Linda's Web Journal

Having just gotten a phone call from my parents informing me that my younger (adopted) brother Philip had taken his life in Vancouver rocks my little boat of life.  He struggled all his life with what must have been bipolar or schizophrenia and just couldn't get free from the things that plagued him.  Praise God we have the assurance that at 7 years of age he did come to know Christ.  How very sad to look back on his life and see the constant struggles for worth.  If only he could have seen how much Christ really loved him.  Now he knows.  There are young people all around us feeling so very hopeless - why? Is it because we look in the wrong place for our worth, our reason for even being?  Not only the young people but at every age we can fight that old enemy "self" if our identity is not firmly entrenched in the palm of a nail scarred hand.

And then we had the loss of a young mother gone in an instant with a condition no one was aware of and she leaves grieving family including her husband and 2 precious little boys.

After that the tragic new of three young men's lives cut short in an awful vehicle mishap.  All around us is life coming to an end.  Surprising, no, Jesus told us that in this world we will have tribulation.  Sometimes it just seems to come in like a flood.

What do you hold on to when these storms rock your boat? Where can we turn for comfort? Who can help us through our blackest nights? Only our precious heavenly Father can take us in His arms and give the freedom for us to cry, to vent and to find the peace that passeth understanding.  He tasted the darkest of dark when He had to turn from His Son on the cross and this He did for us.  Hallelujah what a Savior.

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Are you sometimes so excited about reading a passage in Scripture that you almost can't keep it in? In reading Jeremiah 18::4 and following it says, "But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him."  Oh the encouragement this brings to me.  Although the Lord is talking about Israel here I don't think He minds if we apply it to our lives as the principle is the same.  As we are "marred in his hands" we can easily see that we still sin in our earthly lives - but He doesn't just throw us out and forget about us - He forms  us into another "pot" - shaping us as seems best to him.  What hope, what encouragement I take from this.  We blow it, He reforms us into something of use.  Then vs. 5 goes on to say, "...can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord.  "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand..."  What a patient and loving Father we have as He uses us in whatever capacity He sees fit.  We don't have to stress about His will, or His plan for us, just relax in His hands and let Him shape us "as seems best to Him".  Sometimes that shaping is painful as He has to sand away the parts that aren't smooth but just like surgery performed, the healing comes.  God never gives up on His children so let us not give up on ourselves or each other but commit ourselves into the Potter's Hands.

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This is where the rubber meets the road - will we trust God through storms or will we try ferociously to paddle our little boat by worrying!  These are exciting times to me, these are times where trusting God may come to the forefront in our thinking, instead of our last resort.  As a Christian in a world where it's not so "popular" any more we need to set the standard for solidity and as we stand on the Rock, the Refuge, the Fortress, the God in whom we trust why should we waiver? There is so much finger pointing as to who got us into the mess our world is in, it all comes back to two people in a garden who wanted to choose their own way rather than follow the instructions given by the living, loving God who gave them the very life they were living.  And down through the ages we continue that selfishness and wrong choices and then hiding behind our "fig leaves" of finger pointing to divert blame.  We all have one very important choice to make, will we follow what our divine Creator meant for us to follow? The Lord Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth and the life no man comes to the Father but by me."  That is pretty clear.  He is the way to heaven, the truth about where we came from and where we're going and the life we all are looking for - eternal and free! "But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

 

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I could not believe my eyes when I saw the road I was on, I had headed in the opposite direction of my destination and I was to speak and sing to a group of ladies waiting for me.

How could I have gotten so far out of the way? For those who know me well this is not such a ludicrous question.  I am very directionally challenged.  Some have told me I need a GPS - that is my second big problem - I have one but I am also technically challenged! Tom's solution for me, "Stay home."  Well, directionally and technically challenged yes but I am not easily disuaded!  I am definitely driven, the problem comes when I'm placed in a car.

It still baffles me - I had my band of prayer warriors all in order and praying, I had been to the meeting place before,  I had overcome a huge obstacle just that morning of backing down a very steep, snow covered road that I spun on before reaching the top.  Ah yes, another of my shortcomings - I can't back up at all!  How in the world did I get so far out? I took the wrong road.  Thinking I was heading on one road I had actually gotten on another main road going east when I needed to go south.  Ah, me.

There were red flags, the signs on the road didn't make sense, they were not familiar.  A man had told me to go south but I was headed east.  When we ignore the red flags we get further and further from the right end.  Do not ignore red flags!

This was a very embarrassing situation, I had to call and tell them there was no way I was going to make it in time.  It was not tragic but other red flags we ignore can be.  When God places red flags in our lives when we are headed in a wrong direction we need to heed them and turn around.  I missed a meeting but what great blessings could you be missing out on by not heeding God's Word?  Don't get LOST.

 

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You've waited and waited for something to come to be and when it does at first you are elated and then you deflate right after it.  Sounds like the Elijah complex.  After the high of defeating the Baal worshippers and proving God is the Lord of Lords he sinks into depression.  It is good that God gives us these human glimpses in His Word and we see that we are all prone to times of discouragement.

My "high" has come in the form of the arrival of my music cd.  It is ready to use but now again as I stand on the brink of using it the enemy whispers in my ear - "no good, you don't have anything to offer".  In a way that is true "I" don't but God will accomplish His will using a little clay pot called Linda.  I am entrusting to Him this project that He has led in from day one.  He brought me to wonderful people.  I fretted about where to do this and He provided that, I fretted about how to afford it and He provided a loan,  I fretted about what to put on it and He provided that, I fretted about where to have it duplicated and He provided, I fretted if it would get here on time and He provided. . . do you see a pattern?

Any time we want to step out for our Savior there is an enemy whispering in our ear, "shut up and sit down you don't have anything to offer".  It is, as we are many times given, a choice to not listen to that voice and to press on in whatever the Lord has called us to.

If you would like to enjoy with me the project the Lord put on my heart I now have it available.  It cost money, much money to make it so you will understand why I have to sell and not give it away.  It will be $13.00 tax included.   It will be available through me or at Debbie's Hallmark in Zelienople.  Please go to the Contact Me section to ask for a copy.  Thanks, Linda

 

 

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Ever have a conflict with anyone? How do we as Christians handle this? What should be our response? Are we to lay down and just let everyone walk on us thinking that we are being humble?

The Bible again has the answer.  We are to go directly to the person and talk it out.  Many times there is a lack of communication and really the conflict can be cleared up quickly through dialogue.  If it can't and we have done all we can to relay our thoughts then we have to come away and pray about the situation and see if the Lord would have us do anything further to resolve it.  The onus on us is to first ask the Lord for wisdom and then go and discuss.  Afterwards ask Him again to work in both parties to get along.

In this world we will have struggles and I always want to blame myself for them and take on some false guilt.  This is a subtle attempt by Satan to keep us discouraged and keep our eyes inward instead of upward.

 

 

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Are you as tired of this whole voting thing as I am? There is one thing I love to cling to through all of this - God is in control, He has not fallen off the throne, is not unaware of all that is happening and is never taken by surprise by anything that goes on in our world - oops is not in His vocabulary!

Then there is the whole economic thing  - again, God is in control.  I have found that  centering my mind on Jesus Christ, no matter what is spinning out of control in this old world it doesn't matter as I cling to the Rock.  This is not an "ostrich with her head in the sand" approach, it is obedience.  We are told in Philippians "whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - MEDITATE on these things".    Now that doesn't say anything about fretting, worrying or wringing of hands.

 I would like to tell you the cd which I am so excited to share is almost ready to go.  It will be available to anyone who wants one and my dear boss at the Hallmark store said I could have it for sale there.    The words to the songs are such an encouragement and I trust will help us all think on those things which we are commanded to.

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Well, we have just finished with our fill of the Olympics for another 4 years.  We watched the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  If you're like me you sit there and imagine what it would be like to stand on that middle podium or even what it's like to fall out of the race.  Many years of training went into each athlete's performance for one short time of winning or losing.  How is your training going? How is your race? Are you buffeting your body to bring it under control to His will? It takes strict discipline to achieve what those athlete's achieve.  You don't become number one in an hour, it takes long hours, days, years of practice. 

It takes that same discipline in the Christian life, in our race for the prize of the high calling of Christ.  Ah, but what a glorious finish when we are translated to our eternal reward.  The hard times, the weak times, the "depriving" ourselves of what the world calls pleasure just to please our Master - is it worth it? A thousand times YES! 

In this past week I have heard of an exceptional number of tragedies and hard times coming to those around me and it makes life seem so fragile and it is.  The finish line can be at any time - "the Lord has numbered the months of our lives and no man can change it"I recently read in Job.  What really counts is what I have done for eternity.  That puts things in perspective.  We won't take anything with us when we leave this life except the souls we have had a small measure of being a part of their coming to know Christ as He has used us.  What a privilege but what a responsiblity.  Are there teamates running with you because you have been faithful, count it all joy.  That is better than a medal hung around your neck.

 

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Maybe I am child like but I learn better with word pictures.  Things stick better when aided by a visual application for me.  Whatever happened to good old flannel graphs? That may be why Jesus used parables to teach us.  Anyway, I am painting some cupboard doors right now - and believe me I am the worst - such a mess.  Before applying the new paint to the wood I have to put on a primer that makes the new paint cover the old color and the new paint stick better.  In essence the old color is gone and the new will only be seen.  Aha, this sounds the old man new man thing.  As the Word of God is applied to my heart it covers all the old and replaces it with the new.  "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." What a comfort, what a peace in knowing I am not the "old man" but in Christ I am "new".  Because of Christ's death, burial and resurrection for the removal of my sin debt I am a whole new color or creation.  I have passed from death to life, old to new.  Before my salvation I couldn't understand the Word of God.  If you'll forgive my crude application but the Holy Spirit is like that primer - He makes the Word of God, the new color, stick and I become a new creationable to shine in my new color!

 

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"A man's steps are ordered by the Lord" says Proverbs 20:24.  Oh really, is this true? Then why do I wonder what's ahead? Why do I constantly plead for direction? If they are ordered by Him can't I just rest and walk in them? It doesn't say a man's future but "step", one at a time.  I once lamented that I'd love to know what was ahead a year from now and was wisely told that I probably wouldn't want to know.  When I trust completely in the perfect, holy, unconditionally loving Father to guide my steps when He only has my good in His plan how can I go wrong? So why do I fumble around wondering what to do?

Many, many questions but when they are all layed aside there is my perfect heavenly Father saying, "Be still and know that I am God" Ps. 46:10 

In still walking this exciting and unknown path in the making of the cd I wonder, Lord how will you use this, how will you use me?  This week He has gently reminded me that I am not a performer, I am not an entertainer, I am not even a Christian "artist", I am a servant.  A servant doesn't question his master, he obeys in silence and does only what pleases his master.  It is a privilege to be a servant of the Most High, a Master who is totally good, loving and right.  There is no darkness in Him, He only asks obedience and promises blessing for it.

Are you satisfied being a servant?

 

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