Trashy Neighbors

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." ~Leviticus 19:18


Every time I drive down the roads in my neighborhood, they are strewn with trash. I'm constantly distracted by the espresso cups floating in the frogs pond and the plastic water bottles riding the streams into the creek that the herd of deer drink from. Even the trees seem resolved to have beer can encrusted roots. They droop sadly towards the creek on the hillside while the ferns struggle to push through plastic bags. Nothing irritates me as much as someone who litters. I began to hold a grudge against the people polluting their own neighborhoods. I began to want revenge against those trashy neighbors who could possibly be that selfish. I began to pray for them: Especially the one that drinks Icehouse beer and eats cup-of-noodle soup. Grrrr....


Revelation struck one day as I was driving and grumbling to the Lord about the garbage. The Lord said, "You do it. Love your neighbor as yourself" It was clear that it was a conviction as in "you've littered too" and a command as in, "show me your love for your neighbors. Pick it up". After stalling a few days I grabbed my walking stick and a trash bag and began picking up all those offensive scraps of plastic and foam on the side of the road. I spent the time praying for the families that live in the houses on the other side of the path of trash.  I realized it truly is a tangible way for me to love my neighbors as myself. Now when I drive down the road, I scope out the next stretch that needs to be freed from the rubbish and praise God for how beautiful it will be!


Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself."'

Talk and Walk

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" ~Paul

The Spirit of God keeps drawing me back to these questions of Paul's. My mind brushes on the musings carefully, like fingers on the wing of a butterfly. And just like the butterfly, I get grounded by mere contact. Jesus is trying to teach me something and I know it's something I'm uncomfortable with by the fact that I'm trying to spiritualize it. I've become a silent witness for him.

If people have not heard about Jesus, how can they believe in him? I can spiritualize this all I want and it still won't take away my responsibility to TALK about Jesus. His words should be like fire in my bones that I cannot stop from raging forth into the world. They are the light that draws God's children out of darkness and into peace with our heavenly Father. There is a famine on the earth right now, it's a famine for hearing the word of the Lord. Could it be because I've been duped into believing a lie? The "lie" being that people will "hear" about Jesus with their "spiritual ears" just by watching how I live my life. Or they will see my joy and cross necklace and somehow make the connection, realize they're sinners and repent and be saved? How many times have I heard, "You have to walk the talk"? That's nice but I need to "talk while I walk"!

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." ~God

Why Cry?

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.


My husband had a knee replaced yesterday. It was during the preparations for the surgery that I realized just how "one flesh" he and I are. I had to laugh when it dawned on me that every time a needle was stuck in his arm, I winced. When the stethoscope was placed on his back, I drew in the deep breaths right along with him. When they wheeled him out of sight, I held back the tears until I was safely in the car on the way home. I felt like I had left the best part of myself entrusted to doctors.


Pouring out my fears to the Lord in a deluge, the Spirit quietly waited for me to finish laying out all my cares before Him. Then He asked, "Why are you crying?" I was taken aback. Why WAS I crying? Immediately, the words from the maskil of the Sons of Korah came singing into my mind. I was not entrusting my man to doctors: I had prayerfully placed him in the capable hands of his creator and savior. My God!


"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my savior and my God." ~Sons of Korah

Ordinary Birth

"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." ~Luke


I've been meditating on the birth of Jesus and have come to the conclusion that it was very ordinary. The time came for the baby to be born and just like women for centuries have done, Mary laid down where she could and had him. I used to think that was awful circumstances to give birth until I read accounts of women having their babies in taxis, mud huts, and on the side of the road. Bus drivers, firemen, police officers and strangers have delivered children throughout the centuries. When the time comes, it doesn't matter where you're at or who is there with you, that baby's born!


I'd be willing to bet that Mary was happy to have any sort of shelter but God provided a stable outside an inn. Surrounded by the fresh smell of hay and the musky scent of warm animals, it was the perfect place for the lamb of God to enter the world. Just like babies all over the world, they wrapped him in cloth to keep him warm. The well wishers showed up in the form of shepherds which was only fitting. They brought no gifts but the word of their testimony concerning the child. As far as the people in the inn were concerned, they could've been her family.


His parents treasured his birth in their hearts just as I treasure the births of my children in mine. I often wonder how many times Mary and Joseph looked at Jesus and said, "He must get that from his father!"


"...And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." ~Luke

Messy Hearts

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I adore sparkly things and I abhor wasting any thing so it came as no surprise to me that glitter glue would be used by God to teach me a valuable lesson this past holiday season.

I attended a birthday party for Jesus last month. A giant birthday card was set up and each person could take a cutout heart and decorate it with stickers, sequins, felt-tip pens and glitter glue in glorious colors! I set about gluing sequins, scoping out the gold glitter glue, and writing my name on my heart for the card. My art zone was infringed upon by a girl of about eight or nine years old. She too was after the various glitter glues. I cringed as she grabbed each tube and squeezed half the glue out onto the little heart and it almost physically hurt when she asked me for help securing the various colors. My eyeballs were twitching after three colors. "What a waste of glitter glue," I mumbled. I confess, I picked up my heart and walked away.

It wasn't long before she was behind me in the line to have our hearts put on the birthday card for Jesus. Her soggy little heart lay across her palms and threatened to tear as she presented it to be hung. She was careful to make sure they knew just where to hang it when it dried and skipped off to play pin the tail on the donkey, oblivious to my pain.

I scurried off to tune my guitar and count books that were to be passed out as party favors. While doing so, the Spirit nudged me and reminded me that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children such as this and asked why glitter glue was so important to me when the little girl was to him. She had answered his invite to his party and he loves her little messy heart.

What a wonderful gift to hear all the children of God at the party sing "Yes, Jesus Loves Me!" after having my heart cleaned up. What fun for me to join in and belt out the song with a new conviction of how true it really is. Messy hearts and all.

"The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown." ~Zechariah  

Renewing Your Mind

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things." ~Paul

I revisit this exercise at least once a year because no other verse has given me more peace over the years than this one. I am free to think about anything I want so instead of dwelling on the dark things and circumstances in life, I can choose to see and meditate on the good things. When I stumbled upon this verse in Philippians years ago, I began to apply it to my family.

I wrote down the words; true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy in a notebook. Then, I began by applying the words to myself. What is a true statement about myself? The Holy Spirit whispered, "I love you!" Honestly, I giggled as words Jesus had spoken danced out of my memory and although I was alone, I'm sure I blushed. After each answer, I would thank the Lord for providing the answers and for the answers themselves.

My husband was next and each of my children. By practicing retraining my thought-life on myself, I had begun to think about them through these lenses of peace. I found myself filled with joy and inexplicable wonder. I challenge anyone who reads this to do this exercise this month. May the love and peace of God guard your homes, hearts and minds!

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." ~Paul

Avoiding Woes

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." ~David

Being a believer in Jesus for a long time, I have to remind myself that I can fall into the traps that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees fell into. Every once in awhile I go down the list of "woes-to" that Jesus put forth and search my heart to see if there is any snares I've wander into. I pray the same prayer that David did and then wait and watch for the Holy Spirit to guide me.

I ask myself if I practice what I preach? What do I preach? Good news? Bad news? Do I burden others with my expectation of how they should be but don't lift a finger to help them? What is my motive for doing good things? Is it to be seen by people to get titles of influence?

It's so easy for me to want to be the ruling influence and not the inspired. Do I waylay honest Jesus seekers or go out of my way to gain "Christian" cohorts? Do I value material things above spiritual? Do I neglect the more important matters of the law- justice, mercy and faithfulness? Am I neglecting the giving of tithes?

I'm grateful that God leads me in the everlasting way. The rod of the Shepherd is comforting to me. Sometimes, his sharp reproof is all it takes to cause me to avoid a trap. Other times, it requires woes to pull me out. I'm grateful for those too because it means that my God is watching over me and he will forgive me, cleanse me, and lead me if I allow him to. He loves me enough to do that!

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach."