Monthly Archives: November 2012

You Can’t Climb That High

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It’s a real bummer to be very competitive and very afraid of heights—especially when you’re a kid and your older sister loves heights and thrill.

The competitive side of me would say, “If someone else can do it, there’s no reason why I can’t too.” The scared of heights side of me would argue, “Yes, but you are about to fall and die.” (I know, fear is irrational. Most people don’t die from climbing to the top of the swing set and jumping down.)

Sometimes the competitive side won, and I would will myself to climb in spite of my fears. And sometimes the scared of heights side won, and I would say I didn’t really want to climb that day. (Actually, the scared of heights side always won because even if I climbed up, I suffered escalating stages of terror before I made it back down to the ground!) Continue reading →

Half Poured & Overflowing

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I set out at the beginning of November to write a blog post every day about one of the attributes of God for which I’m thankful. I even called it NaThaMo.

Well, if you’ve been following the posts, you know that I am now five days behind (besides having missed letters J and M). In fact, I’m far enough behind that I’ve conceded I won’t finish out the month.

In assessing this “failure,” I determined to look at the month as half-full instead of half-empty. “Hey,” I told myself, “at least you did half of the letters.”

And then it hit me. Continue reading →

Closer than You Think

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

Have you ever felt alone? Forsaken? Abandoned? Forgotten?

There’s a pathos in Psalm 142:4 that I think we can all identify with: “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.”

And perhaps you’ve felt a similar anguish to Job’s when he seemed to search for God’s presence in vain: “Behold, I go forward,” he cried out, “but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him” (Job 32:8–9)

If you’re there right now, could I tell you something? Continue reading →

Nothing, Nothing at All

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

What can make God stop loving me? What can separate me from His love? What can dim or cloud the intensity of His love for me?

Please read the answer very slowly: nothing, nothing at all.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:35, 37-39

I’m thankful for God’s love.

Sometimes I forget about it.

Sometimes I live as if I must earn it. Continue reading →

God Doesn’t Have to Be Kind to Me

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

Have you ever been kind to someone because you had to be? Or because it was to your best advantage to be?

I have.

But God’s kindness to me (and there is a lot of it!) is prompted by a higher, purer motive—love.

That’s right. God is kind to me because He loves me. It’s called lovingkindness.

Perhaps you have heard that the God of the Old Testament is harsh. Vindictive. Angry.  Continue reading →

Everything You Need

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

The shortest complete sentence in the English language is “I am.” When the Great I AM speaks, it is also the most complete sentence! I’m thankful that He is everything you or I need today.

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.—Exodus 3:14

I am the bread of life.—John 6:35, 48, 51

I am the light of the world.—John 8:12

I am the door of the sheep.—John 10:7, 9

I am the good shepherd.—John 10:11, 14

I am the resurrection, and the life.—John 11:25

I am the way, the truth, and the life.—John 14:6

I am the true vine.—John 15:1, 5

What attribute of God are you thankful for today that begins with the letter I?

You’re Not Alone

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

Over ten years ago, my cousin Jonathan was rushed to the Children’s Hospital in Chicago where his life lay in the balance. Of course, his family as well as our entire extended family was deeply concerned. Even as the doctors studied to diagnose and treat the infection, they warned the family of the seriousness of his condition.

Meanwhile, my uncle and aunt were juggling time in the hospital, time at home with the other seven children (who were all too young to be allowed in the room), multiple jobs, and paper routes. For one week of this time, I was able to travel to their home and relieve my aunt and uncle of home duties as well as a precious few of the job duties. My cousins and I made lots of memories that week…most of which I sincerely hope they won’t share. (That includes the “gooky” cereal, Kirsten! :))

But one moment took place which I will never forget.  Continue reading →

A Good Kind of Greedy

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

I’m learning the beauty of a word that I used to limit: grace.

Of course, we know that God is gracious, and we are thankful for that; but I am discovering that His graciousness impacts far more of my life than I used to think.

We know that it is through His grace that we are saved.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.—Ephesians 2:8–9

And if you’re in church at all, it’s not difficult to know that people who are hurting or grieving need grace. Just listen to public prayers, and you’ll understand that grace is for people who have lost a loved one.

But in recent years, I’ve begun to see grace in a fuller light. I’m learning that grace is not limited to salvation and loss. Ephesians 2:7 uses the phrase “the exceeding riches of his grace.” Continue reading →

Ahhh…

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

This past summer, I had the best experience ever at Subway…and it had nothing to do with Subway.

I was with my family for a few days, and I had the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk with my dad. I came to the table with an agenda—literally. I had three questions I had been waiting to talk with him about until we had one-on-one time to ourselves.

Two of the questions were trite. But one was big to me. In fact, it wasn’t even a question at all, it was an issue.

I always cherish time spent with my dad, but this time, I needed it. I shared with him something that had been weighing my spirit, and I listened as he gave me his take on it. We talked for a long time. Subway employees began cleaning the counters and checking the doors to be sure they were locked (subtle signs that they wanted us to leave). We relocated to the car and continued talking. We even turned the heater on once we had sat in the car long enough to get chilled. Continue reading →

Mind-Boggling Wonder

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Note: This blog is part of a Thanksgiving series of blogs highlighting attributes of God for which I am thankful.

Try to wrap your mind around one word for just thirty seconds. Here it is: eternal.

God is eternal.

Eternal never ends. That means even if you lived as long as Methuselah (969 years to be exact), you wouldn’t live as long as God.

But what’s more, is that eternal never started! Even if you never died, you wouldn’t live as long as God. He had a head start. Actually, He didn’t start. He always was.

Mind-boggling, isn’t it?

But it’s also wonderful.

Because God is eternal… Continue reading →