Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. James 1:19

If you are short like me, you learned a long time ago that you had to walk fast to keep up with everyone. It could take me up to two or three steps just to keep up with another person’s one step forward.

For me, after walking fast for all my life, it became a habit. As I got older, people would ask me, Why are you walking so fast?! Slow down! Yes, they were close to my height but obviously didn’t grow up with tall family members or friends!

Sometimes we need to be swift. James says, “Be quick to listen.” Timothy says, “flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace...” 2 Timothy 2:22. Another word for flee is to run away… skedaddle!

I am also thinking we should be swift to help someone in need…

• Pray for a friend, neighbor, coworker, relative, or stranger.
• Provide food to someone who is financially struggling.
• Be a babysitter to a single parent who needs a break.
• Provide your services to someone who is a caretaker for a terminally ill family member.
• Help an elderly neighbor, who can’t drive, by taking them to run errands, go grocery shopping, or to doctor appointments.
• Sit with someone who has lost a spouse, family member, or friend… just sit and listen.

Be swift to smile, open doors, allow someone in front of you in a store line or car lane. Be swift to give a word of encouragement.

But predominantly, the Lord wants you to slow down and wait:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6

Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31

Cease striving (be still) and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10

Tomorrow morning when you wake up and look at your never-ending “to-do” list, turn it over… close your eyes… and pray to the Lord who loves you dearly. Run from things that can harm you, discourage you, waste your time, or steal your peace. Start your day… slowly… in communion with the Lord and His precious word. You will have more peace and strength to accomplish things on your list, and the unexpected things that try to steal your time and your joy.

“As the foundation of faith is being undermined and the walls of truth broken down, God is calling all His children to refocus on the essentials.” Taj Pacleb

The first and foremost essential is to know God more and follow Him.

The next indispensable thing for me is to care for my totally dependent special-needs son.

Finally, to complete this book of hope and encouragement of God’s faithfulness.

With new conviction and focus, I find that I will drop Wednesday’s Ripples for a while until the book is completed. I will go back to bi-weekly postings on the blog. The book is getting to a point where I will begin to post excerpts from it.

In the meantime, I pray that you receive your daily refreshment, guidance, and ripple of inspiration from God’s Word.

What is God calling you to refocus on?

“Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14/NAS).

It has amazed me while writing the stories of God in my journey, seeing His hand interwoven in between each line. I now have perfect peace as I visualize the scenes in my head of all that has transpired in my life. I have not always had a calm heart when I have recounted those same backward glances inside out.

Looking through the monocle of God, understanding more His flawless faithfulness, I can now see the things that happened to me both emotionally and physically had nothing to do with me. It all had to do with the person’s history and coping strategy. Those previous inside feelings that came out of me caused more harm to myself and those around me.

I can see clear as crystal Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I have experienced that unquestionable peace many times before.

• The first time I flew overseas by myself to a Third-word country.
• The hundreds of times that I traveled by train or taxi alone when I lived overseas.
• The drive from Washington State to Virginia took nine days, with my autistic son and his ESA puppy.
• I have lost count of the number of times that I have had speaking engagements, executed seminars, and completed training groups for people in special education, and regarding the atrocities of human trafficking to audiences both in the U.S. and overseas. When I turned each event over to the Lord, I had boundless peace, an anointing each time that captured the audience… only by the Lord’s empowerment, “You made me bold with strength in my soul” (Psalm 138:3).

Why is perfect peace so important? Happiness is fleeting, sorrow is but for a moment, anger is destructive both to your health and to your relationships, but inner peace can last for a lifetime. I know at least fifty times that pursuing and having peace is in the Bible.

• Psalm 34:13, “Seek peace and pursue it.”
• Hebrews 12:14, “Pursue peace with all men.”
• Romans 14:19, “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
• 2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, and live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

The great orator, Merriam-Webster, said that to pursue is…”to follow in order to overtake, to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish.” Pursue peace to overtake what? For example, in my life… peace guards my heart and mind so that when I look at past abuses and rejection, it doesn’t overwhelm me or engulf me. Even in the present, if someone does or says something hurtful, I can have peace knowing,

1. It’s not about me.
2. The Lord knows all about it
3. Something good will always come from it.

Remaining in peace is also a blessing.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God – Matthew 5:9

However, it is not possible for us alone to maintain perfect peace. We can try on our own, but it is like pushing a lawnmower without fuel. As hard as you push, the grass is still not going to get cut unless there is fuel and oil for the lawnmower engine to make the blades turn.

Our body was not created to run without fuel. We need food for physical energy and Divine anointing for inner peace. That Divine anointing comes only from God through His word.

You will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm4:8)

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

So the next time the enemy whispers any past rejection, abuse, or failure in your ear, forgive the person or yourself, and, Do your best to live in peace with everyone, (Romans 12:18/NCV). Obtain the power to enable you from the One True Source, Christ.

I am deeply grateful for the peace that I cannot fabricate on my own.

Shalom

Meditate further: Colossians 3:15, Psalm 29:11, John 14:27, Proverbs 16:7

Favorite Bible Study

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15).

The only way to know which verses to share with people when they are…

Lost

Afraid

Grieving

Depressed

Confused

Lonely

…is to know which verse meets an individual in their spiritual maturity and knowledge.

It is common for many Christians to quickly bestow a verse to someone who is hurting without ever knowing the heart condition of the person they are sharing with.

We can never exhaust our efforts in studying God’s Word. In this instant, we only know a little, but when we reach heaven, our knowledge and understanding will be limitless.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know only in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. I Corinthians 13:12

With that in mind, it’s almost Fall! Schools have started almost everywhere, except where I live, and ministry is resuming in the churches. That means Bible Studies are forming too!

So it is your time to share…

What is your favorite Bible Study, and why? How did it mature you in your knowledge of God? How did it make you fall more in love with Jesus?

I can’t wait to hear your answers first, and then I will respond.

Come on! Be brave! Share about the wondrous love of God that you have learned!

Entrust Endlessly

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22/ESV

“Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders – he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out. He’ll never let good people topple into ruin.” (The Message).

Psalm 55:22 is one of those familiar verses that everyone knows by heart. It is a verse that is graciously and lovingly handed out by pastors, good friends, and caring people trying to encourage you when you are experiencing trials.

Don’t carry that load; it’s too heavy. Give it to God!

Being an attentive friend sometimes causes us to say well-meaning words and share verses with those who are suffering. We want those we care about to not be in pain, but it isn’t always that easy. If we don’t know the history of someone, we may not know how the current sorrow truly affects them.

Before you speak words of comfort, ask the Lord how best to encourage your friend or family member.

In the same way, we ourselves cannot aimlessly throw our distress to God. Yes, sometimes in our lives when we are so crushed by what is happening, all we can do is speak the name of Jesus…

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18),

…during those times of calling out the name of Jesus, the cries are coming from the depths of our souls with genuineness.

The aspiration of casting our cares on the LORD is a full release of the weight from our shoulders. The release of the burden seems so easy and would truly be desired…

If only…

How many times have you been to a youth camp where you wrote your burdens secretly on a piece of paper in a ceremonial process and then as a group joyfully released those symbolic burdens into a flaming barrel, (but not as scorching as the flaming fire Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced!), with a hopeful ambition of never remembering those painful arrows again?

Have you taken part in a Good Friday church service, wherewith tear-stained paper, illuminating harshly written words of cruel things against you, or shamed descriptions of what you had once done to someone else, you faintly walk to the front of the sanctuary with lead-weighted feet and attach the paper to a life-size wood cross? As you slowly stumble back to your chair, you nearly collapse from the emotional fatigue, but then… a shimmer of hope shines in your heart, and for once, you believe those burdens are finally gone… only days later to be opening those same doors in your mind. Why?

I believe the commentary from Matthew Henry, a pastor from the 1700’s, gives us a hint…

“In every trial let us call upon the Lord, and he will save us. He shall hear us, and not blame us for coming too often; the oftener the more welcome” (emphasis added).

I have found more recently, that to release my grief, anxiety, disappointment, sin, and heartbreak to the Lord, I have to spend more time with Him in prayer.

Sundays, my practice is to watch a sermon online because of the pandemic the churches still shut special needs ministries down (in our area), and childcare workers are almost zero. This past Sunday was communion Sunday.

Even after the service was over, and I had already taken communion, I spent time on my knees confessing and, with my whole heart, soul, and mind, entrusting all of my uncertainties and anxieties in my life. Afterward, the connection with the Lord was as deep as an endless well.

Previously, I have created a blessings jar, writing blessings as they occur, putting them in the jar, and then in the New Year rejoicing over all God had done. I know many others that do that same activity. Let me also suggest something a little different along with that activity. Why not make a jar where you can write your anguish, anxieties, the hurtful things people have done to you, and the sins that you also have done?

Why?

If you ignore the trials or carelessly give them to God, or stuff them inside and quietly be upset and hurt, they will resurface… over and over and over again. When you write them on paper, you can fully release them to God. Stick the paper in the jar and at the end of the week, give each to God again. You will find over time, and with repetition, the more you dwell in the presence of the Lord and share your burdens, the more frequently the peace will come. The trials don’t always disappear, but you can have peace in the presence of them (Isaiah 26:3-4).

The Lord knows how we are, He knows we are but dust (Psalm 103:14). He knows we are weak. That is why He wants us to spend more time with Him so that He can strengthen us. As Matthew Henry said, “He shall hear us, and not blame us for coming too often; the oftener the more welcome.”

Entrust your endless cares to God for He loves you.

Be grateful that you have someone who will walk with you in the fire!

Meditate further: Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 12:12, James 1:12.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.” Colossians 3:2

Count Your Blessings

I have two hummingbirds and four feeders. And yet, the two birds fight over one feeder. The scene is comparable to us on the path of life. We have blessings beyond measure… daily, yet we grumble to God when someone seems to receive something bigger, brighter, or more often. We believe what someone else owns has greater value.

The biggest blessing we have to those of us who have a personal relationship with Christ is our salvation.

The second biggest blessing that everyone has is the breath of life. We go to sleep at night, in peace, if we so choose, and the next morning, we wake up and we are breathing. There was absolutely nothing we did to make this happen. It is also a Divine gift.

When you look at what is going on in the world, value the gift of breath. It is here today and then gone instantaneously.

We may not have a powerful breath if we are struggling with an illness, but if you are reading this… then you have breath for another moment.

Often we take blessings, such as breath, for granted. We wake up and our mind goes into autopilot. We think of everything that concerns us on a new day.

Can we get the things we need to get done when we are alone?

What is going to happen to our children at school today?

Will we be able to pay our bills this month? What if there is an emergency?

What is going to happen in our world next?

Before the day has begun, we are exhausted and out of breath. Instead, when we awake, we should make time to breathe deeply and think about how valuable that gift is. Why are we blessed with another moment, another day? I know, that when there are children and pets in the home, it is difficult to lie still for a moment. It’s not impossible.

If you generate a time to acknowledge all the blessings that you have, you won’t be meditating on what you assume you are lacking.

How many times have you deeply yearned for a popular knickknack or the latest digital toy, only to buy it, use it once or twice, then it disappears in a drawer like the long-lost white elephant gift?

Do you remember how many boxes you have taken to the local thrift store? The items you have set out for free at the corner of your yard? Those are things we once coveted.

Why not hunger for things of more value?

Why not use your time, talent, and resources with those who are hurting?

So many come to mind right now…

The flood victims of Eastern Kentucky.

Those who had to leave their homes because of wildfires.

Families that have escaped the war in Ukraine.

Children who need mentors. Many children have struggled with the losses of the pandemic.

Teachers and medical staff and police officers and firefighters… all needing encouragement.

Single parents.

In the morning… Find a quiet place, if just for a few minutes. Give thanks for all that God has done and blessed you with.

“The point is that somewhere, someone needs the gifts that God has blessed you with. When you allow Him to use you in those gifts, people will be blessed by it.” G. Brockman

Meditate further: Jeremiah 17:7-8; Psalm 34:8; Psalm 23:1-2

Pridefulness and Comparison

I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

Now, O LORD, deliver me from me!!

I SHALL NOT WANT

From the love of my own comfort.

From the fear of having nothing.

From a life of worldly passions.

Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood.

From the need to be accepted.

From the fear of being lonely.

Deliver me O God

Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want.

From the fear of serving others.

From the fear of death or trial.

From the fear of humility.

Deliver me O God

Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want.

This song was released in 2013. I first heard it several weeks ago at the camp we attended. I have sung this song almost every day. It shattered me.

How many times have the words in the verses been so true in my life?

Deliver me from me, O God!

Many pastors preach wisdom from God’s Word, but we may not know these pastors personally or the lives they live. The moment when God reaches me the most is when He magnifies a verse when I am meditating on His word, or when He speaks a profound word through someone that I know or know their life well.

Sometimes a person has spoken words to me, but I sense their discriminative motive. They are expressing those words through their own hurts, trials, and baggage.

In the last four years, two different people have blessed me with a loving, convicting word. It’s not that I haven’t heard these principles before. These two people touched me more because I knew the transparent, God-honoring lives they lead.

The first friend left me with one final life message a few months before he went to heaven.

Don’t let pride get in the way.

That phrase has become a plumb line by that I measure my actions.

“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line;” (Isaiah 28:17a/NIV).

The other, new friend, simply said, don’t compare. How many times have I heard that?

…nonetheless…

Because she has a severe disability, has had several surgeries, has suffered significant permanent loss, and continues to have medical issues… she doesn’t compare herself to those who have had fewer trials or more trials… she just trusts God. Period.

The next time you feel you deserve more comfort because of all the trials that you have experienced…

When you yearn to be accepted and understood and feel you need to justify yourself…

When you feel like life has not been fair…

Just cry out to God. Deliver me, O God! If your heart is fully committed, those personal “me” things will no longer matter. You will genuinely taste the goodness of God.

I have seen the goodness of God so many times in my life… even in the most tragic times. It’s the reason I am writing the book so you too can see times in your life, that you may not have even noticed. God has been with you always.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

Do you have words of gratitude to write? How many times have words that were written years ago, decades ago, or even centuries ago, challenged you or convicted you, or brought joy to your heart? Write it down… and remember them during the tough times.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

Psalm 104:33

Just Sing

I still remember the exact setting when I realized I could no longer sing because of a disease that hindered my vocal cords. It was one of the most discouraging times. I loved to sing!

I remember as a child and throughout my teens, I would sing with the radio, with records, in church, and at school. Songs had a way of transporting me out of the situation that I was in and bringing joy to my heart. I wasn’t a professional singer, although it was always a dream to be since I was a child. I wanted to sing a song so moving to an audience that it also brought tears of joy to their eyes.

God blessed me in later years by allowing me to co-lead singles worship at our church and permitting me to sing at some friends’ weddings. I then wished I would have pursued being a Christian singer instead of wanting to be a soft rock/ballad/blues singer. I never had the confidence when I was younger though. People and situations dissuaded me.

So when God gave me the privilege of singing in church groups, I was ecstatic! But then God allowed the disease to take what I cherished away. I even tried to bribe God by promising to only sing Christian songs if He would give me my voice back. I then tried to convince God that I would only use my voice to sing praise songs to Him privately in my home!

We get desperate when we plead for what we think we need.

I basically stopped singing. It embarrassed me that my voice would begin sounding husky just after a stanza because I was stressing my vocal cords, or the tune and tone would be off. I did not stop praising God. I just did so with words and not songs.

And then one day I heard a pastor elaborate on a passage in Acts in the Bible.

“But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;”(Acts 16:25).

When I read that passage before, I have always imagined them standing up, hands held high, dancing with joy, like David (2 Samuel 6:14). It honored them to suffer for God.

No! Read a few verses before!

“They were severely beaten,… So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks” (Acts 16:23a, 24b/NLT).

They were on the cold ground, in the dark, parched, and could hardly move because of the severe beating and confinement. Yet, they raised whatever whisper of voice they had to praise God.

My attitude changed, and my pride was dispelled. God does not care if I cannot sing praise in harmony. He does not look at the ability or disability. God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7). What did I cherish the most?

What is holding you back from giving praise to God? Is it an illness? A disability? A loss? God honors praise that comes from the heart, whether it be a whispered song, or like my son who is nonverbal… who just makes a joyful noise of praise!

Dear Lord,

We praise You with all of our presence. Give us strength when we are exhausted and don’t have an ounce of energy. Strength when we have a debilitating illness and can hardly speak. Strength when we are in despair of things happening around us. Lift us up above the circumstances and remind us of Your love and all You have done and provided for us, especially when we feel we have lost something precious to us. Nothing we cherish is as beloved as You are. No one and nothing but You is worthy of our praise.

With thanksgiving, Amen.

I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Psalm 146:2 NLT

I won’t go into the details of why I haven’t been writing on the blog lately. The details are long, boring, and immersed in self-pity. But know this… I am back! As long as God gives me breath, I will share His faithfulness for His glory.

Remember…

Can a woman forget her nursing child

And have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

Your walls are continually before Me (Isaiah 49:15-16).

This past week my son and I had an amazing, lifelong remembering, God-ordained, opportunity to attend a weeklong camp for children and adults with disabilities and their caretakers. I know it was God-ordained. Even though God provided a financial way for us to go, I almost didn’t go. Then, after the first day, I almost left. Satan tried his best to impede me from participating. He knew that my soul would be refreshed, that I would make many new godly friends who understand disabilities, and that God would encourage me to continue writing.

This was our first-ever experience at camp. Camps that we had applied to over the past four years had declined our applications because my son is older and needed one-on-one care.

People with disabilities, severe or not, long for acceptance. Sadly, not everyone accepts others unconditionally. That is why a couple started this camp. They had no experience with disability until the wife became disabled because of a medical issue. Then they learned the meaning of conditional acceptance.

At camp, while volunteers did activities with the disabled children and adults, the caretakers experienced times of worship, teachings, being loved on, and being pampered. The leaders and volunteers were the perfect examples of Jesus… they were servants to all who came tired and weary, and yes, a little hopeless.

Parents and caretakers of those with disabilities are constantly in battles. We fight for benefits, therapy services, devoted teachers with a passion, and quality medical care. The paperwork trail is endless. There are questionnaires, authorizations, interviews, and then the long waiting process for services to be given… always… the long waiting process. Then, after all of that, we still fight to get what our loved one needs because we know them better than anyone else.

As I meditated on the past week at camp the day before we left, it overwhelmed me with tears of what my son and I had experienced! There was an invisible shelter – bubble – covering – shroud over us. Nothing negative happened and everyone accepted everyone. There were smiles and encouragement and prayers for one another. I felt perfect peace and never once worried about anything happening outside of that cord of love that bonded us all together.

The first night when my son, overstimulated, acted out extremely aggressively… I wanted to coil up in embarrassment of what others would think, and discouragement and disappointment believing my son could not cope with this type of adventure. I wanted to escape to my room and then sneak out of the campground before anyone noticed. But God wouldn’t accept that escape. Instead, he sent those same loving servants to our room to support us, encourage us, and pray for us. Absolutely no condemnation! Throughout the week, others encouraged me that what had happened is common to everyone there in some form. It was okay.

As I drove away from the camp for the long journey home, that cord permanently attached as I cultivate the friendships, I knew I would be back in the present world, where I would continue to battle for my son’s services which he deserves, that I would walk into stores where people look at me strangely, and what has happened many times before, someone would ask,

Can’t you quiet him down any?!

Oh, trust me, we parents know the thoughts behind those looks.

But I remember… I don’t make eye contact with the ones whose faces look disfigured with disdain for my child. I remember to look for the angels.

• A cashier in a former state that always greeted my son when we entered the store. And if she missed seeing him, she would tell him at the register that she had heard him and was so glad that he came to see her.
• The customer that laughed when my son took the chips out of her grocery cart and shared how sad her son would be if she didn’t bring any home.
• The people who smile at my son and talk to him, knowing he cannot respond.
• The people who correct me when I’m trying to quiet my son stating they love his voice and his laughter.

There are many angels out there… keep looking for them.

I wonder… when you see someone with a disability, do you think about what happened?

Was a child born with a disability? Was there something genetic?

Did the child or adult become disabled because of a medical condition or accident?

Was the person abused or malnourished at birth?

Is it someone who went to another part of the world to fight for our freedom and came back with a missing limb? Or a mental struggle because of the atrocities they experienced?

We should never look down upon someone because they are differently abled.

The quizzical looks are exaggerated by many when some people find out that you adopted a child with a disability. Some adopt these precious children because they are professionals and know how to help the children that others may not be able to help. Some, like myself, adopt children with disabilities because no one wants them, and we know the amazing gift they will be to us from God. With our care these children will be able to use the gifts that God has given them.

The next time you meet a child with a disability, give them a smile and encourage them with your love. By doing that, you will empower the child and nourish the parent.

A couple visited a church. A disabled child was making noise. The pastor asked the child to leave. The couple left and never walked into a church again.

When I went to my sister’s funeral, my son was sitting beside me up front for the service. As the pastor spoke, my son became agitated, so I quietly helped him up to leave the room. The pastor stopped me, asked my son’s name, and told us to stay. He then spoke to everyone, “I am so happy that Josh is here with us today. If he wants to make noise, I will stop until he stops, then I will start again.” My son became amazingly quiet as tears streamed down my face.

See the difference? Remember… and do the same.

“There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more.” – Robert M. Hensel

I will never forget the faithfulness of God in providing a way for me to take my son to camp. Or God’s hand on my son during that week, giving him peace and joy. I will never forget the founders of that camp, even through their own pain, bring joy to thousands of others. I will never forget the gracious, loving leaders and volunteers who sacrificed their time and resources to provide a sanctuary for children and adults with great needs, and the weary caretakers. I will always remember this faithful blessing from God

P.S. Wednesday’s Ripples will also return beginning July 27th.

Thank you for your patience.

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).