Burning Bush

     Can you be used like a common little scrubby bush in the desert?  God used this unlikely plant to give us an important message.
     Moses was eighty years old when he received his big assignment while speaking to a burning bush.  Moses had spent forty years in the palace of the Pharaoh, left because he had murdered an Egyptian, and fled into the desert.  He then spent another forty years working as a shepherd for his father-in-law.
     We pick up the story here:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb the mountain of God.  There the angel of at the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.  Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.  So Moses thought, “I will fo over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”  When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to  him from within the bush, “Moses!  Moses!”  And Moses said, “Here I am.”     Do not come any closer, “ God said, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  ~Exodus 3:1-5

     The miracles of the burning bush assured Moses of the divine presence of God.    The bush was burning, but not consumed by the fire.  Jehovah God spoke to him from the burning bush.  In many ways, we are like that little bush.
     The flaming bush was most likely a common scrubby thorn bush native to the area.  It was minding it’s own business, just sitting in a remote area of the desert, looking a whole lot like the other little thorn bushes around it.  In the scheme of things, it was a very common and very ordinary little bush.  It was also unimportant to most everyone in its immediate area of the desert.  The bush lifted its leaves and thorns to heaven and anchored its roots deep in the earth.  And then God decided to use it, right where it was, in the condition it was in, because God can use anything or anyone for His purpose.  This bush was simply available for use.  Our God likes to use things and people who are ordinary to let others see the extraordinary contrast of His presence burning within them.
     When Moses turned aside to see the burning bush, he saw that it was burning but not burning up.  The Lord of the Universe spoke to Moses from the heart of the bush.  He was willing to speak through this otherwise insignificant little bush.  God will use the foolish things of the world to show us what He wants us to see.
     God still uses ordinary people to make His point.  God may not ask me to be a Moses.  Instead, He may ask me to be a bush that allows God to speak to others through my heart.
     God’s presence was in the bush.  While the bush appeared to be burning, it was not consumed by the fire.  God protected it, not from the fire, bur through the fire.  The fire of affliction touches all of us at times.  But we can rest assured that God will take us through the fire.  The fire will not destroy us, but rather preserve and purify us.
     Zecharaiah 2:5 is referring to the city of Jerusalem, but the thought still applies.  “And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the Lord, “and I will be its glory within.”
     Will you be a bush burning for God today?  Are you available in your corner of at the desert for His use?  Or like Moses, has your time in the desert come to an end?  Is your preparation complete?  Is it time to take off your shoes because you are standing on holy ground?

PS: This post was featured at Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy!  Thanks for stopping by.

Kindle A Fire

      If you are just stopping in, this is the twelfth post in my 31 Day Series:  I Wear Pink.  Join me as I share my breast cancer journey.  You can find the previous posts here. 

Day 12:

      As I shared on Day 10, the surgeon sent me for yet another test, a MRI, to further assess the interaction between the chest wall and the tumor and to make sure that there wasn't additional cancer present in my other breast.  The good news - compression was not involved.  The bad news an IV line is required for the contrast material that is used to get the images.  However, the exam itself is not bad.  You end up lying on your stomach rather like Superman with your arms stretched out.  You can read about breast MRI's here, if you are interested in knowing more.

     My doctor learned from the images taken that day that there was some involvement of my chest wall and the tumor, but no further cancers in either breast.  I learned something, too.  

     I had returned to work and continued to be involved with my family, even going to a Valentine Festival with my youngest son.  But I had spent a week or so thinking of myself as a "person with cancer."  I came home from work and rested.  I felt a little useless.  Sure I thought about cleaning the closets, the basement, and my underwear drawer so I wouldn't be embarrassed, just in case I didn't make it, but I didn't do it.  I told myself it was okay, after all I had cancer, how much could reasonably be expected of me?  Except that if I didn't know that I had cancer, I would not have known that I had cancer.  I felt absolutely fine.  I felt healthy.  I had the energy to do more than I was doing and I needed to do it.

     Which is where the lesson at the MRI comes in.  As I was leaving, an elderly, make that very elderly, couple was attempting to come through the door.  The tiny white haired lady looked as though a gentle wind could knock her off of her feet.  This frail woman was supporting her husband and trying to hold the door at the same time.  Her husband was only slightly larger than her, but bent over at the waist.  He had an oxygen tank wheeling along beside him.  Between the two of them, the door, and the oxygen tank they were having great difficulty.  They clearly needed help.   A nurse leapt up to grab the door and offered a wheel chair.  This offer was accepted gratefully, but the nurse had now lent her hand to support the exhausted pair.  That left me, the "person with cancer" to go get the wheelchair.  I knew where it was.  I had spent so much time at the health center recently I had my own coffee cup.  I quickly retrieved the wheelchair and helped the nurse to settle the gentleman in it.  He gasped out a thank you.  His sweet wife also offered her appreciation for our efforts on their behalf.  I humbly muttered that it was my pleasure.  And it was my pleasure.  The two of them had helped me to recognize that just because I was a person with cancer didn't mean that I should put myself on the shelf.  I still had contributions to make.  There were things that I could do, useful things, meaningful things, and I needed to do them for my family, for my students, and for me.

     One of my favorite verses in the Bible is, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire.  ~Deuteronomy 4:24."  I had been shipwrecked when I found out that I had cancer, but the wind had stopped blowing and now it was time for me to kindle a fire.  I needed to get back to being a wife, a mother, a friend, a teacher, and a daughter of the King. 

Shipwrecked

       If you are just stopping in, this is the eleventh post in my 31 Day Series:  I Wear Pink.  Join me as I share my breast cancer journey.  You can find the previous posts here. 

Day 11:

     Each Sunday I share a devotional or story I have written with our church family.  On the Sunday after my diagnosis I shared about Paul being shipwrecked.   What very few people knew was that I had just been shipwrecked myself.  Four days earlier, in my classroom with students, I had received a phone call telling me that my biopsy showed that I had breast cancer.   We had told our family and I had seen a surgeon.  I had laid on the couch for two days in shock.  I didn’t know what my cancer journey would be or where it would end.   My husband and I were hanging on to each other and to God.  This is what I shared that morning.
     In Acts 27 & 28 we read about a very exciting voyage of Paul.  Paul was a prisoner on a ship heading to Rome.  The ship was battered by a hurricane force storm for two long weeks.  The sailors threw cargo and tackle overboard in an effort to lighten the ship and save themselves.  These men were wet, tired, scared, hungry and more than a little seasick.  Paul, who has never been known for keeping his mouth shut, piped up from his cell, “Men you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.  But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.  Last night an angel of God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, “Do not be afraid Paul you must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.  So keep up your courage men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”
     Perhaps not unreasonably, the sailors decided to kill Paul and the rest of the prisoners, if the ship went down just in case they might be lucky enough to survive.  Fortunately, a centurion vetoed the killing of the prisoners when the ship was lost near the island of Malta.  The survivors lay on the beach, grateful to be alive, bruised and shaken.  The exciting story continues but this is what I want to focus on.
     Now if I had just been shipwrecked, I would be laying on the beach, kissing the sand, waiting for an ambulance or someone to come, and take care of all of my needs.  I would want warm blankets and a deep mattress, a nice cup of tea or coffee and room service.  But Paul is not a room service kind of guy.  He is one of the tough guys.  Earlier in the book of Acts, Paul was stoned and left for dead, but then got up to preach to the people who had just pelted him with rocks.  No, Paul hits the beach after being shipwrecked, from a prison cell, with no food for weeks, and starts to gather brushwood to build a fire.  Paul was just as exhausted as everyone else, but he did what everyone needed.  He immediately got up and began to serve.   
     Have you ever been shipwrecked?  Shipwrecks come in all shapes and sizes.  Some shipwrecks are the loss of a job, a life threatening illness, an unplanned pregnancy, sudden death or divorce.  Others wrecks might be better hidden, an addiction, childhood abuse or neglect, poverty or riches, undeserved criticism, loneliness, eating disorders or watching someone self destruct.  Shipwrecks are cataclysmic and life altering.  But when the wind stops blowing it’s time to kindle a fire.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lords favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  ~Isaiah 61:1-3

     That February morning, I was shipwrecked and I knew it.  But God rescued me.  He saved me from sin, then He saved me from illness.  I learned to trust Him not only to keep me out of that which I do not want to go through, but to trust Him in it, no matter what.   He is the God who can ransom, redeem and restore.  He gives us beauty for ashes.  And a garment of praise instead of despair.
And when the wind stops blowing, it is time to kindle a fire.

I Believe

 

I believe in hugs.

I believe in keeping your wedding vows.

I believe in paying compliments to complete strangers.
I believe in my GPS, which my husband programmed to speak like Pepe Le Pew, ma cherie.
I believe in the reckless redeeming love of Jesus.
I believe in growing old with my husband.

I believe in saying "I love you," everyday.
I believe in coffee - truly, madly, deeply.
I believe in  Super Hero's.
I believe I love reading books on my Kindle.
I believe in date night with your husband.
I believe in chickens.

I believe that children live up to our expectations.
I believe in the magic of Christmas.
I believe in family.

I believe in kayaking across quiet lakes in the summer.
I believe that my actions can be a ripple in a pond.

I believe in smore's made with graham crackers, marshmallow, and peanutbutter cups.  Yum!
I believe in rescuing children from poverty through Compassion International.

I believe in miracles.
I believe God loves my children even more than I do, and I love them lots.
I believe that you really can hear the ocean in a sea shell.

I believe in coffee.  I may have mentioned this already.
I believe in buying shoes and great bags.

I believe in planning to be spontaneous.
I believe in saying "Merry Christmas," instead of "Happy Holidays."
I believe in helping others with no expectation of anything in return.

The eternal God is your refuge,  and underneath are the everlasting arms.                     ~Deuteronomy 33:27

What do your believe in?

Linking up with Erin at Living in Yellow.  Fabulous idea for a linky post!

On Fire!

From my devotional archives:
       August 23, 2009

Recent s'more picture

     Pat and I and our youngest three children recently returned from camping in the Pocono’s.   We went with our dear friends Denis & Lori.  We did all of the typical camping things.  Biking, walking, swimming, early morning kayaking around the lake, big screen movies on a 7 inch TV, soggy sleeping bags dried with an electric box fan, and of course, campfires.  Campfires are cheerful things to set around.  The flickering light, the snap and crackle, the smell of the burning wood, and the heat that warms you in the cool of the evening.  Campfires even provide a great excuse to eat a s'more.
     Most evenings our campfire was started with crumpled paper, kindling, and a few chunks of log, but on our last two evenings, a lot of effort went into creating fire.  We had had a deluge of rain.  The rain fell heavy, hard, and even sideways.  Our wood was wet.
     On Friday evening the men stacked the wood for maximum fire potential and soaked it with lighter fluid for good measure.  The match was lit, the fire caught along the edge of the logs and whooosh!  We had a glorious crackling fire.  We arranged our chairs.  I ran in for marshmallows and chocolate and when I got back our fire was smoke.  Clearly our campfire was nothing but a flash in the pan.  Lori looked at me and muttered something about going inside to read.  I gathered the kids for a movie.
     Saturday evening Denis and Pat were determined that we would have FIRE!  Once again the careful arrangement of wood and kindling.  The dousing with lighter fluid.  Another match, an even bigger Whoosh!  The flames above our fire circle shot ten feet into the air.  We heard the crackle begin, but the flames seemed to be sinking lower and lower.  Then desperation, I mean, inspiration, struck.  Pat yelled, “Get the fan,” and ran off.  Confused, but always the obedient, respectful wife...I put down the chocolates and got out the box fan.  Pat returned like a superhero waving an extension cord.  Pat balanced the fan on one of the children’s chairs, plugged it in and directed the breeze at our languishing fire.  The flames immediately picked back up and it was s’mores all around!  Our fire burned merrily with the continuous wind from the fan blowing on it.
     Did you know that fire is mentioned more than 500 times in the Bible?
     One of my favorite verses is, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire.” (Deut. 4:24)
    Our God has always had campfires.  There was the burning bush, the brazen altar in the tabernacle, Elijah’s altar, and tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost.  God places Holy Spirit campfires in the hearts of His people.
       Sometimes our wood is wet and we make more smoke than flame.  At other times we have a strong, crackling fire that others can be warmed by.
      God longs to set you on fire for Him.  He wants to consume us with His fiery presence so we shine for His glory.  John Wesley put it like this, when the fire of God touches your life people will come and see you burn.

     What is the state of the fire in your heart?
     Do you need a fan and an extension cord?

31 Things: Jewelry

     When I was young, I used to peer into my Nana’s jewelry box.  It was overflowing with long strings of multicolored beads, ornate broaches, dangly bracelets, bakelite bangles, and chandelier earrings.  It didn’t matter if Nana was wearing a housecoat, bathing suit, or a dress Nana always had some bling.  How I loved to play dress-up with her jewelry.  I draped her necklaces and layered her bracelets over my skinny frame.  My ear lobes were pinched by the screw-back and clasp earrings.  Nana took me to Times Square to get my ears pierced on my twelveth birthday..  I was thrilled to wear those little golden studs.  I faithfully twirled them and doused my ear lobes in rubbing alcohol until they healed.

     My Grandmother, on the other hand, wore very little jewelry.  Her wedding rings, a watch, a pin on her coat, and for special occasions, a pearl necklace.  Her stash of jewelry was small.  The pins on her coat changed with the seasons.  A sparkly candle for Christmas, a flower basket in spring, and a jeweled leaf for fall.  Her watch a simple Timex with large numbers and a second hand which she used as a nurse for taking pulses and reading blood pressure.  

     Her daughter, my mother, enjoys jewelry.  Mom has beautiful rings, bracelets, and necklaces; souvenirs of far away places.  Others were  selective purchases from QVC and Home Shoppers Network.  She generously thinks of me with jewelry for my birthday and Christmas.

     Grandma gave me her mother’s engagement ring.  Great grandmother’s diamond is a round, slightly yellow, old mine cut diamond.  The facets sparkle brilliantly.   Pat had it reset for me in a golden filagree ring.  

     Like Grandma, I keep my jewelry simple.  I usually wear a necklace.  My current favorite is stamped with the words “Kindle” and “Dwell.”  My words for 2011 and 2012. 

I also wear bracelets.  I switch them from wrist to wrist when I am trying to remember something.  I wear a simple wedding band.

     I started a Pandora bracelet on the anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis.  The first charm was a faceted pink quartz to celebrate one year of survival.  Pat added a pearl bead on our thirtieth anniversary.  Other beads were added for trips and celebrations.  I am happy to have added two more beads for the gift of two more years of life.

     I give Patty amethyst jewelry.  The beautiful purple stone is February's birthstone.  When we adopted her I gave her a tiny gold bracelet with an amethyst charm.  Since then I have presented her with amethyst rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.  1 Peter 3:3-4

Kindle Afresh the Gift of God

"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled" Luke 12:49

     As many of you know, I am a list maker.  In January as the calendar turns, I sit down and make a list of things that I want to accomplish in the coming year.

     In 2009, I changed it up just a bit.  Instead of a list, I choose an over arching phrase to frame my year.   I decided that “make room” would be my priority.  Make room for Jesus in my heart, my marriage, with my family & friends, in my home and in my job.  I had vague thoughts about cleaning the house and getting organized. Instead God answered my prayers with a diagnosis of breast cancer and I found myself “making room” in very unexpected ways.  I flung myself into the arms of faith and was caught and held ever so gently by my Lord.  I began to look at everything with new eyes.  I discovered as I sat in doctor’s offices, went for treatments, and even took naps that some things weren’t as important as I had previously thought they were.  I appreciated my family more and fell in love with my husband all over again. After all, the really important things, aren’t things at all - they are the people God has given us to love.

   When 2010 was ushered in, I embraced making room again as my focus for the year.   

     When 2011 arrived I held onto the important people and I narrowed my theme to One Word - Kindle.  I was inspired by my husband’s Christmas gift to me.  He gave me a new Kindle.  I have had one for years and I absolutely love it. 

     Synonyms for the word Kindle are: to blaze, burn, light, inflame, ignite, glow, excite, set fire, arouse, awaken, challenge, stir, provoke, stimulate, inspire, thrill, energize, enliven, impel, and animate.

     In Luke 3, John the Baptist told his followers this of Jesus,  “I baptized you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”.  Jesus gives us a fire of love that kindles a decision to turn our hearts to Him.

     Paul wrote this in 2 Timothy 1:6, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you (NIV)."  Another Bible version says, “I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God.”

     We are to kindle afresh the gift of God. We need to revive the fire.  Arouse it.  Ignite it. Make it glow!    

     General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army once sent a message to those under him.  He wrote, “The tendency of a fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart.”  Kindle afresh.  Fan into flame the gift of God.  Revive the fire.

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

   “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; 

   the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”  

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

     Jesus came to bring fire to the Earth.  How do you Kindle afresh the gift of God?

Tomorrow I will share my word for 2012.
-Donna

Books I've Read in 2011

"You can't get a cup of tea coffee big enough or a book long enough to suit me."  C. S. Lewis

     I must confess that I am an avid reader.   When I was younger, it was not unusual for me to be so involved in a book that I was oblivious to what was happening.  My burning toast has set off the smoke alarm far too many times to count.  I am fortunate to have a Kindle and so there is always a book waiting for me to read at any moment of the day.  Here is a list of books that I read in 2011 that I thought about long after I turned the last page. 

  

     My (not so) Story Book Life, by Elizabeth Owen

     Grace for the Good Girl, by Emily Freeman

     The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins

     The School of Essential Ingredients, by Erica Bauermeister

     Poke the Box, by Seth Godin

     Dwelling Place, by Elizabeth Musser

     The Mill River Recluse, by Darcie Chan

     Loving Frank, A Novel, by Nancy Horan

     The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted: A Novel by Bridget Asher

     Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley

     One Thousand Gifts:  A Dare to Live Fully Right    Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp

     Little Bee, by Chris Cleave

     Room: A Novel, by Emma Donoghue

     The Story of Beautiful Girl, by Rachel Simon

     Ellis Island, by Kate Kerrigan

Linking with Nesting Place.

What books do you suggest for 2012?

-Donna