Coram Deo Living

Yesterday when I was in a funk over realizing how far away I am from my weight loss goal, I found myself being cranky and just plain pitiful. And when someone is like that, you know what happens...anyone who's nearby picks up on it.

Back the truck up for a minute: in the morning, my quiet time was spent in the Word in the gospel of Mark. The observations that I made were about Jesus' presence and what having Him present brought or produced. For example, His presence brought a calm (when He got into the boat with the disciples); His presence brought healing (when those who were sick touched the fringe of his garment); His presence brought satisfaction (when He fed the 5000 and they were "all satisfied"). It was interesting to me to note the various ways that Jesus "touched" people's lives. I also realized that as those He encountered embraced His presence, it was obvious that they recognized who He was & became very attentive to the fact that He was present and with them.

Fast-forward to the afternoon. I came home from the gym in a defeated mood. I didn't have much time before I had to leave for a dr appt. Neal came upstairs from the office, and immediately noticed I wasn't myself. When I told him why, he said these words to me, "Are you letting it come between us?" My immediate response was, "No!" He replied, "Yes, you are." To which I replied, "Well, what exactly do you mean I'm 'letting it come between us'?" He answered, "I mean you can't enjoy my presence because you are so focused on what's on your mind."

Ouch! Of all the words, Neal could have chosen, and he just had to choose "presence"! His statement was so providentially timed given what the Spirit had revealed to me that morning in His Word, that the spiritual surgery was over in seconds...see Hebrews 4:12 if you don't understand what I mean by "spiritual surgery".

My response was simply, "You're right." I had become so self-absorbed about my dumb little problem that it was preventing me from being able to focus on my husband. So when he came up to spend a few minutes with me at lunchtime, I was unable to enjoy his presence.

It's such a picture of my relationship with the Lord. The apostle Paul would put it like this in some of his letters, "I charge you IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD..." If my memory serves me correctly, I believe "coram deo" is the Greek rendering for that phrase. I think he said it to add weight to whatever followed...whatever he was encouraging or instructing his readers to do. He was attempting to remind them that our God is a PRESENT God, not some far-off deity as the Bette Midler song, "God is Watching Us" might suggest.

So, the deeper question is this: If being focused on my lack of meeting my weight loss goal kept me from enjoying Neal's presence, then what might I be focusing on that's keeping me from enjoying God's presence?" He IS here; He IS with me, right now. His every name, Immanuel, means "God with us". But am I enjoying Him? If not, why not? Lord, help me to be honest with You as I answer...and help me to have spiritually-tuned ears to hear what You say to my heart.

The Anticipation is Finally Over!

I found out yesterday from Blair & James that they have finally decided on a name for Baby boy Weddington. Much thought on their part has gone into the decision.

Drum roll please................................................

My first grandbaby, my grandson, will be named Roman Willis Weddington! I love it! Even more, I love the significance behind the name.

"Willis" is after my grandfather on my Dad's side. I can't wait to research more about him to let Blair & James know what kind of a man he was.

Now for the "Roman" part of the story...

My son-in-law is a man's man, but he is also one of the most tender-hearted men I know. James is the one who came up with the name "Roman". Here's the background for his choice: it was at Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy a number of years ago that James had some very significant time with the Lord, all centered around his growing affection for Blair. Ultimately, I guess you could say it was there in Rome that his love for Blair, who's now carrying their first child, was born....the beginning birth pangs of what would eventually be a marriage made in heaven. How fitting then that James would choose "Roman" for his first child's name, a product of what began in Rome.

Roman Willis Weddington, your Mimi anticipates God to do GREAT things through you, my boy!

(Trevi Fountain photo from freefoto.com)

Why John Piper is one of our spiritual heroes!

Read the article and you'll understand why Piper is so beloved by Neal & I.

He is a humble man of God who admits when he's wrong, while at the same time demontrates a "set-apartness" that is rare.

Read & be convicted.


http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2009/4023_Why_I_Dont_Have_a_Television_and_Rarely_Go_to_Movies/

Simple Observations from Mark 6:45-52

Jesus...
* made his disciples get into the boat (without Him)
He knew the storm was coming and yet He made them get into the very vehicle that would take them to the challenging place

* went up on the mountain to pray
This reminds me that Jesus is my "great high priest", the One who is continually interceding for me as I go through the storms in my life. He doesn't send me into the hard place and abandon me. Praise the Lord!

* saw that they (the disciples) were "making headway painfully"
He is El Roi, the God WHO SEES! Another reminder that He didn't abandon the disciples...He was fully aware of their painful situation. However, He knows far better than I do what I need to learn in order to become more like Him...which includes suffering & trials & "making headway painfully". Another verse comes to mind, "He learned obedience from the things He suffered." If He did, how much more so for me?

* came to them
Praise the Lord, He still comes to us at the appropriate time. For the disciples, it was His actual physical Presence. For us, He's given us the continual indwelling of His Holy Spirit. I am thankful that He allows me to "sense" His presence at times so that I am encouraged during the hard times. However, it's interesting that this account reveals that the way He chose to come to them (by walking on the water) terrified the disciples which reminds me of times when He has "come" and scared me half to death...why? because the way He chose to reveal Himself to me was unexpected and so much BIGGER than the tiny box I had put Him into. OUCH!

* spoke to them
Hearing the voice of the Lord in the midst of the storm is such a gift.

* said- 1- take heart 2- it is I 3- do not be afraid
I love what He said to the disciples. So simple yet so profound. It needs to be simple so I can comprehend and embrace what He's saying to me when life has gotten out of control from my perspective. I can't handle complicated things and neither could the "DUH-ciples". Sherri, take heart. Sherri, It is I. Sherri, don't be afraid.

* got into the boat with them
I love it! He got involved. Jesus climbs into the boat WITH them. What a truth! The very thing He used to take them to the hard place is the very place He climbs into WITH them. He is the God who gets into the painful situations WITH us. Glory!

Their reaction as recorded in the scripture in verse 51, "utterly astounded". And sadly, I think the being astounded is not because they then understood Who He was and what He could do, but just the opposite. Because verse 52 says, "for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened."

Just before Jesus sent the disciples out to sea in the boat is when they get to SEE Jesus perform the miracle of feeding the 5000....before their very eyes! And yet, a short time later, what they SAW made no impact on the reality of their current situation. Scripture is clear why- they had hardened hearts.

I have seen and experienced God's divine faithfulness, provision & intervention countless times in my life. And yet all too often, I too react with doubt & fear. This should NOT be. I have walked with Him for many years now, and He has proved Himself over & over. Lord, do Your heart-softening work in my heart so that I might trust You MORE and especially when I find myself "making headway painfully".

My Thankfulness List

1- a husband who held things together especially during 2008 when I was virtually an absentee wife (because of children's weddings & a very sick Mom)

2- my son, Trent, who is a great husband to his wife even though he's only been married a little over a year

3- my daughter,Blair, who is persevering through alot of stress as she & her hubbie do God's work in a very faraway land

4- my daughter, Haley, who is being wise beyond her years about money matters & helped her new hubbie pay off one of his school loans...after only 9 months of marriage

5- my son-in-law, James, who is taking such good care of my daughter (who's expecting a baby boy) and brought delight to her heart by spending gads of time in every mall he could find in order to buy needed baby stuff...by himself!

6- my daughter-in-law, Ali, who adores her husband, my son! & builds him up like a godly wife should

7- my son-in-law, Lee, who makes me laugh and makes life an adventure for Haley

8- Ava, my mini-schnauzer, who is such good puppy-therapy for me!

9- our new administrative/sales assistant,Vivian, that God brought to us...clearly reminding me to be so thankful for a God who cares about the details of our lives

10- my sister who loves me kind of like a Mom does AND like a friend does AND like a sister does....she's all 3 rolled into 1!

11- for the strength that God gives for me to persevere in my areas of great weakness, bringing hope & thus the reminder that change is possible

12- for God's daily grace & peace

Another "New Beginnings" Tool

One of the new spirtiual disciplines I started practicing in 2008 was choosing a very specific (& Biblical) word/phrase for the year on which to focus. My baby daughter, Haley, is the one who got me started doing this, as she learned it from her former pastor. It has been a life-changing thing for me, not because I've suddenly become super-spiritual or even mastered a certain quality or skill in a year's time. Simply put, it has given me direction for a spiritually-proned easily distracted mind.

The longer I walk with Jesus the more I realize how many wavering opinions there are to what believers think we should be concentrating on. Because His Word has told me that I HAVE His Spirit living inside of me, I can also know that same Spirit is going to teach me the things I need to learn in order to become more faithful, more obedient, more God-glorifying and so forth.

I'm not saying that I have no need of any teaching. Nothing would be further from the truth! But, what I am saying is that far too often in years past, I've allowed others to unduly influence me regarding my spiritual walk. The operative word is , "MY"!

Same goes for YOU! You have your OWN spiritual walk with Jesus, and NO person can know for sure what He wants you to focus on except Him! The catch is figuring out what it is He wants ME or He wants YOU to focus on, right? So, I'll let you in on what I believe is a "secret" to one of God's Father-like ways He uses with us, just like I used with my children (and as always, He's going to center it around His Word because He is the Word and the Word explains Himself to us) :

Here it is: He REPEATS Himself. What do I mean? I mean that when you begin going to Him and asking Him, "Lord, what do You want me to work on this year?", He will start showing you by speaking to you the same thing or slight variations of the same thing over and over and over. You'll find yourself seeing a common thread in every scripture you read. He will bring people into your life, maybe even strangers, who just happen to "mention" a spiritual nugget that is the same thing you've been seeing in His Word. Your pastor will preach on it; or maybe your SS teacher or small group leader will talk about it.

Speaking of repeated things, ever notice how many times the gospel writers included Jesus' words, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus IS speaking, but am I, are you listenin'? Go to Him, and tell Him you want to hear Him more, and hear Him more clearly, I believe His Word teaches us that's the prayer He is eagerly waiting to answer!

p.s. don't get side-tracked by the fact that it's June and NOT the start of a new calendar year...that's definitely a distracting strategy of the defeated one! instead, think outside that calendar box! Since July is the start of the 2nd half of the year, pray over the last few weeks of June, asking Him to show you what to focus on for the rest of 2009. I'd LOVE to hear feedback from those of you who begin practicing this new discipline & hear what God's teaching you!

p.s.s. to give you a personal example of what I'm talking about: my word for 2008 was "contentment"....and for those who know me well, I know you would heartily agree, this word was indeed a challenge for me with almost more changes than I can list occuring in that year... God knew what was coming and what was ahead, so He, by design, directed me to become firmly grounded in finding contentment, no matter how rocky my circumstances became...; my word, actually, words for 2009 are "submit with joy"...I'll wait for another blog to elaborate on this one...oh yea, it's been another challenging year!

"E-Day"

What could be more exciting than 2 people making the decision to spend the rest of their lives together as husband & wife?! I would say getting engaged is 2nd only to giving your heart & life to Jesus, your 1st bridegroom. Having a baby would be #3 on my list. Having a grandbaby would tie for 3rd!

Today is a GLORIOUS day because Angela Elrod & Matt Tucker are about to get engaged...in fact, it's so close to happening that I can hardly type! What fun it's been to be "in" on the planning, and how fooled Angela is! Hooray, mission accomplished!

Angela is a very special young woman in my life because God has given me the joy and privilege of mentoring her. As time passed and we continued to meet, the Lord orchestrated that Matt and my Neal start meeting as well. Their mentoring looks alot different than mine and Ang's, but that's perfectly ok.

I have to say that I've come to realize that mentoring is much like raising children because you are intentionally investing in someone, knowing that all the time you are spending WILL reap good results. Rewarding? Absolutely! And, to be a small part of Matt & Angela's special day is just one more perk to the investment.

Mama Hopper loves you both like crazy, and I am sooooooooooooooooooooo happy for you! Let the wedding planning begin!....or should I say CONTINUE, Angela????! LOL! :-)

More Lessons on Dieing

I had a sweet time with little Nod last night before heading to bed. He was very chirpy and full of life. So, how & why in the world did he die in my hand this morning? I woke up to find him very listless. I tried and tried to get water in him. He would open his little beak some and swallow a tiny bit, but as seconds ticked away, I could literally see the life leaving him.

What did I do wrong? I thought I was being a very attentive "Mommy" to this little one, but for reasons I don't understand nor do I particularly like right now, Baby bird Nod just stopped breathing.

Ava and I took him to what is becoming our pet cemetery, where Lizzie is buried and now Nod along with his sibling that we found already dead on Saturday. And, we had another funeral. I was skyping with Blair today, and for some reason, she wanted to know if I said anything or did I just bury him. My response was, "Even in my great sadness, I simply thanked the Father that His Word tells me that He cares that this little one fell to the ground and later died, and because I know He cared about Nod, I can know that He not only cares about me, but He loves me. "

And again I am reminded by the death of Nod that God loves me....so much so that He did so unto death on a cross. I sense that for some unknown reason, I am going to need to know in the days ahead the DEPTH of God's love for me. So for now, I'll tuck this lesson in the pocket of my heart & treasure it.

A Luke 12:6-7 weekend

"Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. " Luke 12:6-7

Yesterday was a yard working day for me and Neal...all day long. It was truly wonderful to be outside, sweating and getting dirty. We both loooove working outside, and getting to spend the entire day outdoors is such a gift!

While Neal continued to put the old tin on his shed roof, I was out front raking when I saw a tiny bird in the driveway. My heart dropped as I realized he was already dead. I gently picked him up and made my way to the back yard where our precious Lizzie girl is buried. Ava (my mini-schnauzer) and I had a short, little funeral for this tiny, seemingly insignificant creature. And yes, for those of you who know what a tender heart I have for animals, I cried.

I cried not only because I was sad that this sweet little bird's life was cut short, but because His Word tells me that my BIG God cares about the small things, even about the life & death of this little bird. Matthew's gospel states it this way, (Matthew 10:29) "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." He not only knew & saw, but God cared that this little one fell to the ground!

As I dug the small hole and laid him in it wrapped in little leaves to keep the dirt off of him, the Spirit reminded me of the part of the verse that says, "you are MORE valuabe than many sparrows." When I stop to truly ponder what the verse is telling me, I am simply astounded at the depth of His love for someone such as myself.

As Neal and I have continued our search for a new church home, God has been gracious to remind me over and over just how much He loves me through the taking of the Lord's Supper... about 5 or 6 times now! Today, the Spirit "connected the dots" for me in this thick head of mine! Take this bread and this cup and REMEMBER! Remember that He loved me so much that He laid down His life and died for me! Thank you Jesus for taking the penalty of MY sin onto Yourself so that I could have free access to my Father God, live for Him now and spend eternity with Him after I leave this earth. And to think He used a tiny, little bird to remind me of such an enormous and tremendous truth! Amen? Amen!

P.S. Guess what ELSE my Big God did for me? Later in the afternoon yesterday, He gave me another gift. Trent found bird #2 in the driveway, but this time, this little one was still alive! Praise the Lord! So, you guessed it, we now have a precious little bird we are nursing back to health, and we've dubbed him "Nod". Oh how I love being a "mama", even to one of God's tiny little "sparrows"!