I just went back to Body & Soul this morning for the first time in several months. FINALLY, my leg has healed enough from my muscle rupture that I am able to exercise again. After years of teaching fitness classes, I expected to be able to jump right back in, but man-oh-man! I had a rude awakening this morning!
As we went through the class, everything was going fine until we got to the floor work, and particularly to the LEG work. I've learned enough about my leg muscles to know that what we were doing wouldn't harm me, and that it would ultimately bring me strength. It just felt so DIFFERENT this time, since it had been months since I'd done anything like this. As we continued to work our legs, my right leg turned into Elvis Presley! I was shaking, jiggling, and wiggling in ways I didn't know were possible! Yep, I had the infamous "sewing machine leg", where my leg couldn't hold any pressure at all without bobbing up and down. I'm sure that my fellow strength-trainers got a great laugh!
Isn't it amazing how a relatively short period of inactivity can lead to such weakness? And isn't that true not only of our physical bodies, but of our spiritual state, too? Just a few days without focused bible study can leave me feeling weak & vulnerable. Going without concentrated prayer time leaves me wondering about my decisions and "bobbing up and down" with my thoughts. Time away from corporate worship can make my foundation seem weak and shaky.
It won't be long until my leg is back at 100%, and I'm looking forward to the journey back to full health. Isn't it wonderful that God has created us to be able to regain strength--both physical and spiritual--no matter how much we've lost? Most of all, I pray that I will always work my SPIRITUAL muscles to become a more fine-tuned, strong, and able follower of Christ!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Legacy
Last Sunday, I had the privilege of spending some "alone" time with my sweet Mama. She was having a pretty good day healthwise, so Ken & Matthew decided to take my dad to run some errands and go for a drive. It was a great and refreshing time for Daddy, and it ended up being a time of beautiful blessing for me, too!
Mama was doing great at first, and seemed to be fine with the fact that my dad was out for awhile. Then, as we went for a walk down the hallways of their retirement community, her mind began to betray her once more. She was worried, agitated, confused, and didn't know where she was. We quickly made our way back to their apartment, and then she began to pace. "Where is Tony? Why isn't he here? I need your daddy." I prayed, "Lord, please help me know how to show her your love right now. Please help me calm her, just like she used to calm me."
Now, my mother is very frail and petite at only about 90 lbs, and she has never been more than 110, but she has a huge sweet tooth! As I prayed about what might calm her down, I could hear her voice through the years as she would often say,"I sure would like just a bite of something sweet! And it would be great to have a sip of something fizzy to go with it." I thought that the Valentine's candy we had brought & the Coke on the counter just might do the trick, and when I offered it to her, she said with a relieved sigh, "Oh, that would be so nice."
As she sat with her piece of chocolate and her small class of Coke, the Lord reminded me of the other thing she always did to calm herself in any time of struggle. I picked up her Bible and asked if she would like me to read it. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine as she said, "Oh yes, please do!"
She has several Bibles, but the one I picked up was a Disciples' Study Bible. She had bought it in the early '80s on a trip to Ridgecrest, but I had no idea she had it. I have that exact same Bible, which I got in early '90s, when I became serious about studying God's word. We had "coincidentally" bought the same Bible! Then, I turned to the inside cover, and I saw where she had written over 20 years ago:
"Ephesians 3:14-21: My prayer for myself, Tony, and all our descendants."
A chill ran up my spine. "Mama", I said,"I know this passage so well. I've been drawn to it over the years, and I've taught on it several times. I even used it as my teaching passage last weekend at the women's retreat for our church!" I quickly turned to Ephesians in her Bible, and it was as though I were looking at my own. The things she had underlined in the introductory theological outline were exactly what I had underlined. The phrases of the passage she had highlighted were marked in mine, too. Notes in the margins were like the notes in mine. I was dumbfounded! I had had no earthly idea that my mom had been praying those words of scripture over me, my husband, my siblings, my child, and all my family, and she had been doing it for years. Yet God knew. And God had led my heart to be molded, changed, and touched by this scripture, and He had led my hands to underline the words that she had prayed for me. I can't help but wonder if I might've ever been reading those words as she was praying them...
What a gift that God would allow my mother to see His faithfulness in the amazement of her child that day! How beautiful that I could share with her, on this side of Heaven, that God had been faithful to hear her prayers and direct my life through them. Their legacy of faith is the greatest gift my parents could ever give.
"For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21
Mama was doing great at first, and seemed to be fine with the fact that my dad was out for awhile. Then, as we went for a walk down the hallways of their retirement community, her mind began to betray her once more. She was worried, agitated, confused, and didn't know where she was. We quickly made our way back to their apartment, and then she began to pace. "Where is Tony? Why isn't he here? I need your daddy." I prayed, "Lord, please help me know how to show her your love right now. Please help me calm her, just like she used to calm me."
Now, my mother is very frail and petite at only about 90 lbs, and she has never been more than 110, but she has a huge sweet tooth! As I prayed about what might calm her down, I could hear her voice through the years as she would often say,"I sure would like just a bite of something sweet! And it would be great to have a sip of something fizzy to go with it." I thought that the Valentine's candy we had brought & the Coke on the counter just might do the trick, and when I offered it to her, she said with a relieved sigh, "Oh, that would be so nice."
As she sat with her piece of chocolate and her small class of Coke, the Lord reminded me of the other thing she always did to calm herself in any time of struggle. I picked up her Bible and asked if she would like me to read it. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine as she said, "Oh yes, please do!"
She has several Bibles, but the one I picked up was a Disciples' Study Bible. She had bought it in the early '80s on a trip to Ridgecrest, but I had no idea she had it. I have that exact same Bible, which I got in early '90s, when I became serious about studying God's word. We had "coincidentally" bought the same Bible! Then, I turned to the inside cover, and I saw where she had written over 20 years ago:
"Ephesians 3:14-21: My prayer for myself, Tony, and all our descendants."
A chill ran up my spine. "Mama", I said,"I know this passage so well. I've been drawn to it over the years, and I've taught on it several times. I even used it as my teaching passage last weekend at the women's retreat for our church!" I quickly turned to Ephesians in her Bible, and it was as though I were looking at my own. The things she had underlined in the introductory theological outline were exactly what I had underlined. The phrases of the passage she had highlighted were marked in mine, too. Notes in the margins were like the notes in mine. I was dumbfounded! I had had no earthly idea that my mom had been praying those words of scripture over me, my husband, my siblings, my child, and all my family, and she had been doing it for years. Yet God knew. And God had led my heart to be molded, changed, and touched by this scripture, and He had led my hands to underline the words that she had prayed for me. I can't help but wonder if I might've ever been reading those words as she was praying them...
What a gift that God would allow my mother to see His faithfulness in the amazement of her child that day! How beautiful that I could share with her, on this side of Heaven, that God had been faithful to hear her prayers and direct my life through them. Their legacy of faith is the greatest gift my parents could ever give.
"For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Ansel Clifford Owens
God has given me many gifts in this life, but one of the sweetest has been having Ansel Owens as a father-in-law these last 11+ years. Without a doubt, he was one of the kindest & most encouraging men I've ever known. He loved Jesus with every breath and every action of his life.
Last Friday, as I was two-thirds of the way through the largest women's conference I've ever spoken for, and as my husband Ken was setting up for a student conference of over 800 college kids, we got the call that Mr. O had slipped into a coma. After 7 months of battling lymphoma, his healing was close at hand. At about 6:30 that night, God allowed that precious man to enter into heaven, and into his eternal rest. What a party there must have been in heaven that night! But here, we were simply sad to have lost the earthly presence of someone who has been such an influencer in our lives. I am so grateful for the legacy of faith that Mr. O passed on to Ken, and on to Matthew as well. He was an amazing PaPa, and his youngest grandson already misses him.
Ken & I talked about it, and we decided that I should finish the last day of the conference, which was Saturday here in Columbia. There is nowhere Mr. O would rather I have been than sharing Christ and encouraging women to live a life of faith. As I spoke to about 3400 women that day, it was a tremendous joy to have the assurance of PaPa's eternity in heaven. It was a great privilege, too, to use a story from his life as part of my conclusion that day.
You see, as PaPa got sicker, people began to come from all over, telling us that they were followers of Christ because of Ansel Owens' touch on their lives. One story in particular stood out to me. Mr. O was the Finance Manager of an automobile dealership for over 30 years. A family was in financial crisis, and went to him to tell him that they simply couldn't make their payment that month. Mr. O's response was, "Well, I'm going to give you grace this time. And there is a reason I'm doing this. You see, I was given a grace that covers all I've ever done, and it comes from Jesus. Do you know about this grace?" He then proceeded to share the gospel, and now that man is a believer.
Sharing Christ with others is a wonderful way to impact their lives, but I have realized that it is also the only way to ensure a living, lasting legacy of faith. There could be no greater tribute at the end of life than having person after person saying, "I'm a believer because of Maria." I want my son & his family to hear that! I want to leave that as my legacy of faith, too!
I pray the Lord will let me live each day seeing the opportunities He places in my path, so I can continue to build on that legacy.
Thank you, Lord, for Ansel Owens.
Mr. O--This world is a very different place without you in it. You will forever be loved, respected, and missed.
Last Friday, as I was two-thirds of the way through the largest women's conference I've ever spoken for, and as my husband Ken was setting up for a student conference of over 800 college kids, we got the call that Mr. O had slipped into a coma. After 7 months of battling lymphoma, his healing was close at hand. At about 6:30 that night, God allowed that precious man to enter into heaven, and into his eternal rest. What a party there must have been in heaven that night! But here, we were simply sad to have lost the earthly presence of someone who has been such an influencer in our lives. I am so grateful for the legacy of faith that Mr. O passed on to Ken, and on to Matthew as well. He was an amazing PaPa, and his youngest grandson already misses him.
Ken & I talked about it, and we decided that I should finish the last day of the conference, which was Saturday here in Columbia. There is nowhere Mr. O would rather I have been than sharing Christ and encouraging women to live a life of faith. As I spoke to about 3400 women that day, it was a tremendous joy to have the assurance of PaPa's eternity in heaven. It was a great privilege, too, to use a story from his life as part of my conclusion that day.
You see, as PaPa got sicker, people began to come from all over, telling us that they were followers of Christ because of Ansel Owens' touch on their lives. One story in particular stood out to me. Mr. O was the Finance Manager of an automobile dealership for over 30 years. A family was in financial crisis, and went to him to tell him that they simply couldn't make their payment that month. Mr. O's response was, "Well, I'm going to give you grace this time. And there is a reason I'm doing this. You see, I was given a grace that covers all I've ever done, and it comes from Jesus. Do you know about this grace?" He then proceeded to share the gospel, and now that man is a believer.
Sharing Christ with others is a wonderful way to impact their lives, but I have realized that it is also the only way to ensure a living, lasting legacy of faith. There could be no greater tribute at the end of life than having person after person saying, "I'm a believer because of Maria." I want my son & his family to hear that! I want to leave that as my legacy of faith, too!
I pray the Lord will let me live each day seeing the opportunities He places in my path, so I can continue to build on that legacy.
Thank you, Lord, for Ansel Owens.
Mr. O--This world is a very different place without you in it. You will forever be loved, respected, and missed.
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