Faithful Feathers

Have you ever seen God's wings or heard His feathers flap? I have!

As we traveled from meeting to meeting and church to church over the last five months, I shared this story whenever I had the opportunity. Maybe you've heard it, maybe not. If you have, I hope it made you realize how faithful our God is to meet our needs––even through condors. Maybe you haven't heard it yet. Allow me to share it again in print for those who missed it.

Two years ago my husband had Shingles. They healed in the usual amount time, about three weeks. Soon after, he collapsed in severe pain. Not knowing if he was having a heart attack or stroke, we rushed him to a clinic here in Cochabamba. That severe, excruciating pain lasted three to four hours. The doctors had given him all the drugs possible without compromising his health in other ways––I doubted they were doing all they could to relieve this unbearable pain. But, at least we knew it wasn't a heart attack or stroke.

Finally, after hours of suffering, the pain began to subside to some degree. Little did we know at the time that this pain would continue for six months because of a damaged nerve in Chuck's back caused by the Shingles.  I couldn't believe the first words to slip through his lips as he looked up into my eyes. "I am so hungry for a pizza." Not what I expected to hear from a man who just came through this painful ordeal. How could I refuse such a request? Here where we live, we don't have all the pizza shops one has access to in the USA so I went home to make a pizza and fulfill this suffering man's wish.

Fifteen years ago, while we were building our house, I insisted on having a big window in my kitchen. Looking out that window is a magnificent view of the mountain behind our house. Living in a foreign country without much access to fast food restaurants or even nearby restaurants, I spend many hours in the kitchen. I also teach teen girls baking and cooking classes, so much of my time is spent in my kitchen. I love my kitchen, and I love that window––even more so now than I could have ever imagined because of what I saw that day when I went home to make the love of my life a pizza.

As I whipped up the dough, I glanced out at that beautiful view through the bay window. It's a rocky mountain, dry and brown most of the time, but nevertheless a view of God's beautiful creation in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. But this day, I didn't notice the mountain view. I saw a view of God. One that I had never before seen.

There, half way up the mountain sitting on a large, flat rock, sat two huge birds. Now, we've lived in our house 15 years and only once before had we seen a condor on this mountain. Condors are the Bolivian national bird––a rare site. I rushed for the binoculars and quickly returned to catch a glimpse of what I thought were condors. If you know nothing about condors, let me describe the size of this beautiful bird for you. They are on average four feet tall and have a wingspan of 10 feet. Amazing creatures. Gigantic birds!

Fumbling, I rushed to place the binoculars over my eyes. Then, I saw them. Yes, they were condors without a doubt. I stood in awe of these beautiful birds created by an awesome God. But that's not all. As I stood gazing with pure delight at what I was witnessing, something even more awesome happened. Both birds, at precisely the same time, spread their wings and stood there looking like statues. I could hardly breathe. God's beautiful creation stood on a mountaintop showing all His glory. A few verses came to mind. Psalms 91:3-5 "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and your rampart." 

I knew those birds were there for me. I was alone that day. I knew people were praying for us, but no one had any idea what we were going through at that moment. But, God knew. I wasn't alone in the scary situation that faced us. God was with us both. I felt God's love around me. His feathers squeezing me. His wings protecting me. I looked at those birds standing there, wings spread, and knew God had me under His wings as He did Chuck. But, not only was there one bird––a rare site in itself––but two birds–of course, one for Chuck and one for me. I saw those wings and I heard those feathers. I saw God through condors, and I knew God would take care of us. I rested, snuggled under His wings and surrounded by His faithful feathers.

The depth of God's love is unimaginable. He shows us His love daily, even through condors. He covers us with His wings always. He shows Himself to us in the condor moments. Expect the condor moments. Don't miss them. Look up, see God's wings and hear the flapping of His faithful feathers.

Refrigerator Famous

One of the perks of furlough is times of special fellowship with friends while eating in their lovely homes or being taken out to restaurants. Last week, we visited a new restaurant (to us) with a friend. After we had ordered, the owner walked over to greet our friend. Then he turned to my husband and me and said, "We've never met, but I know you." To which my husband replied, "From seeing us on refrigerators, right?" Yep, that was it!

So we are famous––refrigerator famous. Not sure that qualifies me to write a memoir. Well, perhaps I can write one, but whether it will find a publisher is questionable. You've probably heard the three requisites for getting a memoir published. You have to be either famous (refrigerator famous doesn't count) or in my case as a missionary, you have to be martyred or kidnapped. Needless to say, I don't qualify in any of those categories. Since the latter two are not on my bucket list, I think I'll try another genre for my next published work.

But being biblically famous is on my bucket list.

2 Corinthians 8:18 (ESV)

"With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel."

Another translation:

2 Corinthians 8:10-20 (MSG)

So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. This isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end, you come out even. As it is written,

Nothing left over to the one with the most,
Nothing lacking to the one with the least.

I thank God for giving Titus the same devoted concern for you that I have. He was most considerate of how we felt, but his eagerness to go and help out with this relief offering is his own idea. We're sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message. But there's far more to him than popularity. He's rock-solid trustworthy. The churches handpicked him to go with us as we travel about doing this work of sharing God's gifts to honor God as well as we can... 2 Corinthians 8:10-20 (MSG)

Two things on my biblical bucket list:

1. Being famous among all the churches for my preaching of the gospel.

2. Far more than popularity is being counted rock-solid trustworthy.

What's on your biblical bucket list?

Superpowers

Superpowers. Don't you wish you had them? Our busy schedule causes me to wish for more hours in the day or for time to slow down. I really don't want either. I just want to accomplish the most in the least amount of time. But, recently I discovered that I do have special powers.

Rushing out to a speaking engagement last week, I cringed when I opened the door and felt splashes of heaven's sprinkles on my face. My hair,  oh no. It would be frizzy by the time I arrived at the church. I dashed to the car with barely a drop falling on my recently shampooed and blown dry hair. Not to fret. My attitude check revealed a calm, smiley face demeanor. My hubby and I were off to a good start as we zoomed off in our newly acquired used shiny silver car. Then it happened.

My efficient husband had letters to mail. He whipped the car into a parking spot, handed me the letters and watched me exit the car to dump the letters into the mailbox. However, he never expected what spilled from my lips as I slammed the door and glared into his sparkling blue eyes.

For the next few minutes, he heard about his insensitivity–– asking me to step out into the mist that would certainly cause my hair to crinkle and turn into mounds of ratty looking curls. How could I speak to a group of meticulously groomed women while they stared at a blonde Raggedy Ann?

He apologized for thinking of the mail first instead of my needs. So I settled into my seat avoiding eye contact. A few minutes later, I reach over and patted his two hairs on his forehead and wished I could take back my harsh words. His eyes glanced my way and with a sweet smile he said, "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me for more than five minutes."

To which I replied, "It's just one of my superpowers."

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power within us." Ephesians 3:20

So, I do have superpowers and so does my husband. We can forgive each other because Christ forgave us. We have His power to overcome sin and live a victorious life.

Imagine all He can and will accomplish in and through us.

Let's use our superpowers––His power at work in us.

Facetime Faith

Four Faces We Love

If you have grandchildren, I know you love to see their faces. Whether in person or in a photo, I always love seeing our grandchildren's faces. And, FaceTime (a blessing through Internet) is a grand spot for me on any day of the week if their faces shine through the screen. Surely God grins from ear to ear when we, His children, turn our face toward Him. The words to the hymn Turn You Eyes Upon Jesus still linger in my thoughts after our recent trip to the States. The following words became reality to me somewhere between 30,000 feet and landing in Miami.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in his wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of his glory and grace, ~Helen H. Lemmel

Those who know me best pray extra hard when they know I am flying. Thanks to prayer, I can now sit with my back against the seat for the flights. In earlier years of our ministry, I couldn't relax while flying––truth is, it is still an issue. But, something incredible transpired upon landing in Miami two weeks ago.

After months of doubt as to whether we could leave our ministry this summer, God directed us to step out on faith, order tickets for our trip, and trust Him for the ministry. We did. And from that moment on, we began to see His wonderful workings daily. Things fell into place, and He not only provided for us travel to the States, He provided faithful servants once more to step up and take over for us. And, our to do list miraculously diminished daily with little effort on our part.

It was truly a supernatural carpet we were riding on as God helped us to do all the necessary tasks before leaving. Never had we seen things become so easy to complete, nor did we feel pressured or exhausted in the midst of accomplishing so much so quickly. We glided through on His wings.

As we descended on our last flight from the heavens and prepared for landing––always a hard time for me––I was deep in thought and prayer. Thanking God for all that had been accomplished by Him to bring us to the doorstep of our home country, I conversed with God as though He sat next to me holding my hand. I became so caught up looking full in His wonderful face that I never realized we had landed.

Ephesians 6:16 says, "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith." While looking fully in His face, the things of earth grew so dim I never noticed the things I feared.

When we walk by faith with our eyes on Jesus, we don't focus on our circumstances, we only see Him. Have some face time with Him today. It's a wonderful place to be, "in the light of His glory and grace."

God's Masterpiece

To some degree, I resemble the lady on the unicorn. I can understand why I might be viewed in that way. As a children's writer, I live in a fantasy world much of the time. And, I'm quite content to be there. I might not be thought of as a work of art but rather a "piece of work." Smile here. But, I am a work of art, God's work of art. And, so are you! But, what my neighbor once accused me of being totally shattered my world at the time.

A knock at my door. I opened it to find my neighbor from across the hall glaring at me with malice in her eyes. She came to say, "You are such a phony. No one could smile as much as you do and be real."

True story. We were in our last semester of our missionary training when my neighbor, a new student and young mother, felt led of God to minister to me on a biblical principle she had just discovered. Matthew 18:15 says, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained a brother." (ESV)

At the time, I wished she'd kept that verse to herself, but God knew the exact words I needed to grow in Him.

The conversation went something like this. My neighbor blurted, "How can you smile so much? I watch you every day and there it is--that smile. Get real! This missionary training is the pits. How can you be happy here?"

My reply, "Thank you for sharing that with me. I'll work on it." Although, seconds later a not so nice thought crept in––Wow lady, you're some piece of work. Then, quickly confessing that thought because in my heart I knew she was God's work of art, and He was trying to teach me something through her.

And, work on it I did. My heart was bruised and my ego too. For the next few weeks, I walked around campus with a straight face. Have you ever tried not to smile? When a fellow student greeted me, I puckered my face, mumbled a reply, and tried to not be that phony person my neighbor detested. I became a complete phony while trying not to show my glistening teeth to anyone. After a few horrible weeks, I realized what a phony I had become by not smiling.

God had no intention for me to stop smiling. It wasn't a sin to smile, but He did teach me to not be a people pleaser but rather to please Him. By being ourselves, we allow God to chisel out our areas that need to be tweaked by Him. Then and only then, are we free to be all He wants us to be and shine for Him in our own unique way.

Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

God didn't want me to quit smiling, but He did want me to be sensitive to the needs of others––especially my neighbor. She became a good friend when I noticed she wasn't smiling and needed a friend to help her through the difficult time she was going through with young children and the pressures of classes and homework. I listened to her, and she gained a friend (brother). I didn't need to quit smiling, but she did need a friend. And, I needed to learn how to be a friend.  God used me just as I was––fearfully and wonderfully made––and smiling.

How about you? What attributes has God given you to bless others? We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. He has a purpose for each of us so that the world will see His wonderful works through us and turn to Him. Even if people see you as delusional––riding a unicorn––or phony because you smile too much, He has a purpose for you and will use you because you are fearfully and wonderfully made. So be yourself! Allow God to use you––just the way He made you. Ephesians 2:10 says, "We are God's workmanship," the Greek word for workmanship means work of art. We are His work of art! Thank Him for planning each detail of His creation––His masterpiece––YOU!

"Don't change so people will like you. 

Be yourself and the right people will love the real you." ~ author unknown

Our Bumps are In His Grip

"Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I am your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you." Isa. 41:10 (MSG)

My year started out with a bump. A small bump on my head developed into a small tumor––thankfully benign. It caused me to ponder what the next steps would have been if the results had been different. When I look at the tiny bald spot now growing into a crew-cut spot, I am reminded that we aren't promised tomorrow. That bump has motivated me to once again cherish every day as I feel His grip––a firm grip.

Then, just last week, came another bump–-this time on my eyelid. "I'm with you," echoed in my heart. To remove it, I had to be admitted to the clinic again. Benign, again! Whew, thank you, Lord! What next?

This week, our Golden, Jake developed a bump on his neck. Another bump! Three years ago, Jake had an aggressive cancerous tumor removed from his tail. He's been doing fine until this week. I was already concerned about our animals since we will be leaving Bolivia this month for a five month furlough. The bump turned out to be a calcium deposit, not another cancerous tumor. What was God trying to tell me through the bumps? Maybe, "Don't panic, I've got this!"

Leaving Bolivia is never easy for me. But, the joy that waits on the other end motivates me to pack and step foot on that plane. Oh, did I mention I don't like to fly either? Missionaries don't have extraordinary powers or sail through life as if on a magic carpet. However, they have an extraordinary God who gives them strength and power to do His will. His Word says, "I'll help you."

These bumps seem like baby bumps after the fact, but going through them I felt like they were big bumps. But, our God is bigger than any bump life can bring, and He holds us steady through them.

One other bump has occurred here at our mission base, Rumi Rancho. This bump makes it hard for us to leave Bolivia at this time, but furlough is set in motion and it's been four years since our last furlough. Time to go.

This one is a joyous nine month Baby Bump. Our Quechua couple who lives here on the property with us will welcome a gift from heaven on June 10th. Juan and Amelia will need lots of prayer as they welcome a new baby and at the same time have the responsibility of the ministry while we are gone. But we know God will help them, and  He'll hold them steady as we head to our homeland on May 28th.

We are blessed by God's promise that through the bumps, He has a firm grip on us––He holds us steady!

Spinning Out of Control

Spinning is a popular form of exercise almost everywhere now. Although, in my neighborhood spinning has a totally different connotation. When I hear the word spinning, I immediately visualize a gym with a spinning class. Don't you? But, in my neighborhood bicycles are not used for exercise per se. Yes, they are a means of exercise for my neighbors, but their main purpose is to provide transportation by spinning to and from their alfalfa fields before sunrise.

As I watch my neighbors spinning by my house in the early mornings, I sometimes long to take a spin with them. Not to help them cut alfalfa, but to stop my fruitless spinning and set my priorities on these people I came to serve instead of focusing on the 100 things on my to-do list for the day. When I step down from the merry-go-round of life, I find refreshment from being with God's people and enjoy His beauty around me. I focus on the reason God has me here in this place of service––to spread the Good News. It's not easy stepping off that merry-go-round. Some days I keep on spinning and some days I wobble as I come to a halt––however, it is always possible.

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3, NIV)

Each day is a new opportunity for service. It's easy to allow each day's tasks (our plans) to keep us from God's checklist for the day. But, when we ask God to establish our plans (to-do list) and take control of our spinning, He will establish our to-do lists and prioritize our days. Everything will change when we commit our plans to Him. The spinning out of control will cease, and our days will be fruitful and calm. Try and see. The verse says He will––not He might. He keeps His promises.