tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89256348248574983322024-02-08T08:03:32.003-06:00In His GripTracihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17557033632205324725noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925634824857498332.post-60555859587264757652012-01-26T14:41:00.000-06:002012-01-26T14:41:46.810-06:00Loving the Unlovable<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
camp my family serves is situated in a beautiful lake setting about 30 minutes
from town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we live and work here, “running
to the store” is something we actually have to plan into our day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today was just such a day. I headed out this
morning and had several quick stops to make before taking on shopping at the
super center grocery store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know
which one I mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These trips can often
be overwhelming since I try to get much done in one trip to limit the time and
expense spent on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But today, I
rather enjoyed the time shopping, smiling at strangers, chatting with the
employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way home, I sang
loudly, offering praise to God, which I do only when I’m alone in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God thinks I’m making a joyful noise, but
others, not so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’m okay with
that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As
I turned on the last county road nearing home, I came upon a man going only 40 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the posted speed limit is 70 mph and I was
in a safe area to pass, I gave my signal and started around the man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much to my surprise, he sped up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave it a little more gas thinking he must
not realize I was passing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy was I mistaken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did he realize I was trying to pass
him, it was his mission to make sure I was unsuccessful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When my speedometer read 60 mph and he was
still gaining speed, I slowed a bit to get back behind him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I would like to tell you with my best
Christian attitude that my wonderful day continued on. But it didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I became angry and was tempted to call 911
and report him for unsafe driving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
I scratched that idea and decided I’d follow him and when he reached his
destination, I’d give him what-for on his rude and dangerous actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But my safety monitor kicked in and I had
visions of getting shot or stabbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nix
that idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Keep thinking, Traci.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll find a way to put him in his place.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">While
vengeful thoughts swirled in my head, his blinker came on and he turned into the
parking lot of his liquor store/bait shop/home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In that moment, all the anger left my body and I was overcome with pure
grief for this man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He lives just a few
miles from me and unfortunately, this is not the first time our paths have
crossed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This man is perhaps the most
miserable human being I’ve ever met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
never seen him smile and just his presence can drain all happiness from a
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly think I’d rather have
dinner with Ebenezer Scrooge than this man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought of how his life must be suffocating with hopelessness and I
wonder if he knows Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he
probably does not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My heart was saddened
to think of living life with no hope and apparently, no love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that moment, I thought to myself, “Take
away my job, my home, even my family, but please don’t ever take away my Jesus.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I began to pray fervently for this
man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I prayed for forgiveness for my ugly, sinful thoughts. I asked that God will give me
the courage to share the love of Jesus with this man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just verbally, but with my actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve heard many times the ones who need love
the most are those who are the most unlovable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t have what it takes to love a man like that on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But through the Holy Spirit living in me, I
can love the unlovable. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><em>But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. <span class="woj">If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.</span> <span class="woj">But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.</span></em></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>~
Matthew 5:44, 46-48</em></span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" class="stLframe" frameborder="0" height="350" id="stLframe" name="stLframe" scrolling="no" src="" style="left: 0px; top: 0px;" width="353"></iframe></div>Tracihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17557033632205324725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925634824857498332.post-48191568098099424202012-01-19T13:10:00.000-06:002012-01-19T13:10:33.502-06:00Creating Cuts<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can
worry and faith co-exist?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my feeble mind,
they can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God’s Word tells us they
can’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In James 1:6 – 8 we read, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“But when he asks, he must believe and not
doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the
wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That man should not think he will
receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man; unstable in all he
does</i>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I learned from <u>A Confident Heart</u>,
by Renee Swope, worry is just a coat that doubt wears well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I worry, I’m doubting – doubting God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s
like a movie – you can’t play and pause it at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems my life is lived that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When life gets stressful and I begin to
worry, I hit the pause button and turn to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I tell myself to trust Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
read His promises and I believe them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
instantly feel safe and secure in Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until
I hit the play button – and all the faith and trust disappears as the worry and
doubt creeps back in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
making a movie, there are thousands of pauses; the director says “cut” for
countless scenes. The backdrops are moved, costumes are changed, and lighting
is adjusted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The editors then splice
together these scenes to create a continuous flow of action for the finished
film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we, as the audience, watch
the film, there are no ‘cuts’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t
see the hundreds of splices in the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s almost as if they don’t exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But they do – they are just so frequent and small that we don’t even
notice them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So
how do I move my life from the pause/play effect to a finished film with
continuous action?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of my morning
devotional and a “pause” every few days when life gets crazy, I have to create
these countless “cuts” in my daily life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Cuts’ when I send a
quick prayer up to God to help me in this moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Cuts’ when I walk
away for 30 seconds to ask God for patience or temperance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Cuts’ when I look
out the window and praise God for the majesty of His creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Cuts’ when I stop
talking (and thinking) long enough to hear the small, still voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Gisha;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With
‘cuts’ throughout my day, I can continuously live my life trusting in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the need to press pause for long periods
of time will fade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My life will be lived
turning to God with frequent and small periods of time throughout the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People around me won’t even see my ‘cuts’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they will see the expression of them in
the way my life is lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My prayer is
that God would be evident in even the most seemingly insignificant tasks and
the joy of my salvation contagious to all those in my life.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Gisha;">“Pray continuously”</span></i><span style="font-family: Gisha;"> ~1 Thessalonians 5:17<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Tracihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17557033632205324725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925634824857498332.post-8401686506134688072012-01-12T10:48:00.000-06:002012-01-19T13:12:22.018-06:00Are You A Gamer?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I’m not a huge fan of video games, although I do adore one in particular that stories two brothers racing through a world of magical clouds and mushrooms to save the distressed princess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And from time to time, I enjoy exercising through virtual sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s about the extent of my video gaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I’m not a gamer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">My husband on the other hand, loves video games of all sorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of his favorites features a hero I call Ted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not his name; he just looks like a Ted to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ted is in search of artifacts of great value and importance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He begins his trek with only a cryptic map and his physical skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfamiliar with the territory, he must rely on his own intuition and deductive reasoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Along the way, Ted collects trinkets that have no monetary worth, but they are invaluable, nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These trinkets equip him for challenges and perils he will face on his journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without them, Ted can’t continue forward and often dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trinkets are required to survive but they don’t come easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are often hidden in a crocodile infested swamp or among savage natives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, they don’t come easy, but with each small victory of obtaining another trinket, Ted is better equipped and more experienced to conquer the greater challenges that lie ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’ve seen my husband play this game countless times and I’ve had no interest at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would I spend time as a cartoon man traveling an unknown land of great danger for a fabled treasure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But just today, I’ve seen the game in a whole new light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I relate to Ted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re a lot alike. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">As a Christian, I too am traveling through a world that is foreign to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know what lies ahead but I know there are challenges that I’m not yet equipped to handle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So God has me on a journey of collecting trinkets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can’t be bought but they are indeed priceless; faith, wisdom, hope, forgiveness, love and patience just to name a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do I discover these trinkets as I travel through life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, just as Ted has a map, so do I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s Word gives me all the direction I need, if only I’ll follow it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each small challenge I face in life allows me to gather these trinkets in greater measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as they increase, I will be better equipped to fight the dangers of this world and take hold of the prize that lies before me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">While Ted and I share a great deal in common, there is one major difference that makes this story worth telling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ted is chasing after a treasure that may not even exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if it does, it’s only temporary; only valuable in his world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The treasure I’m chasing – it’s eternal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s worth fighting for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And worth dying for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today, I look forward to the challenges I will face. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has equipped me for this day. Today’s victories will prepare me for tomorrow’s journey. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when I face a difficult situation that I’d rather not deal with, I’ll remind myself “I can handle this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a gamer.”</span></div>Tracihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17557033632205324725noreply@blogger.com0