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I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.  Phil.  3:14

In the last few weeks, we have loved watching the hummingbirds from our porch.  There are three feeders, and they hungrily go from one to the other filling up for their long migration flight.  The males are gone I hear, but the females and babies are still here for a couple more weeks.

The other day, I opened the garage door after returning home to find a baby hummer who was trapped inside frantically trying to get out.  No matter how I encouraged him to fly low enough to be successful, he kept flying higher and higher.  These birds are supposed to have the largest brains and be among the smartest of the birds.  They can remember their routes of migration, and every flower they have visited.  It is said that they even recognize humans, yet he couldn’t find his way out.

Exhausted, he finally lit on the top of the garage door.  Randy climbed the ladder, and the hummer let him pick him up in his cupped hands.  I stroked his head, we took him outside, let him go, and watched him soar higher and higher and away.

It seems that the instinct to raise ourselves higher and higher is instilled in all of us.  In our everyday world, we strive to attain higher goals for ourselves and our family, attain higher status in our respective careers, attain a higher salary, and the list goes on.  We all seem to seek something more beyond our daily life.

In 1898 Johnson Oatman, Jr. felt the same way about the need to reach higher and higher in his spiritual life.  He wrote many hymns, but one of the favorites is Higher Ground.  I believe the lyrics tell the story of our need to achieve something higher than what this earthly life can offer.

I’m pressing on the upward way;  New heights I’m gaining everyday.                         Still praying as I’m onward bound; Lord plant my feet on higher ground.                 Refrain:                                                                                                                                               Lord life my up, and let me stand; By faith on heaven’s table land.                               A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

As we seek to rise above all the distractions of life, I pray that like our hummingbird, we will just keep rising higher and higher.

Photo by Donna LaChance

The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.  1 Cor. 13:13

The long awaited football season is back and in full swing.  College teams already know their preseason ranking, have played at least one game, and are busy evaluating the most important changes, improvements, or goals for the new season.  The baseball season is providing some excitement, and all in all it’s all good.

I began to think about different sport teams and the different positions that are most important on each one.  Everyone on the team plays a different place, but which one is really the most important to the team?

It all depends on the player upon whom you focus.  If you are talking football at our house, the center is the most important person to us.  Not because Randy played center, but because Coop, our grandson is playing center now.  We watch every snap he makes, every tackle he makes, and every huddle he calls.  Our focus is on him.

If you are talking basketball here, then the guard is the most important person to us.  Drew, our oldest grandson, plays this position, and we watch every shot he takes, every rebound he gets, and every time he takes the ball down the court.  We are focused on him.

If it is lacrosse, then the middie and the goalie are the most important. (He plays both). Mason is all into this sport, and we watch the energy and skill he uses as he runs up and down the field and blocks those shots.  We focus on him like a ball in a tennis match.

Now,  in soccer, the newest player is the most important person on the team. Our youngest grandson, Reese, plays this sport. He’s new to soccer and he hasn’t decided where he needs to play, but he’s serious about wherever he plays.  We all focus on wherever he is.

The interesting thing is that every other parent, grandparent, or friend in the stands is focused on their most important person.  It’s not so much about the game as it is about the person upon whom we focus.

So it is in life, families, churches, and the world.  It all depends on your values, traditions, and your focus.  In our fast paced society, it’s easy to all focus on different most important things like work, finances, errands, social gatherings, and so many more.  We tend to forget that all of us should have one main focus – the most important things as God sees them.

I think He would have us start our day with morning devotionals and prayer.  I think He would have us limit distractions which take away from life as He would have it be for us.  I think He would want us to serve others and make them the most important .

In the aftermath of Dorian where so many have lost family members, homes, and their way of life, the most important things become obvious.  The anniversary of 911 is also upon us, and it would do us all good to stop and remember the losses suffered during that time.  At that time, our country, patriotism and unity were America’s most important things.

There is no one most important person on a team.  Everyone on a team needs to have one goal and work together to achieve it. Christians are a big team, and as such, it is important not to focus on so many different most importants, but rather to listen to God’s voice and work together to make His will the most important thing.

Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  Isaiah 40:31

When I was growing up in Donalsonville, our home was full of things which we considered important.  There were family pictures on the wall, china in the hutch, silver flatware in the drawers, special trinkets, etc.  These things were each special to us in their own way.  My Mama treasured most of these things and treated them with much care.  We were encouraged to do the same.

There was an occasion where a neighbor of ours had a small fire in their home, and I remember asking our Mama, “What would you save if there was a fire?  What is the most important thing to you?’  I was making a mental list of material items, but she answered as a mother should, “I would save the three of you.”  I was thinking material things, but she had an understanding of what was truly important.

Recently, my cousin and his family had a house fire.  It was classified by the insurance company as a total loss.  They did lose the structure, the pictures, the dishes, the clothes, and many more material items, but it was not a total loss.  They were able to get everyone out safely, and so they are most fortunate.

The words total loss are used for many things such as cars, investments, businesses, careers, lives,etc., but nothing is a total loss if you can come out of it with your life and your dreams.

There are so many times when we consider everything we have done in this life, and we begin to brand it as a total loss.  At that point, we will feel as if nothing we can do or say will ever pull us out of this despair.  The truth is that nothing is a total loss and no life is over until God says it’s over.  At our lowest point, there is always hope, mercy, and grace from God.

In my cousins’s case, they never considered their life a total loss, just the opposite.  This tragedy has ended in triumph.  They have experienced generosity of friends, help from people everywhere, a new appreciation of family and friends, a sense of God’s hand from their church, and even a new found appreciation for relatives!!  The most important parts of their life are still there,  and they are rebuilding slowly but surely.

My lesson from this is to hold on, God is coming to your aid.  He’s coming to bail you out and set you free.  Never settle for a total loss.

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.  Proverbs 1:5

The first act of love is to listen.  Paul Phillips

There is a well known game that we used to play in our youth fellowship circle in Snellville years ago.  It was called the “whisper game”.  The youth would make a circle, someone would start and whisper in the next person’s ear.  They in turn would whisper in the next person’s ear and so forth.  At the end, the last person would tell what he heard.  It was always entirely different from the way it started.  For example, “I gave my brother a ride to work became my mother can ride a stork.”

It always proved to me that listening and hearing are two different things entirely.  Sometimes people totally miss what others are trying to communicate because although they think they are listening, they aren’t hearing the message as it is often misconstrued.

It made me think of things that I don’t want to miss or misconstrue in this life because I don’t open my ears.

I don’t want to miss the power and presence of the people around me especially children and older adults.  These two groups can teach us all so much if we take the time to open our ears to their message.  How many of us get down to the child’s level, make eye contact, and truly listen to them without just pretending .  Their outlook on life is amazing if we only take the time to hear.  It’s the same with the older adults in our midst.  How many of us are willing to take time to sit with them and listen to their stories with our ears and our hearts?  Their words are full of history as well as life truths.  How I wish I had listened more intently to family members as they told  stories of their past.

I don’t want to miss hearing what my heart is saying to me because I don’t open my ears  Many times my heart is nagging me to visit someone I love or I know is lonely, make that cake for a family with illness, write that note to lift someone’s spirits, and on and on.  Sometimes I dismiss it with, “I’ll do that later”, but later never comes.  I don’t want to miss it.

I don’t want to miss the times when God speaks to me.  I know many days when I don’t take the time to open my ears to listen, and I miss so many lessons, advice, and wisdom that comes from Him.  I know He loves me just as I am, but I am thankful that He loves me too much to leave me where I am.  He waits patiently until  I am ready to listen.

There is an old hymn which sums it all up:   Open my eyes that I may see; Glimpses of truth thou hast for me; Place in my hand, the wonderful key;  that shall unclasp and set me free. Chorus: Silently now, I wait for Thee, ready my Lord thy will to see; Open my eyes, illumine me;  Spirit Divine.    Open my ears that I may hear ; voices of truth thou sendest clear,  And while the wave notes fall on my ear;  Everything false will disappear.    Open My Eyes by  Clara H. Scott

I don’t miss to miss it because I’m not seeing and listening!

For we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body whether good or bad.  2 Corinthians 5:10

I’ve never been to court except to serve on jury duty, but recently, I had the experience.  If you don’t know about it (as I didn’t), there is a law called The Move Over Law which requires that you move over when an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road.  In my defense, there were many more cars which didn’t move over, but I won the prize of a citation.  The fine was so huge, that I decided I needed to at least try to win some kind of reduction, so I went to court.

I had no idea what to expect, but luckily, I met a guy outside the court room who had obviously done this many times, and he was able to clue me in as to what I should expect.  He ended by saying, “It all depends on the judge.”

The judge entered the courtroom, we all rose, and he began to give us the rules.  First, no leaning on his bench, stand up straight.  Second, if you don’t have a driver’s license, please don’t attempt to drive away from court.  Lastly, please read the paper given you and sign it!!  Then, he said something which shocked and frightened me; “Folks, this is your arraignment.”

Arraignment is defined as a court hearing in a criminal case in which the charges are read out to the accused, and he or she must plead guilty or not guilty.

When my name was called, I sat with the prosecuting attorney and she asked, “How do you plead?  Guilty or Not Guilty?”  The question was  sobering, and I wasn’t prepared to answer it, so I told her my story and she gave me my options.

As I waited to come before the judge, I watched person after person walk forward and make their pleas.  One young man was a repeat offender, and the judge’s sentence was harsh for him.  “Son, he said, you cannot drink and drive.  I’ve warned you and now I am going to have to send you to jail.  Don’t pass go – just go straight from here to jail.”  Just as I was thinking that I didn’t luck out on the judge, my name was called.  I stood very straight before the bench.  The judge read my report, looked at me and said, “Mrs. Mikler, you have a perfect driving record, and I’m removing this citation from your record for you.  Pay the fine and you are free to go.  Then he added, “Sorry, I wish I could reduce the fine.”  Did that mean I was not guilty?  I think the judge was just merciful.

I began to wonder if this will be the scenario when I stand before the ultimate judge at the end of my life.  Will He ask if I’m “guilty” or “not guilty” of sin, judgment, neglect, selfishness, and so many others?  Will I be able to defend my actions and decisions, or will I have to plead guilty.?  Will my ruling be harsh or will it be merciful?  Will I be able to give a good account of my life or will I be sorely lacking?

In retrospect, I’m thankful that I had a good judge, and I know I’ll have a fair and merciful one at the end of life.  In the meantime, I don’t want to be a  “repeat offender”, and I really want to strive to be able to  plead “Not Guilty”.  I also pray that I never have the occasion to be in court again!  I am; however, thankful for merciful judges.

Bur he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.  Judges 16:20

Recently, I heard a Fourth of July sermon on America and the privileges we have in this country.  I was able to apply this lesson while we were on a trip to the Baltic Sea a few weeks ago.  We can’t imagine the privileges we take for granted in America until we see it from another country’s perspective.  We could all use a reminder of just how fragile our privileges can be.

Samson is a prime example of someone who took his privileges for granted. I can still see the pictures in the Picture Bible of my youth where Samson, although blinded, stood between two pillars of stone in the midst of over 3000 of his Philistine enemies and brought down the entire building.  They had tortured him, gouged out his eyes, and used him as a slave thanks to the betrayal of Delilah.

The secret of Samson’s strength was his long hair, and when Delilah cut it in his sleep, his strength was taken away.  The strange thing is, he didn’t realize it.  He just assumed that God would always be with him.  His strength was a privilege from God that he had taken for granted.  When he returned to God, it was restored.

There are many privileges that we all take for granted every day.  I sometimes forget to give thanks always for the many privileges that I assume will always be there.  Years ago I just assumed that I would always have the privilege of being able to see and talk to my Mama and Daddy, my good friends, my family, and those I love, but that privilege is not assured.

Health and the ability to be healthy is a privilege.  If you don’t appreciate your health and strive to stay healthy, that privilege is not assured.

I just assume that our country will always be free, but that is a privilege that needs to be nurtured and treasured.  It may not always be so.  When you visit another country our freedom suddenly becomes precious.

I assume that the church I love will always be there packed with friends and fellow Christians that are dear to me.  That’s a privilege, not a guarantee, and unless I nurture and protect it, that may not always be so.  We can’t just hope that people in charge will do things that are in its best interest because we never know the agenda.

I, like Samson, assume that God will always be with me, but that is not a guarantee.  If I don’t do my part to pray to Him, do His will, and keep the lines of communication open, He might depart from me and I won’t even know it until He is gone.

Each day is a special privilege and is worthy of thanks and praise to God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves–it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

So let us not become tired of doing good;  for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.  Galatians 6:9

Attaboy is defined as an informal method of encouragement or congratulations.  

Today I sat down, turned on the television, and for some reason, the channel was tuned to a rodeo.  The girl’s barrel racing event was on, and I watched a few of the contestants finish their course on horseback.  The interesting part was after each one finished, they instinctively reached down, patted their respective horse, and mouthed, attaboy.  My first reaction was, “Well, you better do that.  You couldn’t have finished without that horse.”  Many times we fail to give credit where credit is due.

Suddenly, my mind turned to a new school year and the classrooms that await teachers and students.  As teachers, we learned early in our training that every student needs an attaboy or attagirl in the course of their years in school.  No matter your age or grade, getting positive reinforcement and/or praise for a job well done, no matter how big or how small, can mean the difference between success and failure for these students.  Teachers particularly, need to hear attaboys from parents and administration alike.

The same theory applies to all of us in our workplaces, organizations, jobs or social encounters.  You might get paid for the job, but the bonus comes in hearing bosses or co workers take the time to appreciate a job well done with words of encouragement or attaboys.  Research confirms that productivity increases when the environment is rich with affirmation and encouragement.

Jesus reminds us of the need to give attaboys when he urges us not to get tired of building up others.  He didn’t dwell on the sins, but rather tried to encourage the sinner to accept forgiveness and go and sin no more.  I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t appreciate a compliment, a kind word, a smile, or a word of encouragement.  It is so needed in this world today.

It’s a great time for us to vow to be more of an encourager and give credit to those who need it.  I love the words of one of the boy’s coaches:  We win as a team, and we lose as a team.

Therefore what God has joined together let no man separate.  Mark 10:9

When it comes to marriage and the choice of a life partner, those of us who have been married to the same person over two thirds of our life have a whole lot of thoughts on the topic!  I’ve heard marriage compared to many things such as a roller coaster ride, a long walk through unknown territory, a joy ride, a struggle, a nightmare, heaven, hell, or just day by day survival.  Recently, however, I was reading a book which I think describes marriage in images to which I can relate.  The book uses a river as an example.

The comparison uses the struggles of Texas rangers during the time in history when they were defending the Alamo.  The  rangers rode in pairs because there weren’t enough of them to ride in larger groups.  The Rio Grande River was a wild and dangerous place at this time, and the choice of your partner mattered because it could determine whether you lived or died.  Out of that experience, Rangers began to use the phrase:  El es muy bueno para cabalgar el rio.  It means He’ll do to ride the river with.  

When I think of marriage, this visual image makes it real to me.  When you ride the river, you encounter rapids, rocks, danger, smooth water, rough water, sad times, happy times, celebrations, mourning, loss, gain, love, despair, anger, good times, bad times, loneliness, and most any other emotion that can come to mind.  If you have someone that will ride the river  with you to share the responsibilities, the dangers, the excitement, then you are most fortunate.

It takes a team to maneuver the river of life, and I consider myself most fortunate to have married a great rider of the river.  During our forty seven years together, Randy and I have ridden a lot of rivers, and they have run the emotional track from overwhelming joy to unspeakable sadness. Each and every one has been a gift from God, and I treasure all the memories. Years ago Randy promised me two things;  you will never be rich, but you will never be bored!  So far that’s exactly right!

Marriage requires work, and being the Minister’s family puts a little extra pressure to always be on your best behavior, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!  I have loved every minute! (well almost)

On the occasion of our forty seven years together, I’ll just say thank you, Randy, for riding the river with me.  It has been and continues to be a great ride!  I love you!

He’ll do to ride the river with, but he’ll also be the one I’d trust with my life.

The inspiration is from Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin.

Today everything exists to end in a photograph.        Susan Sontag

Recently, I read a story about climbers on Mt. Everest who, after reaching the narrow pinnacle, were fighting among themselves to get a selfie of their accomplishment.  It seems the line was so long, that people were running the risk of depleting their oxygen supply while standing in line to get their selfie.

Like them or hate them, selfies seem to be the rage on social media.  The term selfie is a general expression used to describe a “self portrait.”  I’d never heard of the word until a few years ago when it suddenly became a craze, so I had no idea that it’s not new.  It seems that Robert Cornelius took the first selfie in 1839!!

The social media of today took the selfie from narcissistic kid’s play to a whole new concept over night.  After the famous selfie which was taken at the Oscars in 2013, it has become explosive.  I feel totally out of touch with the concept because I can’t see the purpose. (I do admit to trying it, and it always seems to end in disaster for me!)   All I see when I see a selfie is a close up picture of the person taking it with distorted things going on around them.  The focus of the picture is always the individual in charge.

Research says that the individual taking the selfie is usually one who likes to create his or her own self image and them share only the ones which contribute to the image they perceive will celebrate their accomplishments.

The Bible says absolutely nothing about selfies, but I began to wonder if folks like John the Baptist would have been guilty of posting a selfie of himself when he baptized Jesus?  Would he be tempted to put himself before his mission? We would have missed the whole point of the baptism and what it means to Christianity.

It seems as if that’s the way God sees us at times.  We are sometimes so interested in our own self image that we tend to  push ourselves to the forefront while all the rest of His world is going on behind us.  We are guilty of putting our focus on ourselves rather than others.  We need to be really sure that the cross of Jesus is always the main object of all we do instead of ourselves.

Selfies are funny and I understand the concept, but I do wonder if years later, we will look back and think about all the things that were in front of us and all the beauty of the things that were behind us.  We might realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of God’s plan.

Celebrate life with selfies, but don’t forget who’s really important!

Core is defined as the central or most important part of something.

Yesterday in one of my exercise classes, the instructor launched into a huge tutorial on the importance of the core muscles in the body.  It is the basis for everything else and thus, gets much attention. I don’t remember those muscles, so I have hence set off on a mission to find my core.

I’m pretty familiar with core values:  Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship and Service.  These things were instilled in most of us during our growing up years.  Everyone has or should have core values.  These things sustain us when we encounter things we don’t understand, like tragedy, death, grief or catastrophes.  If we don’t have our core rooted in values, then we are destined to wander around looking for our way.

During my teaching years, we teachers were expected to teach something called Core Curriculum.  Basically this is a set of educational goals designed to ensure that students learn certain material in a certain grade level or age.  It included Math and Language Arts as the core and incorporated other subjects such as science, history, and so on.  It operated under the premise that the curriculum is the entire life of a school child. 

Today, that curriculum has been replaced by STEM which stands for Science, Technology, English and Math.  I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until this becomes outdated. The educational world has shifted from its Core to accommodate the changing world in which we live.  No matter the new fad, we always come back to the core subjects eventually.

I find the same scenario happening in the country, the church, and the world today.  Everyone seems to have abandoned the core teachings of the constitution, the Bible, and the laws of human kind.  If it isn’t pleasing to everyone in our country, everyone in our churches and everyone in the world, then it must not be relevant.  I hear many people saying, “The world is changing, and we must change with it.”  So does that mean giving up what has sustained our country, our religious beliefs, and our values so that those who don’t agree can have their way?  Times do change, but truths do not.

The most important core is the spiritual core. The central announcement of the gospel is, “It’s time and God is breaking into the world.”  The core Christian belief is the belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus whereby sinful humans can be reconciled to God and offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.  These are the core messages that we need to remember as we seek to find our core.

I may not have found my core muscles, but I have found my core foundation.   When you have your core foundation in Jesus, these are things that never need to be changed, they just need to be nurtured and grown.

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.  Exodus 15:2