MEMORIAL DAY

What does Memorial mean? 

1 : serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative. 2 : of or relating to memory. (Merriam-Webster.com)

Today,  in the United States, we celebrate Memorial Day...a day that was set aside to honor those who gave their lives in service to our Country.  Wreaths are placed on memorial stones, flags lowered, poems read, Taps played and gun salutes fired.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is observed on the last Monday of May. Wikipedia

I have blogged about the day in past Coffeetime With a Dear Friend posts; Bucket Full of Grace (2020), Lord Bless (A Reminder) 2019, Lord Bless (2018, 2017)

Today, as we celebrate and honor those who have sacrificed on Memorial Day...I am going to go in another direction with the word "memorial"; "Of or relating to memory"  

As we read scripture, there are many who gave their lives in the "battle" to advance the word of Christ.  His followers, disciples, were martyred.  Stephen, Andrew, Peter and other names down through out the ages.

📖While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60

Of course the One that comes to mind most prevalent is Jesus Himself.  He died so that we could have eternal life, so that our sins would be forgiven, and so the Holy Spirit could come for each one of us.  

📖  “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:25-26

 When Christ walked the earth He was able to talk to crowds but there were limitations of what His earthly body could accomplish.  it wasn't until He gave His life that there were no limitation, no boundaries, (short of our refusal).  Once His death and ressurection were completed the gift of the Holy Spirit was able to happen and every individual  believer was able to have that indwelling.

We as believers can never forget what was done for us.  To memorialize what He has done we need to tell our story; what Christ has done for us, to pass on the words of Christ. MEMORIZE His word, it is another way that we can remember what He has done for us. 

Giving our lives as living sacrifices allows us to be living memorials as well.

📖 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship Romans 12:1

However there is a BIG distinction; Memorial Day we honor the dead ....and I have talked about the martyred for Christ...Christ died.. BUT He LIVES!  Because Jesus conquered death itself ...and we have the victory!  THAT is our story and what we want people to know!!

📖 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Peter 4:13-16

His Day

 In my prayer time many...most days I ask God to "take this day...".  One day it struck me that I am giving to God what is already His!

What I am really doing or need to do is surrendering myself to His day.  

📖 This is the day the Lord has made;

Surrendering my plans to His.

📖 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Trusting that His day is better than any one I could conger up....if I actually could make a day!!

He gives each day to be used for His purpose and will. And we have the privilege to be a part of it!

📖 This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

We trust that He will show up and take care of our needs. We just need to ask, just like Jesus did!

📖    Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

Even on our worst day....God in it is better than any day...any moment with out Him.

❤Amen

Are We An Eeyore?

Do we drag our cloud around with us?

Sometimes we may feel that pesky rain cloud is following us....attached to us ...raining sadness and gloom constantly. 

We all have seasons where we feel we don’t catch a glimpse of sun.

But sometimes are we the ones dragging that cloud with us?

Oh, I am not saying we are the cause of all the drearyness raining down...

But somewhere beyond that rain cloud is the Son!

Are we allowing the cloud to completely block Him out?  If we look we can see beyond the edges of that darkness to see His brightness?

He is there and the rain cloud will move on and you will be standing in glorious Sonlight!

A couple of things;

💧That rain cloud is going to move...and when it it does it will be raining on someone else..

📖 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.  2 Corinthians 1:3-5

💧There will be another one...we need rain as well as sun. 

📖 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

💧We can not appreciate goodness without strife.

And it draws us closer to God.

📖 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

💧When it comes...even in the rain we can find small amounts of joy...

📖 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your produces perseverance.  James 1:2-3

So if you have that grey cloud over you right now...and the rain is pouring down....know God has got you...the "Son"shine is right there behind it...even though you just may not feel you can see it...brighter days are coming...🌞

Go ahead...dance in the rain!!

📖 He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:45b

🎵 Let It Rain (Is There Anybody) Crowder (feat. Mandisa)

Mothers Plant the Seeds Of Love

I found this while going through folders on my computer.  It was something I wrote and shared at a Mothers luncheon over 10 years ago! 

As I/we are surrounded by so many growing plants and it was just Mother's Day, I thought i would dust it off and share it with you!🌱🌻

Photo by Rachel Ramsdell

 We plant seeds in our children with our words and actions. And tend them with love and comfort.

The seeds need to be tended and grow roots that are strong.
 Jesus said that the seed is the word of God

📖 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God." Luke 8:11

How are we, as mom’s, or grandma's or anyone who has influence over young ones....to plant the word of God in our children?  Not planting a kiss … or even those days when you just want to PLANT them, but I am talking about what we are instilling in their little hearts!
Now, I say "little"…anyone who has young ones……teach now…while you still know everything...to quote Beth Moore (and just about every teenager from times past through eternity) "before you become stupid!"  

If you are at the stage where your children insist you don’t know anything or understand anything….or even if you are at the stage you say you don’t know anything or understand anything!
Take heart!...................if you remain constant...consistent….rooted…..they see those seeds are planted and some day you may know something again. 

Before we can plant seeds (the word of God) in our children we MUST be rooted and strong ourselves.
Barbara Johnson said “anybody can plant sweet  P‘s in a straight row, for instance: Prayer, Patience, Peace,. Passion But it’s not enough for a gardener to love flowers.  A gardener also must hate weeds.  As good plants grow you pinch off bitter ones  like Panic, Paranoia, and Passivity.  And by the way while gardening, do squash PRIDE.”   

We need to be prepared to do our “gardening”, to plant our seeds
First and foremost; are we rooted in Christ?  Are we connected to Christ?  Have we accepted Him for who He is?   That without Him we can do nothing, especially plant seeds.   In John chapter15: Jesus said 
📖 “I am the vine and you are the branches if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart for me you can do nothing.” 
That doesn’t mean that we just acknowledge him, but that we plant ourselves in Him….graft ourselves to Him…..we are a part of Him…..He said HE is the vine and we the branches……we don’t make him a part of us....we become a part of Him…..which implies that the larger more dominate part is Christ!  Not ourselves.  The fruit or flower that we see is not ourselves.   The aroma that is smelled is Christ
📖 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing  2 Corinthians 2:25
We need to spend time learning what it means to be connected to the vine, understanding and cultivating that bond that we have by reading the word.   We need to communicate with God and the way we have been given to do that is prayer. 
If we tend ourselves we can mature in Christ, grow….produce the fruits of the Spirit;
Love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. 
 
We love the prints on the windows, the flowers in the pocket (after the washer and dryer), and the milk left on the counter
We are joyful at 3 am when the nightmare has woken the whole house
We feel peace when the tooth is almost through and when the pots and pan band is marching to their own tune
We are patient while they tell their stories, ask “why did God make bugs?” and they try to “do it by myself”!
We are kind when they storm out of the room screaming “I HATE YOU”
We are good when they push our buttons and we just smile and walk into the other room
We are faithful when the illness is serious, when they question God
We are gentle when that boy breaks their heart, or the others have called them names
We are self controlled when there is a dent in the bumper and a scrape that runs from hood to trunk and they “Have no idea…..I didn’t go near any other cars!”
We Pray without ceasing for our children, their decisions, their actions, their safety and their future spouses
We are passionate about raising them in the wisdom and Knowledge of Jesus Christ
 
As we grow we are then able to plant in others….today specifically we talk about our children….but as mom’s we know that that extends to so many more….Billy next door,  Sally who comes to play, Mrs. Jones the teacher,
Mr. Smith the coach, and all the other parents we come in contact with.
 When we are planted and strong in the Lord  we trust and have confidence in  Him…we will weather the storms….and we know that as a mom there will be storms!!
But when we tend to the "garden" we call our children, we desire that their roots are strong…that they too can weather the storms.
That they are grafted in the VINE.
 
Here is a prayer that I wrote a couple years ago…based on Jeremiah 17:7-8 actually it is a part of my bio for this blog! It is in a frame by my front door.

Strong Roots 

I pray my children have strong roots, strong roots that only grow in rich soil. Lord I pray that this home provide the climate in which my children can bury themselves in the rich soil of Your love and mercy. May the Word be alive in this home to provide nourishment. May all be watered with gentleness of tongue, kindness of deed, sweetness of spirit and above all, love for one another. May the fruits of the spirit blossom here, so that all who enter feel refreshed and all who leave feel loved. And Lord I pray that when my children leave this home they will not fear; they will not worry, They will trust the One in Whom their roots are planted.

©Tracey Thompson

📖  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

One Thing At a Time

Have you ever had a "to do" list that you wanted everything checked off....all at once?!

And some one says "one thing at a time."

Is there frustration? Impatience?

"No, I need it all done...yesterday!"

Well, I have an example...God.

The God that can create anything, Who created the universe and all that is in it....He did "one thing at a time".

📖 Genesis 1

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

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6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”  So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

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9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.  God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

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14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,  and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.  God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

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20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day  

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24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image,   in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.  

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And when all His boxes were checked what did He do....

He rested...

not because He needed to, and not because there weren't other lists to come,  but because He wanted to take a moment and appreciate what He had accomplished, to spend time with those He cared about

        📖 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9

To me, when I read this it seems as if this was a common practice for God, Adam and Eve...spending time together in the cool of the evening....until sin came in and changed all that...but that is another blog!

When we get to the end of one of our lists (yes there will be more) make sure there is a point when 

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you rest. We need physical rest, but also we need to take time to be grateful and appreciate what we have accomplished....take time "to smell the roses" 

📖 There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens: Ecclesiastes 3:1

📖 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. Psalm 23:2-3a

I know several of God's "boxes" seem to have a lot going on...but each day had it specific purpose....He could have spoke and "BAM"....everything done.  But He focused on "one thing at a time"...surveyed His works and appreciated it for what it was and then moved on to the next. 

Sometimes we may try to fit everything we want to do behind one giant box....we want it all done at once....and then we are overwhelmed by the task before us.  We can't even move ahead.

Or once we finish a task we keep "adjusting " or "tweaking" or "touching up"  before we feel we can check the box, but in trying to make it perfect we don't move on to the next task.

Do each task...to the best of your ability...whatever it may be before you...then step back and say...it is good. 

📖 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  Colossians 3:23

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Move on to the next.

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Make sure you have an end to each list ....take time to rest...appreciate what you have accomplished..share your joy with others....

and then...move on to the next list!

📖 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!.... Matthew 25:21a