If You Only Imagine

As a child, I was often accused of thinking to much. Why was my favorite word. I never used it obnoxiously. I was just curious about how things worked or what things did. If the person I asked couldn't or wouldn't answer my question, I would lie in bed at night and dream up an answer. Along with this vicious cycle of thinking, I have a vivid imagination. I can picture events in my head. I can entertain myself for hours with games and stories in my mind. I have had conversations with historical figures and imaginary friends. And NO, I am NOT CrAzY!

It is imagination that drove Thomas Edison to try and fail over 2000 times to invent the light bulb. It is also imagination that has invented cars, televisions and computers. We have access to some wonderful things that were first invented in the imagination. However, there are some problems with the human imagination. It is not HOLY!

When God created man, he made him in his image. This is not only a reference to the physical characteristics of the man Jesus that our bodies are fashioned after, it is also a reference to patterns of thinking. God then gave Adam one rule to follow in the garden. Satan prompted Eve to ask why and they both give in to the imaginations of the flesh.

It is when imaginations become desires that we must judge them and cast them off or act and suffer the consequences.

Romans 1:21 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Learning to judge thoughts and ideas with scripture will strengthen your heart toward God and will keep you from making mistakes that can cost you your testimony.

II Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Do you imagine yourself as unworthy of God's love? What does scripture say?

I John 3:1 "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knowth us not, because it knew him not."

I am God's child. I am a daughter of the King! He loves me!

Do you imagination yourself as an ugly creature? What does scripture say?

Psalm 139:14 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

Cast down those imaginations. Refuse to allow them to develop roots. Become thankful to God for how God has created you, with all your unique features and abilities. Practice obedience to Christ by developing a daily relationship with him through prayer and Bible reading. You will then be blessed with glorious thoughts of a heavenly home and a future that is far above what your imagination can think.

Psalm 40:11 "Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me."

Making fruit preserves or jam and jellies require different processes. You use all the same ingredients, but cook the fruit down reserving only the juice for jelly. For preserves or jam, you mash the fruit and use it and the juice in the mixture. One is spreadable and sweet. The other is best eaten by the spoonful. We like both with Greek yogurt. Yum!

The prayer issued by David in Psalm 40 verse 11, request God not to withhold his tender mercies. There are times we will go through the fire in order for God to refine us for his use.  Prayer and reviewing the scriptures will firm up our belief that God will sustain us and enable us to endure the process.

At times, his loving kindness, may hinder the fire, but he allows us to be pressed and squeezed so we can be comforted by him. This is how we learn compassion. We then develop the ability to share that sweet flavor with others.

When making jelly or preserves, you must follow the recipe exactly to get the desired results. If the mixture doesn't firm up you have to rework it or throw it out. That is time and money wasted!

The truths in God's word are to firm us up. We must believe God loves us. We must walk by faith and not by sight because without that action it is impossible to please God. We must believe he is the Creator and Sustainer of our lives in order to develop that relaxed spreadable kind of faith.

After my husband and I make strawberry preserves, we always make a pact not to eat any for a month or two. We want to wait, at least, until the fresh fruit is not available. To tell you the truth, we have never been able to keep that promise. The next morning we are in a jar, lifting out a large spoonful, ready to reap the rewards of our labor.

As Christians, God leads us from faith to faith. He wants us to be preserving his word in our hearts in order to have a heaping spoonful on hand when the fires are looming or the pressure is building. Beginning each day in his word helps to sure up his truths in our minds. Then when faced with life's processes we are preserved in his ways, ready for service to him and for him. May we be sweet and well preserved today!

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:7

I was born again 31 years ago today! Can I just say, this day is more important to me than my physical birthday. Today I celebrate entering into eternal life. Today I revisit in my memory the moment when I yielded myself to the Father, asked Jesus to be my Savior and the Holy Spirit took possession.

John 3:8 "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

As I have shared this experience with people through the years, this verse has become clearer. I have no idea why a Holy God chose me and I have no idea from day to day how he will use me. I just need to remain yielded to him for his use.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:14-15

I chose to look and live and I continue to choose to look and live for him. I will never be perfect in this flesh, but I have a burning desire to live so close to him and so surrendered to him that when I sin I feel his grief and repent. I love my Lord and don't want to disappoint him in any way.

John 3:18-21 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds where evil. For every one that doeth evil hatheth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

Happy BORN AGAIN day to me! Happy "Born Again" Day to me. I am 31 years along in this journey. Thank you Lord for the free gift of salvation. His grace IS sufficient and his mercy IS forever!

Standing in the Light!

I am overjoyed to see the sun this morning! You see, we have had several days of dark gray rainy skies. As I awoke this morning, I was already pondering the use of light and the brightness of light. So, when I drew back the curtains and saw the faint blue skies of the morning my soul jumped for joy.

It is Sunday! It is a sunny day! "Oh, what beautiful morning." I began singing. "Oh, what a beautiful day." But I changed the words to match the moment. "I have a beautiful feeling on this splendid Lord's day."

My heart is full of joy that the Light lives inside of me and he allows me to fellowship with him. Praise His Wonderful name!

II Corinthians 4:6: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

The God who said, "Let there be light," has shone in my heart the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God as it is manifest in the person of Jesus Christ. My Savior! My Lord! I get to worship him in spirit and in truth today. Not sure if I will shout or sit silently in reverence and awe. I don't know if I will dance or drop to my knees. My flesh will hinder my ability to experience this fully.

II Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

God allows my frail human frame, which he created and is continuing to mold, to contain this light to beam forth the Light that the greatness of his power may be witnessed.

Makes me want to fall on my face and weep for joy. Worship Him! He is worthy!

I wanted to be HIS!

When I entered middle school my parents decided to divorce. My brother and I didn't understand what had happened between them. We just heard them say they didn't love each other anymore. Dad came to get us every other weekend and tried to be a good father. My mom and I didn't have a good relationship. I know she loved me, but we just couldn't talk like my father and I could.

My life changed. I became a trouble maker. Fighting at school and on the school bus became a release. Our neighbor, Marie Miller became my confident. She loved her Lord and lived out her faith. She prayed with me and for me. I was angry with God and the world. Nothing would be right again.

By the end of middle school both my parents had remarried. I resisted relationships with either step parent and became increasingly involved with activities at school. Cheer leading, drama club, chorus and track kept me busy and made me stay out of enough trouble so I would not have to go home.

In the summer of my eighth grade year, Mrs. Miller or Aunt Rie, as I called her, took me to revival meeting after revival meeting. She played the guitar and had taught me a few songs. She encouraged me to sing at the revivals. At one such revival the Holy Spirit began to prick my heart, but I refused to move.

At the next Sunday service I attended with my mom and step father, I walked down the isle where the pastor took my hand and said, "Let me pray with you, Child." He didn't discuss scripture with me or encourage me to be born again. He just prayed with me and said. "Now, I hope you feel better."

I determined that upon entering high school my life would be different. I would turn over a new leaf. I would stop being a bully. I got my hair cut and started carrying a bible with me everywhere. I even read it daily on the school bus to and from school. I went from being Vonda Butts school bully to Vonda Butts the Holy Roller.

All was fine until one afternoon on the school bus 2 boys began teasing me about my name. My temper flared and there went the self imposed changes.

Time went by. I spent weekends with my father and step mother. They attended church faithfully and my step mother was a wonderful example of a godly woman. They took me to a service at Back to Bethal camp meeting. It was at that meeting I met my SALVATION!

I can still smell the saw dust shavings. I even remember what I was wearing, a bright yellow blouse and navy blue calico skirt. This time when I walked the down the isle, it felt as if I wasn't walking at all. The place was crowded with people, but I felt as if I were the only one present. When I reached the front, I was met by a preacher whose face I recognized. He asked me if I had come to received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. All I could do was nod. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I knelt in the sawdust and was shown God's plan of salvation from the scriptures. I knew it! I didn't need another explanation, but I listened anxiously then was asked to pray for my salvation.

I asked God to forgive me. I wanted Jesus to save me and change me. I wanted the games to stop. I wanted to stop pretending. I wanted what Marie Miller had. I wanted what my father and step mother had. I wanted to be HIS!

"Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:"

These words are from Isaiah 40:21-22. This is my new memory passage.

Last night, as I rehearsed these verses while trying to go sleep, I rambled into thoughts about Christopher Columbus and the new world discovery. It has been said that a passage in Isaiah is what sparked him to realize the earth was round and not flat.

I began pondering the discoveries we make as human beings. Those flashes of light when the switch is  flipped and we see IT for the first time. Not just learning something new, but assimilating IT into our very fiber as a new part of who we are.

My walk with Jesus began that way. It was on August 27, 1981 at the age of 17 that I realized my need for a savior. Oh, I knew there was a God. I realized that as a small child. I was fascinated by the little things in his creation. My dad was always explaining things like how ants can dig holes, and how grasshoppers can jump.  My father's parents were members of a large Baptist church. When I spent weekends with them, they would take me and my brother to church on Sunday. On those same weekends, we were also privileged to hear our great grandmother Daughtery yell her nightly prayers. Note to self: Blog about Minnie Daughtery sometime. What a character!

My mother kept a family Bible on top of a cedar chest at the foot of her bed. One evening while she was putting some things away in her room, I climbed up on her bed and began looking at the pictures inside. There was a picture of Jesus dying on the cross. I began to cry. I asked my mom what was happening in the picture. She sat on the bed and explained to me the events of the picture. I remember going to church the following Sunday with my parents. We visited a local Baptist church where I met with the pastor and was asked if I wanted to be baptized. I was five or six years old. I was not scared of much, so I said yes!  The old bald headed man with black horn rimmed glasses smiled and escorted me into the sanctuary were my friend, the cafeteria lady from my school, Mrs. Cook, grabbed my hand and began shaking it and smiling down at me saying, "I am so proud of you."

I went through elementary school with my parents attending church. They tried to live right before me. I tried to be good. Life was good! God was good! He is still God and he is in control. But I was still in the dark. The light had flashed, but I had not stepped into yet!

Let it Be

Over the years I have had to train my mind to slow it's racing pace by catching a word and dwelling on it. You see, I am plagued with one of those brains that race with pictures and words 24/7. It never rest! When I want to go to sleep I have to visualize a blank screen being drawn down very slowly. While the screen is descending, I have to talk myself into silence. A few months ago I tried a new method. I decided to choose the Psalm that coincides with my age and memorize it. Now, I say my nightly prayers and quote that Psalm until sleep overtakes me. The Psalm is number 46.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear.......

As I studied and memorized this chapter, I encouraged myself to repeat it's words as animated as a child. During the day I even use hand motions for the mountains and the sea.

"Therefore will NOT we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah."

Sometimes as I am drifting off to sleep, I will catch myself on certain words or phrases and awaken a few hours later with those words still rolling around in my head. One such phrase is in verse 10.

"Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

For someone with the racing mind syndrome, one of the most difficult things to do is to "BE STILL" or let be. I want an answer NOW so I race through thoughts and try, most of the time in vain, to find a solution. I am learning, through my continued focus on this chapter and practicing turning my thoughts to the Creator, that busying the mind is one of the fleshes devices of self preservation. We think we have the answer. We want to figure it out. So, we will do anything and everything to stay busy in thought or action until we think we have the solution. Often we are very wrong!

The second phrase in verse 10 tells us what the results of being still will bring. God will not share his glory with us. He wants to reveal it to us and through us but he can't as long as we think we have any part in it. Sometimes all he needs us to do is to sit down and shut up. Find a place today to sit and turn it off and let's begin learning how to "Let it Be."

Time for Another

    A little over a year ago I began this blog to help me cop with the changes that were taking place in our family. My husband Tony had decided to transfer with his job to a new location. Our destination was Wilmington, NC. The only catch was our three children were not coming with us. Their ages ranged from 17-20. They were in college or finishing high school. I was uprooted  from our home town, my friends and my children and moved 250 miles away. I was not happy about it. I used the postings in this blog to secure my focus and to grow in my relationship with my God so I wouldn't kill my husband.

     I can look back now and see God had a plan in all our lives for our good and His glory. My Hannah is now a college graduate, married, living in Indiana with her husband's family. My Noah finished college, bought a house at 21, married and is working as a mechanic in a family business. My Jonah is working and going to school, readying himself to marry in a year. We all have a wonderful relationship and are loving and living for our Lord. Tony and I have happily relocated in a beautiful home on the Cape Fear River where I tend to him and enjoy early retirement. I have been asked to continue this blog and use it to share our new adventures and to share my joys and frustrations as we walk on the the power of HIS might. I am looking forward to the journey.