus months.  They along with residents of the Virgin Islands, Texas, Louisiana and Florida have lost everything.  Recovery and rebuilding could take decades in some areas.

Every two minutes somewhere in America someone is sexually assaulted.  Human trafficking is a thriving travesty.  Five to six children die each day as a result of abuse.  America’s numbers of homeless children and adults are in the millions.  Astounding!  Hundreds of school children in my city alone have no food on the weekends.  Every day scores of our people become widowed, terminally ill, addicted, lost, orphaned, homeless, unemployed, hungry and the list goes on.

Anxiety and depression is at an all time high even among our country’s children.  

Pornography is no longer a taboo topic, because it is a common place epidemic ravaging men, women and children.  Yes!  Children.

 Everywhere I turn I am tempted to grab a quick fix, whether it be food, fantasy or Facebook, to numb, deaden or make tolerable the pain all around me. We are a society of self-medicators, myself included.  

I have to look at myself and ask, where am I spending my energy, time and resources?  Am I busy complaining about the problems or contributing to the solutions?  

I reserve the right to protest peacefully, but I also acknowledge that I was ransomed the right to pray personally and that alone can accomplish more than any demonstration.  

I also regard the luxury (yes, it is a privilege afforded to me by many selfless men and women in uniform!) to respectfully disagree, but may I always remember that unless I am putting my concerns into productive action,  I am merely a purposeless reaction void of favorable fruit.

 Here I am Lord.  Send me.  Use me.

 

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One Nation Under God, Not a Woman or Man

012bedcc37f3e8f99f23027d41ebae3cLet there be peace in our great land and let it begin with me. Let love ignite every heart and shine for all to see. Let there be one race, with no divisive mutiny. May we all respect the multitude of opinions with quiet dignity. Let us pray for our country in committed unity. No eye has seen; no ear has heard the breadth of His love for you and me. We are all called to one thing, love one another as our God loves you, me and our neighbor, Republican, and Democrat, all three. Let the violence end, hatred cease, and peace and harmony reign free. I pledge allegiance to one nation under God, not a woman or man, and it is in He where my security will stand. Please, Father calm restless, weary souls and whisper in our ears until it flows from our heart’s, let there be peace and love on earth and let it begin with me. Amen.

To Believe Or Not Believe, That is the Question

I made a commitment to myself at the end of the primaries not to comment on politics on social media because I did not think it was wise or helpful and I am not well versed enough to be credible.  do feel led to say this, though.  I went to bed last night, and I am pretty sure my blood was boiling.  I was anxious; my soul was very unsettled, and I was angry.  There are things in both candidates that bring out anger in me that I shutter to know is there when stoked.  They both succeeded in different ways at fanning those flames last night.

The hypocrisy and arrogance, from both parties, last night, along with the barrage of social media posts lamenting our choices, sent me to bed a mess of emotions and feeling despair. I was praying and talking to Jesus in an attempt to calm myself.  There in the dark last night, The Lord reminded me of something very critical that I think we all need to remember, myself included!  All my anger, anxiety, lamenting and despair is just a form of UNBELIEF in who God is and the character that He possesses.  

Tim Keller says many of us believe in God, but do not believe God.

Last night I had to ask myself that question.  I believe in Him, but am I going to trust Him? If I am going to choose His word, which I am, then my terms can not be conditional.  Even when things look dreadful, and circumstances appear unredeemable, God is good, faithful, sovereign and working good in the midst of our gaffes.  He has plans for the good and prosperity of his children, and He can do immeasurably more with a mess than any of us can begin to imagine.

Today friends, I pray that if you believe in God, you will choose along with me to fight to believe God.  There is a very critical difference in the two.  When we intentionally make a choice not just to believe in him but believe Him, our lives will reflect that is our posts and our peace.  I love you all!

Let Us Not Forget


All over our country today, people will be celebrating with the customary Memorial Day traditions. Additionally, on this day of honor, there are moms, dads, wives, children, sisters, brothers and many more whose celebration will be spent clouded in heartache. The anguish of an empty chair, an absent smile or a missing laugh, because someone special never came home. In the midst of our celebrations, today let us not forget that all gave some, and some gave all. May The Lord Jesus bless our military heroes and their families who have fought for our liberty. No words adequately express my gratitude for your selfless service.    Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~John 15:13