Category: Uncategorized

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.  Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” — Alan Cohen

Have you ever felt stuck?  Trapped?  Not in a bad place, just not in the right place?

I have.

Know this:  We will never go anywhere if we don’t start.

Change is difficult, even when we know it is right.

It is very difficult to find the “right time” to make a change.  You are confident change needs to happen.  You know you need to do it.  Still, finding that moment to make the shift is intimidating.

Timing.

Delaying brings frustration to us as well as to those around us. When we delay, we know we are in the wrong place, our fervor is stifled, and those around us feel that tension and hindrance, as well.  The surrounding circumstances are not going to come into perfect sequence in order for us to make the transition.  So delaying is not the answer.

We don’t know the whole of what awaits on the other side.  True. Yet, when we take action and move on what we know is right, we cause the circumstances to change and stoke the fires of the passion that drives us.

This is cause and effect.  There are two choices:  1) Delay and experience lack of fulfillment.  2) Act on what you know is true, move toward the dream and vision for your life, and meet the destiny God has purposed for you.

I had to take that first ENORMOUS step into the intense depths of the unknown about a year ago and I have not looked back.  God was calling me into something new.  It was HUGE!  I was intimidated. God knew what platform He had planned for me.  My place was reserved.  I just needed to go take it.  I did.

So let me encourage you, in the theater of God’s Kingdom, to step out in faith, into the darkness, past the footlights, and watch God put the spotlight on the path you are to follow.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.                                                          (Psalm 37:3-6)

TRUST in the Lord.  DWELL in His presence.  LISTEN to His voice.  MOVE in the direction of His voice.  WALK where He leads.  KNOW peace.  FIND true success.

One of my cousins sends a verse to me every morning via text as a reminder of God’s goodness and grace toward us.  A while back, he sent this one:

“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.”  Hebrews 10:36

I like the verse because it talks of being dedicated to doing what God calls us to do and being what God calls us to be.  It tells us that when we follow God’s will, we reap the rewards of ALL He has promised.

Interestingly, this verse arrived when my Word for the Day was DEDICATION.  As I considered my own dedication and where it is applied, another scripture came to my mind.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.   Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:12-14)

The day’s theme appeared to be that in order to attain what we are striving for we need to keep the goal in mind, move forward toward what God has called us to do, and walk with perseverance and patient endurance along the way.

Although there may be an occasional roadblock, as we practice keeping our focus and continue moving forward we will find prosperity of all kinds.  Even greater than that of business and financial prosperity, we will experience success in personal transformation in the Lord.  When we persevere in the Lord, we find

Success is waiting for our arrival!

Step out.

Persevere.

Move forward in the Lord.

Find success.

When I awaken each morning, it is interesting the many things running through my mind.  Still, no matter how busy the day is to be nor how late I may have worked the evening before, God, by His Holy Spirit, reminds me of Who HE is.

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice,
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty.
Your testimonies are fully confirmed;
Holiness befits Your house,
O Lord, forevermore. (Psalm 93)

Who is God? He is Almighty. He is robed in splendor and majesty. He is merciful. He is gracious. He is kind. He is wonderful. He is Strength. He is Eternal. He is Holy.

What a thought that God Himself said to His people,

“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

We are to consecrate ourselves to be holy, like God.  He said this to His people several times in Leviticus 11:44, 19:22, 20:26, and other passages.  Then Peter, in 1 Peter 1:16, quoted this same statement to the people of the New Covenant, the New Testament Church, you and me.  As I read these scriptures, I become intensely mindful of the importance to seek holiness.

We know it is possible for us to become holy because God has commanded us to do it.  Holiness is something to be grasped by us, a quality we can seek after.  While I will never fully reach that pinnacle of perfection that He is in this life, the GREAT NEWS is through God and the sacrifice He made for me through Jesus Christ, I CAN BE HOLY.

We know God has a marvelous plan for each of us and by His grace, He has provided a way for us to access that plan.  As we entrust our lives to Him, we progressively become more like Jesus as we seek Him and live out each day.

God desires to be found by us, so we pursue the Lord and He makes known to us His presence.  The prophet Jeremiah revealed to us that God wants us to seek after Him, so we can fulfill that plan to prosper us, when he wrote,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

In your daily endeavors, pursue God first. Pursue Him with the very essence of who you are; your heart, mind, soul and strength.

Seek Him.  Find Him.  Be Holy.

 

 

Goal. A statement of desired destination or intention.

Objective. How we plan to achieve our goal.

Here we are, January 2017, checking 2016’s accomplishments in the rearview mirror and looking through the windshield at the array of roads and deciding our destination.  To make that determination we need purpose.

Purpose. The “why” that motivates us to action.

Without purpose we lose our sense of direction, to be tossed about at the whim of every circumstance.  Instability.

Conversely, with purpose we gain FOCUS. We sit upright, belted in, on the right road and confidently accelerate forward.  Possessing purpose produces the “why” of what we are doing.  We have the vision, the goal, the objective, in mind and take action based upon the end result we have envisioned.  Stability.

Possessing purpose produces the “why” of what we are doing.

James, the brother of Jesus, addressed the concept of stability. In his writing he instructed when we place our faith in God and ask for His wisdom, He will give it to us freely, without reserve.  However, when we ask and then doubt, we are tossed about spiritually and emotionally. (James 1:5-8)  That doubt is derived from lack of purpose.

God creates each of us with purpose. He intentionally places within us a unique combination of personality, abilities, talents, and gifts and these components work together to fulfill God’s purpose.

As Christians, we know our purpose is set forth in the Great Commission, found in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life.  Our mission is to carry out the assignment to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, make disciples, baptize them, and show them how to follow Him. (Matthew 28:18-20)  With our individuality, we each address this mission uniquely.

Jesus taught that we, His disciples “…are the salt of the earth …” (Mt 5:13) Salt performs a specific function.  While salt adds flavor, it does so by changing what it touches.  Salt is used to cure meat products because it first kills microorganisms in the meat.  Secondly, as the salt is poured over the meat, it pulls the water from the inside, allowing the salt to enter and flavor it from the inside out. Salt is the agent of change to the meat.  When Jesus spoke about those who carry His name being the “salt of the earth,” he meant, as we (the salt) go into the world, we will change it.

Jesus pours the salt of Truth into us and it changes us, curing us of our sin and sinful natures. As we are continuously being cured for every good work in the Lord, we are taking that same salt into the world and pouring it onto others.  As we pour the salt of the Gospel into the lives of other people their lives are changed. We are to be the agent of change in this world for the Kingdom of God.

Our goals and resolutions are derived from our purpose and there is joy, along with the experience of satisfaction and accomplishment, which accompany fulfilling that purpose.

We each bring our unique flavor to the world by living in it and sharing Christ, salting our sphere of influence, making it different from when we arrived.

Know your purpose.

Stand firm in it.

Salt the earth.

Change the world!

As I look into this new year and finalize my resolutions, I keep coming back to the statement, “I resolve.”

People often discuss whether they make resolutions or set goals. This can pull on our emotions as we optimistically look forward and at the same time, feel trepidation about not being able to achieve what we have set forth for ourselves.

I set goals AND I make resolutions. Why? Because they are not the same thing.

The Oxford dictionary defines goal as the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result. Whereas a resolution is defined as a firm decision to do or not to do something.

A goal is something external to go after, to get.  

When I set goals it is because I want to achieve something. For me, I have a vision of the direction I want to go and things to accomplish that will move me toward my vision. I set goals and objectives to achieve, which will systematically move me forward.

A resolution is a decision, a mindset, a heart attitude.

Along with that same vision for my life, I have things within myself to change, improve, or be removed. I identify those with resolutions.

A resolution is made within the essence of who we are. When I say, “I resolve,” I am saying, “I will allow nothing to keep me from making this change.” These internal resolutions will also move me forward and help me ultimately fulfill the vision for my life.

Beginnings.

The first book of the Bible is Genesis. Genesis itself is defined as the origin or mode of formation of something. The Bible begins with these words, “In the beginning, God … ”

January 1st.

TODAY is the genesis of this year, the formation of something new. TODAY, from the beginning of this year, GOD.

Beginning the new year TODAY reminds me that each of these 365 days matter. Whatever I choose to do with them, each day and each decision contains eternal value. Whatever I do, wherever I go, and no matter the circumstances each day brings, I want everything in my life to be for and about the One, True and Living God.

I posted on our Facebook wall yesterday (@VineSweetConnection) that 2016 was quite a ride for our family. I can still feel the emotional whiplash! Yet, here we are, STANDING and READY for 2017!

TODAY it is 2017 and my hope for us all as we embark on this year is:

We invite God’s magnificent presence to be made manifest in our lives, daily! The power of the Holy Spirit empowers us to carry out the purpose for which we were created! The love of Jesus Christ fills our hearts and compels us to draw others to Him.  May we experience the nearness of God in our lives EVERY day. May Holy Spirit’s presence be the bounce in our step, the twinkle in our eyes, and the sparkle of joy in our heart!

In all this goal setting and resolve, the vision cast for my life is a result of prayer and seeking after God’s purposes for my life. As you set your goals or make your resolutions or like me, you do both, prayerfully consider this:  Each day contains eternal value. What will I do with it?

I recently re-read the account of an influential person.  The story has a great plot and reads like a Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale.

Once upon a time … 

a regular teen girl of no fame or notoriety was pulled into the palace of the great king for the purpose of selecting a replacement queen, because the first one was banished for disrespecting her husband, the king.  The young unknown participated in a year long competition of poise and beauty and was selected the new queen of the land. The caveat occurred as she was placed in a difficult predicament of either surrendering her people of origin–a large population of the kingdom–to the evil conspiracy of one of the king’s confidantes, or surrendering her own life by addressing the king to save her people.  Her cousin convinced her she was the only person who might have the influence required to help their people.  This young queen utilized her influence with the king, saving her people from certain demise.  The evil conspirator and his entire family paid the ultimate price for his plot.  The happily ever after was the young queen lived out her days as queen of the land.

What a story! And, it is all true.

The kingdom was Susa and the King was Xerxes. The evil conspirator was Haman.  The young lady was Hadassah, renamed Esther, and her cousin was Mordecai.

This drama contains several lessons. Today my focus is on leadership.

In this account, Mordecai was influential among the Jews, a leader.  While he was sitting at the king’s gate he overheard a conversation between two of the king’s officials who were conspiring against the king.  Mordecai went to the palace and told Esther who, while in the throes of competition to become queen, informed the king.  The incident was recorded in the king’s chronicles and Mordecai’s reputation for loyalty and integrity was established.

Haman, the king’s adviser and confidante, advanced in authority and position.  Unfortunately, Haman had a fatal flaw, pride.

You see, Haman was in a place of authority he believed he deserved.  He had possession of the king’s signet ring.  Everyone knew who Haman was because of his position and paid homage to him because of it, everyone, except Mordecai.

Haman thought highly of himself. Thus, his jealousy burned. Veiled behind a counterfeit smile jealousy grew to envy, causing Haman to plot against Mordecai and all the Jews.  Haman wanted Mordecai and everyone associated with him to pay the price for not honoring him.  He spoke to his wife, Zeresh, stating that although he was brought into the queen’s banquet given only for the king and himself, it was not enough to satisfy his hatred  (Wow! That is some serious hate!)  His wife, along with their friends, told him to build a gallows and have Mordecai hung on them. Haman would be satisfied only by prohibiting Mordecai from being recognized, causing him to be dishonored, and killing him to make that happen.

Position. Influence. Pride. Envy.

Position does not make one a leader. Haman demanded attention from others because of his position rather than using his influential position to serve others.

In contrast, Mordecai led from the middle.  He had positive influence because he was loyal to the king, to Esther, and to his own people, the Jews.  He was a man of integrity who desired no destruction on anyone but instead hoped to save his people through his influence with one person.

Haman was preoccupied with pride in himself. He wanted people to celebrate him. His jealousy grew to envy consuming his heart with the desire to bring down Mordecai.

Esther gained her position because of her influence with Xerxes.  While Esther possessed outward beauty “of form and face,” more significantly, her beauty emanated from her heart. Esther’s heart was on others making her a positive force for the kingdom and for the Jews.

So how does the story end?  

Mordecai was honored and celebrated in the streets of Susa, wearing the royal robe Haman had coveted.  Haman got hung up–literally–on his pride. Haman and his family were hanged on the gallows he had intended for Mordecai, while Esther lived out her days as Queen of Susa.

Pride is the first knot in the noose and tightens with each jealous thought and act of envy.

If we possess position, we must use it to serve. Leading successfully means influencing others no matter our position.

Leadership is influence.  Influence with wisdom opens doors. When we draw near to God, He draws near to us.  When we seek God’s nearness, as Esther did when she called for a fast, we can ask for wisdom and He gives it freely.  Esther sought God to help her influence the king.  With God’s wisdom, we will also influence others toward Him.

Exploring for opportunities is one of my favorite things to do!  I am much like my Daddy with an adventurous spirit, a touch of spontaneity, and an approach of zealous passion to each aspect of my life!

LIFE is an ADVENTURE …

… and a challenging one. Sometimes our adventure is an uninvited challenge creating a barrier to our success. The Israelites faced just such a challenge in crossing the Jordan River. The Jordan was a geographic barrier to the success of their journey into the Promised Land. They arrived at its banks during flood season, so the water was cresting high and moving rapidly. Crossing this river was the Israelites’ path to Canaan. They had never been this way before and were unsure how to progress, so they chose to set their eyes on God and obey His direction. Their obedience brought God’s intervention enabling them to cross the Jordan on dry ground, be safe from their enemies, and closer to possessing the Promised Land. (Joshua 3)

Like the Israelites, as we face life’s barriers, when we seek the Lord and follow His direction, He will provide the route to the other side.

Each day can be an adventure because adventures happen in simple, everyday moments.

My Dad was an everyday explorer who found joy driving dirt roads, just to find out where they led. Despite losing Daddy too soon, I was blessed with another everyday explorer in my father-in-law. Pop Fort has always enjoyed road trips, whether venturing thousands of miles from his home, visiting familiar places, nearby towns, or riding the mower in his own yard. Although he doesn’t travel as much or as far as he once did, no matter the duration or distance of the trip, Pop explores and learns. Upon return from his travels he shares with great enthusiasm tales from the trek.

I was delighted to meet another everyday explorer when Georgie introduced herself after I spoke at a women’s conference. I was humbled as she expressed how she enjoyed my presentation. What came next was completely unexpected.

Georgie stated this occasion was her first outing of this sort, in fact, her first time to participate in a ladies’ event of any kind. She pushed back her long, straight silver locks, pointed to her unveiled ears adorned with hearing aids, and announced proudly, with twinkling eyes and a wrinkled grin, “And I am 82 years old!”

Sweet Georgie was on an adventure at that very moment and she was excited about it!  She was already dreaming of her next outing. What an inspiring close to an already beautiful evening!

It is NEVER TOO LATE to explore, learn, discover, and DREAM NEW DREAMS!  

Exploration stimulates our thinking and prevents stagnation.  Similar to Georgie’s case, exploration introduces things that transform the way we dream.

Creating the life we desire to live is not measured by the extravagance of the adventure or amount of money spent, but by recognizing God’s presence and discerning the value of feasting on our journey with Him.

Connect to God through Jesus Christ.

Explore life.

Feast on the Journey.

Seek God’s purpose and increase the size of your dreams.

 

My husband and I are in the business of investment properties.  We deal with commercial and residential, so clean up at a property is “old hat” to us.  When recently confronted with a need for work at another owner’s property for a resident we know well and dearly love, we volunteered wholeheartedly.

We were preparing the property for greater accessibility, necessitated by the resident’s mobility issues.  We worked on this property more hours than I can possibly account for because we worked on-site, in our minds, and addressing unforeseen issues revealed while working.

This project mandated I physically get into the nooks, crannies, and dark spaces, behind, above, and beneath areas which have not seen the light of day in many years.  I handled items which had not been touched in a long time.  My mind began to imagine these layers of crust could be carbon dated and found to be the actual dust which accumulated on Mt. Ararat when Noah parked the ark.

While in full swing of the project I encountered evidence of rodents, tripped traps, remains of fuzzy gray carcasses, arachnid art (arachnid art equals live spiders nearby), and dust bunnies that actually hopped!

By the way, did mice come with the ark?  Were there more than two, because what I found …

Sorry, I ran down the mouse hole.

Doing all this moving, kneeling, crouching, reaching, and stretching made me more aware than ever I am neither as young nor in shape as I would like to be.  Amazingly, as I have ascended the peak of these middle years and will, all-too-soon, be descending from its summit, I still wear the same size clothes I have worn for many years, in fact, most of my adult life.  Interestingly, they do not look the same on me.  Let’s just say, I have increased my sphere of influence (Insert eye roll & disgust).

While I may have exaggerated ever-so-slightly the plight of this incident, my testimony to life-truths is genuine.

Getting the most out of life is a result of giving the most we can give.  We do this by valuing each person we encounter.  

Although we may think we are aware of a person’s capabilities in handling their current situation, we could be mistaken.  We might only be observing the surface.  We need to give attention to the layers, the details.  People may not be ready to ask for assistance but would accept it if offered.  Our role is to recognize their value, and offer.

Love is heart attitude in action.

This experience both affirmed and confirmed the truth about love.  In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul emphasized what Christian love is, what it is not, and that any action not motivated by Christian love is wasted.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1Cor.13:1-7 NIV)

God’s love, which Paul is speaking about, is shown to us through Jesus Christ and manifested in us by His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Possessing Christ’s love compels us to carry out tasks we never thought possible.

Love reconciles us to work with uncomfortable assignments.  Love is not about how we feel. Love is about our behavior.  Love takes action to improve a situation.  Love is a call to move in the face of daunting circumstances.  Love is not about ourselves and the reward we receive for showing and expressing it.  Love is a positive pusher, a dogged driver toward something much bigger than ourselves.

When we practice love in the way of Christ, then, as Paul said, “Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:8)

 

Trust.  Have you noticed how many things carry this word in their titles and mottos?  Financial institutions, insurance companies, car dealers, book titles, etc.  The word is used because they want to convey a message to us that we can feel confident in working with them, placing our money and treasures with them.

Even disposable diapers want us to trust they won’t leak!

Side Note:  Personally, my relationship with disposable diapers was not always so secure.  Every new & improved diaper style brought new hope they would not leak.  In the diaper realm, when trustworthiness is lacking, the result can be a real mess!

To trust is to feel secure, to be hopeful, and to be bold in placing our confidence.

Trust is the most important factor in any relationship–work, friends, spouses, families, and business. When trust is present people are drawn together and work in cohesiveness in their efforts. When trust is absent people are separated, each going their own direction, resulting in lack of purpose and eventually chaos.

Trust is established by actions that align with our words.  It is reliable follow through; doing what we say we are going to do.  Trust comes when we speak genuine encouragement into others and do not tell what we have heard secondhand or what we think we know about people.

When the winds of someone’s poor behavior blow and we have opportunity to expose our knowledge about them, we must consider our motivation for sharing this information.  Is this an attempt to help another individual not get burned? Or, an attempt to exact a passive/aggressive and manipulative type of revenge by changing someone else’s opinion of another, thereby creating an “us against them” alliance?

The wisdom of Solomon tells us that a person who goes around as a talebearer–a gossip, a slanderer–reveals other peoples’ secrets, but a trustworthy person keeps things to himself. (Prov. 11:13)  A trustworthy person does this for the purpose of not hurting other people with their words.

The things we share about others affect our relationship with the person we are discussing (who is not present), our relationship with the person with whom we are sharing, and their relationship with the person about whom we are speaking, and all the other ripples that will go out from that conversation.

When we have established trust with people and our words and actions continue to align with that, we are safe to place the treasure of ourselves with them and they with us.  With that, we avoid the leaky messes and successful positive and productive relationships will indeed be the result.

Have you ever been around someone whose comments and commentary cause you to wonder, “What are they thinking?”

The reality is, we know what they are thinking by what they say.  The same holds true for each of us.  Others know our thoughts by what we say.

What we think about matters! Our thoughts determine the course of each day and subsequently, the course of our life!

The MINDSET is the foundational garment we put on that establishes how we view the rest of the day, every day.  Donning the right MINDSET is the most important selection we make upon awakening.

The BIG QUESTION is, HOW do we achieve the correct mindset?

To answer this we must establish this fact: The things we pause on and think about are of our own choosing.

Thoughts come into our minds from many directions and sources.  No matter the source of origin, another person does not have the ability to cause us to meditate on anything.  It is our own choice to hit the pause button and select the thoughts on which we will focus.

We have control over what we think about!

In the scriptural account of Jesus teaching about knowing whether we possess a heart of good or evil, the apostle Luke quotes Jesus speaking,

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.  The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (6:44-45)

The word heart is derived from the Hebrew leb or lebab which refers to the essence of who we are.  When we watch, read, listen to, and converse about good, when we seek out what is good and right, we are choosing to feed our leb–our essence–with good, and we are filled with life-giving words for ourselves and others.  The opposite is also true.  When we choose to feed and focus on the negative, our minds follow the path to negative thinking, culminating into negative speech.

Wherever we allow our minds to dwell, our words will follow.

The great news is that even if an individual has spent too much time focusing on the negative, he or she CAN change.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul teaches that our minds can be transformed when he says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.” (12:2)

Getting the right mindset comes from filling our minds with what is right, good and correct.

Paul exhorted, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Begin each day by fixing your mind on what is RIGHT. Your vision will become clear. Your words will bring LIFE!