And Yet We Will Praise Him

Last night I laid in bed watching the news on Haiti. My heart is aching for those people as I'm sure yours is. When I finally turned off the TV I laid my head into my pillow and pulled the blankets tight and I felt guilty that I was able to fall asleep in such a nice bed, safe, secure...unlike the open parks of Haiti. We are so blessed. Can you even imagine being in their shoes right now?

Like you, I want to be there, helping them, holding the frighten children, nursing the wounds...but I can't. We can send money. It's not enough is it? We can pray and pray we will. I know I am praying God will use this to show Himself in a most powerful and amazing way. More importantly, I can praise God. I must praise God. We must praise God.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. ~ Isaiah 54:10

No matter what this earth holds for us, heaven holds so much more. Therefore, we praise Him in spite of the grueling pictures of dead bodies, bloodied victims, and dusty frightened faces.We have to keep focused on the eternal. May we all demonstrate His love, gentleness, and kindness as if we were there in Haiti with those beautiful people.

"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders." ~ Deut. 33:12

Resting in Him~Pamela

Gold Nuggets and Moon pies

This morning I was blessed to find a piece of scripture that seemed like a gold nugget of promise...

And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. ~Ps 17:15

Immediately I longed for those words "I will see your face". Can you imagine seeing the face of God? As I look at the chair on the other side of this table, could I imagine God in it? Could I imagine seeing the face of God in my husband who always sits in it? Can I see God in the face of my never satisfied teenager, or the stranger in line at the grocery store with me? Can I see the face of God in the beauty of this white blanket on the ground outside that brings the cold I so dislike?

If we want to see the face of God, we I must look for it...everywhere. How is it going to happen? Clearly it requires righteousness (ie: doing the right thing). Though we can not be perfect, a life striving to be holy, to live according to God's commands in the scripture will enable us to see His face, in creation, in the people around us, even in our circumstances. Our first beautiful heavenly promise in this scripture: a guarantee to see His Holiness by living according to His standards.

So now I ask, what is your routine when you crawl out of bed each morning? I was out of my Advil PM so my night was a little bit restless. Lots of dreams, one in which I was eating the most heavenly Moon Pie-this is obviously related to my diet and lack of sugar in it-I am not a Moon Pie fan so to speak, but in my dream it was the best chocolate marsh mellow treat ever! Anyway, I couldn't sleep so at 0530 I crawled out of bed, went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth (groaning at my morning hair in the mirror) and then God brought me to this verse I posted. Why do I share this now?

When I meditated on the second part of this verse...

"...when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness."

...of course I thought about what I had seen in the mirror this morning. What did you see in the mirror this morning? Did you see His likeness? Did I?

For years I avoided mirrors. I hated the things I had done, the things I had become. It took some training to once again look in a mirror and reflect on the real me-not my hair, not my weight, not the age spots....me. It took conditioning to see myself as Christ sees me and now not a morning, afternoon, or evening goes by without looking into a mirror and asking..."what did God see in you today?"

On one eternal day we will look into a mirror and see His likeness...finally...purely...holy. Until then, we have to continue to condition our self for that moment. The second promise we have in this piece of scripture: the eternal promise of seeing His likeness reflected in and through us.

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. ~ Ps 43:3

BTW, I have been to the store and now have my Advil PM ready if needed so I will have no more "diet nightmares".

His Maidservant~Pamela

P.S. I recommend "Behind Those Eyes" by Lisa Whittle if you ever had a "mirror" problem like me. Transformational book!

Keep Tough, Be Gentle

We are snowed in here this morning. I got up early anyway, spent some time with God, on Face Book, and even in the laundry room. In the quietness of the morning while the girls slept in I even got to spend some time in the book I am reading. Little did I know it would shoot such an arrow of conviction to my heart.

Gentleness. A simple word. Easily understood, right? Easily carried out in action, right? RIGHT? Here is the arrow that stabbed me this morning....

""Not to be gentle is sin." ~ George Bethune, 1839

I don't know about you but this humbled me. I thought about my work relationships and the students I teach at the college...OK, I'm good there, I think, most of the time I'm considerate (but those other times? SIN).

I thought about my patients-got it! At least 99% of the time (the other 1%-SIN).

Then I thought about my family. Oh boy...how have my responses been to them? My abrupt or hurtful words-SIN. My inattentiveness to their needs-SIN. My short fuse-SIN.

What I thought might be good in my life, I instead found to be rather ugly more times than not as I measured it to the thoughts of Jerry Bridges in his book "The Practice of Godliness":

• A profile of gentleness as it should be in our lives will first include actively seeking to make others feel at ease, or "restful" in our presence (Matthew 11:28-29)
• We should be sensitive to others opinions and ideals
• We should also avoid displaying our commitment to Christian discipline in such a way to make others feel guilty
• Gentleness will demonstrate respect for the personal dignity of the other person.
• When necessary, it will seek to change a wrong opinion or attitude by persuasion and kindness, not by domination or intimidation.
• Gentleness will also avoid blunt speech and abrupt manner, instead seeking to answer everyone with sensitivity and respect, ready to show consideration toward all (Phil. 4:5).
• He is sensitive to the reaction of others to his words and considerate of how others may feel about what he says.
• The gentle Christan will not feel threatened by opposition or resent those who oppose him (2 Tim 2).
• The gentle Christian will not degrade or belittle or gossip about the brother who falls into some sin.
• Instead of insisting on the letter of the law, [the gentle Christian] ask "what is the right thing to do in this situation?"

Gentleness is a character trait of God and we are called to live this out...

But you, [insert your name here], are a woman of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. ~ 1 Tim. 6:11 (NLT)

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ~ Colossians 3:12 (NKJV)

To be gentle requires God's wisdom...

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ~ James 3:17 (NLT)

Do you value gentleness as much as God does? He is the perfect imitator of gentleness. You see it in one of my favorite verses in Isaiah 40:11:

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

Gentleness is not meant for the weak-it requires the power of God in your life. I know I am praying for Him to work through me in this area, that I would be able to scoop down and help someone in need, to be be kind, gentle, and considerate in my words and actions. I plan to start at home. It will require a toughness on my part to be consistent, to actively practice His character trait of gentleness. How's your "gentleness meter" reading today friend?

Keep tough, be gentle....
His Maidservant~Pamela

The Hope To Come...

The house is quiet this morning. I sit in my comfy chair having just finished my quiet time, still sipping my coffee. A few minutes ago a bird was singing outside my window. It sounded like spring. I wish it was spring. We are predicted to received multiple inches of snow within the next 24 hours. I can live without the snow-one showing of it a year and I am good. Maybe that little bird was there from God to remind me of "the hope to come".



I also just heard a light falling of rain on the house and the clap of thunder. Everything is so dreary outside. Winter shows no color. The trees are bear of their foliage, the grass is turning brown. My rose bushes are covered with hay. Yet the rain is just a part of events preceding spring and "the hope to come".



And in front of me is our Christmas tree, lights on, and the smallest amounts of gifts under it since we have owned it. It has been a rough year financially. There is little to give with. Yet, I am okay with that. There is "hope to come" even in this.



I have struggled to get into the "holiday" mood. I put very little decorations out and cut down on how much I even put on the tree. It's a simple Christmas in the Arnold/Mansell home this year...like it should be. Simply put, Joe and I have one binding goal of unity for this family..."a hope to come".



A few post ago I wrote about the loss of our friend and camp ministry partner Lois. Yesterday her husband wrote these words and I feel inclined to share them with you. They remind us that for those of us who have struggled in whatever way that fell before us, it can be connected spiritually to the birth of Christ and what we have in Christ. Jim Wrote...

"The birth of Christ was not a time of sentiment with warm fuzzy feelings, hot cocoa, a nice orchestra, and lots of food. Joseph and Mary were under the King’s orders to travel to Bethlehem and it was a grueling journey. For three to five days Mary – who was about to have a baby – walked, rode, and stumbled along a path.
There were no Super 8 motels along the way, no paved road, no rest areas with toilets. They must’ve stopped often looking for a tree or rock Mary could lean against to urinate. Most likely they looked in vain for clean, fresh water using only what they carried in old, stinky skins or moldy jars. The risk of thieves, storms, and cold only added to the discomfort of the impending labor and birth of Mary’s first child.
Was her mother there? A sister maybe? Probably not since Mary got pregnant out of wedlock and brought shame on her whole family, they most likely stayed away as if she’d had leprosy. We know there wasn’t a hospital; instead they found themselves in a stable. No running water, no electricity, no space heater to chase away the chilly night air. There were “meadow muffins” and “cow pies” on the ground and some of them were fresh enough to throw off steam – the smell must’ve been overwhelming.
The whole situation was untenable. None of us would’ve stuck it out. We can’t even begin to imagine the pain and disappointment and loneliness. Mary and Joseph must certainly have wondered where God was in all this. Why now? Why here? We could go on to describe the poverty, hardship and rejection that Joseph and Mary and Jesus endured in those first few days but nothing we can imagine comes close.
This year God is allowing me a new appreciation for the incarnation. It was far from romantic, nostalgic and sentimental. The events surrounding the birth of Jesus were difficult and full of disappointment and pain. Christmas has taken on a new, deeper meaning. If Mary and Joseph and even Jesus as a baby were not spared hardship and difficulty, why would I expect anything else?
I can’t explain away the reality of grief or the myriad of ways I miss Lois but I do know that God is more real than I have ever experienced. His presence and power shove the clichés out of the way and strengthen my resolve to “come near to God “so He will “come near to” me. (see James 4:8).

When Paul wrote in Romans 8 that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ – not "trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword" – he was writing to me and you. Yes, he was also referring to struggles that were dangerously real to him but those words are for me. We are more than conquerors in hardship and sorrow, not because it isn’t painful, nor because God will somehow make it vanish, but because none of these things can take away what we have of God through Jesus Christ. God’s love and presence and comfort is more permanent than famine or suffering. It’s stronger than death, as unyielding as the grave. How do I put this in writing without tears and trembling? How do I explain this new appreciation of Christmas?"

What gift will you give God this season in appreciation of His Son? I plan to give a new gift. I have purchased a special journal for 2010 in which I plan to log 365 days of praises and trust. I plan to record a piece of scripture that correlated with praising Him or trusting Him. I then plan to record how I have carried that out each day. It may be a challenge but 365 days of praises and trust is what He seeks from us, is it not? I have not been good at doing this in the past. What can you give God in your 365 day gift?

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. ~ Ps 25:4-5

A hope to come...the promise we have as we settle in to honor the birth of our Savior. The gifts under that tree seem so meaningless. May we embrace our circumstances. Even more, may we embrace Him.

Merry Christmas friends and blessings for "a Hope to come"!

The New Year is upon us...what is your spiritual goal for 2010?

Each year I choose a piece of scripture to carry me through. It will hold a theme of an area I am trying to improve on or in. Last year, I wanted to build on my prayer life and it has been a beautiful journey and by no means is complete.

God has laid on my heart my need for two things to work on in 2010, two things that go together like chocolate and peanut butter or like a man and a women.....faithfulness (trust) and praise (thankfulness).

This will no doubt be a challenging year ahead of me. To be faithful enough to trust God in all circumstances is a life-long commitment but I recognize my need to focus on it. And God has been so good to me over the years and has brought me out of so much. He should have walked away, even ended my life due to my rebellion yet He CHOSE me and has continually loved me through the years. He is even using me in His ministry to others-totally Him, not me.

His patience, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy, and grace are more than I can comprehend. It is amazing. It is humbling. Yet, if I am honest, I have not acknowledged Him enough nor truly given Him the praises He deserved.

He is showing Himself to me so clearly these days. I am honored as I am not worthy. Faithfully seeking Him, a stronger prayer life, scripture memorization, and continual Bible studies have grown a deeper hunger in my soul to know Him and love Him more...

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ² I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. ~Ps 84 (NLT)

So this morning He took me to Psalm 85 and revealed to me my goal for 2010. The whole chapter is my life and the testament of how He took me out of the pit of despair I had fallen into and redeemed my life. His redemptive grace has yielded a peace that has allowed me to walk differently and to live differently. But one verse in this chapter was a sweet aroma of His love....verse 10 (NLT):

"Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!"

His unfailing love and the truth of who I am in Him have indeed met. His righteousness and the peace I now live in is indeed a heavenly kiss! The following verses depict how this comes about....

¹¹ Truth springs up from the earth,
and righteousness smiles down from heaven.

When we live and walk by His truth, based on His righteousness, we are promised to experience His goodness in all situations....

¹² Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings.
Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.

His glory will shine upon us, His plans in our life will come forth, His mission will yield fruit in the ministries He has called us to....

¹³ Righteousness goes as a herald before him,

preparing the way for his steps.

He is the model of right living. He has paved the road before us, written down the instructions, created life maps for us to follow. The fuel we need is faith, trust, and praise. The more we trust Him, the more we will see Him. The more we praise Him, the more He will show Himself to us.

These past 6 years have been spiritually transforming and yet it continues. I see a new transformation of my heart beginning in 2010. Daily I will seek Him, daily I will strive to trust Him like never before, and daily I will praise Him...even when it is difficult and satan is marring my vision. A trusting life, fueled by faith and nourished with praises of God in our everyday will remodel any heart.

I am up to this spiritual challenge.

Heavenly kisses....that is what I am seeking in 2010...what are you seeking?

His Maidservant ~ Pamela

The Practice of Godliness

I started a new book and it is really taking me on a heavenly ride. Jerry Bridges...why am I just discovering his work? I wish I had read this stuff when I was a "baby Christian".

Here's the question....if God expects us to be holy because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) then why is it so hard? Why do we struggle and fail daily? Why is it so much easier to live in the world and of the world?

A few Sunday's ago our pastor referenced the "godly women" who faithfully pray at the church one night a week and the difference the ministry team can tell because of this. Well, that's my friend and I...the "godly women" that he referenced. My heart skipped a beat. WOW...me ? Godly? He obviously doesn't see my many failures each day that makes me anything but godly. It is a cherished time spent on our knees for our church but by no means would label us as "godly".

Again, godly...me? It motivated me. It humbled me. I immediately thank God for the comment and asked Him to transform me into that godly women. Though He could wave that magic wand if He wanted to, reality is that I have to be actively seeking it... "devotion in action" as Dr. Bridges reference.

"It is both the privilege and duty of every Christan to pursue godliness, to train himself to be godly, to study diligently the practice of godliness." (pp.14)

Dr. Bridges goes on to point out that "devotion is not an activity; it is an attitude toward God". Within this attitude are three essential elements: (1) the fear of God, (2)the love of God, and (3) the desire for God. And i all starts with one big descriptive word...humility. OUCH.

To be humble is to be sensitive to the needs of others and to put those first. It involves an attitude and heart of submission. But most importantly, it involves reverencing God in everything. Reverencing God and acknowledging Him for who He is in your life and all that you have as coming from Him. It is being thankful in the good times and grateful for the learning from the bad times.

Being ruined has humbled me but not as much as the majesty of God and the effect my sin has on Him. This week, each day, I plan to re-read Dr. Bridges chapter on humility and meditate on scripture which I found on Biblegateway.com. It will probably be a tough week but hopefully, I will be one step closer to godliness.

Humility will prevent us from being the stale Christain God revealed to Isaiah in chapter 6, verses 5-10

[5]Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, [and] because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts. [6] Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. [7] He touched my mouth [with it] and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, and your sin is atoned for. [8] Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me. [9] And He replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. [10] Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.

"God sends Isaiah to foretell the ruin of his people. Many hear the sound of God's word, but do not feel the power of it. God sometimes, in righteous judgment, gives men up to blindness of mind, because they will not receive the truth in the love of it. But no humble inquirer after Christ, need to fear this awful doom, which is a spiritual judgment on those who will still hold fast their sins. Let every one pray for the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, that he may perceive how precious are the Divine mercies, by which alone we are secured against this dreadful danger. Yet the Lord would preserve a remnant, like the tenth, holy to him. And blessed be God, he still preserves his church; however professors or visible churches may be lopped off as unfruitful, the holy seed will shoot forth, from whom all the numerous branches of righteousness shall arise. " ~ Matthew Henry's Commentary

May we all humble our way of thinking, our way of feeling, our way of being so that we can truly experience the power of God in our lives. May we be a stamp of His goodness to the lost.

Godliness. Humility. All for His honor.

In His Graces~Pamela

If you choose to read this book, I strongly recomment you first read "The Pursuit of Holiness" by Dr. Bridges.

Invigorate My Soul...

I decided to memorize the same scripture that Beth Moore is memorizing with our Siesta Scripture Memory Team. It nudged my heart. I posted it on my facebook and someone asked what was wrong. Obviously they couldn't read my mind and heart (really now! smile)but that made me decide to look a little deeper.

Life is good right now. It has its usual ups and downs but when I read this scripture that Beth posted I was drawn to the word "invigorate":

"Invigorate my soul so I can praise you well, use your decrees to put iron in my soul." Ps 119:175 (The Message)

Like my morning cup of coffee, that is what my God is to me when I am spending time in His word...invigorating ("to give life and energy", Websterdictionary.com; "strengthen, vitalize", Christiandictionary.com). My women's ministry partner Shera and I have recognized that God is leading us to move His ministry forward into more of a precept study of His Word. There is this urgency to grow deeper, more soundly in and through the scripture...to put "iron into our souls". So I was even more pleased when I looked at the verses surrounding this one I chose. Though David has gone through a rough dark time his comfort has come in knowing God personally, up close. Though I am not necessarily going through a "dark" time right now (thank you Jesus), how appropriate these verses are as we think about leading His ministry in a new direction...

Let my cry come right into your presence, God; provide me with the insight that comes only from your Word. Give my request your personal attention, rescue me on the terms of your promise. Let praise cascade off my lips; after all, you've taught me the truth about life! And let your promises ring from my tongue; every order you've given is right. Put your hand out and steady me since I've chosen to live by your counsel. I'm homesick, God, for your salvation; I love it when you show yourself! Invigorate my soul so I can praise you well, use your decrees to put iron in my soul. And should I wander off like a lost sheep—seek me! I'll recognize the sound of your voice. Ps 119:169-176 (The Message)

We are seeking to do as Paul did in Galatians chapter one to seek the TRUTH at the SOURCE so that others will also seek Him more deeply and choose to worship more fully our Creator. It is to crave Him more than that morning cup of coffee and to feel homesick when not enough time is given Him. Always, always open your Bible in that quiet time. There are so many beautiful Christian authors out there and I have grow so much by what God laid on their hearts but they will tell you that though God placed His words in their writings, your greatest reward will come by combining it with scripture. Take the time to reference the scripture from your devotional reading by touching the pages of your Bible. Mark it, memorize it, meditate on. There have been plenty of times I have left a quiet time without opening to the scripture referenced. It is like walking away from a gift, bow intact.

I am once again reading a book of the New Testament for this month. I choose Galatians. I read a chapter a day each week and it is amazing the different things I will receive from God each week. Same verses, different moment. James is a powerful book to do this with. My fiend Shera is reading a much bigger book and reads several chapters a day. If you don't have a routine set, try this. Start with James. You'll be amazed at what happens.

Holy God, Father of grace, provide us with insight from Your WORD. Teach us the TRUTH about life and may praises of you flow from our lips. May the promises of Your WORD be our hope and our strength. May your steady hand guide us as we grow deeper in you and stronger in Your Precepts. Invigorate our souls so we can praise you well. Use Your Decrees to put iron in our soul. And make us homesick for You when we do not give you the time you deserve. Holy God, we want to know you better and to love you better. We want to see you and to walk along side you each day. We want to recognize your voice. We are your servants. Make us holy as you have said, "Be holy as I am Holy" (1 Peter 1:16). ~ Amen