The doors open and you step inside. As you look for the button to signal the floor you want you notice one button has a key slot next to it. With your choice already selected and the doors sliding closed you wonder what could be on the floor that is secured by a key.

This may seem like a no brainer. You may quickly think, “Of course I am”.

But are you really?

Do you call your friends to talk or to listen?

Do you trust them with what matters to your heart?

Do you let them help you with the big stuff?

Can they tell you the truth? No, really tell you the truth?

Can people trust you with their heart?

On my worst day can you still

see the best in me?

When you hurt my feelings does it

break your heart?

Social media has taken the

meaning out of the word friend.

It’s turned it into a tally mark in a

cyber popularity contest.

I found this poem today and thought it was worth sharing.

So take a long look in the mirror. Are you a good friend? 

This morning I realized I have beverages that go with certain activities.  When I first wake up in the morning and when I am working in my office, a large cup of coffee is close at hand. When I am reading or journaling or writing, a hot cup of tea is close by. It often gets cold before it gets finished because I get so wrapped up in what I’m focused on. Dinner is often accompanied by a glass of good wine. I find it slows down the whole dinner time and the focus shifts from eating to dinning. Fast food gets washed down with a Diet Coke. Diet Pepsi if I have the choice. 

But…when I fire up my Logos program and

dig into the Word it is water.

A large wine glass full of

clear cold water that I want.

As a deer pants for water….

What are you doing today?

What are you drinking?

What are you longing for? 

I’ve been teaching Genesis again. This is my 5th or 6th time through. Each time I learn more and see more of the heart of God. This time the questions have jumped off the page at me. There are three from God that are very direct and show so much of His heart. Today I wonder how you would answer the questions.

The first two come coupled together. An unmarried pregnant woman running from the life of slavery and two pillars of faith who treated her badly is asked “Where have you come from and where are you going?” (Gen 16:8) Now, I’m pretty confident God knew exactly where Hagar was coming from and had a pretty good idea where she would be going. But so often, when we are in the midst of crisis, it’s critical to get our bearings. Knowing where we’ve come from is vital to deciding where to go and what to do next. If we don’t know how we got where we are how are we to move forward?

“Where are you going?” takes our focus off the road behind us and helps us realize we have choices to make. I have never accepted the excuse “I had no choice” as valid. There are always choices. Joshua broke it down to the most basic, choose life or death. Everyday, we make choices that determine where we are going.

The third may come as a shock. After explaining to God the horrible circumstances she was fleeing from and her plan to keep fleeing, God sent her back to the same circumstances with two things, His name, El Roi and His promise, her son would be the father of nations. So when she finds herself sixteen years later sitting in despair again the question, “What is the matter with you?” may sound a little harsh. Her circumstances didn’t improve during the 16 years she had the name and the promise, but it didn’t change the heart of God, His name or the promise. The same God who protected her for 16 years, who saw her not only in the desert but in the camp, who gave her His promise hadn’t changed.

So today, looking at your circumstances, looking at what you know of His heart, how would you answer…

Where have you come from?

Where are you going?

What is the matter with you?

The following was an email I received this morning. With the appropriate permissions and notations I am using my blog today to “forward” it to you.

What has God already said yes to that you continue to question?  As I pondered this question, I realized that many times I continue to argue my point with God when God has already said yes.  So what is He waiting on?  Why doesn’t He do what He promises immediately?  Could it be that He is waiting for me to believe and to worship?

When the children of Israel were enslaved in Egypt, they cried out to the God of their fathers and the Bible says, “and God knew”.  (Exodus 2:24)  He knew they wanted to be free.  He knew the situation they were in and the oppression they were under, and He knew their deep desire to return to a place where they could serve Him.  And His answer was “Yes!”  They were in fact seeking the will of God and we know that when we seek the will of God His answer to His will is always yes.

So how did it come to be?  God sent them a deliverer.  His name was Moses.  Although Moses was reluctant to fulfill the call on his life, he went to Egypt anyway and shared God”s plan with the elders of Israel.  The people”s response was amazing!  The scripture says, “And the peoplebelieved; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.” (Exodus 4:31)  In other words, they hadn”t seen anything change yet.  Their circumstances had not changed one bit.  They were still slaves in Egypt.  But despite the overwhelming odds before them and the very strong opposition that surely awaited them – they choose to believe God and take Him at His word.  They confirmed their complete trust in Him by beginning to worship Him for what they knew He would do.  In fact, they worshiped as though it was already done.

So I ask again, what has God already said yes to in your life?  More importantly, what”s stopping you from believing and worshiping Him?

“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”  (1 John 5:14-15 emphasis mine)

The time is now beloved.  This promise assures us that prayers said in faith according to His will are heard by Him and that we already have what we are requesting.  Let”s have confidence to believe Him and to worship Him today.  Though we may not see it with our natural eyes yet, by faith we can believe it has already been accomplished in the supernatural.  Amen!

Be Blessed!

© 2012, Mary E. Banks Permission is granted to forward this e-letter (and it’s greatly encouraged) provided the © copyright notice and contact information are included. Thanks! 

When was the last time you changed your batteries? I mean other than something being totally dead. For months I have walked past our indoor/outdoor thermometer and thought it was broken. This morning I decided to replace the batteries. Low and behold! It works! But this makes me wonder if my carbon monoxide detector and smoke detectors need fresh batteries, too. When was the last time you changed your batteries?

When was the last time you changed your routine? You know, the familiar way you start your morning or end your day. The route you take to and from the same places you’ve always gone. It’s called a routine because you do it the same way over and over. Honestly, can you say what you do the way you do it works for you or is there room for creative improvement?

When was the last time you changed your opinion? I mean really changed your opinion not just changing your mind. We all know how easy it can be to change your mind. “I changed my mind, I’ll have the fish instead of the chicken.” “I’ve changed my mind, I really don’t want to go to that party.” “I’ve changed my mind….” But to change your opinion, well that’s a very different story. That requires admitting on some level that your opinion might not really be as “right” or as accurate as you thought it was. Your evaluation of a person or a situation might have been lacking in information or insight or (gasp) compassion. You might have to make some public statements indicating your opinion has changed, which could open you up to questions and the very real possibility that other people’s opinions could change, too.

You can’t smell carbon monoxide in your home but it can kill you.

You may be comfortable with your routine but if you’re not growing and changing you are dying.

You may have held your opinion for a long time but if you are not willing to reconsider it you may already be dead.

What are you going to change today?

If it means failing a few times before you succeed are you in? I have written today’s question six different ways so far and the opening few lines have given me a really struggle. But I want to ask this question today and as much as it’s fighting back I think it’s a good one.

How many shots does a marksman take perfecting his aim?

How many miles does a marathoner log before getting to the starting line?

How many unfinished books are saved on millions of computers that are really good?

How many times does a gold medal ice skater fall?

If you knew you would hit the bulls eye, finish the race, make the Times Best Seller list or take home the gold would your day be different today?

Take the shot.

Put on your shoes.

Finish the book.

Reach for the gold.

Don’t you just love it when someone offers to fix you a cup of coffee? I’m not sure if she’s been instructed to greet customers by asking what she can get started for them or if that is just her way but it is so inviting without being pushy. It says “I see you and am ready to do my part to help you get exactly what you want this morning.” And then she waits for the creativity that each person desires in a cup or maybe from the pastry case. There is no telling what a person may be in the mood for even if they are regular customers with a predictable routine. They just might change it up on her and go totally rouge.  When she listens it’s for the details, caff, de-caf, non fat, soy, mocha, cappuccino, latte….the possible combinations are as varied and endless as the parade of people coming in and out of the door from “can’t see” in the morning to “shouldn’t be drinking caffeine” late at night.

 

Today I checked a friend’s Facebook page expecting to ask her if the books I sent had arrived. She lost her library last year in the tornadoes that ripped through Joplin. The past 8 months have been incredibly challenging for her. The lost of her home, the uncertainty and the hope just the past few weeks as things really started to come together. She mentioned in passing how excited she was that someone had given her a couple of books from her favorite series that were lost. I asked her which ones she was still missing and ordered them on Amazon. They were supposed to start being delivered on Monday. Monday was also the day she was going to orientation for her new job after spending the past week moving into her new duplex.

You probably know where this is going. Linda Roberts passed away Monday at her orientation.

Joplin Family Worship Center
Linda M. Roberts (Seevers) was a grief counselor who volunteered many hours at JFWC this past summer to help victims of the May 22 tornado. She surprised us all on Monday when she moved to heaven at her first day of employment during orientation. She had earned an M.Ed. on counseling from Evangel University and an M.Div. from AGTS, both in Springfield. Linda had a vocation to help others from Messenger College students to abused women and children. Affected herself by the tornado she had to move in a FEMA trailor, and was working hard to recover financially. Because of these struggles she had no life insurance. Her daughter and family, Joy and David Parkman, too, was affected by the tornado, losing both jobs from St. Johns Hospital and Home Depot.(both buildings were destroyed) Her son, Tommy lives in Kansas City and made several trips to help restore Joplin this past summer. This whole family are clearly servants of God and are in need of our help to be a good steward of their mother’s body. SO, In Leiu of flowers, the family has set up a memorial fund to cover the cost. The memorial/burial is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, based on their ability to pay the funeral home. JFWC has set up a memorial fund for those who desire to help this family. If you would like to help you can use the paypal on our website. Just mark it Memorial Fund and 100% will go to the cost of the funeral. Thank you, for reading. If you can’t give please offer a prayer up for this precious family. Blessings to all of you! (from Linda’s Facebook page)

Life is far shorter than we think. It’s more fragile and precious than we acknowledge moment to moment. In the past four months many I love have lost someone with no warning. One moment they were here and the next they were gone. I faced the very real possibility myself only weeks ago.

I am so glad I sent Linda the books. I know she didn’t get to enjoy them but she knew they were coming. She knew someone she had never met in person saw her heart and did something about it.

Maybe it’s not books in your life. Maybe it’s something else. And just maybe, like me, you’re supposed to be the one sending them out. Maybe it’s a card or flowers or a phone call. Maybe it’s just a simple post on Facebook.

But what if the thing you are really sending out is hope? and love? and joy? Put a stamp on it. Take the time. Be deliberate.

Send the books.

Synonym?

Just wondering…