Seed Planting

My daughters and I were planting flower seeds in the flower beds around our house last week.  I had selected with great care which seeds I wanted planted where.  Some of the flowers I picked out do well in full sun while others need a nice shady spot.

I got all my tools ready.  Shovel, gardening gloves (ew, dirt!), ruler, and seed packets. I didn’t necessarily announce to my kiddos I was planting the flower seeds. Sometimes there are jobs that you just don’t declare a need for help for, like putting away fine china or boxing up the ornaments from the Christmas tree.

I set out carefully measuring the depth of the little hole in which I placed my seed.  Then, gently covered the hole and measured the distance recommended on the packet of where to place the next seed. I got one packet done before my girlies came over and threw a monkey wrench into my carefully crafted seed planting operation.  They spotted me and came running over to see what I was up to.

Immediately they hovered over me, each one begging to help.  Of course, I obliged.  I showed them how to dig the little hole and place the seed in it, just one seed, and cover it with some dirt.  I gave them some seeds to hold in their hands and they set out on their mission.

The girls started out fine.  Just one tiny seed in one little hole.  Then the wind blew and seeds went everywhere. Two minutes later after they all got new handfuls of seeds, all three of my girls dumped ALL the seeds in their hands into ONE hole and covered it up before I could say boo!

I was about to complain. After all, the wind just blew a bunch of seeds all over so I knew I would have different flowers sprouting up all over the place. Then for a split second I thought about digging up the dirt to try to recover the seeds.  But, I didn’t. I realized that even that pile of seeds somewhere below the dirt was going to turn in to something beautiful.  You know why? Because in all things God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28)

The seed planting adventure reminded me that in our lives, God can take any and all circumstances, be it properly planted seeds or not so properly planted seeds, and make it in to something good.  He does that with our past when we “thought” we knew what we were doing but we never stopped to ask God for his direction or will for us.  Those mistakes we made long ago, that we still beat ourselves up over; can become something beautiful in your life. God can take ALL things, the good, the bad, the mediocre, the regretful, and the things you had no control over.  It doesn’t say just the things you prayed about or just the things you feel confident about.   No, it says all things.  And I am pretty sure with God, we can’t begin to comprehend what “all” is for Him!  “All things” could include those bad choices you made yesterday, last month, and ten years ago that you probably have long forgotten about! 

So I am looking forward to seeing the colorful flower beds that God creates in the soil around my house this summer.  I know when I see the flowers begin to spout in the flower bed that my girls worked on; there will be something good growing there!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

We are always here for you, please email women@westridge.cc with questions or prayer requests.  We love you!

Mentors & Friends

The lovely ladies participating in our Titus 2 Ministry are preparing to wrap up their sessions for the year.  A wonderful team of mentors have come along side a group of delightful ladies in their individual walk with Christ.  Throughout this past year, the mentors have been a part of the lives of the women.  They encouraged them, prayed with them, taught them, and most importantly, loved them.   Soon they will be celebrating the end of this incredible season in all of their lives.

These ladies were not brought to together by accident.  The friendships and bonds that have been formed did not occur by chance.  The Lord knew exactly what He was doing by joining each mentor with their “mentoree”.  When I think about the friendships that have been formed, I think of an awesome quote from Stasi Eldredge’s book, “Captivating”…

“When God gives a friend, he is entrusting us with the care of another’s heart.”

Take a moment and think about the women who have made a positive impact on you.  They were not in your life by coincidence, but blessings from God at just the right time in your life.  Not only did God trust you with caring for their hearts but He trusted them with caring for yours. Mentors and friends are treasured gifts.  Their wisdom, insight, support, and love are invaluable. 

I can recall so many instances in my life when God placed a friend or mentor in my path at just the right time.  Whether it was when I was new to my faith and needed guidance, when I was a new mom with a million questions, or just trying not to burn a frying pan full of bacon! (Thank you, Grandma Radi, the height of the flame under the pan DOES make a difference, ha!)

I encourage you today to not only thank the Lord for these people in your life but to let those people know how you feel about them as well! So be sure you call, drop a note in the mail, or meet that special someone for coffee today. I’m pretty sure they would love to hear from you!

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:3-5 (NIV)

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)

Please email women@westridge.cc with questions, prayers, or if you would be interested in participating in the next session of the Titus 2 Ministry.  We love you ladies and are here for you!

Truth

Star Wars - A New Hope

Recently over the last few months, two of my girls have traded in Princess Cinderella for Princess Leia.  Yes, we have gone a bit Star Wars crazy over here.  We have seen all the movies (with parental supervision of course and with one finger on the fast forward button for those scary parts), checked out a bunch of books from the library, and thanks to Netflix – we have been caught up in watching the “Star Wars - The Clone Wars” animated series.

I’ve been enjoying watching this show with my girls mainly for the cool quotes that begin each episode.  While my kiddos are watching Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I am pondering such gems as this…  “Searching for the truth is easy.  Accepting the truth is hard.”

How true that statement is for some of us!  You can search and search for the truth.  I know I sure did.  You can attend church after church, none of them one really feeling like it is the best “fit” for you.  You can join this group or that one.  Read book upon book.  Listen to this speaker or attend that conference.  Maybe dusting off the Bible and flipping through…  Genuinely searching for the truth, trying to find the answers your heart seeks can be so easy. But accepting the truth, that God loves YOU, well, that can be very hard.

If your heart is hurting, hearing that God loves you can be difficult to accept.  A wide range of feelings like pain, inadequacy, or worthlessness can block you from letting the light of Jesus in.  Sometimes you keep searching for that one thing that will make you feel whole or complete.  When you hear the Good News, that Jesus is that one thing you have been looking for, acceptance of Him can be difficult.  You wonder, is that it? Nothing I do, no good deed, not even being a “good person” will earn my salvation? Just accept Jesus as my Savior? That can’t be it!

If you are searching today, let me share some truth with you.  My friend, God does love you!  He chose you.  He sent his son to die for you.  I know that accepting that can be so hard.  You may feel unlovable or unworthy.  But God does not see you that way.  His love for you is deeply personal.  He created you (Psalm 139:13-14). His love for you is vast.  He thinks of you more than there are grains of sand by the sea (Psalm 139:17-18). God’s love for you is intricate. He knows the exact number of hairs your head (Matt. 10:30).

Stop searching.  Soften you heart and allow the truth to sink in.  Nothing you can do or have done will earn your salvation.  There is no sin that is too big for God to forgive.  God is not waiting for you to get your act together and become a perfect person.  All you need to do today is accept the truth.  You are saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)

We are always here for you, please email women@westridge.cc with questions or prayers.  We love you!

Spring Has Sprung!

Well, we did it! We survived the long, COLD winter!  Spring has finally sprung in Pittsburgh!  As I write this, I am basking in the glow of having enjoyed a beautiful, sun -filled, seventy degree day.  The sun felt wonderfully WARM on my skin!

In my flower beds, I have yellow daffodils and deep purple hyacinths blooming.  The tulip leaves are breaking through the mud, soon to blossom as well. I like to call them my Easter flowers.  The hyacinths are my absolute favorite though.  The fragrance immediately brings spring to mind.  I recall growing up and having them in the house every year at Easter time.  They speak of Easter more to me than the lily or any other flower.

Every spring, my Easter flowers come up through the ground and bloom.  They remind me of renewal.  Spring is the time when the icy fingers of winter finally loosen their grasp and there is hope.  The ground softens.  The dead grass turns green and grows high after a dose of sun and few good April showers. 

This winter was especially rough in our region.  Bitter cold.  Snow.  Snow.  And then more snow.  Twenty below wind chills are old hat to us now.  Below zero, been there, done that! Let the water faucets drip overnight and add an extra layer!

That’s all (hopefully!) in the past now.  It won’t be long till everything is made new.  Outside it will burst with new life.  Gardens will begin to grow.  Trees will fill out once again with green, shady leaves.  We will be able shed our coats and trade them for short sleeves and flip-flops! How freeing!

Spring is special but Easter makes this season glorious!  We celebrate that Christ has risen! We rejoice that our Redeemer lives!  The tomb was empty. 

This can also be a great opportunity to allow Jesus to renew and free you. If you have gotten bogged down in the mud and muck of life, allow Christ to lift you up like the hyacinth that rests upon its thick and sturdy stem.  If you have been depressed or shut off from the world, allow Jesus to open you up and bloom you like the delicate daffodil.  If you have been hurt and feeling dead inside, allow the Lord to heal you like the tender blades of grass and bring new life to you again.

Jesus can and will do this for you. I have seen renewal in my backyard landscape, in my life, and I have witnessed it in the lives of others.  He can make ALL things new.  Give Christ the opportunity to bring the season of spring and restoration into your heart.  Allow Him to free you to grow and bloom!  Leave winter behind and take hold of His amazing renewal!  

“The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:11 (NKJV)

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.  Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Solomon 2:11-12 (NIV)

What Are You Waiting For?

I have a confession.  I am a procrastinator.  If I can wait until the last minute to do something, I will. Sometimes I procrastinate out of dread (like making that dentist appointment) or sometimes I feel like I have so much time to accomplish something, why do it now? Yes, I was the student feverishly writing her English term paper the weekend before the Monday it was due.  (Do high school students still even write term papers?)

I have another confession. I am shy. I am uncomfortable speaking in front of large groups of people.  I was a sweaty, stumbling mess every time I had to get in front of the class and be the center of attention.  It is a great challenge for me to meet new people because while I love learning about people and talking with them (I love to ask people questions!), I have a hard time going up to someone and beginning the conversation.  I have to rely completely on God’s strength to lead me into starting a conversation with a stranger.  I have to admit though, with the Lord’s help, I am getting better at coming out of my shell. 

So, being the shy procrastinator that I am, it should come as no surprise to you that I waited seven long years from when I accepted Jesus as my Savior until I made the public declaration of my faith by being baptized.  When I look back on that time in my life, I always wonder why I had waited so long.  What was I afraid of? Why did I let anything hold me back?  But you know what, God had a plan.  When God works and moves in your life, and you can see Him putting it all together, it is AMAZING! What is even more amazing is when God is not only putting things together in your life but when He is working on YOU, refining you!

When I got saved, 9/11 had occurred a few weeks beforehand (you can find my testimony here: http://westridgewomen.blogspot.com/2013/09/thankful-how-i-came-to-christ_23.html).  I started going to a church but as a new believer, I didn’t know how to connect with other believers and the whole Jesus thing was completely new to me.  I thought about baptism but always pushed aside the idea.  I couldn’t do THAT in front of a bunch of people I didn’t know! So time passed.  Years went by and I was ignoring the whispers of my heart and God’s still, small voice calling me to be baptized.

When my eyes were opened, I was finally in a place in my life where I understood what being baptized meant and that the wait was over.  Now was the time!  God’s timing is extra special though.  He’s never early or late but always right on time. 

When I came to the decision to be baptized, my husband and I were in the process of finding a new church home.  We had visited one church for a couple months and we felt like it was probably the right place for us.  I filled out the little communication card multiple times stating my desire to be baptized but no one ever called me.  That revealed to us that that church was very likely not where God wanted us to be so we moved on.  When we found another church to attend, they didn’t have a baptismal pool. I felt like I kept hitting wall after wall.  I was praying for God to guide me through this but I was starting to get frustrated.

Discouraged, I talked to my mother in law about all the road blocks I was facing. She invited me to be baptized in her church.  It just so happened to be the very same church where my husband was baptized.  This same church was also not far away from Shanksville, PA where Flight 93 had gone down.  Also the baptism was scheduled for September 14, a few days after the 9/11 anniversary. Are you seeing a theme here?  I sure was!  I accepted my mother in law’s invite and began preparing for the big day.

Did I mention that I was 5 months pregnant with my second daughter at the time?  What does a pregnant woman wear for her baptism? Plus, I was informed I needed to prepare a little something to say to the congregation before I was baptized.  Now, I was getting nervous.  My shyness, anxiety, and fear were creeping into my thoughts.  Then I found out the church broadcasted its Sunday morning service over both a local radio station AND a local TV station!

Now really, this had to be God at work.  I put off baptism and put it off, and then put it off some more!  Now it was going to be on radio AND TV!?  You know what the funny thing is? I realized it was all God’s Hand.  He wanted me to rely on Him and His Strength.  I wanted to be obedient to the call He placed on my heart to confess with my mouth to the entire world that Jesus was Lord of my life.  I needed to ignore the voices in my head telling me I couldn’t do this because I COULD do this!  I loved Jesus, now was the time!

On that September Sunday, this shy girl waddled up on to the altar.  I stood in front of the congregation and my family with sweaty hands as I held my notes.  With tears of joy in my eyes, I told my story.  I shared my testimony and my love for the Lord.  I was shaky but not out of fear, simply overwhelmed by the love for Jesus that was flowing from my heart.  Minutes later, I was dunked down into the water and came up with the biggest smile on my face.  I think there probably has never been happier, soaking wet, pregnant lady as I was that day!

A couple of weeks later, my mother in law told me that the church had gotten phone calls from people that had enjoyed hearing my story.  My testimony that Sunday reached a lot of people.  See, I told you God had a plan! He changed not only my life but used my story to touch others.

Is there something you are putting off doing? Do you feel like God is calling you do to something but you are afraid to step out and do it? Let me encourage you today.  Please don’t let fear or anything else keep you from being obedient to the Lord.  God will never call you do something and then not enable you and equip you to complete the task He has called you to.  He will strengthen you and He will keep you.  You will never regret saying, “Yes!” to God!

“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” Acts 22:16 (NIV)

Let it Go

The Disney blockbuster movie, “Frozen”, is coming out on DVD Tuesday.  The big song from the movie is called “Let it Go”.  It won the Academy Award this year for Best Original Song.  It is a great song but it can get stuck in your head.  My girls have been belting it out all through the house.  They sing it so often, now I have been singing it too. If someone’s fighting over toys, I just sing, “Let it go, let it goooo!”

In case you haven’t heard it, the chorus of the song goes like this:

Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore

Let it go, let it go

Since this song has been in my head (earworm!) and just about everywhere you turn today, it got me thinking…  Let it go… What have I been holding onto so tightly that I am reluctant or unwilling to let it go and give it to God?  I have some areas in my life that I can say I fully let go of the situation and gave them to God.  But there are also some things; I just can’t seem to pry my fingers off of.

When I was single, I had reached the point when the string of bad dates, blind dates, and set ups were bringing me down.  I was lonely.  I was tired of friends introducing me to people.  New in my faith, God opened my eyes and helped me to see I needed to let it go and let Him take care of it. After I let go of my grasp, I met Donald.  From our very first email, I completely trusted God with our relationship and I still do to this day, almost nine years of marriage later!

When it was taking longer for me to get pregnant with my first daughter than either I or my husband had anticipated, I was frustrated.  I read books, researched, tried this suggestion and that.  I wasn’t getting pregnant and I was starting to fear that maybe, kids were not a part of our future.  When I heard a message delivered by guest speaker, Rev. Peter DeArruda, at West Ridge about how God is in control, I knew exactly what I needed to do.  I had to let go of my quest to get pregnant and give it to God.  A few weeks after I entrusted God with the desire of my heart, to be a mom, I got pregnant!

I have areas of my life that I know I need to do a better job of letting them go and giving them to God.  I believe we all can agree we have things in our lives that we want God to change but we aren’t quite ready to let them go.  My challenge to you today is to release those issues, those problems, those areas of your life that you are clutching to ever so tightly. 

Why are we clinging to these issues so hard anyway?  Are we afraid that if we lose our grip on them that they would spiral out of control? If they do, who better to be in charge than God?  His ways are not our ways!  God is for us and oh how He loves us!

So my prayer for today for you and me is that all those areas we are trying to control, keeping for ourselves, holding on to, that we would let them go.  God is in control.  Let it go and give it to Him!

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Teachable Moments

I love a good nap.  Unfortunately, they are very few and far between for me.  Peyton, my little girl, gets to take a nap every day.  In fact, it has its own specific time! A nap is scheduled into each day for her.  Most moms I know eagerly look forward to their child’s nap time.  It gives us a chance to catch up on all those things we couldn’t accomplish with a toddler under foot.

Sadly though, in my house nap time has reached the point where naps now become a test of wills.  The other day Peyton was trying everything she could to avoid taking a nap.  First, she wanted socks on, and then she decided she didn’t want socks on.  Then she needed to hold onto a special stuffed animal from across the room.  Next, she wanted to go potty.  Of course, after you go potty you must wash your hands, which for a two year old is a major production in and of itself. 

Finally, we got to the point of being right beside my little one’s bed.  Peyton gave me a kiss and a hug, and then climbed in bed.  But then her pillow was flat and needed fluffed.  After that her blankets weren’t “right”. So they had to be rearranged.  Delay, delay, delay.

By now, I’m really ready for this little girl to go to sleep.  We had a long morning and all this stalling was wearing the tiny bit of patience I had left very thin, very fast! I was trying to stay one step ahead of Peyton but she just kept throwing out excuse after excuse.

When Peyton got out of her bed and asked to go wash her hands AGAIN, I reached my breaking point.  I begged her to get back into her bed and she vehemently REFUSED. Then in my desperation, I said out loud, “Jesus, please help me! Jesus, give me strength.”

Peyton stopped her complaining and got very quiet.  She looked at me and said in a small voice, “Jesus isn’t here.  He’s in the desert.” At that very moment, all my stress of trying to get this precious one to sleep melted away. I felt a peacefulness overtake me.  I looked at my sweet baby and smiled.

“Oh honey, Jesus IS here! He is with us now and he is living in our hearts.” I told her as I looked into her little eyes.  Peyton gave me a big smile, gave up her nap time battle and lay back in her bed.  I was silently praising God that she decided to take a nap.

I am thankful for that teachable moment that day.  Not only could I assure Peyton that Jesus is with us, but I was reassured of that myself.  I was reminded also that whatever desperate or stressful or bleak situation I am in, that I need to call on the name of Jesus.  When I need a full measure of patience, I need only look to my Savior for help. 

Sometimes, you can take every precaution to prepare for a situation and still, it doesn’t go as you want it to.  It can be as small as trying to get your child to take a nap but isn’t that true for the larger problems in life too? We can save money for a possible job loss, take care of our bodies to prevent sickness, etc.  But even when you think you have control of the situation, it can take a tailspin and you realize you need the help and strength of our Savior. 

Jesus is with us.  Call on the Name of the Lord.  He will help you, strengthen you, and show you the way.  What are you facing today? Have you called out to Jesus for help?

“But I call to God, and the Lord saves me.  Evening, morning, noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.” Psalm 55:16-17 (NIV)

“And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NIV)