Overcoming Fear

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Sometimes, you just have to face down your fears in order to have a dream realized. If you don’t face down the fear, you might miss out on the joy of the dream coming true.

A few months ago, our little family was at some friends’ farm near South Georgia. A member of their family had been taking care of a wild hawk for about three months after saving it from drowning. When I say “wild,” I mean exactly that. They did not have this bird of prey in a cage nor on any type of contained area. They simply allowed him to come and go around the farm. They had trained him to land on their gloved arm and to eat from their hand, but they weren’t limiting his ability to learn to live, hunt and dwell on his own.

While we were there, they asked if we wanted to be a part of the hawk’s feeding. Each one of us were intrigued and, at first, a little intimidated; however, we all faced down our fears and intimidation, put on the red glove and awaited the landing.

It was an incredible experience!!

The hawk was so beautiful!

He even met us at the front door on one of our visits, and decided to alight on Joey’s shoulder. Joey said it was quite intimidating to have him squawk at you and then fly to land right beside your face!
It’s always been my dream to do this. Hawks are one of my favorite animals and definitely my favorite birds of prey. They are so majestic. I am so glad I had the courage to experience this dream come true!

Wait Upon the Lord

January 5, 2016January 4, 2016 / The WheatandTares

We all get tired. We all get weary.
What do you do with it?

Do you get Grouchy? Do you get ill (physically or emotionally)? Maybe you just get downright mean and cantankerous? …Maybe unruly with your words or actions?

We’ve all been there. We’ve all had those moments. If you haven’t, keep on living, cuz we’re all human.

It happens.

The Bible says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength….”

What if we realized that whom we serve is not just our spouse, our child, our boss, or even our friends?

What if we realized whom we are serving is the Creator of the Universe, the One who spun the moon and stars into orbit?

What if we realized whom we serve breathed breath into our lungs and put a heartbeat in our chest?

How would we serve then? How would we speak in that moment? How would we react when things don’t go just as we planned?

He’s the King of Kings. He’s the Lord of Lords. He is God Almighty.

I venture to guess our eyes would be brighter…our smiles would be wider…our words would be kinder, and our actions would be much more gracious.

The Bible goes further to say, “…they shall mount up with wings of eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint.”

That means we’ll make it, if we can just wait on (or serve) HIM!

The Bible also says, “Do everything as unto the Lord.” …it says EVERYTHING! That’s a hard demand at times…

Like when our husband didn’t notice the laundry folded for the umpteen time but only fussed about that one shirt that didn’t get washed…or the wife who only noticed the trash wasn’t taken out but failed to notice the lawn got mowed and driveway got swept and the car was washed after a long days work…

Or maybe it’s in the middle of the night when one baby is wailing from an earache and the other just got sick in his bed…

Wait on the Lord

Maybe it’s when the boss is being unfair about a deadline and your co-workers are gossiping and cutting you down…

Maybe it’s when your teacher doesn’t seem to like you and your best friend just doesn’t seem to care…

Wait on the Lord…

Maybe it’s when your body is wracked with pain and the Drs can’t seem to figure out what in the world is wrong with you…

Maybe it’s when you’ve had to stand beside a graveside and say goodbye. They weren’t supposed to die so soon. There’s so many things left unsaid…left undone…

Let me read that while Scripture again a little differently…
“(YOU) that wait upon the Lord SHALL renew (your) strength. (You) SHALL mount up with wings like an eagle. (You) SHALL Run and not grow weary. (You) SHALL walk and not faint.”

…as the old song goes, “…teach me Lord to wait.”

The New Year’s Resolution

December 28, 2015December 28, 2015 / The WheatandTares

New Year’s Resolutions. We all make them every year. So many of us start on January 1 with a long list of all the things we need to change. You know the list… Lose weight. Exercise more. Be more organized. Reach out more. Be more kind. Be more diligent. Remember special dates better. Eat better. Just simply, Be better. Too many stores make a lot of money this time of year with all the diet plans, gym memberships, organizational books and storage totes that are bought during this month.

Then, long about March 15, all of that money becomes a waste, and the commitments slowly fade away, as we slip back into our old habits and routines, because it was simply a vocalized pledge with no foundation laid for success. It was a mental note with no accountability or standards set for true inner change…because after all, it’s so much more comfortable to remain where we are than to take the necessary steps for long term resolutions.

When we make commitments simply to make ourselves feel better, or to make us look better to other people, or simply because we think it’s the “right thing to do at the time,” we may never be able to fulfill those lofty promises. I’m sure there are plenty of wise advisors today who can give you great input on how to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions; but if you’ll allow me, I’d like to give you three points which I have found to be true…

1. The new commitment must be based on Truth not just a good feeling or a common thought. Just because it feels good, doesn’t mean it will last, and just because it works for someone else, doesn’t mean it’ll work for you. Too often, we set New Year’s Resolutions, because someone else is doing it or because “it’s the trendy thing to do in January!”

Just as serving Jesus only because “someone else is doing it” isn’t going to get you into heaven, making those New Years Resolutions simply because of someone else isn’t going to turn out so well either. The Word says in John 8:31-32, “Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Basing your commitment on truth will set you free from the expectations and the results or failures of others. Truth sets you free to learn and grow as is best for YOU, and it allows you to hear clearly the path you are to take. Truth sets us free from the trends, which come and go as the evening tide, and Truth is the door through which we will find our very best future.

2. We must build a foundation for the change. When a good builder builds a house, he doesn’t throw some walls together, slap a roof on it and call it good. No, he thinks about it, he carefully makes out his plans, and he usually gathers a team to assess the plans. After they have made their suggestions and given their advice, he then makes the necessary adjustments before he carries out those plans. Planning before making those commitments will help you to actually think about that to which you’re committing. Stopping to think allows you to not only realize the veracity of your commitment, but also, the depth of sacrifice you’ll need to make to carry out that commitment.

3. We must set boundaries in place and have strong accountability to sustain the change. When a professional MMA fighter, like Holly Holm, decides she is going to challenge the Ronda Rousy, she doesn’t simply step in the ring and say, “Bring it on.” She has a trainer; sometimes, she has a team of trainers who not only help her to work out and train for the big day, but they also help her study her opponent. They give her advice and pointers on how to be better, and they keep her accountable to her original goals and commitments. They work as a team to accomplish the goal set before her. Having a team around you who can help you, advise you, and even rebuke you at times, enables you to stay consistent to your commitments for a longer period of time. Having someone there to show us when we’re in error helps us to avoid the pitfalls and distractions that, too often, cause us to give up in despair before the goal is ever realized.

So, no matter your commitments and resolutions for this new year, if you can put these three little points into action before making them, you will find, later on in this year, those New Years Resolutions are here to stay!

Happy New Years to you and yours! 😊

Christmastime Blues

December 22, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Do you ever feel as if you’re the only one who could possibly feel the way you do?

Do you ever think no one else understands; no one has a clue?

That’s when the Christmastime Blues settle in like a cold, hard rain.

They come to stay when your focus is off, life is chaotic and the main thing isn’t the main.

Those bluesy blues will hit the heart and try to make a home.

Don’t let them come in. Make them run away as you worship Christ alone.

For He is worthy of all our honor, our love and our praise.

For He is the Christ child come to change our life and our earthly days.

Merry Christmas

Penned – MG – 12/21/15

Deep Dark Tunnel

December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

It’s a deep, dark tunnel

I am forced to walk through to funnel.

The scars are deep, those it requires.

The voices are strong, never tiring in the mire.

The path is paved with the broken and the destroyed.

Their demise is how I must fill the void.

Learn from their mistakes. Don’t make it twice.

Turn away from my heart’s wicked, wicked vice.

It’s scary. It’s sad. It’s simply a lie.

Yet, there’s a light guaranteed on the other side.

There is a promise, a hope, a future.

If I can just find the strength and energy to endure.

We’re not here long, and this is simply a test.

If I can just keep my sight focused on Him and not the rest.

I will find all the peace and belonging I hope for.

All I must do is just open the door.
The path is loneliness.

The destination is depression.
Those who don’t struggle never quite understand the battle.

Those who battle without hope can never see beyond the rattle.

Those who find Hope, find a new tomorrow.

This is a Hope that doesn’t just have to be borrowed.

This is the Only One who gives true Hope and Life.

He is the answer. Will you let Him take away your strife?

He can help you. He came here just for you.

He longs to hold you, to heal you,to love you through and through.

All you have to do is see, believe and trust.

All you have to do is say His name, and your hope will never rust.

Penned – MG – 12/16/15

Words

December 15, 2015December 12, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Words

They pierce like a knife

They bring so much strife

They swarm overhead

They seek to find where to make their bed

Words

They can soothe a hurting soul

They can calm and console

They can mend a broken heart

They can reconcile worlds far a part

Words

They can bring clarity to confusion

They can bring healing to retribution

They can create life where there’s been only death

They can be so sweet to take away the breath

Words

Once spoken, they cannot be erased

Once heard, they cannot be debased

Once tasted on the tongue, they can never be suppressed.

Once received within the spirit, they can only be confessed.

Penned – MG – 12/15/15

Light Pierces Through at Christmas

December 14, 2015December 12, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.

He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’.”

John 8:12

He is the Light which never fails. When the storm seems the darkest, when the waves are crashing in, just remember, light always pierces through the darkness. There is no storm so strong that He cannot prevail. There is no darkness so deep that He cannot shine.

This world in which we live is such a dark place. There are many waves of confusion crashing upon the shores of those around us. The storm clouds rage in so many with whom we come in contact, and yet, too often, we fail to shine the Light that would help them to see.

I think, maybe, during the Christmas season, some of us become more aware, because after all, it’s the season to be jolly, kind and thoughtful, and we see light everywhere! However, others of us miss prime opportunities during this season, because we have gifts to buy, food to cook, goodies to bake, families to visit, children to wrangle and overspending to be reconciled. We may overlook the lost and weary simply because we are so tired and dreary!

During these next few weeks, as we join together to celebrate the holidays, let us remember how to be His light to this dark and stormy world:

He brings peace where there is chaos.

He brings love where there is hate.

He brings truth where there is a lie.

He brings healing where there is brokenness.

He brings life where there is death.

The world can find this light if they can simply…

Just hope.

Just trust.

Just believe.

Let us be the light that pierces through their darkness.

Let us show them He is the Light of Life!

Old Before Your Time

December 7, 2015December 6, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Life is hard sometimes. People get sick. Family members pass away. We have bills to pay. Debts to reduce. Money that must be earned from long days of hard work.

We have children who won’t listen, spouses who don’t hear. Bosses who place demands and leaders who set higher goals than we think we can ever achieve. Yes, life can be difficult. It can be a challenge. Life can be downright tiring!!

It’s no wonder too many of us grow old before our time. It’s no surprise that we walk around frazzled and bedraggled. It’s not a shock that we’re, too often, tempted to give up the fight, to let the friction in our life take over and win. Life can just simply wear a good man out, and a mom with little ones, well, let’s not even get started!!

Yet, Christ said we must become like little children. More Specifically, He said, “If you do not become like one of these little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” So, how do we do this? How do we live up to that kind of expectation when life just drains the life right out of us??

I think we can start to answer that when we stop looking at the trouble and problems of our lives and begin to look at a little child. Too often, the older our children grow, the quicker we forget the joys and wonders of childhood. Sometimes, I wonder if that’s why God allows us to have grandkids later in life…as a simple reminder of wonder.

What are the cares of a little boy when he walks in his room full of toys? …where’s my train, my truck, my bouncy ball? What does the little girl think about as she sees her stuffed animals at the table? …why a tea party, of course, and whom she’s going to invite!

These children aren’t consumed with the cares of this world. Most of the time, they don’t even know the cares of this world! They can get lost in a world full of imagination, wonder, fantasy and fairytale. All they long to do is play, sing songs and find the next fun adventure to take!

We can take a lesson from them. You might want to argue that we, as adults, must put aside those foolish things of childhood in order to succeed in life, to accomplish the many tasks and expectations that are placed upon us.

Oh, but I have to disagree. It’s not that we should remain in immaturity and never take the responsibilities of adulthood, but that we should never lose our wonder. We should never shut out our intrigue for imagination and adventure. We should never put aside our joy simply because we’ve grown a few years older. For this is where dreams live. This is where we go beyond simply surviving through life, and we begin to thrive!

The Word tells us, “The JOY of the Lord if our strength!” It even says, “For the JOY set before Him, He endured the cross.”
Even in our moments of sorrow, our moments of heartache, the child within us can still learn and grow. Even in our deepest time of fear and doubt, that child can push beyond that fear toward faith and a new tomorrow. It is the choice in how we think, how we see, and how we live out our lives that determines if we are thriving or simply surviving. It is a choice we can make, even today, to continue to grow old or to stir up the child within and allow him or her to breathe and to dream again.

A great place to start is with thoughts of heaven and all the laughter and joy we will find there. Can you hear them? Can you hear the children laughing and playing? When a child laughs, it’s like liquid gold, for it brings a lightness to the air. Laughter washes away sorrow. Laughter drowns out fear. The laughter of a child can mend a heart and revive a soul. Can you hear them? Wouldn’t it be fun to join them once again?

Christmas Project

December 3, 2015December 3, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

I started last year with a family project at home that I’m starting a few days late this year, but I’m still going to do it: A Christmas “Thankful Meaningful Jar.” We will each try to write down a mall note everyday of what Christmas means to us or something that we are thankful for at Christmas time.

Christmas is about laughter, joy, family, coziness, warm fires and hot chocolate. It’s about reading a good book, being thankful, being joyous, being gracious, and being kind. It can also be a time of loneliness, heartbreak and desperate fear. It can be a time of lack, sadness and even anger. In our time of fulfillment, I never want our boys to forget others who don’t have. I never want them to get to a place of entitlement or expectancy and refuse to give what we have to those in need.

This is the reason for our new family tradition. I hope this jar of words of thankfulness, thoughtfulness and appreciation will help us to remember the true meaning of Christmas: Christ, His birth, His life, and His purpose. Remembering the “less fortunate” is exactly what He did; it’s what He’s all about. He left His glory, His beautiful kingdom for ME and for YOU! We didn’t deserve it. We were lost and destined for hell, but He loved us enough to come to help us, to save us, to change us and to give us a better eternity. He promised to be with us always and to, one day, come back to take us to His glorious kingdom.

I am so thankful He did, and I believe I can serve a God like that. 💗

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

Bridges Across Pain

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Bridges are a curious thing.

They can lead you toward a promise, away from trouble and across a vast number of pitfalls and mine fields. A bridge can take you to an enemy’s camp, a friend’s home or a stranger’s land. They can lead you high or lead you low, depending upon the terrain that lies below. Bridges are a curious thing, because they can take you far away from a fear; yet, they can also become the source of fear if you are afraid of what lies underneath.

Regardless of where you allow a bridge to take you, you will never get there if you stay only on one side. In order for that bridge to help you get to where you’re going, you must cross it. You must take the first step toward that destiny. It is a decision that can change your life. It is a choice only you can choose.

bridge pic2

There are many bridges, within my own life, which have led me closer to my purpose and my calling: bridges of friendship, bridges of “blood, sweat and tears,” and bridges of the unknown. Every bridge that I have chosen to cross has taught me something and has helped me to grow.

The ones which have taught me the most are the ones that helped me walk above pain in my life. There have been friendships which bridged the gap between moments of loneliness and utter joy. There have been bridges of solitude which bridged the gap between insanity and complete peace. There have been bridges of faith beyond which the future was unknown, but I had to keep walking to receive the healing, strength and joy on the other side. There have also been moments of clear of decision which bridged the gap between regret-filled failure and wonderful heart-felt success. These are the bridges that have propelled me toward a greater destiny. These are the pillars upon which I stand. Had I not crossed over, I would have been left weak, broken and desolate.

When faced with the choice to cross a new “bridge,” the best thing to assist in the decision is to read the road signs prior to it. If are were no signs, find someone who’s gone that way before, and listen to what they’ve learned., and many times, the path to the bridge can give a great indication as to where it is headed. However, there are some times when it’s just going to take a lot of prayer and a whole lot of faith to know this is the right direction to take.

bridge pic