Brighter and More Beautiful

2 Corinthians 3:18 Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

Every year I try to come out with a verse for the year. I was thinking on it and thinking on it and did not get anything. I just felt compelled to keep working. I now have six websites to create content for and nothing to say! Finally, this week, I read what my pastor’s wife wrote years ago to focus her on her ministry. She has said she reads these verses every year to renew her vision and her passion for her ministry. They come from 2 Corinthians.

I decided to read through the book of 2 Corinthians last night. As I read I underlined verses that struck me as interesting. A few times I folded down the page so I would know which ones were especially compelling. (I should mention here that I have read this book through several times, each time in a different translation, underlining verses as I go.)

Since I had difficulty sleeping last night I was up in the dining room comparing the different translations of the verses I found in 2 Corinthians. Somewhere about 3 I finally dropped off to sleep still thinking of the verses I had read.

Brighter and more beautiful is the phrase that sticks out in my mind most of all. I loved the way this verse was expressed in The Message. The other translations talked about the glory of God and his light. When I think of the glory of God I think of the bright lights and colors of this world.

Recently I saw a sunset that was so awesome I couldn’t stop to take a picture. I searched the Internet but I couldn’t find anything like what I saw. I rousted my son and dragged him outside to view the sky. From the backyard, the clouds streamed across the sky in large swaths of color. It was the brightest oranges on an almost turquoise sky.

Coming around the front of the house following the clouds led me to the large floral arrangement of huge sprays of clouds showing oranges, then reds, then purples and blues as the sunset. The beauty of the clouds reflecting the light of the sun spoke to me of how great God’s glory can be. Because anything we see here in this world is a washed out replica of what is the spiritual reality.

Then to find this verse speaking of God’s glory as light made sense to me. I could see how as I grow closer to him his light will shine through me. It will splash onto others and illuminate the love of God for them. The more I become like him and let him work through me, the brighter and more beautiful a reflection I will be.

I cannot imagine what this year will hold. I long to see God work in me and through me. I want others to be blessed by God and for them to have the opportunity to grow brighter and more beautiful. So that is my verse for this year.

God give me grace and show me your mercy. Help me work through my doubts and fears of what I can when I let you be my guide, my strength and my refuge. Show me your plans, day-by-day, step-by-step, so that I will walk with you as you fulfill the destiny you have planned for me.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us.

Love is Home, Home is Love

A long time ago there was nothing. There was only Love searching for a home. It swirled around and around before it created a beautiful world.

“Now I have a home,” said Love. “It is a pretty place with many colors. There are green trees and green grass. There is the blue sky and white clouds. There is a rainbow with all the colors. There are mountains that turn blue or purple when the yellow sun sets.”

All these colors and all this beauty were fascinating and intense. But Love did not feel at home.

Then Love thought of you. That is what would make this place seem like home! “I would have someone with whom to talk. I could share this beauty. Then I would have a home.” Love became excited about sharing this new world with you. There would be problems. There would be sin. There would be many generations of people before you.

And then you would be. Love knew you before the womb. Love knew you while you were in the womb. Love anticipated your birth and rejoiced to see you born. Love waited for your first words and gloried in your first steps.

Love waited for you to turn to Him. And once you did, Love knew no bounds. Love was excited. Love was finally home. Love had you.

Love does not fear growing old. Love does not fear the end of this world. Love is waiting for you in your final home. Love waits for you in the kingdom to come. You have been Love’s home. Now Love will be your home.

Psalm 90:1-2, 13-17

God, it seems you've been our home forever; long before the mountains were born, Long before you brought earth itself to birth, from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come"—you are God.

Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long. Make up for the bad times with some good times; we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.

Let your servants see what you're best at— the ways you rule and bless your children. And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God; rest on us, confirming the work that we do.
Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

Picture from Walfrido.com

Uncertain But At Peace

The rain is falling. Finally. After waiting all year for a chance at the sound of falling rain it is here. I opened the door in order to listen to it better. The air is clean and clear. Everything is getting wet.

I pause to pray for all those southern California drivers who don’t normally have to deal with slick roads. Roads that are extra slick with the months of dirt and oil that have gathered on the freeways when it is dry. May God provide them with some common sense while they drive.

I’m not sure what is so reassuring about the sound of rain. Here it brings mudslides and flooding as well as many accidents. But I grew up with rain on a regular basis. I laid awake many nights in Illinois listening to the glass shaking in the window while the thunder boomed and the lightening flashed behind my curtain.

When I moved to New Mexico rain became more rare and precious. The smell was the big thing. It woke up the ground and grass turned green in a matter of hours. Flowers bloomed. Creatures stirred, lapping up the fresh water. It smelled like freshly turned earth in Missouri. It smelled like cornfields in Kansas. It smelled like…rain.

Here in Orange County the rain is even more rare. In the last few years of drought rain has only poured down a handful of times. Short showers were more likely or heavy dews. Sometimes we had drizzle so light it was more like mist.

So a blessing of this magnitude is worth a moment of pause. Those stuck in traffic for more than an hour and more like two or three may beg to differ. But the air is cleaned. The smog is gone for a few days or hours. It is safe to breathe deeply.

So I am pausing. I am stopping in my search for work and a way to earn money for a few minutes today. I am thanking God for his blessings and his gift of rain to us here. I am praying for safety to all those trying to drive and work in this rain. And I am asking for God to help the leaks to stay to a minimum this day.

This day I am not sure which way to turn. This day I am asking God to show me his purpose for my life. This day I am asking God to keep my family and bring healing in our midst. This day. God I want to honor you and bring glory to your name. This day.

This Day by Point of Grace

James 1: 5-8 If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

I Timothy 6:17-19 Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

The Oldest

Once, a long time ago, on a special Thanksgiving Day, a boy was born. He was filled with compassion and love. His first feeling was one of loss. His twin had died and no longer near him. He missed his brother. His mother was sleepy and his father was sad. He felt sad for them and sad for himself. But he would be okay. He was the oldest.

Not long after he was born, his mother was gone. Then he was given to his grandma for a time. She had another baby but this one didn’t come home. The newest baby was with his brother. He missed his mother and his father but he would be okay. He was the oldest.

Some time later he returned to his mother and his father. He played and enjoyed himself but he still missed his twin. Soon his mother and his father began talking about a new baby. He was interested. He might have a brother to play with again. He would be good to the new baby. The new baby would not be lonely. And he would be okay. He was the oldest.

Soon the new baby was born and he had a new brother. The baby didn’t do much so he watched over him and gave him toys to play with. He talked to the new baby and told him all the things they would do together. It would be okay. He was the oldest.

In the next year the new baby was sick more and more. He wasn’t sure if the new baby would ever be able to play with him. And then the new baby was the old baby and a newer baby was born. This new baby had made his mother very tired and his father very worried about money. But he would watch over them both. They would all be okay. He was the oldest.

As the year went on, he spent less time with his mother and his father. He spent more time with his brothers. He tried to take care of them. He tried to teach them. He talked to them and let them know that they would be okay. He was the oldest.

When his sister was born he knew things had changed. He really did care for his brothers and his sister but he needed a break. He now had to start all over teaching his sister. And he had more to do to take care of her. He wanted to play but they didn’t always want to play what he wanted to do. He also noticed that he could do things better than them. Things he enjoyed. He still had to take care of them. It was okay. He was the oldest.

He started school and learned to read. He didn’t understand the other children and why they didn’t want to do what he wanted to do. He wasn’t sure how to make friends. But he did know how to take care of people. So he watched out for the other children on the playground and helped the others in class. He talked to children but he was still lonely. It was hard to always be the responsible one. But it was okay. He was the oldest.

One year they discovered that he was very smart. He was glad to get the attention. But now he had to do very well in school. He needed to get all A’s. This way he could prove that was special. This was a big responsibility to add to all his other tasks. He let his younger brothers and sister take care of each other more. But he was still very lonely. Why didn’t it seem like people cared how he was? It had to be okay though. He was the oldest.

Graduating high school seemed like a never-ending task, but it finally happened. He had been through some turbulent years where it seemed his emotions were taxed to the breaking point. He had difficulty caring about others because he didn’t think he could care enough. He was just too tired to care any more. And there were too many people that needed his care. It was too much responsibility. But he tried to impart his knowledge of life to his brothers and his sister. They didn’t always appreciate it. And sometimes he thought he might be too angry to talk to them. He thought it was okay. It didn’t matter. He was the oldest.

After many years of marriage, raising children and losing his grandparents he realized he was tired. All the responsibilities were taking their toll and he wanted to rest. He wanted to do what he wanted to do because he wanted to do it. And he wanted to do it when he wanted to. He was tired of taking care of his brothers and his sisters. He was tired of taking care of his children and grandchildren. He was tired of taking care of his boss and his friends. He just wanted to relax. But he wasn’t sure how. He didn’t know if it was going to be okay. He was the oldest.

But then he realized it wasn’t his place to take care of his brothers or his sister anymore. His children were grown and they were taking care of their own children now. He visited his parents and was shocked at how old they had become. And he realized that they loved him. He hadn’t known that before. He wasn’t sure he remembered what it was like to be the only boy. He didn’t remember being a young baby who they cherished and loved. He didn’t remember being very young with no responsibilities. But he saw now, by looking through the years that his mother and father loved him. They thought of him and worried over him. But it was going to be okay. He was the oldest.

In my family four children were born in quick succession. There were two lost babies, one my oldest brother’s twin. My parent’s struggled to feed, clothe and house all of us. In the middle of all of that my brother excelled at being the oldest. His compassion and love surrounded us, as we grew older. We didn’t appreciate his sacrifices or the loneliness that came from being the oldest. We copied everything he did that looked like fun. We stayed away from everything he did that didn’t turn out so well. He didn’t have the option of learning from some one else’s mistakes. He made them for us. Nothing he had in life growing up was “his”. There were times when he resented us. And hopefully, there were times he enjoyed us.

So, Happy Birthday, Dan, and thank you for being the oldest.


Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7

Love, Hope and Peace

The holidays are upon me. Again I am nearing Thanksgiving, a holiday known for family time and thankfulness. Then the season for gift shopping and parties spreads out before me culminating in a solid week of “holiday” busyness. Sometimes it seems too much.

This year has been a year of changes. This has been a year when the world around me reels with blow after blow of economic crises. I have lost my job as many others have this year. It is not just a personal crisis. The whole nation is filled with people concerned for their jobs and keeping their family fed and housed.

There are many others who have experienced illness and loss of life. There are those who are concerned about what is happening to this nation as a whole. My discouragement seems to be the normal reaction of many people. There are changes in this country so widespread it seems impossible not to be discouraged. I have heard many who do not trust those in power and fret about what will become of this country.

Out of necessity I turn to God for hope and peace. I look for the evidence of love. When I look at everything I have to do and need to do to get a new job, I need hope. I need to know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. When I am faced with new challenges at every turn. When I face my own disappointment in my abilities and myself. When I see my children struggling with health issues and money issues. Then I must choose to turn to God in trust.

He is the one who is my salvation, my refuge and my fortress. He is the one who gives me peace in the midst of a storm. He is the one who heals our diseases and forgives us our iniquities. He is the one that I can turn to when I need hope. He is my hope.

So this holiday season, I turn to God to provide love in my heart for others. I turn to God to provide means of support for my family. I turn to God to provide peace in my heart in spite of the news or the hopelessness of some situations.

I believe God can create miracles in the midst of despair. I believe God can find companionship for those who walk this life alone. I believe God can provide income for families who need it. I believe God can provide hope for those people hardened by their circumstances. I believe God will work things together for good. I believe he will provide for us here and take us to him when it is time. I believe he has given us desires to work his will in us and he will give us the means to obtain those desires.

I believe in God, the creator, the healer, the provider, our father.

Lamentations 3:21-24 But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

Philippians 4:13 whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

Psalm 43:5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God—soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God.

Psalm 46:1-3 God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us. God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.