Greater love...

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" John 15:13


The above scripture is one that when truly reflected upon can have the power to bring me to my knees. The God of all creation sent his only son to die for me. To this day I am left without words when I think on this. Jesus is our perfect example of sacrifice. Our perfect example of giving more than we could humanly or possibly understand. This verse also comes to mind for me when I think on those serving in our armed forces. It brings me to tears when I think of a soldier, even today as I type this, away from his or her family in triple digit heat. Serving unto his or her death, for me.

We have been blessed with a three day weekend in honor of “Memorial Day”, a day set apart just for them. Let’s not use this time off only as an excuse to bring the family together for a barbecue, or to just take a break for ourselves, but let us use it as a day to remember. The word memorial means “preservative of memory”, or “that which serves to keep in memory.” So, Memorial Day is a day that our nation should set aside some time to remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and those who even today, are serving our country.

It is in the deepest parts of our being, the desire to be remembered. Many times in the Bible the words “remember me” are said by many of the Lords people as they cried out to the Lord; Nehemiah, Zachariah, Jeremiah, Job, David, Hannah, Samson, the thief on the cross. My prayer is that this Memorial Day we will remember to pray for these brave men and women and their families on our own, without the provocation of a sad story or a touching television commercial.

I was raised by a former U.S. Marine. My father put out his American flag every morning before he left for work. He rarely ever spoke with me about politics but always spoke of the love he had for his country. I believe my patriotism was a genetic trait passed down from father to child. My husband Paul and I have raised our children to respect and honor those serving in the United States military. We have passed on this very same flag-waving DNA to our own children. We encourage all four of our kids to thank those they see in public that are in uniform.

One of the sweetest memories we have of our youngest son Samuel was when he was about two years old. He shyly walked up to a young service man dressed in his military attire at a grocery store and told him “thank you”. This young man couldn't understand Samuel's two year old language so his brother and sisters interpreted to this young man, just what Samuel was trying to convey. It moved this young soldier.

It is never too early to start showing our children ways to express such gratitude. Regardless of your political beliefs these men and women have signed their lives over to the American people. Willing to go wherever and do whatever is needed to keep our freedoms secure. This lesson isn’t only for children. I double dog dare you to go up to a military person or even the mother or father of one of our enlisted people. You will know these servicemen and women by their uniforms or haircuts. You will know their parents by the bumper stickers on their car or by the huge buttons they wear with a picture of their child in military attire. You could even drop by and thank Mari at My little corner of the world, her son Andy is serving. Your words and prayers for so many of these people can make such a difference. I remember just as the war broke out, being at a grocery store and thanking a military mom who had two sons in the service. My voice started to crack and I could barely get the words out of my mouth.

Friends, as Christians we are led by our perfect example in Jesus, as parents lets lead our children by this same example. Let’s let our children see that we do remember those serving our country this Memorial Day.



The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree. ~Thomas Campbell

Ok, Ok....here are the before and after pictures!

For those of you who left comments, emailed me and even requested over the phone... here are a few pictures, showing my long hair before and my not so long hair after.

BEFORE

AFTER

Hairdos And Backhanded Compliments

I just don't think that men understand how special it is for a woman to get her hair done. There is something almost magical about sitting in a hair chair, having someone massage your scalp as they wash your hair with shampoos that smell so good you could drink them out of the bottle with a straw. Looking through the hair books and magazines searching for a new look is such an exciting time, second only to picking out your favorite dessert on the menu. Us gals will make our appointments at the salon and only a death in the family holds the power to make us call and cancel.

For weeks now I have been agonizing over my long hair. As much as I enjoyed wearing it long, it has been driving me batty lately. I just don't have time to sit in front of the mirror to blow dry and style it every morning. I've been throwing it up in a hair clip these past few weeks, which gave me the look of an aged Amish woman.

Not really the look I was going for.

So, completely broken and not really giving a hoot about how it would turn out...I gave my friend and hairstylist the green light to chop it off.

And chop she did.

The hair that used to be below my shoulders is now barely touching them now. I felt so light when I left. I even liked the way that she gave me a layered spiky look.

Shouldn't all forty year old mother's of four, have a layered spiky look?

I'm pretty sure that my new hairdo may have evolved from the 80's big hair and the 90's cement sprayed bangs. Maybe that's why I just loved it.

When my husband came home from work I was looking forward to showing him my new do.

He walked in and found me at the stove stirring some chicken soup.

As he walked up and gave me a kiss, we began the obvious new haircut conversation.

Paul: You got your haircut.

Me: Yep, I did.

Paul: (Looking me over.)

Me: Do you like it?

Paul: Yeah, it's cute.

Me: (Smiling on the outside, happy as a clam on the inside.)

Then he had to make just one more precious and endearing comment.

Paul: You look like Adam Sandler's rocker girlfriend from the Wedding Singer.




Not really the look I was going for.

LACED WITH GRACE

I'm over here today.

What a blogger thinks about when stranded on a desert island.

He will fulfill it.

In a quick phone call this morning, my friend Dana excitedly shared a little of what the Lord is doing in her life. Her active faith was extremely contagious. The word contagious means easily transmitted and spread from one person to another. Yep, her joy was truly something she passed on to me this morning. Quite literally the word contagious means; communicable by contact. Through any act of communication, whether it be an email, a coffee date, or even a telephone call, believing God and His word is very, very contagious. Through my contact with my friend this morning my faith was overflowing, my spiritual batteries recharged. Active faith has a way of doing that to us Christians.

I just had to share her story with you.


After returning from a women's conference, a dear friend of Dana's emailed her a scripture. Dana just knew that this was a word to her from the Lord. This verse out of the book of Joshua seemed to jump off of her computer screen and speak right to her heart. She answered, "Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the south, give me also springs of water." So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. Joshua 15:19

A little while later, she came accross this very verse while in her daily reading. Dana didn't know exactly what the Lord was trying to say to her but she believed God would show her in His time. Meanwhile, through the trials to come, she continued to hang on to His word.

After two months of open houses, real estate ups and downs and an offer way below their already low asking price, a young Christian couple stepped forward to purchase their house. The Lord granted their family's hearts desire and found them an amazing cottage home on acreage to purchase as their own.

While walking the new property with the prior owner, Dana saw what looked like a tiny trickle of water coming from the hill above their new home. "Where is this water coming from?" The previous owner replied, "This water is from a year round spring that runs from the top of the property all the way to the bottom of the property."

"So He gave her the upper springs and the lower springs." Joshua 15:19(b)



God's word to her had been fulfilled.




Is there a scripture that the Lord has given you? Memorize it, repeat it, grasp it, cling to it, hold on and hang on...He will fulfill it.



"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished." Luke 1:45

More than you could ask for...

Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days." 1Kings 3:11-13

The Lord ALWAYS blesses us with more than we need, more than we ask for, more than we can dare to imagine. WOW, that's pretty awesome when you stop and think about it. When I read the above scripture it stirs my heart. After the Lord came to Solomon, He commanded Solomon to ask him for something. Solomon asked for wisdom. The Lord not only gave him wisdom but gave him far more than Solomon had even asked for. God blessed him with wisdom and with riches...and with honor.

He blessed him with an over abundance. Friends, this is the God we serve.

The God who loves us, loves us with a love that is immeasurable. Solomon may be the example used in the Bible, but he is not the exception. He loves each one of use the very same way.

I had to stop and think about how in my own life I have asked for one thing and received in ten fold His blessings. There are quite a few things that come to my mind but at the top of the list would have to be the salvation of my mother. I was saved myself only a year before my mother died of cancer. With my spiritual eyes now open I knew without a doubt that I would have eternal life with my Heavenly Father. My blessed joy soon turned to heartache. After spending more and more time with my mother I realized that she did not have this same hope and confidence in her own impending death. For many months before she died I prayed with all my heart that she would be saved, that she would know the Lord before she died. it was my hearts cry day and night. I couldn't bear to think of not seeing her again. She was my best friend. The Lord fulfilled my prayer on a gentle spring day in March. She accepted Jesus into her heart, silently mouthing the prayer that she asked me to speak softly into her ear and died six weeks later.

On the day of my mother's viewing it would be the first time I would see her in the delicate pink coffin my father had picked out. I had dreaded this day. “Lord please help me get through this.” was my continual prayer. Hours prior to my mother’s viewing my husband and I had made a last minute decision to attend our own church’s annual anniversary celebration. It is a very festive event anxiously anticipated by our fellowship and held at our local fairgrounds. After dropping off our children at their Sunday school classes, my husband Paul and I needed to sit and be washed in His word, worship our Lord together and feel the fellowship of other believers before facing the rest of our day. Both Paul and I looked very out of place dressed in traditional black from head to toe. We would be leaving straight from this celebration for the mortuary afterwards. It was during this church service that our Lord spiritually fed us to a fullness to prepare us for the days’ events to come.

The pastor asked the bulging assembly in joyful attendance if anyone would like to make today the day that they publicly gave their heart to the Lord. Amongst the crowd of onlookers my husband Paul stood up. With the elation of my own mother receiving Jesus only weeks before her death, I felt like my heart would burst with the added joy of seeing my husband commit his heart and life to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In all honesty, I don’t recall the same passionate prayers for my husbands’ salvation that I had had for my mother. With her impending death it was her eternal life that consumed my daily prayers, not my husbands’. It was a true 'joy of the Lord' experience for me that day walking into the funeral home, grinning from ear to ear. Black couldn’t have been a more inappropriate color to wear for us. Not only was my mother in Heaven but I knew that the Lord had blessed me with a godly husband who would now share with me my hearts desire to live our lives for Jesus.

God gave me more than I knew to even ask for.

"And I have also given you what you have not asked." 1kings 3:13


Where in your lives has the Lord blessed you with what you have not asked for? Where has He given you even more than you dared to imagine?

Praise Him for these things today!