A Bright New Day

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

yet they cannot fathom what God has done

from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

In the early morning hour, we are at our purest and strongest. Ready to face a new day, it would be a great time to ask God to keep us that way. In her hymn, God, Who Touches Earth with Beauty, Mary S. Edgar guides us in a prayer that keeps eternity in our hearts and minds and asks God to keep us pure and strong and true throughout each day:

God, who touches earth with beauty, Make me lovely, too;

With Your Spirit recreate me, Make my heart anew.

Like the springs and running waters, Make me crystal pure;

Like the rocks of towering grandeur, Make me strong and sure.

Like the shining waves in sunlight, Make me glad and free;

Like the straightness of the pine trees, Let me upright be.

Like the arching of the heavens, Lift my thoughts above;

Turn my dreams to noble action, Ministries of love.

God, who touches earth with beauty, Make me lovely, too;

Keep me ever, by your Spirit, Pure and strong and true.

(Words Copyright by Mary S. Edgar)

May we never forget what God has set in our hearts--eternity. Then we can remain heavenly minded while being of earthly good, praising and serving our worthy God, making a difference for eternity.

Keep your springs running freely and shine bright for Jesus!

Dispelling the Big Lie about the Good News

Some of us view certain delivery methods of the Gospel as negative. How can the good news include bad news? Is this possible?

A threefold problem arises when the good news is delivered, however, no matter what the method because: 1. The Gospel reveals that we are sinners. This is hard to hear. 2. The Gospel proves there is only one way to fix our problem and it is not do-it-yourself. This hurts our pride. 3. The Gospel makes known the fact that our time is limited. We don’t like being pushed to make decisions.

And then the Prince of this world, Satan, gets involved. The father of lies convinces us that if we deliver the gospel leaving out the part that hurts people’s feelings, we will get more converts. In other words, if we do it right—the way Jesus did—we will be successful every time. There is nothing farther from the truth. Yes, Jesus emanates kindness and mercy, but he speaks the truth in love and there are times when the truth hurts.

Let’s first take a look at exactly what the good news entails:

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,
which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this
gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on
to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to
the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5).

The most negative thing here is the fact that Jesus died for our sins. Why did my sins and your sins nail him to a cruel cross at Calvary?
1. God’s purpose for our lives includes peace and life, but most of us are not having this experience. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10NKJV).

2.We choose to disobey God by attempting to run our own lives. We ignore his way to peace and life which results in separation from God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23NIV).
3.Through the ages, we have tried in many ways to bridge this gap, without success. “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12NIV).
4. Jesus Christ is the only answer to our problem. He paid the penalty for our sins of going our own way. Jesus built the bridge between God and people with a cross. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8NIV).
5. We must trust Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and receive him by personal invitation and we only have one chance—this life—to do so. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9NKJV).

This represents the greatest of all news! We have a problem that we cannot solve—separation from our holy God. God solved it through giving us his one and only Son, that whoever believes—clings to, relies on, and trusts in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Paul said the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Does that mean if we leave parts of the gospel out it loses power? Isn’t this exactly what Satan wants to accomplish through his lies?

There is even more news to the good news! The Scriptures dispel Satan’s lie that if we give the gospel without any negative connotations we will be doing it Jesus’ way and in turn, be successful every time. Newsflash (that’s really old news)—Jesus did not win every person he spoke to for God. In Mark 10:17-31 Jesus spoke to a rich young man about eternal life. This man did not like being told he was a sinner. He had convinced himself that he kept every commandment since childhood. His pride was hurt because God’s plan for eternal life meant putting God above all of his material wealth that he had worked so hard to attain. Jesus' good news caused a storm to erupt in his heart. He walked away from Jesus sad, without the precious gift of salvation.

Jesus was never politically correct either. He told the woman at the well straight to her face that her religion was wrong (John 4:1-26). But she didn’t walk away sad, she skipped away filled with the living water of eternal life.

Paul said it best when he wrote, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16) Amen.

My Beloved Mother

After a long battle with countless medical issues, my mom went home to live with Jesus on Thursday, February 28, 2008. I wanted to share the eulogy I wrote with you. She was strong and courageous to the very end.

ZENNIE HILDA BROWNING
JANUARY 21, 1934 to FEBRUARY 28, 2008

Recite Psalm 147 First

Mom’s Eulogy March 2, 2008

Back in 2006, when God laid this Psalm—147 on my heart, my church family and friends were dealing with a lot of heartbreaking issues, like the death of a daughter, who was also a young mother, death of a newborn, cancer, and serious illness. God used this Psalm to minister to me and help me pray for all of these hurting people. Now that my family and I are brokenhearted, Jesus, the Good Shepherd led me to this comforting Psalm again.
This Psalm overflows with the attributes of our magnificent LORD, many of which my mother clung to, relied on and trusted in on a daily basis. Let me share a few of them with you:
Through this Psalm, the LORD promises to build up Jerusalem. My mom depended on the Lord, our builder and encourager, to lift her up. Because she dealt with serious illness most of her life, she was constantly being knocked down, but you would never know it. She was the most positive person I have ever known.
Through this Psalm, the LORD promises to heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds. My mom experienced more than her share of heartache and tragedy. My mom depended on God, the healer of broken hearts, to cure the hurt caused by our broken world.
Through this Psalm the LORD promises to sustain the humble. My mom was also the most humble person I have ever known. Her words and actions proved our Lord sustained her.
My mom served God’s children in a way that is unseen and often went unnoticed—she constantly prayed for us. When I read, “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love,” I smile, because through this Psalm I know the LORD is thrilled with my mama. She didn’t worry about doing things to get recognition; she respected her LORD at all times and put her hope in his unfailing love and let him take care of the rest.
One of her repeated testimonies comes from the promise in this Psalm that “He grants peace to your borders.” My mom was frequently trapped in a hospital bed, but she continually bragged on how God repeatedly gave her peace to withstand being bound by her medical challenges. One of her hospital stays lasted 100 days. She made it through by holding on to God’s gift of peace. She believed Jesus when he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
This Psalm also glorifies God as our Creator. My mom relished God’s creation, especially her beloved Florida Keys. She took great pleasure out on her deck watching those fabulous sunsets and feeling cool breezes on her face.
And last but not least, she loved God’s word. She enjoyed good preaching and Bible Study. When my car was headed to church she wanted to be in it. She knew the power of God. She watched and waited as God sent his word to melt hearts of stone. She got excited when he stirred up his breezes and sent his Holy Spirit waters flowing.
I desire to follow in her footsteps and cling to the promises of God. Today, I am assured that she is happy and completely healed. My mom was a strong, selfless woman and always thought of others first. Recently, in the emergency room she cried out. All she wanted was her eyes back so she could read. God answered her prayer and much more. She has her eyes back and a body that will never be sick again or require surgery. She is reunited with her precious son and many other loved ones, and most important she is with her beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. And for that, we can celebrate!

Lasting Peace

Since God commands us to "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3), I feel impressed to share what He's been up to in this Listening Heart. My recent medical problems are long and boring, but God has been working quiet miracles in the tedious details.

To make a long story short, for Christmas, instead of coal in my stocking, I got rocks in my kidneys. While in the Emergency Room I had a catscan that showed a mysterious spot that the radiologists or doctors could not identify. And during follow up appointments, I found out that the surgery I had last summer caused scar tissue that could only be corrected by a hysterectomy. I was angry and scared. Angry that I had wasted time having that procudure last summer and scared because of this unknown "spot."

I put my prayer warriors to work and asked everyone I knew to pray for me. Through prayer, Jesus gave me his peace that passes understanding. In John 14:27 Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

I had my marching orders, but Satan tried to break in and steal Jesus' precious gift of peace more than once. Like when my Mom spent a week at St. Joseph's Hospital in heart and rhenal failure and when problems with my brother's alcoholism flared up, yet again. The final clencher occured when I saw the reason for my visit on the receipt from the general surgeon that became involved in my case. It said, "pelvic mass."

Seeing it in writing made this supposed mass seem real even though God had given me his peace throughout the whole ordeal. The waters of the underlying flow of peace I had felt since my E.R. visit were troubled. I had to wait for the ripples from that rock thrown in my direction to settle down. With more heartfelt prayer and surrender to God's plan for my life, they finally did.

I am now almost two weeks post-op and am doing great. There was no sign of any mass anywhere (and they explored everywhere) and my surgery a complete success. I have to share the "marvelous deeds" he did for me, because one of you may get (or have) some weird diagnosis one day soon. I feel strongly about how important it is for you to be reminded that you, too, can hold on to Jesus' gift of peace no matter how rough the water gets. God will never leave nor forsake you and he will work his miracles in your life every day, guaranteed.

Hold on tight!! All my love, Susan

Five Simple Steps to Improve Your Time Alone With God

Insight blooms when you follow the master of “face-to-face.” Moses, famous for one on one communication with God, talked with him as one who speaks with a friend. Moses can help us improve our hearing of God’s voice and bring us to a higher level.

Digging into the first eight verses of Exodus 34, treasure abounds. Below you will find Moses five straightforward steps toward enrichment:

1. The Lord told Moses to, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first one and I will write on them the words that were on the first tables, which you broke” (Exodus 34:1). Since our hearts of stone have been replaced with hearts of flesh (see Ezekiel 36:26), like Moses, we are to prepare our hearts to receive what God desires to write on them. Preparation includes confession and asking God to fill us with his Holy Spirit. Without preparation my time spent alone with God feels like something is missing.

2. “Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain” (Exodus 34:2). Hearing God’s voice keenly starts with a morning time alone with God in his word, the same way God commanded Moses. During Moses ministry to God’s chosen people he regularly experienced God face-to-face. It works the same way for us when our appointment with God includes our Bible, no matter what time of day it is. There is nothing wrong with praying on the run—in your car or wherever you are. But when I leave out my Bible study, my spiritual nutrition, for too long I become weak. I saw one of those church signs that read, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.” Maybe, “and study” needs to be added to that quote.

3. “No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain” (Exodus 34:3). Jesus said, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6). Old Testament or new, God’s view on prayer has not changed. A special spot where you can be alone with God brings untold benefits. My chosen place is at my kitchen table, a round oak ball and claw. As a mother of three, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen anyway, making my special prayer “room” all the more significant.

4. “So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first one and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord commanded him” (Exodus 34:4). Basically, Moses obeyed God; we can do the same—meet God on the mountain, prepared and early. Obedience, oh so simple, but oh so tough. It’s hard to adjust priorities and remain disciplined. Accountability partners have to be one of the most beneficial ways to stay on track.

5. After hearing God’s word, “Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshipped” (Exodus 34:8). A leader to be emulated, Moses’ response to God reveals his submissive heart. Our Lord is worthy of all praise and honor at once. I can’t say worship comes at once, sometimes it’s delayed. But when I finally get to praising, my mood elevates and my problems shrink.
God’s commands are for our benefit and protection. When he said, “Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain,” he was speaking to all of us, not just Moses. May each one of us find our mountains and make the trek up regularly. God has lots of things he wants to talk to us about.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and
unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

While reading about Abraham and Sarah in Genesis the Lord stopped me in my tracks with Genesis 18:14: "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Abraham and Sarah had been promised a child, but they doubted and took matters into their own hands. The results have been devastating even to this day. When Sarah told Abraham to have a child through her maidservant, Hagar, I bet they never dreamed this "wild donkey of a man" would still be wreaking havoc even into our generation.

Sometimes I doubt, like Abraham and Sarah, especially when I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. But God speaks through his word and says to me, "Susan, is there anything too hard for me?" I know the answer, "No," but I need those nudges from the Lord to carry me through.

My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2

Are you thinking that something in your life is too hard for the Lord to handle?

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is refuge.

Psalm 62:8

Loving God

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

(1749-1832)

I've spent hours wrestling out answers to my questions about the commandment to,"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). Why the breakdown? Why do we have to love him with our hearts? Our souls? Our minds?

Our forever faithful God answers our questions and teaches what it means to love him with everything we have. He even made a promise to that end in Psalm 21:2. He grants the desire of our hearts and does not withhold the requests we make. But for him to be able to answer us, we need to spend some time with him listening.

After spending time in prayer with him and thinking through the breakdown of the heart, soul, mind and strength, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a verse I have memorized—Romans 5:8. This passage reveals the greatest commandment is not a one-sided command from God to us, for it is written:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8 KJV)

Incredibly the greatest commandment applies to both God, the creator and to us, the created! Revelations like these cause a response to God. God regularly works this way—he speaks and we either respond or reject what he says. We respond by obeying his word the best way we know how. We reject by not allowing God’s word to move us into action, which inevitably leads to hearing impairment. How do you respond to his voice, the word of God?