Inspirations from the Funny Farm

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

James 1:2-4 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

There is trouble, trouble everywhere! No matter what we do in life, occasionally trouble or hardship is going to arise. When this happens, and it’s going to happen, it is our natural human instinct to start worrying about the circumstances. We can easily get caught up in circumstances, and we tend to forget that God is already working behind the scenes. God sees our lives from a completely different vantage point, and from His viewpoint everything going on in our lives has a purpose that fits perfectly into His plan for our lives. Isn’t that an amazing thought? I’m always in awe when I realize that our all powerful, all knowing, loving, merciful God pays attention to little old insignificant me and my day to day circumstances!

The scripture reminds us that it is not the seen circumstances that are important, but rather it’s what God is doing in the unseen. It’s what He is achieving eternally. What we are dealing with now, momentary troubles or hardships, are producing everlasting joy! Wait what? Joy? Yes, JOY!

Take a look around today. What troubles are you currently enduring that may be causing you to take your eyes off of God? Are your temporary hardships stealing your joy? God loves us so much more than we can comprehend. He desires a close, personal relationship with us on an individual level. He wants us to come to Him not just in the good times, but also in the bad. He wants us to approach Him with confidence knowing that He will show mercy to us and give us grace. When we do this, approach God with our troubles confidently, we realize that He is not only going to see us through our troubled times, but He is also going to bless us beyond measure through those circumstances. That’s where the joy comes in! With Christ, we can move right on past our trouble and move right on to victory! Don’t waste time on worry…give it to God and get going…

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Philemon 1:6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

Psalm 96:2-4 Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.

Sharing can be easy at times, but other times it is very difficult to share. Take for instance a toddler who is playing with his favorite toy. If you attempt to take that toy, you are likely going to meet the fiery wrath of the terrible twos! We have to teach children to share with others. Our Jude doesn’t like to share his Pop Pop, Mimi, Paw Paw, Mama, Daddy, or Nanny with others, but that kid has a sharing heart! He loves to pick flowers and bring them to all the ladies. I can’t tell you how many rocks I’ve been gifted because “this one is just beautiful, Mimi, and I want you to have it.” Or “I want you to have this one because it’s a perfect square.” And he loves to share his lovely art work and make cards and write letters in 4 year old jargon. He makes my heart smile BIG!

I love to share too. I love to make things and give them away just because it’s so much fun. I started sharing these morning devotionals because I felt we all could use a little encouragement during this storm of life we are going through. I love, love, love sharing my faith! It’s really easy for me to sit down here every morning and pour my heart out to whoever is reading and tell you about Christ. I pray before I write, and I ask God to give the words to share. As you can see, I’m not short on words! But what about that sharing the good news of Christ one on one? Ouch! That one is a little harder. Even though it’s hard, we have to share Christ with others. It’s our duty! If we don’t share Him, who will?

When I first became a Christian, I was like a toddler with a new toy. I had Christ. He was mine. I was saved. I didn’t need to share Him. For many years, I was content in the knowledge that I was saved by faith, and that’s all I needed. However, the good Lord saw fit to change my heart and helped me realize that everybody needed Jesus, not just me! It’s hard to get those conversations started at first. The first words are always the hardest, but once the words start flowing, they will continue to flow. You just have to get started. Our pastor shared some evangelism pearls with us a while back. He shared that we could start by asking about family, and then activities they enjoy, and then move on to discussing religion. Ask what church they attend. Then the conversation can flow to sharing Christ. It helps when you have a plan in place, but sometimes you just have to wing it.

We ran into an old friend at the gas pumps a while back. I was in the store, and he and Jeff spoke for a few minutes before I came out. After we left, Jeff said they were talking about how nice these spring mornings have been, and Eddie asked him, “what do you think the thermostat in heaven is going to be set on?” I told Jeff, “wow, I’m stealing that line!” What a great, easy way to lead into a conversation about Christ!

Sharing our faith can be as easy or as hard as we make it. There’s no doubt that old devil is going to try to shut your mouth. He’ll put stumbling blocks in your path. Fear will sneak in. You may feel you don’t have the ability or the words or just feel totally inadequate. Well, guess what? I feel the same way! It’s scary, but I have learned that all I have to do is be brave enough to open my mouth. The Holy Spirit will provide the words. He does and He will every…single…time! You just have to start the conversation, plant the seed, and let God do the rest!

2 Corinthians 7:1 Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

About this time last year, I had the bright idea to ask my husband if I could pressure wash the back deck. It was turning gray and there was a lot of mildew here and there. I thought we better clean it up before the wood started to decay. I didn’t think that thought through fully because, of course, after you pressure wash all the deck, you then must pressure wash all the railing around the deck…and then around the entire house…and then the porches…and you can’t forget the sidewalks. But finally, after the grime and wear of the last 2-3 years had been washed away, we carefully applied a new stain sealer to all of the wood, and suddenly, it looked brand new. After much hard work and a few wayward splinters, I was able to say, “wow, that hard work really paid off!” It can be a very tedious task taking care of the physical aspects of our home, but if we want to keep living here and enjoying this piece of paradise that God gave us, it’s something that we must do.

Now, what about our physical bodies? Yea, you knew the nurse practitioner in me had to go there. We take care of our homes because we live inside them, but what about the body? Well, that’s even more important. The Holy Spirit resides inside of each and everyone of us if we have been saved by faith. Our bodies are temples in which the Holy Spirit lives so shouldn’t we make a concerted effort to take care of the Holy Spirit’s home? Sure we do, but how? We have to take care of ourselves physically & spiritually. We need to get a good nights sleep so that we are refreshed and ready to take on the day. We need to eat a healthy diet so that we have energy to do the tasks at hand. We need regular exercise to keep our bodies strong and ready to go into action. We have to continue to grow in the word to keep our minds sharp and focused on Christ. And we must strive daily to live for Christ.

This sounds like I’m just trying to throw in a medical lecture here, but what I am saying is so very true. If we aren’t taking care of our bodies, the living temple of the Holy Spirit, how in the world can we expect to be able to do the job that is set before us? If we want to keep living for Christ, we must take care of the physical body as well as the spiritual. I love our little home and our little piece of paradise that God has given us for now, but this is not my eternal home. Even so I want to take care of it while I live here. And I want to take care of myself so that I can continue to do the Lord’s work and His will. Physical health is very important! Take care of yourself! And when you see Christ using you for His glory and our good, you will say, “wow, that hard work is paying off.” We aren’t finished yet, but we’ll get there. Take care of yourself physically and spiritually each and every day.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” I John 4:9-11

“What’s love got to do with it?” I love singing that song in my best Tina Turner voice at the top of my lungs with my wild crazy hair (because it’s always crazy) while riding in the car with my daughter. Crystal always laughs out loud as she reminds me once again that I can’t sing. But I assure you, just because I can’t doesn’t mean I won’t sing! Just ask my kids and they will tell you! I love my family. I love crazy little moments like this that make us giggle and laugh until we cry. I love my husband more than I dreamed possible. I love my kids, and oh, how I love my little grandson! Over the past weekend, my family has shown me so much love as we celebrated Mother’s Day. The gifts were all very memorable, but the love of family, the love of my children, well that my friends is priceless!

Most of the time it’s easy to love. God blessed me with a heart the size of Texas, and I love with every ounce of my being. Yes, most of the time, loving other is easy, but other times…it may be a little harder! It’s easy to love when everything is going well, when everyone is getting along, and when things are running smoothly. It’s easy to love those who love you. It’s a little more difficult to love when things aren’t going the way we want them to. It get’s hard to love when someone hurts us or when we are mad or angry about something. It really gets hard to love those who hate us. However, when I think about love, I think about all of the wonderful blessings God has bestowed upon me. I can’t possibly think about love without thinking of the love of God. He loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us. There is definitely no greater love than that. As Christ followers, we are commanded to love like Jesus loves. He didn’t tell us to love the ones that love us. No, my friends, Jesus commanded that we love them all…the good, bad, and ugly acting ones! That’s definitely not an easy command to follow, yet we must strive to do so.

Our pastor always says that a way we can check our love for God is by looking at how well we love others. That doesn’t mean how well you love those you are supposed to love, but rather how well are we loving those unlovables? I have found that the more in love we are with Jesus, the easier that task of loving others becomes. This past year has been a tough time for all of us to endure, but I have seen firsthand how showing a little love makes things so much better. No matter how bad things seem, don’t forget that God loves you and He is on your side. Hang on to that and share some of that love with others today. I love ya Peeps!

Phillipians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

When times get tough, the tough get going. That old saying rings very true. It’s funny how hard times tend to bring out our true colors. When you squeeze a lemon, you will either get a bitter glass of lemon juice or you can add a little sugar and enjoy a glass of lemonade. What about when you squeeze a person though? When someone is put under pressure, stress, or hard times and is squeezed, what comes out? The true heart of the person will generally show. You might see anger or bitterness, or you might actually see love and continued joy despite the circumstances.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. As Christians, we are by definition followers of Christ. We must be imitators of Christ. In Philippians 4:9, Paul is saying, “if you want to live like Christ, live like me. Do what I’ve taught you.” Paul continually lived His life with eternity in mind. He set a high bar for us all to follow. When I compare myself to Paul, I find that I fall so short. When I compare myself to Christ…well I can’t even compare. I wish I could be more like Paul and so confident that my conduct was so becoming of Christ that I were truly a reflection of Christ in all that I do. I mean really, we wear His name in our name as Christians.

So many people fall away from the church because someone professing to be “Christian” said or did something that was totally unchristlike, and it destroyed their faith. But we have to realize that we can’t place our faith in man. Man is totally imperfect, but a saving relationship in Christ makes us right.Today, think on this. We are getting squeezed pretty hard right now. Times are tough. Our true hearts are going to show. Are you looking like a bitter, sour lemon, or are you sweet and savory like a cool glass of lemonade?

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10-12

Do you ever get weary? Do you ever feel tired? Boy oh boy, this girl right here has felt some kind of weary and tired lately. I’m so tired somedays that my coffee needs coffee! It’s been a crazy year in the general, and it has definitely been crazy in the medical field. I leave the clinic completely exhausted at the end of the day. Between putting on PPE to go outside and evaluate and screen for COVID 19 to suturing lacerations, splitting fractures, to treating all sorts of chronic and acute illnesses, there isn’t any time to relax or refresh…at least not until I get in the car to drive home. God knew what He was doing when He placed me at a clinic that is a 25 minute drive from home. I get 25 whole minutes to pray and praise Him on my way to work, and I get 25 minutes to unwind while listening to a sermon and praying on my way home. Yep, He rigged it. Today, I’m doing home visits. He rigged that too. I’m going to be working, but it isn’t like work at all. I get to spend time in the home of patients, one on one, evaluating and teaching, unhurried, doing what I love. After a long day today, I may be tired, but I’ll also be refreshed. Not only that, God provides physical refreshment through time with family and friends, and let’s not forget that big old bed we get to crawl into every night and get refreshing physical rest!

Sometimes in our spiritual walk we get weary similar to the way our physical walk wears us down. How do we get refreshed spiritually? The answer is pretty much the same. We have to rest in the Lord! Sounds silly, huh? But it’s true! We try to do everything on our own. We tend to have an “I got this” mentality, when in reality, we don’t have it at all! Without Christ, we don’t have anything. With Him, we have all that we will ever need. When we quit trying to do everything on our own, and we start relying on Christ more and more and on ourselves less and less, we won’t grow weary. Rather will gain strength spiritually. When we get in His word and speak to Him in prayer, we are refreshed and renewed and strengthened spiritually. Yep. He has that rigged too,, for our good and His glory! Let Christ refresh you today! There’s nothing better than sipping a refreshing drink of the living water!

Psalm 63:1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

In this world of “gimme more” mentality, it seems almost impossible to be satisfied with anything. There is always something new that recently arrived on the market. The commercials make it sound like that new thing is something we can’t live without. We become preoccupied with the thought of obtaining that new thing that we just have to have until we finally break down and make the purchase. Oh man, this is just what I wanted! But soon thereafter, the new wears off, and we are out looking for the next new must have item. We keep trying to fill a void that we feel with in us with stuff. Unfortunately, that particular void can’t be filled with stuff. It can only be filled with Christ!
How then do we get satisfied with Christ? You have to seek Him. The best way I’ve found to do this is to pray and stay in His word. Fill your heart and mind with Christ and that void will disappear. Fill yourself up with the Word of God, and then you can take the Word with you wherever you go. Learn to lean on Him, talk to Him, share your praises and your prayers with the One who loves you most. There is no greater satisfaction than having a personal relationship with Christ! Get satisfied today!

Isaiah 30:21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

John 14:26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^[a] who will never leave you.

Come on, Lord! Really? That’s a tough one. The words popped in my head the second I rolled over this morning, “voice of God”. How does one explain hearing the voice of God? I’m going to be the first to admit that I have never heard the audible voice of God, and I often doubt in my mind those that say they do. I mean I wish God would just holler at me sometimes, but instead, He politely uses that still small voice. So how does He speak to us? He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. It’s our handbook for life. You can find all the answers you need right there. He speaks to us through prayer. And He speaks to us through our thoughts. Wait, what? Yep, I said it. At least that’s how He speaks to me on a regular basis. I don’t mean I hear voices in my head. I don’t hear actual sentences or a manly or godly voice speaking, but rather it’s more like a feeling. I get an overwhelming feeling about something…relationships, work, finances, and pretty much every aspect of my life. As Christians, the Holy Spirit resides within us. He guides us and directs us if we will only stop long enough to hear. If you have an overwhelming thought to do something or say something or pray for someone or help someone, well then, that’s very likely God speaking to you. The problem we run into is we have to discern whether its God’s voice or our own. Is it in line with biblical principles, or is what I keep thinking about in line with the world? Ha! That’s a tough one.

How do we learn to recognize the voice of God? First, we have to get all of those other voices out of our head. Clear our minds and make room for Him. We can’t hear the Father over all of that other racket we have going on. Find a quiet place with no distractions and talk to God about anything and everything that is going on in your life. Let Him be involved in every aspect. We also have to get to know Him on a very personal level. He already knows us…everything about us…even the exact number of hairs on our head, but do we know Him? We have to make an effort to get to know the Father. We must study His word, and we have to talk to Him on a regular basis. Just as you recognize the voice of your spouse or children in the middle of a crowded room, you will recognize God tugging at your heart and guiding your way.

This morning, Paw Paw arrived at our house at 6 am because the men are loading yearlings up to sale. He cracked the front door open, and our goofy, Bear, started barking. Paw Paw closed the door quickly. He then cracked it again, and Bear barked louder. Finally, Jeff said, “speak to him, Daddy. He doesn’t know who you are ’til he hears your voice.” We think Bear has problems with his vision, maybe or maybe not, but he has problems nonetheless. He startles so easily, but when we speak, he calms right down. He needs to hear his master speak. Kind of sounds familiar, huh? We run through life crazy busy, worrying, and fretting, but when we finally stop long enough to hear our Master speak, we receive calm assurance that everything is gonna be okay. God is with us. He is ever present. If you aren’t hearing Him, maybe you need to work on your receiver because the transmitter never stops working! Be still and know!

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

A couple of weeks ago, we turned our rescued raccoons out. We live on eighty acres in a park like paradise with lots of trees and a small creek trickling through our property. It truly is a perfect place for wildlife to live and enjoy out the days of their lives. The raccoons have been hand fed daily portions of baked sweet potatoes, apples, grapes, bananas, and dog food plus occasional supplements of baked chicken and boiled eggs. Yes our raccoons are quite spoiled. After turning them out, I continue to serve up the same meal on a daily basis until they learn to forage on their own.

Sylvie is my most recent female to release. She has been coming up to the house for treats, tearing up my flower pots on the deck, and making her presence known. This weekend, however, Sylvie got stuck! We have a metal carport cover next to our big shed that is down by the barn which we use for storing feed and equipment. There is a gap of a little over a foot between the roof of the shed and the carport cover. Somehow, Miss Sylvie got onto the carport cover, and then couldn’t get back onto the roof of the shed. There are several trees in close proximity to the shed in which she could use to climb down, but there aren’t any close enough to the carport cover. My girl was stuck. We waited to give her a chance to figure the situation out by herself, but she seemed to truly be stuck. Finally, after realizing that she wasn’t going to get down on her own, my husband put our big 12 foot ladder next to the shed. We placed a heavy board to make a bridge between the two roofs, and I put food and water on top of the shed. It didn’t take her long to get “unstuck” after that. She made her way down, and this morning, the deck flowers have been rearranged again, my front door hanger is on the ground, and evidently, Sylvie has remained “unstuck” for the night!

Have you ever been stuck in a place that you didn’t want to be? Have you ever gotten yourself into a situation in which you couldn’t find your way out? Have you perhaps just felt like you were stuck in a rut? So many times in life we struggle with the thought that life isn’t going the way that we planned, and when we think along this line, we become unhappy about our situation. Life is hard, y’all. It can be full of heartbreaks and disappointments, and sometimes we look around and wonder what happened. How in the world did I get stuck in this rut? How did I get stuck in this situation? Many times, it isn’t our fault, but occasionally we look within and realize that we are totally responsible for the mess we are in, and we are going to need some help getting out of it.

Life is hard, and it seems to be getting harder with each passing day. We have pressing schedules with lists of obligations that we have to meet. We have so many tasks to complete in a single day, and if we dare look at the calendar for the week, we can quickly become overwhelmed. Sometimes we feel stuck in a rut of endless tasks and duties. We want to find a sense of relief and respite, but we can not see any relief in sight. We allow ourselves to dwell on the situation rather than the solution. We long to be rescued.

When we find ourselves stuck and feeling unhappy about life’s situations, we can find great encouragement in scripture. The Apostle Paul always knew exactly what to say. The scripture above was written while Paul was in prison. He tells us that he has learned to be content with whatever he had. He had learned to live with almost nothing or with everything. He was in prison, y’all! He didn’t have anything, yet he was content. How was this so? We read further to see that Paul shares the secret of his contentment. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. It is through Christ that we find the strength to endure every situation. It is through Christ that we too find true contentment. And, it is through Christ that we are rescued!

If you’re feeling stuck right now, you don’t need a ladder and a makeshift bridge to get to where you need to be. No, my friend, you only need “The Bridge”, the Savior. He bridged the gap when He gave His life for your sins, and there is no deep secret here. All you have to do is call out to Him. You don’t have to stay stuck. Let the Savior save you today! And while we wait, even if the weight if the wait is heavy, we can be content knowing that we can do everything with Christ who strengthens us!

Colossians 3:16-17  Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Read full scripture text: Colossians 3:1-17

This morning, I would like to review some important instructions found in Colossians 3. In this chapter, Paul instructs believers to put to death or put off the old self and put on the new self. If we are to walk in Christ we must put off the things that are not of Him, and put on the things of Christ. I love Paul’s writings. He gets right to the point, and his love for Christ shines through the words that he writes.

What are the things that we should put off or put to death? The first thing Paul mentions is that we shouldn’t think about the things of earth. Our focus should be heavenward and not on the things of this life. We have died to this life, so we are to put to death the sinful, earthly things within us. Paul doesn’t make any bones about it, and he lists some specific sins that believers should put off. These include sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. We are not to be greedy, as greed can lead to idolatry and worshiping the things of this world. Paul also reminds us to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. We are not to lie to one another. It is human nature to sin. We are imperfect creations, but we can be made perfect through a loving relationship with Christ who intercedes for us with the Father. If we love Christ, we find it easy to put off these things of the world because the things that we put on are so much better.

What are we to put on? We are to set out sights on the realities of heaven where Christ sits on the right hand of God! We are to dwell on thoughts of heaven and not on the things of this life. We are to put on our new nature and be renewed as we daily learn and get to know our Creator and become more like Him. Paul reminds us that it doesn’t matter who or what we are. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. We are God’s chosen people. He chose you, and He chose me! Because we are chosen by God, we must put on tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We have to be willing to make allowances for each other’s faults, and we must forgive those who offend us. We all have a few faults of our own which have been forgiven and forgotten by our loving Father. Can we not do the same for those who have wronged us? We must also put on love, for it is love that will bind us together in perfect harmony. And with love, we find peace that comes only from Christ.

We are chosen by Christ. Ponder that thought for a moment, and then recline in it. John 15:16 reads, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” He chose us! And because He chose us, we are new creations in Christ. Our love for Him should overflow into our daily lives so much so that those around us see that we are different. We behave differently. We live differently. As you consider Paul’s instructions this morning, think about your personal relationship with Christ. Is there anything that you need to “put off”? Are there a few things that you need to “put on”? It may seem like a daunting task, but nothing is impossible with Christ. Go to Him in prayer. Seek His guidance and will for your life. I promise you that He will help you put off those things that are not of Him, and He will help you put on the things of Christ!