At the beginning of 2012 I began a new daily blog called My God is...  Here is the link:  http://mygodispersonal.blogspot.com/  Join me there and become a follower!

On Fridays make sure you have sent me your own "My God is" so I can share them with the other readers!

The Tale of Two Trees

Two trees grow side by side at the corner of my back yard.  Every day I go out and hang clothes or walk along the sidewalk to the basement for school and I look up into their branches.  There is a hawk that spends most of his time them, as well as a myriad of other birds that I find interesting to watch. When we moved into this house it was literally the dead of winter and I couldn't tell what types of trees these two stoutly timbers were.  I learned quickly that the larger is a tree for which this area is famous called the Araucaria angustifolia,   or the Brazilian Pine. 

 The annual festival in this city is dedicated to the pine nuts that this tree produces.  We enjoy eating the nuts in all kinds of different food dishes or just boiled plain and eaten with salt (my personal favorite).  It is prohibited by law to cut these Pine Trees down for lumber, therefore as a protected species it is kind of shrouded in glory and respected.  

But right beside that big important Pine tree is a smaller, less significant tree that one would hardly notice except for the end of the month of September when Spring begins to arrive down here in the Southern Hemisphere. 

  This plain looking tree exploded with yellow flowers almost over night. I researched the blossoms and found out this was called, and rightfully so, the Trumpet Tree. It was a beautiful sight to behold as I looked out my daughter's window one morning.  The tree's flowers appeared to be glowing in the suns rays and it was hard to pull my eyes away. 

In a few days the pretty exotic flowers disappeared and the tree became ordinary again, or so I thought.  One day I went outside to hang some laundry and as is my custom I searched the branches for my hawk and Sabià - Laranjeiro. As I looked, a bit of hot pink caught my eye and I walked over closer to the tree to investigate.  I couldn't believe it.  There, hugging the trunk of the Trumpet tree, were the most beautiful spray of orchids!

  No on can see them from the road.  You have to be right up under the limbs and looking up to appreciate what is hidden there.  I told one of my friends yesterday that no one in this whole city of 280,000 people even know these orchids are blooming.  Out of the almost 7 billion people in this world, I am the only one who walks out to this tree and stares at these exquisite flowers God created.  


This makes me think of the day when Jesus was transfigured.  The Bible says in Matthew 17:2, 


"And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light." 


Jesus had pulled back His humanity and showed Who He really was all along!  He was 100% God.  I get chills thinking about what it must have been like for Peter, James and John that day as they beheld the Splendor of the Son of God in all His Glory.  That is the same Saviour that came after me one day in 1984.  I had been to church, knew all the memory verses, and even prayed, but it was not until that moment when through the Sweet Holy Spirit's conviction did I recognize Jesus for Who He really was and how much I needed Him.  Just like that Trumpet tree that I was used to seeing day in and day out here, but I didn't know what it truly was until those golden blossoms caused me to take notice.  


I don't ever want Christ to become Someone I just get used to in my life.  It is easy for someone who has been raised in the church, gone to Christian school, Bible College and served in the ministry to quit looking and noticing the Wonder of it all.  Who are we that the Lord would ever even consider us to call His own?   It makes me think of that song, "What Wondrous Love is This".  What a great privilege it is to be able to serve and give back to God in any way, shape or form!  We must never get so used to using the same verses that we take them for granted and not remember the Word is Quick and Powerful and Sharper than ANY two-edged Sword!  


Those orchids out there under the branches of the Trumpet Tree remind me to go to the Word and seek out the Treasures there that speak of my Great Saviour and ALL He has done for me.  I need to daily be in It's pages reading, studying and letting those words TRANSFORM me!  But I shouldn't stop at myself and the work that has happened in my own heart, I need to share it with others.  I need to Praise God and sound out a trumpet call of my own so that it will get someone else's attention and point them towards Christ! Some may think well, you are just trying to draw attention to yourself, but I reject that.  The psalmist proclaimed the goodness of God over and over in his life and there isn't one of us who thinks David was stuck on himself, but loved what God had done so much that he HAD to proclaim it!  


I've enjoyed some certain passages of Psalms lately that praise God.  I want to do that right now in my blog.  Praise God for all His thoughts on each of us!  Praise God for sending His Son to redeem us from our sins!  Praise God for accepting us when we come before Him with nothing and realize we can't do it on our own.  Praise God for the two beautiful trees He put beside my yard so that one day I could stand and see HIM through them!  


Beyond My Wall are moments, breaths, and words.  I hope I use ALL of them for HIM.  He is what matters.

Stages

Stage:  A single step or degree in a process.

Just over the hill from where we live there is a "bairro" (neighborhood) called Ferrovia, which literally means railroad. The saying "the wrong side of the tracks" was probably describing this neighborhood.  It stands in great contrast to the surrounding areas, but there is an element of growth towards something better that lies inside the rough streets of the railroad neighborhood.  People are building and growing in stages. 

Some families have gathered enough tin, plastic and wood to form a dwelling place that is all theirs.  They have no mortgage or insurance, but they own their "home".  These folks pick fruit, recycle or cut wood in order to feed their little ones and save for the next stage, which may not come until they are holding grandchildren in their gnarled weathered hands.

Other families have traded the plastic, tin and planks for milled lumber and depending on how hard they have worked or saved, they add a concrete floor and some plumbing.  Their whole house may fit into your living room, but it is theirs and they have fought for it.  Those wooden walls may hold a dozen children and a few relatives, but they eat, work, and sleep together as they strive for the next stage.

Every now and then a truck will show up and dump a load of sand and brick in a yard.  This means someone is moving up in the world!  They are adding brick to their house and real windows.  Someone has taken the next step, and they have entered another stage.  

Can you envision these homes, these lives?  I wonder if you feel the desire to inwardly "root them on" in their struggle to gain ground in life?  I do.  I've looked into their eyes, I've seen the longing for something more there.  It makes Black Friday and the American Christmas Season culture look pathetic.  I resist the urge to complain about needing new shoes because I am thankful I have several pair and even a closet to store them in when they aren't on my feet.  Oh, but for the grace of the Great God I serve, I could live just over the hill.

As I think on my husband's work to reach our surrounding area the last few months, I step back and notice that just like those folks in their different stages of building and financial growth, we are in our own process of moving forward in our ministry. Mark has worked and re-worked methods in order to find what is the best way to meet and gain the trust of these people God has told us to come and minister to in Brazil.  And each new relationship has required going through stages.  The initial contact, the coffee drinking visits, the chimarrao, which is a type of tea the men drink together here, the caring for their lives and families until they open up and want to know more about the Saviour.  Someone once said, "People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care."  I find this to be very true in the work here.

In my last blog, I declared that nothing is too hard for God.  I have watch Him do some pretty amazing things in the past month.  Seriously.  God, My God, is a Wise God. In five short months, God has allowed us to get settled, meet friends and move forward in His perfect timing.  When we left the US we sold our Suburban at the last moment in order to have funds for a vehicle when we arrived here.  The first obstacle we found we would need to overcome was finding a car that would fit our whole family.  The automobiles here are on average a whole lot smaller and more compact than those we are used to in the States.  Then we had the problem of documentation because the banks didn't recognize our previous 8 years here in Brazil, but only looked at the fact we have lived in our house here in Lages for just a short period of time.  Prices of cars also were triple what we were expecting and this too has been a hindrance in moving forward (no pun intended).  After my first trip to Lages in 2010, I began praying specifically for wisdom, our support, meeting the right people, protection, an orange house and a vehicle.  I put all of these things in God's hands and waited.   He began answering each of my requests one by one and ALL in perfect timing.  When we began having problems purchasing a car, we just took our hands off of the situation and determined in our hearts to not try and make something happen.  We got busy in our work here and left it up to the Lord.  If I could share my private emails with you to some of the godly ladies in my life, you would see us write each other claiming God's promises and trusting in Him to provide.  I'm so glad that I didn't manipulate my husband into going into debt or making a wrong decision about the car.  Each door we attempted to pass through was firmly wedged shut before us, so we stopped even knocking at them.  We waited, and we walked.

Last month Mark and I felt so alone at times that we had nothing but tears to offer for conversation.  You may think that is ridiculous and that we have tons of supporting churches and great families, so we were feeling sorry for ourselves.  I would answer you honestly, no, no we weren't.  Missions is not for the faint at heart and the Bible says if you faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.  We were relying completely on the Lord to guide us and we were relying on HIS strength, and it is NOT SMALL!  In my heart of hearts I believe like the opposite of those people in ferrovia who are trying to scrap out a living, we were allowing God to use HIS means and power to move us forward in our personal growth as His servants and the enemy met us head on with resistance.  But Mark and I and our four children would sit at our table (which God had also miraculously given to us) and we would lift our hands and say, "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!"  I'd look over at Mark and we would just smile and hold hands fully trusting that God would plead our cause and shine His face on us.  Sometimes trials are the best thing that can happen because they force you to examine every nook and cranny of your heart and confess sin you have forgotten or ignored.  The pure sweetness of the hours in prayer can not be measured in their value.  Thinking on these times makes me want to stand up from my computer and return to my prayer closet just to commune with Him a little more.  He has shown Himself so precious to me in this stage.

So here we are five months into this part of our ministry and guess what?  Yesterday my husband went down to the car dealership and wrote a check paying in full for a brand new minivan.  Guess how much the car has cost us?  $0.00.  That's right.  Every door that shut in our face was God telling us to wait.  He had something better in store.  Talk about confirmation in knowing you have followed HIS plan for your life!  Wow!  During our darkest nights last month God went and talked to a man in West Virginia.  This man woke up, walked into his kitchen and told his wife that Mark Edwards was on his heart, and he knew it was God doing it.  The day he emailed us, I was struggling to make it through my morning.  Then I opened our mail and read his words telling us that he had just sent us the money to purchase a car for our family.  

I don't know where you are today,  and I don't know what trial you are facing or are in the middle of at present, but I can tell you that during this stage, it is well worth it to trust in God.  No, nothing may be making sense in your life and the pain of what your are going through makes you wish you were anyone but yourself, but there is eternal value in letting God work and do and build in your life.    There was a time when we all have tried to do it on our own and gather bits and pieces of the garbage of this world to build our lives, but then we heard some good preaching, studied God's Word and grew.  The Holy Spirit added some fresh oil to our lives and prepared us for the next stage.  And I tell you, we have to keep growing, if not we will become stale.  Our salt will lose it's savor and we won't be promoting the kingdom of Heaven to others.  We must not allow that to happen.  If God is sawing away on something in your life, it is to replace it with something better, stronger and more stable.  If He has pulled down a wall and dug some new footers in your heart that seem to cause you pain, look around, because He has hung up a big tarp to shield you from the rain and protect you from the storm as He remodels around you.  Let Him work, it is taking you to the next stage.  I suppose I could extend this analogy to show that if you work against Him or try and meddle in what He is doing, you'll stay in that construction phase for quite a while and the ground will be all muddy and you will find yourself down in the mire.  If you are there (and we have ALL been there) claim this passage that has become my life's passage:   

Psalms 40:1-5  I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Beyond My Wall is another stage.  I want to let Him guide me there through His Word.  That is where the real Truth is and that is what our lives MUST be based on in every step, in every process.

Nothing is too Hard for God!

Genesis 18:14a Is any thing too hard for the LORD?

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Exodus 15:6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

2 Samuel 22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

1 Chronicles 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

1 Chronicles 29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

Psalms 21:13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalms 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

Psalms 68:35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Lately I have taken time to blog on the weekends.  Something usually captures my attention during the week and I write inside my head until I have time to sit and tap out the words on my keyboard.  Every now and then, my thoughts are too private for public view and not really blog material as I work through various quandaries in my mind.  But, yesterday as I sat in church I began mulling something over that I had to read Scripture about in order to bolster my faith.  Hence all the verses as an introduction to this post.  You will notice they all deal with the mightiness of God, His power and His strength.

If I have been told once, I have been told a million times that Lages is a hard place to reach.  I'm not kidding. Whenever I enter a conversation with someone here about reaching this city, it is almost as though everyone is defeated and have acquiesced to the enemy.  I keep asking myself why?  Why do Christians believe that this area is too difficult?  Sure, I know what it is like to knock doors in an area that is non receptive to the Gospel.   My husband and I worked a bus route in Northern Chicago for years that was full of people from Russia, Pakistan, Iraq, India, Lebanon and various other countries that are steeped in traditions of worship and religion.  It was never easy to have doors slammed in our faces or talk to those with stone cold glares, but we never admitted defeat.  We went back week after week to seek out those for whom our Saviour died.  Why?  One word:  Hope.

Psalms 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
Psalms 119:116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.


When one comes to the point of having a defeatist attitude, they are essentially admitting they are working in their own power and not that of the Lord, for His power is infinite.  The longer we keep telling ourselves that it can't be done, the more we will believe the lies of the devil and NOTHING will happen.  We will aid in our own demise and end up quitting all together.

I don't think that Lages will all at once bow down and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord just because we are here, but I do believe that God is powerful enough to work here because He is not willing that these people perish into hell.  He loves every Lageano that walks these sidewalks, shops in these stores, drives in their cars, and live their lives daily without Him.  His Word is no less powerful here than it is where revival is happening in the Philippines right now.  Therefore my hope is in His Word.

After years of rejection I think a missionary could begin to focus on the people and their rejection of Salvation, rather than the power of the One who offers salvation.  It is a matter of perspective and not letting the enemy shift our focus off of Christ.

One of the greatest Missionaries of all time said:

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Paul was telling his brethren to be strong in the LORD and the power of HIS might because the problem was not flesh and blood, but an unseen, very real, enemy.

This encourages me.  I mean it. It reminds me to not trust in me!

Yesterday, after I got one of those speeches about how hard it is here in this city, I wanted to holler, "Don't you believe in God anymore?"  Christians are their own worst enemies sometimes in my opinion.  We just let ourselves get so beaten down we adopt a new form of thinking that it can't be done in this day and age.  I say, YES IT CAN!  God is able.  God is Powerful.  God is Mighty.  He will strengthen our faith and hold us up when we are weakened by the battle!  We can't start looking to ourselves to fight...our strength is nothing compared to that of the real foe.  We must at all times rely on the Strong Arm of God.

I have lived through some pretty dark days in my life.  Times when I have doubted everything from how I was raised to the leadership abilities of those in my authority.  The devil wants us to believe that our enemy is each other, when in fact, he is the one that is trying to make messes of our lives.  He is the one trying to turn institutions against institutions, camps against camps, and families against families.  We take it all out on each other and Satan sits back and laughs at the time we are wasting.  And time and time again, we get duped by his wily ways.

If there has ever been a time when we need to encourage each other, it is now.  If there has ever been a need for a pep rally for the cause of Christ, it is now.  Search the Scriptures, don't be ignorant of the Power of the One who holds this world and your life in the palm of His great big powerful hand!  Wherever you are and whatever your circumstances, there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING to hard for God to handle.  Submit to what He is doing, repent of any sin you have and keep those communication lines open and clear with the Father.  Don't be fooled into believing His hand has slackened just because it seems your brothers and sisters in Christ have turned from the Truth.  Read the Truth, remind yourself of His promises to NEVER forsake us!

Beyond My Wall lies a city completely filled to the brim with "religion".  I do not trust that Sheri and Mark can do one thing to reach them.  But I do absolutely 100% believe in the power of the Word of God to transform lives.  It changed my cold, rebellious heart and if it can reach me, it can reach anyone.

Life's Fractures.....Broken, but Stronger

Three weeks ago my youngest was trying to get five more minutes of play squeezed in before I could make it to the classroom and he ended up breaking his collar bone.  Apparently, the skateboard wheel was the perfect size to get stuck in a hole and Sam went hurling through the air landing on his right shoulder and "snap".  It was painful for both of us as we waited for a doctor to see him at the hospital.  Sam's pain was in his shoulder, mine was in my heart.  No mother enjoys seeing her offspring hurting and I had to hold back my own helpless tears.

Since the "break" Sam has recovered quite nicely.  He was actually a great illustration for my 7th grade science lesson on the skeletal system.  I shared the example at the breakfast table with my other children about how God designed our bodies to heal themselves immediately after a bone breaks.  I explained how blood vessels are sealed with blood clots (don't get sick...I won't get graphic) and new blood vessels are sent rushing to the break site to begin the bone rebuilding process.  Next the gap made by the fracture is filled with a tough substance called cartilage and the remaining the broken fragments are consumed.  Once it is all said and done, the bone is often stronger AFTER it has been broken and repaired.  My 16 year old daughter Katie commented, "Wow, that is just like life.  We go through stuff that breaks us, but our faith is stronger after we go through hard times.  Mom, you should blog about that."  So, here I am, blogging about the subject of life's breaks.  Sometimes children see things through eyes of pure undiluted faith that we fail to recognize as jaded adults.

For many years I suffered the pain of fractures in my life that were self inflicted.  How the Lord has patience with someone as hard headed as me, I certainly will never understand.  In my heart I have always wanted to do the right thing, but I would always let my head tell me to re-act in stead of act.  My poor parents, I have put them through some long nights in my 41 years.  But, thankfully they must be related to Job for the patience they have needed in trying to guide me in the right paths.  I can recall many a phone call at college and the subsequent years of starting out in the ministry when my dad would listen to me unload and then refer to what the Bible had to say about my situation at the time.   Sometimes I listened, and unfortunately, sometimes I did not.

Every now and then though, life hurls something our way that is so unexpected and out of the blue that we are left on the cold hard floor of our mind with little birds circling our head as the proverbial carpet is snatched out from under us.  Have you ever been just living along, serving the Lord and then WHAM!  You don't know what has hit you.  You investigate the cause and then assess the damage and see your heart is broken into a million little pieces.  Anger surges over you as you try and make sense of the pain and on whom or what to place the blame for your devastation.  Then you realize if you take one little tiny step in the direction of retaliation, you will be planting a seed of bitterness in the crater that once was your spot of joy.  It is a crossroad.  Your life has been fractured (welcome to the club by the way), now what?

Well, just like what happens in our physical bodies when one of our bones is fractured, the healing process begins immediately.  God rushes His Spirit to our wounded heart and begins sealing up what has been temporarily shredded.  He offers us the best pain medication in the world in the form of the Balm of Gilead.  He scoops us up and cradles us as we weep.  He places our tears in a bottle because we are precious to Him.  We are His creation, His child, His friend.  He urges others through His sweet Spirit to contact us and offer words of encouragement.  He guides our hands in the Word to turn to just the right chapter that will soothe the stinging pain.  He whispers to our heart that He has it all under control.

The healing begins at the fracture site of our life and continues as long as we obey the prescribed therapy. But, so many times after the initial shock wears off, we want to get up and do something before we are able.  Instead of allowing time to be reconstructed we will end up doing more damage and prolong our suffering.  Why in the world do we do this?  Do we enjoy pain that much that we want it to continue?  It appears we do and that is sad.

What if we gave in to what God is doing?  What if we relinquished our projects, plans and schedules to Him? What if we willingly gave Him full liberty to heal at His Will and not give Him a time limit?  I know that it may make for an interesting metaphor, this talk of broken bones and broken lives, but think with me for a moment and imagine what healing would take place if we would do more than just desire it.  Sam had to wear a sling for a few weeks and then a figure 8 brace as his collar bone healed.  He had to succumb to the unfamiliar way to hold his arm in order for the bone to correctly grow back together.  It wasn't fun, it wasn't normal, but it most definitely was necessary.  We don't like the down time in our spirits, but it is a necessary time in which God works.

I've experienced things in my lifetime that some have meant for evil, but God has meant for good.  Whether it be for my own spiritual growth, or something that He has needed to do in someone else's life and entrusted me to go through for His glory.  I have also been through things that were all because of sinfulness on my part and neglect to follow God's leading.  In both cases however, Romans 8:28 comes into play.  God uses everything for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  We don't want to believe that though and we blame Him or others for the hurt we experience.  We need to constantly remind ourselves that God really does love us.  When we are good, when we are bad and when we are complacent, God loves us.  He is always working.  God is always in control.  We are allowed the liberty of a free will and can choose to agree with what He is doing or resist.

There are fractures in my past that now are bonded together with hope and faith.  I have watched God seal off the tears in my being that threatened to steal all of my joy as His child.  I have watched my God strengthen me through the pain.  It is never easy from the human, temporal perspective, but that is when we need to make sure we view it through His eyes. If He points out that we need to repent some sin, then we need to repent.  If He doesn't say anything, then we need to by principal trust and wait.  God makes a way for us to escape the temptation to just curl up and die.  We cannot blame Him if we refuse to take it.  God doesn't make our life hard.....we live as humans with a real flesh that battles the Spirit and THAT makes our life hard.

Sometimes I have to be in a soul sling that is uncomfortable, but it is necessary if I want God to work and heal.  Actually, I have a cast on inside right now.  But I have determined that I want my faith to be stronger, so I submit to His will.  It doesn't make sense, but I want what He wants for Sheri.  I get afraid like any other Christian as I wait and take courage, reminding myself that the spirit of fear is NOT from God.  I run back to the Word as often as I feel the fear or pain.  And that is quite often.  I even asked God why I didn't feel comfort if He promised not to leave me comfortless and He directed my eyes to over four different chapters that counseled me to wait on Him and that He is doing.  So, I take my medicine and wait.  The fractures will heal and in the end I will be stronger than I was.

Beyond my wall are plenty more times to be in a spiritual hospital bed, I don't want to gripe at my Physician and refuse treatment, rather I want to get spiritually healthier and bolster my immune system towards sin and the flesh.

 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Mold, Slugs and Bleach

I hate cleaning bathrooms.  There I said it.  You now know this deep dark secret about me. As a child I would rather rake the whole yard, clean the garage and pick up limbs before I would take the bathroom chore.  Besides my mom was too picky anyway, making me clean with toothbrushes and toothpicks! Today as the head female in my home I assign the task to one of my four able bodied children because I hate spending the time cleaning it and yet, I never feel it is cleaned right unless I undertake the scrubbing process.  Once I get the bleach, comet, Windex, scrub brushes and paper towels out, I don’t mind.  I actually get into it.  It’s insane, I know.  My mom must have brainwashed me with her comet at some point. (I love you mom, but you know this is true) J

Now I live in Brazil and it is one of those places where mold grows, constantly.  A couple of days ago as I cleaned the bathroom I pulled several things out of the vanity and was horrified to see the black spots of mold inside.  Eww!  My toothbrush hangs in there, so I frantically pulled it out and examined it up close.  And there was that stinking black mold.  I almost became ill.  Then I looked at the lid of my Ponds facial cleanser and there was more mold growing on it!  I didn’t think it possible, but my disgust grew.  So I made a decision.  I scheduled a block of time to do battle with the mold in my bathroom.  Yes, my old pal bleach and I had a date to annihilate Mr. Moldy Pants.  I wasn’t going to share territory with him any longer, believe you me.

Yesterday was the appointed time for me to face the enemy.  Where is that cartoon figure, Mr. Clean when we housewives really need him anyways?  I began in the shower.  The more I cleaned, the more mold I found hidden away in the crevices.  I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed some more.  Everywhere I looked I found a new spot of nasty mold.  It was ridiculous.  It was like that old song that Lambchop used to sing…”this is the song that never ends”, well, this was the chore that never ended.  I couldn’t believe it.  But I was determined.  I don’t know what it was, maybe the fumes got to me, but I was a cleaning mad woman.  I wanted to find every spot and bleach it out. 

As I cleaned, I wrote this blog in my head.  I couldn't help it.  I tend to make comparisons with everything.  It is a habit.  You, the reader, suffer the consequences. Please accept my deepest apologies.  Nevertheless, as I thought on that mold, I couldn’t help but notice that mold and sin have a lot in common.  You see, mold needs moisture to thrive.  It can live off of many substances, but it needs that moisture.  One little spore can land on a surface and with sufficient moisture, it germinates.  Mold is destructive and goes deeper than what you see on the outside.  It can disintegrate things like wood, paper and leather.  In other words it is feeding all the time and damaging its host.  Mold mars the beauty of its landing spot and steals its life away.  Much like sin does to the human heart.

All sin needs is a little ground to get started, then look out.  Before you realize it, your whole heart and mind are covered with its cobweb of restraint.  You can’t function like you used to as a mother, daughter, sister or friend.  You can’t serve like you once did.  Your joy is gone and is replaced with a cynical attitude of bitterness and sarcasm.  What happened?  One spore of unrepented sin landed on a weak spot that you left unattended and it germinated. 

We have all been there.  Shoot, I would say most of us are there on an hourly basis!  Haven’t you gotten out of bed, read your Bible and prayed, feeling on top of the world only to find yourself griping and muttering under your breath not fifteen minutes later?  Where did all our great faith go?  We are a miserable lot are we not? 

As I scrubbed at the tile and window sills yesterday I found myself crying.  No, I didn’t splash bleach in my eye, but I realized how often I just let something go unchecked inside my life.  It isn’t something “really” wicked I lie to myself, but just something little like a critical spirit or gossip.  What is the problem with venting every now and then anyway, right?  At least that is how we “Christian Ladies” justify ourselves.  Again, we are a miserable lot.

One thing about having so much moisture in the house is that it attracts slugs.  They like to come up from our basement here in the house we are renting.  They are nasty little things and seem to like Katie’s room the best.  We finally laid down a trail of salt all the way around the baseboards and they have stopped coming.  I have found that when I leave sin unchecked in my heart, it attracts slugs of the human form.  It might be a good idea to put some salt down in your life and let them know you aren’t open for business any longer.  The worldly crowd doesn’t like someone praising God or talking about Scripture all the time.  Soon you will find they have moved on and don’t follow after their slimy trail they leave behind. 

All of us like a clean house.  Not just surface clean, but really clean.  You know how wonderful you feel when you get done sweeping, mopping, folding, and scrubbing.  You walk through your home with the candles lit and you feel really good because you know the junk drawer is organized, the stove has new tinfoil under the burners, the fireplace is swept out and the counters have no hairspray residue.  You sit down and are at peace with yourself and your whole family at that moment.  The next morning you wake up and are not met with a load of dishes or five loads of laundry and you are happy.  Of course, the kids drop a potato chip, spill some water and leave dirty clothes on the floor eventually, but you pick it up and still feel all is well.  The problem starts when you stop picking up or stop wiping counters.  You relax in the cleanliness too long and before you know it, you need to seek the help of the magical scrubbing bubbles.

Our lives are no different.  We have a formidable foe and he is ever seeking to let those little things reproduce into bigger things.  We can’t relax in our prayer lives.  Once and for all we have to get the character to stick with what works!  And what works is constant fellowship with the Lord.   His Word is the “spiritual bleach” we need to let soak into our hearts.  And the more we let the Word filter through, the more we will realize how much we need Its deep cleansing power.  We will go to our prayer closet with new vigor, be at peace with those around us and be glad we took care of the “junk drawers” of our heart.

When we do falter and fail, it is always nice to know God is able to deliver us, help us get our act together and grow in grace.  And it is so simple.  It is all wrapped up in one word:  Humility.  We have to be willing to be humble.  Christ gave us the best example didn’t He?   

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

None of us will ever measure up to Christ’s perfect example, but He is on our side helping us to live in our flesh until He can make us perfect in Him one of these days!

Beyond my Wall are plenty of dirty bathrooms I am sure, but I sincerely hope there is not a dirty Sheri in my future.  I want to keep the cleaning power of God’s word and prayer ever at the ready to ward off what could be the destruction of my life and ministry.  Hope you do too.

Transforming Power

Here in this part of Brazil if you want to plug in an appliance, you better check the voltage first because it is 220v.  In the US everything is set to run on 120v.  So, transformers are a must.  Do you know what happens when you plug in, oh, let's say a television that is 120v into a 220v outlet?  There is a loud popping sound, smoke and the smell of burnt plastic.  Yes, I know from personal experience.  I have a son who has done just that, not once, but twice.  After running him down the road about opening his God given eyes and just thinking before doing something so stupid, I, in all my wisdom, plugged in my computer to the wrong outlet.  Guess what?  Same loud popping sound, same smoke and same smell of burnt plastic.  Humble pie isn't very tasty.

It took about a week for us to get our boxes unpacked and the house set up once our container arrived.  I put my main PC downstairs in my office where I teach school.  I left off setting it up because I wanted to be sure to be focused when I got all the cords out.  The day I went to plug everything in, I sat on the cold cement floor and held the plug(s) in my hand.  I stared carefully at the transformer, followed the lines with my eyes and proceeded to plug in my tower.  ***POP***  My ears rang, my heart jumped out of my chest and my stomach got real queasy as I tried to figure out what had gone wrong.  My eye sight has weakened a little and sometimes I can't differentiate between colors or dimensions.  Apparently the extension cord that was on the 120v was light gray and lying right beside the white 220v extension cord that was plugged straight into the wall.  I had mistakenly picked up the wrong one.  The result, a fried computer.

Thankfully, my neighbor knows pretty much all there is to know about computers, although I didn't come into this knowledge for days after my computer blow up incident.  I had spent days upset, mad at myself and just frustrated because guess what was on the computer?  All our graphics we had designed for our new church plant.  Can you imagine how hard it was for Mark to look at me and say, "It's okay Sheri, we'll figure something out."??  I am sure he secretly strangled me as I told him, but was too nice to let it show.  But, I digress.  My neighbor upon hearing about my plight said he could fix it.  I looked at him like he had grown an extra head.  I didn't believe him for a second.  But, all he had to do was change out one little piece and voila!  There was my owl in a tree screensaver and all my files staring back at me!  I was amazed and pretty grateful.  He also showed me that my tower ran on 220v if a little red switch was moved from one side to the other.  Of course, my wonderful eyesight had failed to see this as well.

As I was washing dishes last week my mind wandered around the kitchen and long black cord Mark has running from the transformer on top of the refrigerator, under the sink, and back up on a counter to the coffee pot.  I can plug all my American appliances in and they work just fine, all because of that transformer.  I got to thinking about the song Love Lifted Me.  In Portuguese it is called Jesus me Transformou (Jesus Transformed Me).  I love singing it.  I believe it is my life's testimony.  I have seen Him literally transform my life.  It started at Salvation and has moved into every area of my life throughout the years.  He has taken what was once a cold rebellious heart and softened it through His gracious power.  I am no longer the person that I once was because I got plugged into the right source.

There have been many times that I have unplugged and tried to handle things on my own.  And guess what?  I got "burned out".  It just doesn't work to think we are strong enough to handle anything without His transforming power in our lives.  Mark and I have learned a lot about ministry and people over the last few years.  We have come to this part of our lives with no expectations.  We don't care about numbers, we don't care about applause, we don't care about our enemies.  We are just here.  Our lives are His.  If God wants to have one soul saved here in Lages or 10, it can't be done through the power of Mark and Sheri.  It will be because He ordains it and uses His own transforming power in the lives of those we meet.

I have to say that making yourself available to the right power source sure does make a difference.  YOU don't have to do anything or try to figure anything out.  It is all happening inside that transformer, you just have to plug in and let it flow through you.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nothing that happens is because of any good that is in us...because we are not good.  The One who laid the foundations of the world, breathed life into man, sent His Son to be our Propitiation, and then endowed us with Holy Spirit power as we, by faith, repent and accept Christ; HE is the One who makes His will happen.  HE is the good that flows through us.  We just need the Transformer!

One last note and I will quit.  Do you know what happens when you plug a 220v appliance into a 120v?  It barely runs if it runs at all.  It can't get enough power.  Once we are saved and become a Child of the King there is never ever any need to go looking for a new power source.  Nothing can give us the power we need to glorify the Father and the Name of Jesus Christ, other than God Himself.  I don't need to go to the world for their advice on how to worship my God.  I am complete in Him, therefore all I need to know to worship Him already exists in Him...it just needs to flow through me.  I plug into His Word and find every resource for every extension cord I have running out of me.  Isn't that wonderful?  I don't need to seek anything but the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness and ALL of these things will be added unto me.  So my job is just to make sure I plug in and let Him work.

Beyond My Wall are two "life" outlets.  If my spiritual glasses are not on, I won't see the right place to plug my life into and I will make an explosive mess of things.  Yes, they can be fixed, but why even go through all that?  I need to stay faithful to His Word, time in Prayer with Him and let His power flow through my life.