The Bold and the Beautiful

See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.

-          Song of Songs 2:11-12

It’s finally springtime here! How we enjoy the yellow sun, the yellow flowers after all the gray days.

 A single yellow daffodil, all by itself is enough to brighten the day! But a whole bunch? How pretty!

 As wonderful as “yellow” feels right now, on its own, its … well, nice. But add some green grass in behind it and it really “pops”! The contrast makes the yellow stunning. A bunch of yellow daffodils – a yard of green blades of grass. Nicer than nice!

 But who is that standing so bold and beautiful in the front? Not green. Not yellow. But tall and – RED! Why that tulip is pretty too!

 And I say, “Dare to be, beautiful!”

 The red tulip is beautiful even though it is different than the rest.

The grouping of all the same type of daffodil – beautiful as well.

The green grass, even the brown rock, are all playing an orchestrated part of the landscape of the beauty at God’s hand.

 And how are you today? Whether you’re up bright and bold red hot, or full of sunny hope and a confident smile, or mixing in with the green regulars - or even having one of those brown rock days – in God’s landscape you are playing a beautiful role. You are of value. You have a purpose. You are included. You are a part of God’s grand scheme.

 And I say, “Dare to be … beautiful right where you are!”

Courage is ...

© 2008 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

… your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. (2 Samuel 7:27)

John Wayne said courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. And I guess in some instances that could be correct. You can be afraid and yet still have the willingness to move forward with it. Like public speaking for the first time.

 The Bible has numerous places where it talks about being strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6 for example). And that may help when you’re stepping up to the mic.

 But there’s another scenario. The one where you don’t want to move forward. You don’t want to be courageous. Don’t want to go “there”. Don’t want to be told to be strong and courageous. You don’t care if God is with you. You don’t see “footprints in the sand” - you see being forced, dragged, kicking and screaming into an experience you don’t want to go!

 And yet … there is no way around it. There is no other way. And so, alas, what are we to do?

 “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)

 Yes, the Lord is with us in every kind of dire situation. But doesn’t He seem so far away sometimes? How can He really understand the fear you are facing today, right now?

 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:42-44)

Know this right now. Jesus understands to a depth no one else can. He will be your strength when it seems it has all been drained out of you. It is here and now when spending time with the Lord is most valuable; holding the most promise for strength, peace … and courage.  It is time to be with Jesus. A time to pray.

 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

 Yes. Even ordinary folks like Peter and John. Like you and I. Granted courage. Through Jesus.

Let us pray …

Refreshment, anyone?

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. (Deuteronomy 32:2)

Oh, the morning dew! I look out the window and see every single blade of grass moistened by the morning dew. Not one overlooked. Every single blade sparkling in its own way; reflecting in pure beauty the brightness of the sun. Each blade joined with all the rest – all together creating this most wondrous sight!

 If you’ve ever been on a spiritual retreat weekend, you may have experienced something similar: every single person in the room having their “dryness of spirit” watered, quenched. And everyone reflecting the “Son”. Being a part of that “all are one” experience can be, well, delicious! Refreshing! Wondrous! It’s the every single little “one” joining together to magnify the light of the Lord; lifting their faces to the Lord. That is truly sensational on an inner spiritual level.

Dryness. Relieved.

 If you’ve never experienced the whole room of believers sparkling in faith as they drink in the love of the Lord, I encourage you to put a Pilgrimage or other spiritual retreat on this year’s bucket list.

 Here is the link to the website of the one I have been involved with for many years. It is ecumenical despite having “Presbyterian” in the name.

http://mppilgrimage.org/

 Join us, won’t you? And be refreshed like the grass in the morning’s dew.

Ahhh … wouldn’t it be wonderful to have 
 your spirit – sparkle?

There's no place like home

© 2009 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)

You can ask anyone. They are ready for a vacation! Can’t wait. And we love our time on vacation – away from the routine of everyday life. But, oh, how we love being back home as well. The routine is comfortable.  And home is, well, comfy and relaxing. Where you can let it all hang out. PJ bottoms, and slippers, and no makeup. Right? Even after a wonderful vacation, home is where you can let your hair down and just … sigh.

 The same is true of a rough day at work. Aren’t you just so glad to get … home? Let out a big breath. Change into your sweats.  Put your feet up. No more work for you. Time for some separation. The comfort of home.

 And every friend I have visited in the hospital, whether they’ve been there one day or five – long to go home. No matter how sick they may feel, they want to be home.

College students.

Home.

Overseas soldiers.

Home.

Business travelers.

All head - back home.

 There is also a “home” in heaven for those who believe and have put their trust in Jesus. A marvelous home. A place for you. Room for you. Waiting for you. Home in its biggest, largest sense.

But until then, I am claiming Jesus as my home. As my resting place. My place of love and acceptance. Comfy, cozy in His arms. Breathe. Relax. Let go. Oh yeah … join me, won’t you? There is room – for you.

And no better place to be. Claim it for yourself – anytime you want to sense that delicious sense of being – HOME.

Pep Talk: Breaking Bad Habits

 

© 2014 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

Look to Him and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. (Psalm 34:5)

Stop it. Be finished with it. Set your priorities firmly before you.

Confess as many times as necessary.

Forgive yourself.

Keep repenting until it sticks.

 God knows your secret sin but does not judge. He desires to help you; desires to see you victorious.

 You need to pre-plan and pre-plan well. Learn from your mistakes without beating yourself up. Mistakes aren’t backslides but a renewed awareness of what will launch you toward your next victorious step forward.

 Surge ahead. Keep practicing what works. Make changes to what doesn’t. Pre-plan new and improved choices. Keep trying. Think: “Next time I’m going to do this instead.”

 Breathe.

Stay hopeful.

Picture yourself doing it; living it.

And calmly pray.

Calmly believe that God is truly good and that God truly loves you and wants the best for you.