Five Minute Friday: What a Friend!

I have a friend who has stuck by me from the very beginning of my life. In fact, he was there even before I was born. (Psalm 139:13-16)

This friend is always for me, always on my side. He does constant battle with my biggest Enemy on my behalf. (James 4:7, 8, 10)

He prays for me fervently, each time I ask, and even when I don't. And he has direct access to God! (Hebrews 4:14-16)

He loves me in spite of my sins and failures. When I have a bad day, he's there gently encouraging me. When I have a good day, he's there cheering me on. (Romans 8:37)

I have a friend who has promised to never leave me, no matter what happens. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

This friend carries me when I can't seem to take another step. (1 Peter 5:7)

He sings over me and delights in me! (Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 18:19)

Do you know my friend? His name is Jesus, and He is the ultimate friend! He willingly gave his life so that I could be redeemed of my sins and enjoy eternal life in heaven with him.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for his friends."  John 15:13

What a friend we have in Jesus!

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This is an entry for Five Minute Friday. Every Friday hundreds of writers join in this five minute writing exercise at Lisa-Jo Baker's blog, Tales from a Gypsy Mama.

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Lisa-Jo posts on her blog. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

Have a blog? You can join in, too!

Broken... for you

 

This is His body, which was broken for you…

As I tore the bread from the loaf at today’s Good Friday service, these words – broken for YOU – took on new meaning. On this day so many years ago, Good Friday, His body was broken for me. Because I was broken.

We all enter this world broken. But because of Christ’s great sacrifice, we don’t have to stay broken.

He was broken, so we could become WHOLE.

In exchange for death, He gives us life. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

In exchange for our nothingness, He gives us abundance and fullness. (John 10:10)

In exchange for our hearts of stone, He gives us hearts of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

 

In exchange for our sin and shame, He gives us hope and healing. (Isaiah 53:5)

Thank you, Jesus, for bearing my sins on that old rugged cross. I stand before you with nothing, empty hands raised to heaven in praise, and I offer you my heart.

 

Your body was broken for me, and for all who would someday become your children.

In your brokenness, we have found blessing.

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This is an entry for Five Minute Friday. Every Friday hundreds of writers join in this five minute writing exercise at Lisa-Jo Baker's blog, Tales from a Gypsy Mama.

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Lisa-Jo posts on her blog. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

Have a blog? You can join in, too!

 

 

Crazy Faith

Their plan was unconventional. Out-of-the-box. Maybe even just plain crazy.

But they were determined to get their friend to Jesus.

A massive crowd swirled around the entrance to the house, blocking what seemed to be the only way to see the famous healer.

But this group of persistent friends found another way.

Sure, climbing a roof with a paralyzed man on a mat might be an insane idea. But these men had a singular focus, and they had a spectacular faith.

You probably know the rest of the story: These amazing friends removed the tiles from the roof of the house and lowered their paralyzed friend right in front of Jesus.

What surprised me was what happened next. Five little words at the beginning of Luke 5:20:

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

Did you catch that? When Jesus saw THEIR faith!

Jesus recognized these friends and their crazy, wild, unwavering faith. And He went far beyond  healing the paralyzed man of his physical affliction (verse 24-25)... Jesus saved his soul!

Have you been praying for a lost loved one, a troubled teen, a wayward adult child? Be encouraged by this: Jesus sees your faith! Your prayers are not falling on deaf ears.

This verse has given me such hope, and I pray it will do the same for you. Keep believing. Keep praying. No one is beyond the reach of His saving grace. YOUR faith can make a difference in eternity for your friends and family.

Don’t give up: Jesus sees your faith!

 

Five Minute Friday ~ What Mama Did

What will your children remember about you? This week's Five Minute Friday prompt is "What Mama Did."  All week long Lisa-Jo Baker has featured guest bloggers on her site who have shared their own unique memories of their mothers. Now she's giving writers everywhere a chance to share in the fun. So here's my own five-minute version of "What Mama Did." Of course, my mother is so much more than just this glimpse... she's truly one of the most amazing women I know.

What Mama Did...

She fought. When cancer came calling, she donned her boxing gloves and gave it her best right hook, sending it sprawling. She was only 33, with a demanding job as a registered nurse and three kids under 12. But she wasn't about to let the "C" word win.

My seven-year-old self was terrified. Night after night, I lay in my bed, praying my mommy would live.

And live, she did. She trusted God with every fiber of her being. Even when the chemo wasn't working and her beautiful long hair was falling out in clumps, she kept on caring for our family, kept telling people about Jesus, kept living out her faith in her wig for all the world to see.

When I look back on it now, I am speechless. How she managed to be the brave nurse by day and  keep a house running with three rambunctious kids and a cop/husband who worked the night shift is still a mystery to me. I never once heard a complaint uttered from her lips. She just quietly persevered, clinging to Jesus every second.

And she made it, with God's help. She lived to tell her grandkids tales of her childhood and stories of how Grandma fought cancer, punched it in the eye, stood in the center of the ring with God at her side...

And won.

Five Minute Friday ~ Again

“Again, Mommy! Again!”

Joyous toddler cries still faintly echo in my memory even today. In my mind’s eye, I see dimpled, chubby toddler hands reaching up, waiting to be spun around for the umpteenth time. But it’s been a long time since a baby or toddler has lived in this house.

Now those toddler cries have been replaced by the following requests:

“Mom, can I have $10 for the youth group activity tonight?”

Again?

“Mom, can you take me to volleyball practice in 10 minutes?

Again?

“Mom, can my friends sleepover Friday night?”

Again?

I know there will come a day when those requests grow fewer and then silent as each one of my children matures, moves out, and starts their own lives outside these four walls.

So, for now, I try with all my heart and soul to relish the requests of my pre-teen and teenagers, to hang on to each moment with these cherished kids of mine. And I try to remember that someday I’ll wish for their requests – again.

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This is an entry for Five Minute Friday. Every Friday hundreds of writers join in this five minute writing exercise at Lisa-Jo Baker's blog, Tales from a Gypsy Mama.

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Lisa-Jo posts on her blog. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

Have a blog? You can join in, too!

 

Opportunity Knocks

It was 10 p.m. on Friday night when I finally sat down with my laptop to start the Five Minute Friday writing prompt. The word for this week was “opportunity,” and I had some good ideas that I just had to get down on paper. 

That’s when my teenage daughter and her friend bounced into the room with a pile of games.

“Will you play games with us, Mom?” she asked. 

I glanced at my screen and decided this opportunity - the one that offered a connection with my daughter and her friend - was the one worth taking. Writing could wait. 

They say opportunity only knocks once. 

I disagree.

Opportunity knocks every hour, every minute, every second of our lives. 

Sometimes we answer. Sometimes we ignore it. 

But the opportunities are always there. Waiting. 

Opportunities to put others before ourselves. To play with our kids instead of work. To look into the eyes of a hurting stranger and offer a smile. To choose forgiveness and overlook an offense. To pray with our families and discuss things that matter. To laugh and make memories.

We have over 8,600 hours' worth of opportunities ahead of us in 2013. What will you do with the opportunities set before you?

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:15-16

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One Little Word = Big Impact!

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page... Take no interest in the things that were and are past.  ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Last year, we started a new tradition at our house in honor of the New Year. Instead of making resolutions, we each chose a word to focus on during the year. 

This year as we gathered at the table on New Year's Day, I realized that this tradition had quickly become one of my favorites. I handed each member of our family an index card, and we all bent into our cards, writing our soon-to-be-revealed word and a scripture to accompany it.

Then, one by one, we revealed our words. It's a vulnerable moment, sort of like baring your soul and trusting that those hearing your word will "get it" and be supportive. Because that's what family does.

And that's exactly what happened.

Some of the words were simple and others were a bit more complicated and needed some explanation. We all sat and listened and supported one another as we each shared our thoughts about our word.

Did I mention this is one of my favorite traditions? Maybe, just maybe, it IS my favorite.

My word for the year is a simple one, yet so very profound: PRAY.

To me, this is the word that helps me make sense of life. But I don't pray nearly as much as I should. But this year, God willing, I intend to become a woman of prayer!

Dwight L. Moody once said, "Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure." If I'm craving to see God at work in my life and the lives of those I love, this is where it starts... with a fervent focus on prayer.

When I was a little girl, my mother used to sing me a little chorus, and the truths of these simple words have stuck with me all these years:

Why worry when you can pray?

Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay.

Don't be a doubting Thomas,

Rest fully on His promise, 

Why worry, worry, worry, worry

When you can pray?

Can one little word really change a life? I'm willing to find out! Are you? There's still time to choose your word!