Lost and Alone on Some Forgotten Highway...

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”- Luke 19:10

I hate being lost. Even more, I hate being alone and lost in a car. I didn’t know this about myself until last fall as I traveled to Baltimore to attend a writer’s conference. I had to fly in, then rent a car and drive to the conference which was an hour away.

I’m married and my husband loves to drive and study maps, so normally he does all the driving and knows with an unerring sense of direction how to get to our destination.

All was fine until I got in the airport courtesy van to go to the rental car facility. It was ½ hour from the airport. The directions I had gotten from the conference told me how to get there from the airport. I asked for new directions at the rental car facility.

The road to get to the conference was a State Road with the same number as a federal highway. I didn't know this at the time.

Guess which road I took.

I was almost in another state before I realized I was going the wrong way. I didn’t know why I was going the wrong way until someone pointed out that I was on the Federal road and needed to be on the State Road. I still don’t know how that happened.

In case you don’t know it already, it’s really, really, really difficult to read a road map while you’re driving on a road you’ve never been on, driving a car you’ve never ridden in. I wouldn't advise it, especially on a 4-lane highway with lots of other cars.

So, after several tears, 3 stops to ask for directions, and a fear-inducing trip across a bridge that was as wide as Ohio, I made it to the conference. You can bet I was praying during the whole 3 hours it took me to get there. It should have been a 1-hour trip.

After I arrived, I didn’t feel much better. Why? because I knew I would have to go back the same way in just a few days! That would be worse because the directions I went would all be backwards and I would be tired after several long days at the conference. Ugh!

But God truly watched over me because at the end of the conference they asked for drivers to take editors to the airport in Baltimore. I volunteered, thinking at least I would not have to ride by myself and someone else could hold the map.

Two people needed rides. When I saw who they were, I knew God wanted to bless me. One lady I had just met at the conference and sat in on her class about developing a web presence. Peggie Bohannon has a terrific ministry through, Peggie's Place, her website. She strongly believes in God, smiling and chocolate.

The other lady, Susan King, was someone whom I had met at Mt. Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference in CA in 2004. We had hit it off then and talked much during the conference about families, old movies, etc.

Susan is an editor at The Upper Room, a devotional book that is read by millions of people around the world. She teaches at several writing conferences around the country each year about how to write devotionals. We renewed our friendship immediately at the Baltimore conference and took up from where we left off two years ago!

So, not only were my riders people I knew, but they were people I knew well and loved to be around. So, even if we did get lost, I would be with other people who could keep my spirits up.

Peggie and Susan knew each other from the conference so when we piled our gear into the car I had rented and took off, we all started talking about how we had enjoyed the conference, what we had learned, whom we had met, blah, blah.

Susan read the map while Peggie helped me navigate lanes of traffic. It was so nice to have helpers!

Those girls kept my mind so busy, I didn't have time to get nervous. Before I knew it, we were at the car rental facility and then the airport.

I said good-bye to my friends there, but it was a relief to be safely at the airport. My fear all week of having to navigate by myself back to BMI had disappeared. Thank you, God, for watching out for all of us on that ride and always.

We’re all lost from God in one way or another. But when we accept Jesus into our lives, He forms a way for us to get to God that is safe, reliable and non-threatening. He will never leave us.

He’s never failed me yet.

Take care and always remember to praise Him,

Signs of Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year. The air is comfortable for walking and spending time outside. We feel a mental release from winter. Most of all, the flowers burst out of the ground. I love tulips especially. I used to work near a park that had a profusion of red, yellow, white, dark purple, orange, lavender tulips in several areas. They also had multi-colored tulips, ones with jagged edges, and those tinted two colors. Marvelous!

Every time I took a walk at lunch I would see them. They cheered me considerably during my time away from work.

Here’s a photo of some of those tulips. The gardeners there do a fantastic job. I wish I had their knowledge of gardening.

I’m still waiting to see lilac bushes burst into bloom in my neighbor’s yard. That makes a walk around our addition really a pleasure when I smell their aroma. No perfume smells half as good!

I’m growing my own tulips this year. They are right outside our front door. The yellow ones look translucent. Red are my favorites. I’ve never thought I had a green thumb but these convinced me I can grow something and not kill it. J

I’ve also heard the melodic song of a bird outside on our patio. I have no idea what it is, but it is so clear and strong. If it is a male, he would convince me to join him on his side of the fence! J

Another feast for the eyes is our cherry tree which is blooming now. The wind is tearing off some of the tiny white blossoms, but it is still a gorgeous site.

What signs of spring have you seen where you live? What’s your favorite sign of spring?

Here are a few verses from the Psalms that talk about signs of spring:

Psalm 84

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

May you find blessings in the signs of Spring around you.
Amen.

Keep Your Mouth Clean for Health's Sake

“If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”- Romans 10:9-10


I'm off to the dentist this a.m.
Our family has made it a practice to see our dentist twice a year for cleanings and X-rays. We also brush regularly and eat foods that are good for our teeth, such as milk and cheese. In that respect, we have maintained good dental health with a minimum of cavities or dental work. This, in turn, affects our overall body health. Studies have shown that dental health affects other parts of the body, including the heart and circulation.

It is vital to keep our mouths clean. It is just as important to keep what comes out of our mouths clean.

When we let God have control of our mouth, He not only cleans up our talk, but our lives, as well. That helps us maintain healthy lifestyles. When we let Him control our talk, we don't criticize people which extends friendships. When we let Him control our talk, we keep tabs on our temper which can help marriages and careers. When we let Him control our urge to curse, we sweeten our talk with more appropriate words that have meaning and significance to the conversation.

It may not sound possible to let God have control of our mouths, but the next time you feel like yelling at someone, ask God to let only holy words come out instead. He will be glad to do so and you'll be glad you asked Him for help. So will the person you were yelling at.

Take care.

Blessed Be Your Name

I’m discouraged about a few things, but I read these verses today in Ps. 69:29 and they pepped me up:

29 I am in pain and distress;
may your salvation, O God, protect me.

30 I will praise God's name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.

31 This will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!

33 The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people."

Do you hear the overall theme? We are to praise God, no matter what happens to us. God will hear us and take care of us.

This reminds me of lines in the beautiful song, “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman:

“Blessed Be Your Name,

On the road marked with suffering,

when there’s pain in the offering,

Blessed Be Your Name.”

These words always make me cry because I know what it is like to not understand why something bad happens for no apparent reason. Yet, we are told to offer thanks to God. That’s hard to do – sometimes downright impossible!

Go to Matt’s website and read about the origins of this song (www.mattredman.com). Better yet, get a copy of it. The complete lyrics are available at http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/tree63/blessed-be-your-name.html.

When my dad died unexpectedly a couple of years ago, that seemed cruel and just ridiculous. He was a loving father, husband, and grandfather. Yet, I tried to obey the verses in this psalm. I remember going to church after his funeral and trying to sing, as much as I could through my grief. I know God saw my hurt and didn’t mind that no words actually came out of my mouth.

Recently a woman my age at my church lost her husband to a brain aneurism. They have four boys. I can’t help but ask, Why would God allow a man with four sons to be taken away from his children and wife?

It doesn’t make any sense.

Several years ago, a good friend lost her husband. They had several daughters at home. I know how much my friend struggled over the years. Why would God have those girls grow up without a dad and have my friend endure years of loneliness and worry about finances on a single income?

That didn’t make sense either, but one thing I do know -- a life without God makes even less sense. There is no purpose to life without God.

Even when the questions come at you like darts and you can’t avoid them, that is still a safer place to be than not having anyone to ask the questions to at all.

God is always there. We may never know the answers to life’s hard questions this side of heaven, but when we get there after living a life for God, we’ll either find out the answers then or, ideally, they won’t matter. At all.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

God is the author of our Faith

I've been on vacation. I'm back to reading the Bible online at www.Biblegateway.com. Here's the verse of the day, which I always send to my kids by email:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”- Hebrews 12:2

This is a beautiful verse. I never thought of God as an author. It says He created my faith. He even perfected my faith! Does that mean I have a perfect faith? It doesn't seem like it at times. I tend to doubt why painful things happen.

But with faith this verse says I can be like Jesus and endure whatever problems I have, knowing it will someday all be explained with joy at the throne of God.

That makes it all worth it, doesn't it? Life just doesn't make sense without God. What questions do you have about your faith? Take them to Jesus in prayer. He'll be happy to show you the way to God.

Take care,
Kayleen