Several weeks ago I asked for prayer for Christie Smith, a young woman who was thrown from a horse and suffered brain trauma injury. I am thrilled to let you know that Christie is making wonderful progress. She has many months of rehab ahead of her but God is doing miraculous things for her. If you would like to read about Christie's journey go to:
In my March 18th post, I mentioned some of the good news - bad news that had been happening either in our lives or in those that we love. My friend, Lou, who had a recurrence of cancer several months ago, is having an important scan next week and I am asking you to join me in praying for her.
Five minutes in Lou's presence and you would be struck with her elegant carriage, her ready, beautiful smile and her tender heart. I met Lou at Bible study and was immediately bowled over with her enthusiasm to know Christ better. She's one of those women who is smart and lovely - a lethal combination! She fiercely loves her family and is concerned about the toll of this recurrence on them. So, pray for them as well.
Over the years, I have been privileged to meet lots of different people. Some have come through the doors of the church my husband pastors, others in Bible studies, some from our neighborhood, or through our kids and even in the check out line at Harris Teeter. Each of them has been brought in to my life for some reason whether I know them for ten seconds, ten minutes or ten years. I want to see them...really see them. It only takes a minute for me to look in someone's eyes and allow them to see Jesus shining out of mine. What a wonderful way to spend my time.
Just in case you were wondering...our granddaughter, Caroline Gray, is now two weeks old and doing well! (Thanks for asking Lacey!) She is such a little mush...I can't stop kissing her sweet little cheeks. Ware is getting the hang of having a little sister! Today he actually kissed and hugged her without prompting. Of course, no one knows what he whispered in her ear! Maybe something like, "Okay, it looks like you're here to stay...just don't mess with my toys"!
Seriously, this being a grandmother is better than I could have ever imagined. All the fun and none of the stress. Hindsight gives me the luxury of knowing that Ware and Caroline Gray will talk, walk, become potty trained before high school, sleep through the night, dress themselves and some day understand who Jesus is and how important it is to have a relationship with Him. And the best thing is that at this season in their lives the Lord has allowed us to live close
enough to have a front row seat as they reach each milestone. For these days we are so thankful.
Speaking of being thankful...our youngest daughter, Graylyn, is graduating from college this Saturday. We are incredibly proud and anxious to see what path God has set before her. During the past few weeks she has gone through a difficult situation with dignity and integrity. We can see such growth and maturity in her. Again, for these days we are so thankful.
In Max Lucado's book, God Came Near, he says that his prayer for his book is that "the Divine Surgeon will use it as a delicate surgical tool to restore sight. That blurriness will be focused and darkness dispersed. That the Christ will emerge from a wavy figure walking out of a desert mirage to become the touchable face of a best friend." That is my prayer for this blog. If you don't know Christ, my prayer is that you will. And if you do know Him that you will want to know Him better.
It is a thrilling experience to hear how people go from blindness to sight. A changed life speaks volumes. Our stories of coming to Christ are really Him coming after us. So periodically, I will share the stories of those who were once lost but have been found...who were once blind but now can see. The first will be from Sally - a lovely, gentle, tenderhearted woman who is deeply in love with her Savior.
Sally's story...
"My testimony - I feel like I should be standing in court and that you, the jury is going to judge my statement. In court, the verdict strives to seek out the truth. In my case, the story rests on the truth.
The fact is for 38 years I never knew what the truth was. I thought I did. I grew up in a Christian family in the north, attended an Episcopalian church with Bishop Spong as head of the Diocese in our area and with Gene, the newly ordained gay Bishop as my youth leader. It was a liberal place. However, my Grandmother and my parents were very active in the church and taught me to work hard, live right, and that "to whom much is given, much is expected". I had memorized the Apostle's and Nicene Creeds. And I remember watching Billy Graham on my parent's black and white TV and feeling closest to God at that time.
In college I thought I had it all figured out. Sally's Christianity. I loved God. I knew how to live a life that would probably please Him. Don't lie or cheat, be nice to everyone, give to the needy, give of yourself when possible and say grace and your bedtime prayers. I did all right at following most rules. I would have never made it to the Pharisee level, but I would have wanted to be friends with them. However, where was I in Sunday School when they taught Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast"?
For the first eights years of my marriage, we were really too busy to go to church with moving several times from coast to coast, working and having babies. However, when we were moving to the South and settling down, I knew the right thing to do was to join a church. As a matter of fact, we joined a church before we even moved just to enroll our kids in the right preschool program! We were all set.
God, despite me ignoring Him, blessed me incredibly! In one of Beth Moore's studies I remember her saying that sometimes the hardest time to draw near to God is when things are going well. That was me! Blessed beyond words with three little boys, a husband who adored me, supportive and loving parents, financial security, good health and many nice friends. It was as if God was saying to me..."Do you have enough yet to make you happy?" I didn't! I had such emptiness in my heart and I had no idea why.
In 1966, my husband was working two full time jobs and traveling a lot. God choreographed this so well...Don was home and took care of our boys so I could go by myself to the Billy Graham Crusade. My husband then had to go out of town, which left me alone to sort through all the thoughts Rev. Graham had churned up. That Friday night I listened to Michael W. Smith on a CD loaned to me because he was singing the next night at the teen crusade. I had to go back and bring my boys. I remember tears rolling down my cheeks as I listened to him sing - "I walked the road, with holes in my hands and feet...to make a way...come follow me. I am waiting for you." Now that was personal!
I was beginning to get it. Before that weekend I can honestly say that I remember thinking, "I know why we pray to God, the Creator, but why is Jesus just as important"?
My heart emptied out that evening as I asked for forgiveness and the Holy Spirit moved in after I had kept Him out for so long. I can say that now but who was the Holy Spirit anyway? I was just figuring out who Jesus really was! I just knew it felt so right.
The next night was magical. I brought our boys 11, 9, and 5 to the teen crusade in the pouring rain. Michael W. Smith did sing and when Billy Graham stood up to speak, the crowd hushed and the rain stopped! God was so present. I was so aware of the audience. I suddenly saw Christ in people. It felt good. I got it!
For the first time, I realized that Christ had died for me. That He was MY hero and MY savior! I no longer wanted to do good because I was supposed to, but because I longed to please God - to thank Him in some small way for all He did for me.
Sunday morning came and I knew I couldn't go back to my church. I knew that God was telling me to go somewhere else. I found a church meeting in a gym with no hymnals, people in jeans, and a young minister who spoke from his heart with such passion for Christ.
By God's grace, a new history began for me and my family. My life has changed. My friends and priorities have shifted. For ten years I have never again felt that hole in my heart. Sadness, fear, and anxiety, yes...but at least I know where to turn and where I am headed.
My prayer for my future comes from another Michael W. Smith song that goes like this...
"If they were to write a book about the stories of my life they would have to mention you with every page they'd write. Always love me, never leave me.." Amen
For the last 40 years I have called myself a Christian. In my early years of following Christ I was front and center all the time. I had incredible zeal and boldness. There wasn't a person that I wouldn't share my faith with. And I had a hunger for the Word that was insatiable. I was also a lot like Peter...impulsive, arrogant, loud-mouthed and reckless.
In the Gospel of Luke, Luke introduces him as "Simon, who he also named Peter." "Peter" was sort of a nickname and one of the first things Jesus said to him. Even though Jesus gave him the name "Peter", which means "rock", he sometimes referred to him as Simon.
In the book Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur, Peter is described as brash, vacillating and undependable. He made lots of promised that he couldn't keep. He started things and then bailed out. He was the first one in and the first one out! It looks like Jesus changed his name because he wanted that nickname, "the rock", to be a reminder to him about who he should be. So, whenever Jesus spoke to him, the name he used sent Peter a subtle message. If he called him "Simon", he was reminding him that he was acting like his old self. When he called him "rock", he was commending him for acting the way he should be.
Peter, a brash, impetuous, overeager disciple was also the disciple who confessed Christ more boldly than the others. And while Jesus was dragged throughout the city prior to his crucifixion, Peter was the one who tried to stay as close to Jesus as he could. And in spite of his sinful tendencies and spiritual weaknesses, the Lord wanted to use him and promised to sustain him no matter what. Peter's character was developed through his intimate association with Christ.
With that as the backdrop, I have been wondering what God's nickname is for me? And how often He uses it when referring to me? I've been called "Suzi" as long as I can remember but when Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for me, what name does He whisper in the Father's ear? Based on Simon's new moniker, "Peter - the rock", my nickname must be indicative of who I can be. However, I will probably never know, this side of heaven, what that nickname is. So then, what am I to live up to?
I figured the best way to find that out was to read the letters of the man who had gone from "Simon the unstable" to "Peter the rock" and this is what I found, this is what I am supposed to become. I am to...
