Patience and Perseverance

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." II Peter 3:9

Good morning, dear friends!

For several years now, we have been visiting with a dear lady in the north of Amiens.  When we first visited her, at the request of her friend living in the south of France, we had no idea how the Lord was going to use these visits.  What started out as honoring a request from another pastor, has blossomed into so much more.  

I wish that I were able to write that Renee was now actively participating in church activities, or that she had even made a decision to follow Christ in her life.  She has always been willing to listen when my husband and I talk about the Lord and His Word, without any personal investment in her part.

We are still waiting, and encouraging, and waiting for the fruit to burst forth in her life.

After many years of sharing God's message with her, it would be easy to become discouraged because of the time invested, with no visible fruit.  Throughout her different struggles with health issues and various problems, we are so thankful that we still have time to share God's truths with her.  We are also aware that at age 95, our time with her is running short.  Time is not our ally in this case, and each time we are with her, we wonder if it will be our last visit, or at the very least, the last time that we are able to talk with her about her relationship with God.

God has given us such a love for this dear lady.  What a joy it was for us to spend Easter Sunday with her, and share once again of God's great gift of love.

The verse at the top of this blog is such an encouragement to me, and such a challenge as well.  Sometimes it is so easy to get impatient with the work that God is doing in the hearts of people around us.  Each time that I wish things were moving faster here, I have to be reminded that although God has placed a love for people around me in my heart, His love is so much greater.

This is his "lost sheep," that He has been sent to seek and save. (Luke 19:10)

This is his "one," one lost sheep out of a hundred, that He leaves the ninety and nine to go find.  (Matthew 18:12)

This is his "whosoever will," that may come and drink of the living water He offers. (Revelation 22:17)

This is his "child," over whom He pleads for me not to offend. (Matthew 19:14)

God is patiently wooing and winning her heart to Him.  How can I do less than my part?  I must go, and make myself available to Him, to be His mouth, His hands, His eyes, His ears, and His arms of love.
His greatest desire for Renee is restored relationship with Him--"...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

I am so thankful for the many people who invested in me, and consistently and earnestly pleaded God's love to me.  How can I do less for others?

May I not grow weary in well doing. May I stay the course. May I finish the race.  May I be found faithful doing the work that the Lord has called me to, until the day He calls me home.

May I not quit, until the task He has appointed for me is finished at last.

Children's Discovery Bible Club Easter Edition

"He is not here, but is risen..." Luke 24:6

Good morning, dear friends,

Our first Bible club in April fell on the Saturday before Resurrection Sunday.  It was such an encouraging time to share with these young people about the real reason for Easter!  We prepared a short program for the parents, and there were almost as many parents as children for the program.  What an exciting club!

Damaris taught the lesson this week, using the Resurrection eggs.  Inside each plastic egg was a symbol of one of the events during Jesus's death and resurrection.  The last egg of course is empty, for the empty tomb.  He is risen indeed!  The children were very attentive and enjoyed opening the eggs one by one and showing its contents to the others.

After the lesson, we had an Easter egg hunt in the Dodeler's backyard!  I was especially thankful because all week long we had had really ugly weather, but the sun was shining on Saturday afternoon.  The kids were very excited to look for the eggs!

At the end, we had our Easter program for the parents.  We memorized a short poem about Palm Sunday, His crucifixion, and resurrection.  The children worked hard to remember their words, and then we acted out in the background the meaning of the words.  The children also sang, "He Lives!" and "Attaché à la croix pour moi," a song about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  The kids did a great job!

After the program, there was a snack with the parents.  Damaris had prepared several treats for the kids, including resurrection cookies, which turned out great!  The kids were very excited--I think they enjoyed the snack time the best!

Thank you all for your prayers for these clubs!  It is wonderful to be able to share God's Word and the good news of Jesus's resurrection with these little ones!  See you in two weeks for our next installment!

Empty

Memory Gaps

"He is not here, but is risen: remember..." Luke 24:6

Good morning, dear friends!

My mind is going.

I used to have a mind like a steel trap, then more like steel wool.  These days, it's a strainer. I didn't used to have to work so hard to remember my train of thought.  Most days, the train has left without me.

I can't remember where I put my keys, or my phone.  I can't remember names, or dates, or addresses, or important events. I walk into a room to get something, and can't remember what I was going after.  My children, amused, always holler out what it was that I was fetching.

Cheeky monsters.  They are the reasons I can't remember anything.  Everyone knows that when you're pregnant, all your brain cells go down to your children.  Oh, well, their day is coming, too...just hope I'll still remember who they are when it happens to them.

Memories are such a funny thing, aren't they?  There are so many events in my life that, at the time, I told myself that I would never forget how they occurred.  I'm thankful now for pictures, because there are so many memories that were so precious at the time, that by now would be lost, except for the visual reminders of the photographs.  Even my children have built a lot of their memories around photos taken when they were small.  They don't have the memory, but the photos are proof to them that what we said actually happened.

I am always amazed about the portions of the Bible where Jesus made references to His own death, and the disciples forgot about them.  It seems impossible, doesn't it, looking back with the knowledge that God gives us in His Word, that the disciples were not readily accepting and expecting Jesus's death, burial and resurrection? Consider Jesus's words to the disciples concerning what would happen to Him:

"And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." (Mark 8:31)

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19)

"Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again." (Luke 18:31-33)

Perhaps it was the fear, or the stress of the situation that they found themselves in, but for whatever reason, the disciples didn't get the message.  If only they had been thinking of his teachings, they would have been waiting at the tomb on the morning of the third day...

They would have been there, when the soldiers fell down to the ground.

They would have been there, when the stone was rolled away.

They would have been there, when Jesus came forth.

They would have been waiting, watching, encouraging each other, saying, "He told us so."

As it was, the women who came to the tomb on that third morning, were expecting to anoint a dead body.  What a surprise to hear the angels proclaim: "Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but he is risen!"  What words of hope and encouragement to these broken-hearted women!  The next word holds the key to their understanding of the impossible:

"Remember..."

How much sorrow and heartbreak I would avoid, if only I would take the time to remember....

...that God always keeps His promises: "Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." (Luke 24:7)

....that I can trust God's Word: "remember how he spake unto you, when he was yet in Galilee..." (Luke 24:6)

...that all things are possible to God: "...and the third day rise again."

I'm so thankful that the Bible tells me in Luke 24:8, "And they remembered his words..."  How wise these women were, not to rest in shame or guilt because they had forgotten, but that they remembered, and trusted these words of Jesus, and then went to tell the others!

The next time I am in a moment of weakness, or temptation, or doubt, may I take the time to remember God's Word, trust in His promises, and depend on His power and strength to guide me through the tasks before me.

What blessings await God's servants, if only they would just remember....

Green Means Go, Red Means...

"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 21:25

Good morning, dear friends!

As I have mentioned already in this blog, my children and I walk to school.  In our little village of not quite 3000 people, in our fifteen minute walk to school, we have three crosswalks, equipped with the "red man, green man" indicator.  Green means go, red means dead, I usually joke with my kids, but they understand the significance.  

It's such an easy system, that even my children when they were little, could understand.

At least, it should be easy.

Then, there are those mornings when you get a late start.  Or when your children wait patiently at the crosswalk while other children and parents disregard the "red man," and cross anyway. There's the intersection where there's "never" any cars coming.  My children would look up questioningly, as if asking if it was okay for them to cross as well.

I must admit, there have been times when we have crossed on "red means dead."  What should be a clear cut and dry warning to be heeded, becomes a symbol of confusion to my children.  Is it okay to cross when mom says so, or should I always obey the light?

SIGH

Why is it so hard to obey?  Even when the situation is so familiar, and obedience so clear-cut, why do I allow so many excuses to hinder my obedience?

..."Everyone else is doing it."

..."There are no immediate consequences."

..."Just this once..."

..."I'm having a bad day/month/year/life."

One of the saddest verses in all of Scripture to me is the last verse of Judges, at the top of this blog: "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." To think that every person would disregard the clear warnings of God, and make their own laws, their own judgments on right and wrong, is just sad.

Of course, when I do it, isn't it just as sad?

So many times I try to bend God's laws, find loopholes, or reasons why they don't apply to me, instead of just obeying.  How much easier, and simpler, my life would be, if I would just remember that God's rule in my life is not to hurt me, but to make my way easier.

I John 5:3 is a great reminder for me: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."  If I truly love God, then I will keep His commandments, which are not a burden, but a blessing.

The next time I am tempted to look for the "exception" to obeying God's Word, may I be reminded of the example I hope to set in front of my children.  I want them to obey because they love me, not because they fear the punishment of disobedience.  I know that the rules I set for them are for their good, and I want them to seek this truth--that I love them--more than for them to seek a way out of their obedience.

I want to obey God today, even in the "little things," because of my love for Him.  May God help me to pray for wisdom, make right choices today, and experience the victory that comes when I say yes in obedience to God.

The crosswalk light has changed, and I am waiting...will I make the right choices today?

Hard Ground

"Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen?" Amos 6:12

Good morning, dear friends!

In spite of the cold, and in spite of the wind, I have hopes that THIS will be the week.  What week is that, you might ask?

Spring planting.

I have been watching as the sales flyers come in my mailbox. Beautiful, delicate little flowers, sturdy hedges, climbing vines and ground creepers are all calling my name.

I love this time of year, when winter's grip leaves the ground, and I can finally start acting on my winter's plans and dreams.  So, it's time to grab the pickaxe and start planting.

Pickaxe?

Yup.

SIGH

When we had this house built, I was already dreaming of a garden:  lots of pretty flowers, hedges, trees, even a vegetable garden.  Little did I know at the time that the house plans were being drawn up, that there would be just one problem to this dream.

We were building our house on a slab of limestone, with just a thin layer of topsoil thrown over top.  Anything that we wanted to plant, was going to be a challenge.

When we arrived, in my naivité, I said, "Ok, I'll just get rid of the rocks, and then it will be fine."  That's a great idea, in theory, except that the more we dug out the rocks, the more rocks appeared.  Instead of a shovel to work the ground, we had to use a pickaxe instead.  As soon as one area was ready to plant, the rain stopped, and the ground got hard again.  Back to the starting board.

Many days of breaking up the ground, hauling rocks, and working the dirt helped me to have many moments to think about God's Word, and dirt.

I thought about the parable Jesus told His followers in Matthew 13, about the different types of ground.  I could relate to all types.  When we arrived, our house was built on a former colza field, so before anything else could be planted, we had to uproot the colza, so that it would not choke out the seed I wanted to plant.  Then there were the rocks, everywhere.  Some were just under the surface of good dirt, so that my best planting efforts were in vain.  The rocks had to go.  How thankful I was for the few patches of good dirt, where I could just reach in my shovel and go to work.

But my labors begged the question:  Who (besides me) would willingly be crazy enough to try and plant something useful in rocks?

My husband preached this Sunday on a passage in Amos 6, where this question is asked:  "Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen?"  There is a lesson here to be learned.  Is it worth the time or effort to plow among rocks?

Probably not, unless...

God used this passage to speak to my heart about our work here in France.  There is no easy mission field to labor in this world.  Yes, there are areas of the world where people are more receptive to the gospel.  (France does not happen to be one of them.) The receptive hearts, like fertile soil in my garden, are few and far between.    How does one even begin to teach, or help to plant, in hearts as hard as concrete?

A lot of plowing.  A lot of rain.  A lot of perseverence.

The increase?  Not my problem.  Just the sowing.

I am so thankful that God does not command me to make things grow.  I have a notorious brown thumb, and many plants that are left to my care just don't do that well.  But I can plant.  I can water.  And I can trust the only one who can to keep my plants alive, to bring the fruit.

Witnessing for God in France is a slow and painstaking process.  There are many years of tradition that must be uprooted, many years of false teaching hardening hearts, many years of good ground lying fallow because the hearts have not been plowed up.  The work is literally all around me, if I would not be faint of heart today.

How will I make a difference for eternity today?  By getting out my plow, and going to work.

Will it be difficult?  Definitely.  Will I get discouraged as things don't progress as quickly as I might like?  Probably. Does that mean I should quit, or change fields?  Absolutely not.

Just keep plowing.

The next time I am daunted by the task in front of me, may the Lord help me to remember my garden.  After almost ten years of painstaking labors, I have a tree (small that it is), bushes, hedges, roses, bulbs and assorted flowers in my garden.  Yes, it was a lot of hard work, and there is still much to be done, but at least it's a start.

May I be faithful today to keep working the ground of people's hearts, so that others may be touched by God's amazing love, and begin to grow as well.

Give, and then given

"Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom." Luke 6:38

Good morning, dear friends!

I love to cook.  It didn't start out that way here in France, because I grew up as a grab-a-box-and-open-a-can kind of cook from the U.S.  I didn't really start to cook until I moved here, and under the wonderful tutorage of my mother-in-love, learned how much fun cooking from scratch could actually be.

There's just one problem.

I am not a measuring cook. I am a pinch and dash cooker.  It's fun to cook that way, until someone asks me for the recipe for something.  Then, I realize that I am not very helpful.

The French have a funny expression for "pinch and dash" cooking.  Litterally, you cook through your nose.  I guess instead of following a recipe, you follow your nose.

So, how exactly do you measure a pinch, a dash, or through your nose?  How much is that anyway?

Well, I guess it just depends on the cook.  Each cook has his own secret recipe, his own imprecise measurements, and his own yummy results.

Easter Sunday is coming up this week, and I have been thinking much about God's amazing gift of His Son for me.  God loves perfectly, and so He gives perfectly.  His greatest gift met my greatest need, and surpassed it, so that my sins were completely removed from my account, placed on Jesus, and then erased forever.

His gift was a costly one, but He did not give sparingly.  Jesus gave Himself willingly, completely, so that I could enjoy the blessings from my Father's hand.

How can one measure such an amazing gift?

I have always loved the verse at the top of this blog.  It does not read like a mathematical equation, but rather a recipe from a cook who knows the ingredients, and just the right amounts to give.  Here are some thoughts about Luke 6:38:

1.  I should give! Matthew 10:8 reminds me that I should not withhold my giving to others: "freely ye have received, freely give."

2.  I should not wait for others to give, and then give in response to their giving.  I give freely, and then trust God to take care of my needs.

3.  I can never outgive God.  God will always provide abundantly more than I could ever dream of, if I am willing first to obey His Word, and give.

How much is a "good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over?" It reminds me of helping my mom with the summer canning every year when I was growing up.  She would can peaches when they became available each year.  My mom did the prep work to get them ready for the jars, and my job was to pack the jars.  I would use the funnel and get as many peach slices as I could into the jar, and then I'd proudly exclaim to my mom (probably because I wanted to be finished with the task), "Done!"

My mom would shake her head.  I couldn't understand what I had done wrong.  She said, "You have to pick it up and shake it." I would cover the top of the jar, pick it up, and shake it as hard as I could, and when I set the jar down, there was always extra room at the top.  Then I would pack it as full as I could without destroying the peaches.  Sometimes my mom would still shake it after I was done packing, and there would still be room.

After the jars of peaches went into the canner, and were done being processed, I would be amazed to see that there would still be space in the jar, after the peaches floated to the top!  What was so full to me, still had lots of room, even after we were done shaking it all together.  In order for me to fill up that jar completely, it would have had to be "running over," before we put the top on.

Don't ask me how many peaches that is.  Even my mom didn't know how many it would take.  We just kept adding, until there was no more room to us, when in reality we could have kept going.  There was always more room, even when we thought it was full.

That is how I am to give, and that is how God gives in return.  I don't count, or try to measure the amount.  I just keep giving, and God always gives more.

That is a giving that cannot be measured.  I can't even try.

May I be willing to give, and allow myself to be used to bless someone else today.

I know that God will do His part, if only I would just do mine.