Content To BE Overwhelmed

This post is from a couple of years ago.  


Today I am joining friends over at The Loft for a Link-Up.  
Our Word today is Contentment.  Will you join us?

Today, I should be doing yard work, house work... there is much to be done.  I am overwhelmed at the thought of how far behind I have gotten over the last several years. 

OVERWHELMED.

To the point of distraction.  I can't seem to accomplish anything. This reminds me, just now, of Jesus' words to Martha.  "you are worried and distracted by many things." 

I want to choose the "better" that he said of Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. I want to be contentedly overwhelmed by Jesus.  And I want to be overwhelming content in His presence.

So... I am.

I am sitting under the oak tree here in our yard.  I am not thinking of all the work I still need to do to make this the space I dream it to be.  I am simply enjoying the moment.

Emma is in the grass on her blanket, enjoying the sun and fresh air.
Birds singing all around. Children voices at recess nearby at school.
A lady bug on the arm of the chair where I am sitting.  An inch-worm just crawled by.
A red bird landed on a nearby branch and the leaves of the tree are clapping their hands.

And these words come to me from a heart that is thankful to just BE.

All Creatures of our God and King,

Arise to sing and joyfully sway

to the rhythm of praise and excellent joy.

Life lived well is a life lived as it was created to BE.

So do I, my God and King.

Arise to sing and joyfully BE

the LIFE you've created for me.

I will stand in awe of your excellent ways

Trusting you for all of my days.

The Word. Worship. Prayer.

These are my Roots.

You can also read great words at these blogs:

Jerralea’s blog

Christine’s blog

Jesus is our HOPE {In Memory of Rev. Larry A. Morris}

Why is it painfully, heart and gut wrenching to care for, observe the decline, helplessly watch our loved ones suffer?  Why do our painful emotions seem too much to bear in our own bodies?  How do we release the tension and turmoil when words are inadequate and often inappropriate even to our own ears? What to do with all these feelings?

Is all of this it in order to show us a tiny glimpse into the heart of the Father’s great love for us?

“Oh, how deep the Father’s love for us!! That we should be called his children, and that is what we are!” ~1 John 3:1

How the Father’s heart must grieve, hurt, and long for us when he sees us suffer in our humanity, the limitations that these bodies allow.

How do we navigate the intermingling of this:

Sorrow, pain and suffering

Joy, gladness, and rejoicing.

We said good-bye to our beloved spouse, father, grandfather and friend and pastor on August 29, 2015. My father-in-law slipped peacefully in to the arms of Jesus with but a breath and then he was gone. We had been grieving the loss of his life for sometime due to an unkind disease, Parkinson’s.

During his last few weeks, days, moments, with family and friends coming and going to tell him how much he was loved and appreciated for a life lived faithfully until the end… loving well, living the love he professed.  He will be sorely missed.  Yet, we rejoice at the same time. 

It’s an interesting mix of thoughts, feelings and emotions all at one time. Grief is a process. Questions without nice neat answers surface and we are left with only HOPE.  

Moving forward will be different, but blessed because of the example of faith and endurance both he and my mother-in-law have exemplified during almost 60 years of marriage and ministry together. 

We have a frenzy of emotions we would NEVER ever allow succumb to selfishness, desiring our loved one to be here, now with us only to suffer the same and-forbid it-more pain and hardship…

How do we long for their returned state to us yet be so glad they have moved from death to life without us?

How do we move forward with a gaping hole in our hearts, lives, the family table, the Christmas tree, the familiar side of the bed?

How do we reconcile the deep chasm of emptiness with the fullness of joy he must now be overwhelmed and overflowing with?  He has longed for heaven and home and has now seen Jesus!!

Our loved one has now realized the faithful love of the Father in the beauty and majesty that the God of the Universe revealed to us through His Son, Jesus, the evidence of our faith now made sight to the one we love.

How, indeed, do we comprehend how our pain and grief can be the same intensity as our rejoicing?

It is a mystery, this great divide between heaven and earth which is, in reality, only a breath away. A single breath between the veil of this existence and the reality of eternity.  One Breath.  Just One.

For our loved one: husband, father, pastor, teacher, grandfather and friend.  A man who served the Lord faithfully, we know.  We KNOW! We believe.  

He is with the One he served without wavering, extending the same love of the Father outward and beyond the boundaries of his own understanding and sense of capability to us and to you. 

He has passed on to his real life and has 

passed on to us 

a desire to do the same. 

To bring as many with us to the gates of glory as we can and to lift high the Name that is above every Name.

In the mean time how do we reconcile this 

roller coaster of conflicting emotions?

We simply have HOPE.  And HOPE is Peace that comes from One name under heaven, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. 

It is with our every breath. NOW.  In this life.  

We will praise and honor and glory in this: Jesus is our HOPE. 

In loving memory of Rev. Larry A. Morris.

Rev. Larry A. Morris
Husband, Father, Granddaddy, Pastor, Friend
He loved God and Loved People

Part of My Journey

 

The following are excerpts from a journal entryfrom November 2007:

I cannot fathom all that has happened-all that has occurred-both in the natural and in the supernatural.
 

It has been a long, dark night of the soul.  The presence of darkness, thick and pressing, to the point I thought I would not survive it…

But God…

           Is faithful

            Is a safe dwelling

            Is my shelter and strength

            My hiding place

He is persistent and relentless

and determined to see me through. 

               Praise His holy name. 

A few months ago I thought I would never be able to lift up my head, much less be able to stand up under the season of trials, adversity and warfare.  The presence of darkness wanted to consume me….

But God…

            Gave me what I needed each step of the way

            Withheld from me what I could not handle

            Did not give me what I was not ready for

Praise God.  Praise His holy and just Name.

I felt like God was farther and farther away. Did he hear me?  Did He see me?  Did He care that my heart was broken and torn to prices by those who “loved me”?  Did He see that the enemy snarled and spat at me? Did He hear my adversary continue to taunt and accuse me?  I felt so alone, wounded, beyond repair. 

I felt like I had been bitten and devoured---spiritually, mentally, emotionally….

But God….

Being rich in mercy and abounding in love

would speak to me….

He would sing over me…

words of encouragement and strength.

Sometimes through His word.

Sometime through a teaching,

Sometimes through a song, 

sometimes through a friend. 

Always at the right time, 

perfectly timed for my moment of need. 

I learned that God would sing over me by giving me a song that ministered to my broken heart.  And by faith I would receive the truth of the words He would sing to me. 

I did not “feel” the truth and I wondered if I could fully receive what he was speaking to me.  But by faith I received His comfort and encouragement. 

Even though I did not “feel” the truth, I chose to believe the truth. I would sing along in my car going and coming home from work…

and cry the tears of the pain I felt, or cry the tears of the questions still unanswered. 

Sometimes I just listened.   Sometimes I cried out to God, “Will I make it?”  
And God’s answer was this….

 

          You can make it through the storm

            You can make it through the rain

            You can make it through the trial

            You can make it through the pain

            And though you may not understand

            There is a purpose there’s a plan

            So while you worship

            You can make it through the storm

            The rain won’t last forever

            The sun will shine again

            And you’ll make it through just knowing

            That He is your friend

            The storm will make you stronger

            It drives you to your knees

            And only in His presence

            Can His glory be seen

I believed those words to be truth, but would they ever be my reality?

No Longer Slaves

"From my mother's womb you have chosen me..."

Yes Even Then

What happens when we the Bride of Christ, the Church of the Living God truly understand or even seek to comprehend or "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge" (Romans 11:33)?  


What happens if we even tried to imagine the extreme love and sacrifice  that Jesus Christ paid when he bled, suffered and died...What does that look like? sound like? feel? 


Do we feel?


Would we truly worship him differently? Would our expressions of love for HIM reveal our honest thanksgiving and praise?


Would we abandon ourselves, our  pride and the Country Club atmosphere on Sunday morning for the sake of simply pouring out our love for the HOLY ONE and running toward HIS Presence?  


Do we want His Presence? 


Desire it?

Peaceful Soul Peace of Mind

Bitterness Blames

This is an updated version of a previous post.  These words came from an encounter with a  loved one that was more horrendous than I could have imagined in my lifetime; an unexpected manifestation of something dark and plaguing our family tree for generations.  

This was an encounter that left me shaking, my long-time fear of never being loved by this person invaded my mind, heart, seared my soul and sliced through my spirit.  I wept violently for what seemed hours, days.  My days and nights filed with pleading for the salvation for deliverance that comes from avoiding Truth and embracing Deception.

Vile and vicious words had been delivered to me from one that claims to know Christ, but in the moment there was such darkness and a countenance that was filled with hatred and loathing. I felt I was looking at something serpentine and slithery instead of the face of the one I have longed to love and be loved without fear of judicious discipline and rejection.

It was the worst thing I have ever experienced in the visible, real, see-it with-my-own-eyes spiritual warfare.  

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.  ~1 John 1:6-7

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ~1 John 3:16

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[b] is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[c] lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. ~1 John 2:9-11

Internet Photo

February 2015
Bitterness... a root that is seemingly covered until the rains of life erode the covering of dirt to reveal the entangled mess and web of life that is no longer fruitful, sweet and healthy.

Bitterness has lived in my family tree and has sought to entangle me since my childhood...reaching out, emotionally manipulative in it's efforts to draw me in, pull me under it's hypnotic glare. 

But I have made a choice. 

My Roots are The Word, Worship and Prayer.  

The Family Root of Bitterness has been enraged and is now on the attack. 

Bitterness really only attacks its host.  

But it will lash and  slither out with Resentment, Un-forgiveness, The Silent Treatment, Broken Relationships, Sourness of Soul and Death to Health and Wellness.  

Bitterness Blames and has two best friends named 
Pride and Un-forgiveness.  

They hold hands and promote their lies of Shame and Turmoil of Truth Twisting- ever reaching beyond the seed of Hurt that was never meant to take root in a Christ Follower's soul.

Spiritual Warfare at it's finest.  Biting and devouring others in the Family of Faith as well as anyone who would dare to challenge the strength of the entangled root system that's been cultivated for years, decades, generations even- in the life of one who has eyes to see and ears to hear yet for  the sake of Pride and Un-Forgiveness remains blind and deaf to Heaven's Truth...

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Hebrews 12:14-15 

Peace cultivates Holliness and Grace. Peace makes every effort. EVERY. EFFORT.

Without Holiness, others do not see the LORD in our lives. 

See to it.  Be on guard. Let no one fall short of the GRACE of God over bitterness.

Bitterness deifles many.

Grace is Bitterness' enemy...and solution to health, healing and wellness of soul mind and body.


The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are not dealing with, wrestling with, flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6)

When it feels like Flesh and Blood, however, what do you do? When an evil spirit has been allowed to sit, simmer and now rage? What does one do? 

We fast and pray. We make every effort to seek Peace.  
Peace is a Person.  
Peace is Jesus.

"When I am afraid, I will put my 

confidence in you. Yes. 

I will trust in the promises of God. 

And when I am trusting Him, 

what can mere mortals do to me?

Ps 56:3-4

Bitterness will not devour me.  

  

He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.~James 4:6-10 

The LORD is our Peace.   

Blessing and Cursing

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. 

My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ~James 3:10

I have been spending some time with my grandmother this week while my parents are out of town. I am thankful for this opportunity.  

For several years, my personal world was spinning out of control in a sea of depression and despair, all the while trying to function in my everyday 9-5 life.  Coupled with being married to the ministry and home life, it was all I could do to keep my self pulled together in public, but I am sure I did not do so well.  

I was going through a season of testing, which all Christ Followers will experience at least once in their faith journey, if not many times at different degrees of difficulty. During this season, I was unable to visit my grandparents, and now just my grandmother, very much.  

So I am very thankful for the season of renewal that the Lord is allowing me to experience and the joy of knowing, yet again, that HE IS FAITHFUL!  It is not a perfect season, but it is one that is refreshing all the same.

Back to my stay with my grandmother...

We have enjoyed the late afternoons together on the front porch watching the cows in the pasture across the road. They are a peaceful looking group of nine cows and bulls with a couple of calves in the mix.  Black and White, Brown and White... grazing and interacting with each other.  

There are 9 cows. NINE.  We have counted them often this week. 

We have also listened to the birdsong and wondered what they were singing, calling out to each other.  Commenting on the beauty of the clouds and the colors of the sunrise each morning...this has been a restful week for me and I hope one that has been good for her as well.  I know my parents needed to get away. The Lord is good.

Each morning, I have observed my grandmother over her Bible and Guidepost Daily Reading.  What day is it? Am I sure? Her searching for the scripture in her Large Print Bible. What day? Where is the verse? Oh, yes.  That's right.  

"God sure had been good.  It is amazing all that He has done 

and is doing." she says.

And THAT is the TRUTH!

However, I am remembering times growing up that praising the Lord was not the fruit of her lips.  Oh, she went to church, served faithfully, and was a blessing to many.  But I also remember how the S word was part of her everyday vocabulary.  No. The word is not Saint! haha!  

I love my grandmother.  I love hearing her hum and sing the words 

"Count your blessings name them one by one

Count your blessings see what God has done"

Now, I am not intending to disrespect my grandmother.  I am simply noting a contrast; one that is true of us all.


The third chapter of James begins by stating that "We all stumble in many ways" and that is my intention here.  

We all stumble. We all sin, hurt others with our words, say things that are not nice, encouraging and uplifting, we curse.  AND THEN, we Praise the Lord for His Blessings and Goodness.  

Everyone that I have ever met in the "CHURCH" does this.  
Myself included. 

We COMPLAIN, CRITIQUE, CURSE, then we BLESS, ENCOURAGE & PRAISE.

What the Lord is asking me today:

"Which one do you do more? Which one will you seek after? 

Blessing or Cursing?"

The Word. Worship. Prayer.

These are my Roots.