Second Wind

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever had a never-ending week that turned into a never-ending weekend that suddenly became the middle of the next week, and you had not yet come up for air? And then it became a month, then a year, then a life of never ending-ness? I think this is why God created the second wind. Were it not for our ability to catch a second wind, we would have all burned out decades ago.

So let’s talk about second winds for a second. (See what I did there?) According to Grammerist.com, a second wind is defined as:

A second wind is a renewed sense of vigor after becoming fatigued, a fresh conviction that one is able to achieve one’s goal, a burst of energy following exhaustion. The word wind, in this case, refers to breath. The idea is that one becomes fatigued and is out of breath, and then becomes reinvigorated and catches one’s breath. The term second wind may be used to mean a burst of energy after one becomes physically fatigued, or it may mean a burst of energy when one is mentally or spiritually fatigued. The term second wind was first used in the 1830s, to mean a renewed sense of vigor when one has become tired from physical exertion.

I love the fact that this definition mentions becoming spiritually fatigued. Spiritual fatigue can happen just like any other fatigue. When we push hard at something, even the rewarding task of spiritual development, worship, sharing the good news with others, trying to be a light in the darkness, or just getting through the day without punching somebody in the throat, exhaustion can happen.

We are living in a time when hate, anger, hostility, rudeness, and viral vomiting are the norm. These things hurt our spirit. These things exhaust our souls. It is exhausting to be the light when people feel the freedom to bash, criticize, condemn, and bully others on every social media platform, news program, and radio show that we turn on. We are surrounded by a cacophony of negative noise that makes in impossible to hear anything good or wholesome. And that wears us out.

Are you worn out? Need a second wind?

I think there are two things to keep in mind when your will to go forward goes backward and you just want to sit down and stop.

First, sit down and stop. The whole reason God created the sabbath is so that we would stop everything and have a sabbath rest. Some days you just need a day of disconnected, unplugged solitude in order to recharge. Pushing when you have absolutely nothing left in your tank just means your engine will stop anyway, just farther down the road.

Second, consider what Paul says about second winds:

Hebrews 12 The Message (MSG)

Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

When you see yourself flagging in your faith, take a breath, stop to rest, wait for the second breath to come, and remember why you are doing this. Remember what Jesus plowed through. Remember the story, every step of the way, and how Jesus plowed through all the hate, anger, and hostility that he had to overcome.

YOU are the light of the world. YOU are the salt of the earth. You got this.

Take a breath, and then a second breath, recharge, and get back in the race. And keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we are running. God is at the finish line, so breathe.

Just breathe.

Resting Sun by Steve Hanf.

Crowdsourcing

Posted on by Betsy

Crowdsourcing is a way of outsourcing a task or obtaining information for a project by using the input of a large group of people, typically on the internet. Social media, smartphone apps, and electronic surveys are just some of the means by which interested parties can source work or gather information. People are invited to collectively contribute ideas, time, expertise, or funds to a common goal. For example, traffic tracking apps such as Waze use driver/rider generated reports to communicate accidents, objects in the road, construction, and police on your journey. Uber pairs drivers with people who need a ride, an example of crowdsourced transportation.

Lays Potato Chips has really maximized the concept of crowdsourcing in its campaign “Do Us a Flavor,” where they asked people to submit ideas for potato chip flavors. Then the public was invited to vote on the flavors they would like to try. The top four submissions became actual products. So new flavors such as Crispy Taco, Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle, and Beer Cheese have been crowdsourced from inception to having the final selection available at your local Wawa. I don’t know who came up with the idea of Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle potato chips, but I want some.

At the heart of crowdsourcing is the notion of people coming together to help each other. I once traveled to Florida using Waze, and saved close to two hours in traffic. Others ahead of me reported a crash that had shut down the highway, and WAZE suggested a faster route.

Crowdsourcing existed in the early church, but they didn’t call it that. Martin Luther was an original crowd-sourcer. His frustrations with the institutional Church led him to write his “Ninety-Five Theses: A Disputation on the Power of Indulgences” and nail them on the door of the church in Wittenberg, which was located in the heart of the city on the public square. People read it, printed it, translated it, and shared its ideas with others throughout Germany and the rest of Europe, and thus the Reformation began.

But Jesus, of course was THE original crowd SOURCE. He spent a good deal of his ministry among the crowds. In the wonderful miracle known as the “Feeding of the Five Thousand,” we see him at his crowdsourcing best:

Matthew 14 (The Message)

Supper for Five Thousand

13-14 When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick.

15 Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.”

16 But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.”

17 “All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said.

18-21 Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.

Did you notice how that went? The disciples were expecting Jesus to come up with the meal. Jesus told the twelve to figure something out. They came up with five loaves and two fish, and lunch was served on the lawn. So Jesus sourced the miracle, and the crowd sourced the “re-source.”

What resource are you holding onto that would be better shared with the crowd? Where can you offer your expertise, your ideas, or your opinions in a way that constructively benefits others? Where is God calling you to take the Good News out into the public square and re-form the people?

Whatever your resource may be, God calls us to break our loaves and fish open and offer them to the world. And whenever you have served the least of these with whatever you have, you have served the Lord. And don’t forget to pick up the leftovers.

Fishing off Avalon Pier by Michelle Robertson

Blessing of the Animals

Posted on by Betsy

Pets are a wonderful blessing…well, for the most part. I have had dogs most of my life, and except for the times when my favorite shoes get chewed up or potty training was going badly, I have loved every minute of being with my dogs.

Well, there was the time Georgia ate half a pork roast, an entire bag of bagels (including the plastic bag,) a left-over baked potato, and then polished it all off with a scented candle. A scented candle! Palate cleanser, perhaps? Oh, yes, and the time she broke through the decorative fence at my daughter’s house, ran helter-skelter across the golf course disrupting everyone’s game, and then jumped in the lake, right on top of a duck. The whole time I was chasing her and yelling for her to stop. Her temporary and utterly complete hearing loss in that moment has always amazed me.

But our pets are part our family, and we cherish them. We may even like them better than members of our family….let’s face it, sometimes they are better behaved than particular family members.

There is a wonderful celebration of animals of all kinds in many Anglican-based churches called the “Blessing of the Animals.” It is usually held around October 4th, which is the traditional feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, known for his great love of all creatures great and small. Animals are brought to the church grounds or inside the sanctuary (with towels provided for “spills”) and the priest/pastor/vicar offers an individual blessing for each one. Water used to be used, but the cat union got on that one pretty quickly, so now it’s just a laying on of hands that goes along with the spoken blessing. In my denomination, we say this:

Bless, O Lord, this creature,

and fill our hearts with thanksgiving for its being.

I have officiated Blessings of the Animals a few times in my ministry, and the most exotic animal I have blessed was a very large lizard named George. Another pastor was with me that day, so I indicated to the boy with the snake that he should get in that pastor’s line. I was amazed at the number of church members who brought their animals, and it was a joy to watch their faces light up when their turn came to step forward. (The people, not the pets. If the snake’s face lit up, I will never know. Thanks be to God.)

In the book of Genesis, God gives humanity the care and protection of all of the animals he created:

Genesis 1 (The Message)

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them

        reflecting our nature

    So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,

        the birds in the air, the cattle,

    And, yes, Earth itself,

        and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”

    God created human beings;

        he created them godlike,

    Reflecting God’s nature.

        He created them male and female.

    God blessed them:

        “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!

    Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,

        for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

This is why churches for centuries have done blessings of the animals. We have been given a great gift, and with it comes a greater responsibility. God asks us to be responsible for EVERY living thing that moves on the face of the Earth.

If we take this seriously, we would all run to our local animal shelter right now and adopt a pet, as we are able.

If we take this seriously, we would all run to our local animal shelter right now and donate money or supplies, as we are able.

If we take this seriously, we would become animal rights advocates, denounce sport hunting, and become vegan, as we are able.

If we take this seriously, we would take good care of the pets with which we have been entrusted and look after our neighbor’s pets, as we are able.

If we take this seriously, we would safely pull over and move a turtle off the road, as we are able. (If you do this, place the turtle on the grass in the direction he was going, not back the way he was coming from. Otherwise, he will just go out in the road again. Just a little OBX wisdom.)

Our pets are a blessing to us. If you have one, love them tenderly today. If you don’t, reach out with some form of support to your local shelter or to a neighbor who might appreciate it if you offered to walk their dog. God is counting on us to care for his creation. We fill our hearts with thanksgiving for them being here with us.

Blessing of the Animals at Colington UMC. Photo by Patrice White Taylor-Welch.

Jesus Loves Me

Posted on by Betsy

Having a new baby in the family encourages all of your girlfriends to share their delivery stories. One recently described a long labor without an epidural, several setbacks along the way, and a few stern conversations between her mother and the L&D nurses. She began to hum “Jesus Loves Me” during one such conversation. Then came a moment of peace in the midst of pain, as her mom and her girlfriend began to sing along with her humming. Soon all three of them were singing. The doctor arrived just at that moment and stopped to listen.

The next day, after baby had been safely delivered, the doctor returned and told my friend that in all of his years of practice, he thought he had seen it all. But walking in on the three of them singing “Jesus Loves Me” was a new and wonderful experience. He thanked her for that special moment, and she replied, “You don’t understand, Dr. Gray. In that moment, I was pretty sure that Jesus was the ONLY one who loved me.”

Things can get pretty tense in the delivery room! This story made me laugh out loud. As my wonderful preacher and colleague recently said, “Birth is messy.” New things, new ideas, new programs, the beginning of relationships, start-up businesses, etc. often are birthed in chaos and mess before order comes along. This is especially true in institutions, where change is highly resisted, often resented, and can result in pain and trauma for those involved. The church is no exception to this.

As the Body of Christ for the world, we know what we are called to be. The mandate is clear:

Matthew 28 (NIV)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Go.

Make.

Baptize.

Teach.

Things would be pretty simple if we could just stick to that, but we live in a complex world and are facing painful and complicated decisions. And Lord knows, we like to over-complicate what is already complicated.

The challenges that face us are not the same challenges that the early church dealt with. Technology, the proliferation of secular thinking, global catastrophes, lack of inclusion, injustice, terrorism, polarized politics….there is so much more to this charge of “go, make, baptize, and teach” than ever before.

On the other hand, the early Christians faced persecution and death, so there was that.

While the commission has not changed, the world into which we are called has. We have changed and are changing, have created and are creating, have listened and are listening to the guiding and leading of the Holy Spirit, and we are trying very, very hard to get it right.

Issues are deeply complicated.

Change is painful.

Birth is messy.

But in the midst of it all, Jesus loves us.

He may be the only one…but that is enough.

If we can turn down the volume on our personal and political rhetoric and turn up the message that Jesus Loves Us, something wonderful might be birthed. Delivery rooms are made for that purpose: to deliver LIFE. Knowing and teaching others that Jesus loves us MUST carry the day, regardless of the messiness of our surroundings.

Jesus loves me! He who died,

Heaven’s gate to open wide;

He will wash away my sin,

Let His little children in.

When we proclaim the love of Jesus for all the little children of the world…the “red and yellow, black and white” children…that is when we glorify God. Letting his little children in, which means letting ALL his little children in, is the call that unites us in this messy business. Yes, Jesus loves us. The Bible tells us so.

Now go and tell someone who needs to hear it today.

One of two. Thanks be to God.

20/20

Posted on by Betsy

Contact lenses are a wonderful thing…when they work. They free us up from wearing/losing/finding our glasses, they often work better than glasses, and they are able to bring our eyes up to 20/20 vision. From hard to soft to disposable, there are a lot of choices.

Wish you had blue eyes? Buy them! Need trifocals? We can do that! Have a condition known as “mono vision,” where one eye sees distance well and the other reads well? Lenses of different strengths can balance that out. Just don’t fall asleep in them or you will wake up thinking that someone put Vaseline on your eyeballs. Or wear them on a long airplane ride…the dry air turns them into see-through hockey pucks.

Do you ever wish you could apply 20/20 vision to your spiritual, emotional or relational vision? In times of confusion, emotional manipulation, distraction, or when you realize you are in a cloud of deception, wouldn’t it be lovely to pop in clarifying contacts and be able to actually see things for what they are?

Fortunately for us, we can access the mind of Christ.

2 Corinthians (NIV)

10 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

Using Christ as a lens through which we see the world brings a wonderful clarity which we could never achieve on our own. The triune nature of God allows us to receive the Holy Spirit in real time. God’s active, alive, and attentive Spirit stays in tune with our spirits and is ready to lead, guide, direct, and correct our vision no matter what we are doing.

We just need to remember to apply it. Like lenses that sit in the box in the medicine cabinet, all the clarifying power of God through the Holy Spirit is useless until we intentionally look for it and look THROUGH it. Discernment comes through prayer, scripture reading, talking with friends and mentors, and sitting quietly in the presence of God and LISTENING.

So open your eyes. Open your mind. Open your heart and invite the Holy Spirit in to show you what is truth. We have received the Spirit of God so that we may understand what God has freely given us. We have the mind of Christ, if we just LOOK for it. The Spirit of God never fogs over or dries out. You can always count on God’s perfect 20/20 vision for your life.

Sunrise by Lainie Reed.

Safety Nets

Posted on by Betsy

She sat across the table from me, cradling her herbal tea in her hands. I slugged down dark roast coffee like it was liquid manna and listened intently. She described a long series of trips to different doctors that took on the tone of a great forensic investigation. Doctor after doctor used testing and science to lead her closer to the final truth. A cyst on her thyroid was causing the confusing and cloudy symptoms, and a procedure that is less traumatic than other options, had the diagnosis been something else, is now scheduled.

As she related the frustrations of medical science, which is often not an exact science, I realized that all the stops along the way to the proper diagnosis were safety nets of a sort. Each doctor had properly ruled something out, and then sent her farther along to the proper doctor who gave the proper diagnosis. It is amazing to see God work in such a way.

This image of safety nets called to mind a favorite story in the Gospels where Jesus told the disciple-wannabes to let down their fishing nets after a frustrating night of no fish:

Luke 5 (The Message)

4 When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”

5-7 Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

8-10 Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him.

There is so much goodness in this passage! They had only just met Jesus, but an early exposure to his teaching led them to recognize that he was something quite different. Notice that Simon (not quite yet “Peter:” he has farther to go before his name gets changed) addresses him as “Master,” acknowledging Jesus’ authority before they have even begun their relationship.

Also pay attention to the catch…what a catch it was! It was so large, the nets almost broke and they had to call in a second boat to haul it back to shore. Every Outer Banks fisherman longs for such a result at the end of a long, fish-less night.

And then came Simon’s sudden and abrupt recognition of his own unworthiness, and he drops to the ground and confesses his sinful nature.

Here is the take-away for today:

1. When we make Jesus the Master of our lives, he provides both full nets and safety nets.

2. When Jesus gives, it is always in great abundance, overflowing our expectations.

3. We aren’t worthy, yet the shed blood of the atonement allows us to receive God’s grace when we confess our sins.

4. Jesus is awesome.

So let down your nets today and wait. Let down your nets and watch. God has a plan for you, and it is a plan to prosper you and not harm you. Your nets will be filled with hope for your future…but sometimes you have to let them down on the “other side.” Keep the faith, fishermen. Long is the night, but sure is the morning.

Trout fishing at Avalon Pier by Michelle Robertson

Fear of Flying

Posted on by Betsy

I am about to get on an airplane yet again as I write this. I am among the blessed who can fly with ease. Mind you, the teeny-tiny lavs on the newer planes give me heart-palpitating claustrophobia that only the urgent needs of nature can override, but I am one of the lucky ones in that I enjoy air travel. God knew what he was doing when he gave me this particular gift, since I ended up marrying a pilot.

I have many friends who struggle with a fear of flying. They either give into it to the point that they never venture beyond where they can drive, or they suffer greatly while flying and rely on different kinds of medication to endure what others truly enjoy.

Did you ever think that “fear of flying” relates to things other than air travel?

Like the mother who subtly works against her daughter applying to out of state colleges…

The empty nester couple who are presented with a fantastic business opportunity in a faraway place, but they can’t commit…

The choir member who carries her section but refuses to solo…

The fellow called to preach who can’t bring himself to fill out the seminary application…

The college student who returns home to work retail rather than take the job in the big city…

The person struggling with an eating addiction who turns away from programs proven to work…

The abused partner who is afraid to flee…

…If you struggle with leaving the familiar to launch out into the unknown, you are not alone.

Consider Gideon, who was caught threshing wheat in a wine press. Think about that: threshing wheat was an outdoor activity, done in an open spot where the wind could carry away the chaff and leave the good wheat exposed. Doing this activity in a wine press was good for only one thing: hiding from the marauding Midianites who routinely came through Israel to steal, pillage and destroy.

But he was found in there, not by raiders, but by an angel of the Lord. This angel brought the surprising news that Gideon was to be a great warrior and would lead his people out of misery.

But Gideon struggled with leaving the familiar to launch out into the unknown.

Judges 6 (NIV)

14 But God faced him directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven’t I just sent you?”

15 Gideon said to him, “Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan’s the weakest in Manasseh and I’m the runt of the litter.”

16 God said to him, “I’ll be with you. Believe me, you’ll defeat Midian as one man.”

And eventually, Gideon did just that. He left the safety of the winepress and launched out. With jars and trumpets and a small army, Gideon defeated Midian because he believed God was with him. As small and runty as he felt, he found confidence in what God said he could do if he was obedient to God.

Where is God calling you to step out in faith today? What departure from your comfort level is God requiring of you?

God is with you, too. Whatever dark and frightening thing is causing you to hide in your wine press, God is already there. He is ready for you to take the next step, and he promises to be with you, always.

So please fasten your seatbelt. Make sure your tray table is in its upright and locked position. You have been cleared for takeoff! Go with God.

Sunset over ATL.

Honestly

Posted on by Betsy

Traveling through the Atlanta airport, I spotted a series of clever signs advertising a new hotel reservation website. Their shtick is based on honesty; they claim that other room booking websites have hidden fees, but their company is honest. The application of this marketing ploy is hilarious. The first sign to greet you as you descend the escalator toward the train reads:

“Nobody calls it Hotlanta. You’re Welcome.”

Truth. I lived here for 20 years, and locals never call it Hotlanta, as appropriate as that would be. Other signs were posted at the train. As you entered, one said, “Let the awkward silence begin.”

This one was my favorite:

Hahaha! That makes me laugh.

I know nothing about this company, but don’t you wish there was more honesty in general in the world? Like kindness, it seems to be in short supply these days.

Proverbs 11 New International Version (NIV)

11 The Lord detests dishonest scales,

    but accurate weights find favor with him.

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

    but with humility comes wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them,

    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

Take a gander at all the “d” words. Detests. Dishonest. Disgrace. Duplicity.

God hates dishonesty in any form. From little white lies to lying under oath, scripture assures us again and again that dishonesty leads to our peril. Notice how pride plays a part. When we boast and are full of ourselves, it is easy to inflate things to make ourselves look better. Humility, in contrast, is the foundation for wisdom. Honest wisdom.

And in every season, dishonesty leads to the destruction of society. From relationships to families to communities to countries, dishonesty will undo all the good work God planned for his creation. Think about what lying does to a marriage. Lying erodes trust, and when trust is gone, relationships crumble. The marriage fails and the family suffers. Duplicity will destroy us.

But God has a higher standard for us:

Ephesians 4 (NIV)

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Speaking the truth in love binds a couple, a family, a community, and a country together. It is a uniting force that combines to combat evil in every form that it takes. Truth has power. Truth defeats deceit. Truth unites us together with Christ. And in the end, truth always wins. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is truth.

So guard your mind today. And your tongue. It is so easy to slip into a lie, which begets another lie, which begets a life of deception. Mark your words, and hold them up to the lens of honesty, even in the little things. In this way, you will grow to become in every respect the mature reflection of Christ to the world.

And by so doing, we will change the world together, in truth and love. Honestly.

Weakness

Posted on by Betsy

I know a beautiful young woman who has struggled with an alcohol addiction for years. The ‘life of the party’ in a culture that loves to party, she was seen as the fun girl everyone wanted to be around. Slowly and very surely, the addiction took over, and drinking was no longer just a party favor, but a nightly thing. She almost lost her marriage, job, and family over it. But looking up from the bottom of a highball glass, she reached beyond her impediment and found Christ reaching down to her. Not only did he restore her sobriety, but he also kept her family intact. God’s strength comes into its own in our weakness.

The apostle Paul had an impediment that he wrote about in his letter to the Corinthians. He understood this to be a handicap, and it was so troublesome that he asked God to remove it. It was distracting, it slowed him down, and in his mind, it prevented him from fully serving God. But eventually, he realized that his weakness was a gift:

2 Corinthians 12:10 The Message (MSG)

“7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty!”

One of the things I greatly appreciate about this passage is that he recognizes Satan’s activity in trying to get him to think that his impediment was larger than life, and a reason to stop sharing the gospel. But Paul overcame that, and God shaped his thinking about it in a hurry. Still, Paul desired for the handicap to be removed:

“At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

“My grace is enough; it’s all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.”

So let’s just linger there for a moment. “My grace is enough; it’s all you need.”

Do you believe that? In the depths of your despair, at the bottom of your rock, do you believe that? God is telling you that at your lowest, he performs at his highest. He will use your impediment, your handicap, your weakness, your mistakes, and even your sin, to draw you closer to him, and to save you….from yourself.

“Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”

What’s your impediment? Anger? Resentment? Arrogance? The need to control everything? Lust? Adultery? Satan is having a field day with your weakness, exploiting it for his own good and holding you down with an ironclad boot on your neck. He would love it if you never got up again.

So get up.

Push it all away and reach for Jesus. In that desperate moment of weakness, he will be the only one reaching down to lift you up. It is precisely then that your weakness allows Christ’s strength to move in and take over. And like Paul, the weaker you get, the stronger you will become.

Just get up.

Photo by Jay Paterno.

Of Pens and Penmanship

Posted on by Betsy

Do you have a favorite pen? Pens can be personal. Some folks like the popular Big Grip Bics, with their rubberized finger grip and convenient pocket clip. Others prefer fountain pens, ball points, gels, rollerballs, marker tips, or even the elusive space pen, which writes upside down. For when, you know, you need to write in space and they turn the module on its head just as you need to jot down a note.

Pens are almost a thing of the past these days. They have been replaced by keyboards, thumbs, styluses, and talk-to-text. Think about it: when is the last time you used one for any length of time? I don’t even write down a grocery list anymore. I text a list to myself so that I can use my phone as I shop. Because of course, I always have my phone with me, unlike my written lists that I usually managed to leave at home or in the car.

Of course this now prevents me from the satisfaction I get from marking things off. There is no better feeling than looking at your “Do Today” list and seeing everything crossed through. Sometimes I even add something that I’ve already done, just to cross it off. That feeling of accomplishment is hard to achieve with a text to yourself!

As pen use falls away, so does good penmanship. I had to actually write something out longhand last week and I was appalled at my own chicken scratch. Writing by hand is something that requires daily practice. When we stop, it shows.

Which brings me to why we need to stay engaged in the scriptures on a DAILY basis. It really becomes a “use it or lose it” thing. Daily immersion keeps our spirits in tune with God’s spirit, and sets the tone for our daily thinking, responding, acting, and being. When we stop, we begin to disconnect and drift away from God.

Just as we need “daily bread,” we need a daily consumption of God’s word. Listen to how Jesus responds to the Devil’s taunting in the wilderness:

Matthew 4 The Message (MSG)

The Test

4 1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.”

4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”

Did you notice that Jesus answered the devil with SCRIPTURE? It is our best weapon against the Evil One. But you have to know it to use it.

It takes a steady stream of God’s words to stay alive. That is why we do this. That is why opening up the Bible every single day is important. Without it, we would starve for wisdom, knowledge, direction, discernment, and purpose. And surely without those things our souls would die. Like manna in the desert, God provides. All we need to do is open ourselves up to consume it.

2 Timothy 3 (NIV)

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So THANK YOU for your daily faithfulness in reading At Water’s Edge. Thank you for sharing it! We have reached almost 9,000 views since this began a little over 6 months ago, and have been read in 27 countries and locations including China, the Czech Republic, federal prisons in Georgia, Hong Kong, and South Korea. That has only happened because of your faithfulness in sharing it.

As we continue to read, pray, and equip ourselves and others every day, may the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word. This is the WORD of God for the people of God! Thanks be to God.

Photo by Mary Watts.