Our Godly Character

Hello, dear Readers-

Nearing the end of our time in Los Angeles, we felt good about what we accomplished. To our understanding we had completed everything we were sent to do, and more.

On Friday night we returned to the hotel after a long day and just as we were pulling into the parking lot, we received a text from the airline saying our flight for the next morning had been cancelled. We all went to our rooms to pack and get ready to leave the next day, just as we had planned to do, assuming there was an error that would be corrected by morning.

During the night, Sam our team leader, texted back and forth with the airline to no avail. The flight was back on, then off again, delayed 20 minutes, back on time, delayed 30 minutes. That was how it stood as we woke up that morning.

As I was spending some time in prayer before I got up to dress, the

Lord told me, “This is your opportunity to show your Godly character.” I laid there and thought about that for a few minutes. What did I have within me that could be considered Godly character? Then He brought to mind, Gal. 5:22-23, the Fruit of the Spirit.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

I shared the challenge to “show our Godly character” with the others.

By the time we arrived at the airport the flight had changed again. It was back on regular time, then cancelled again and then on again, but without us. Sam talked to three different airline employees, going higher up the chain of command each time, while the rest of

Airport Lobby

us sat across the lobby praying. The spiritual warfare was intense. He finally came away with two choices: leave on the same flight the next day (but they wouldn’t help us find a hotel to stay in or help get us there and back or pay for the extra meals we’d need. Option two was to stay in the airport and leave on a flight that night, changing planes in Chicago instead of Denver. Twelve hours in the airport is a long time but we got the distinct feeling that God was keeping us from harm.

Something like this doesn’t happen every day, but other things happen that might test our Godly character. Many times since then I have heard that wee small voice reminding me that “this is an opportunity to show your Godly character.”

There are some of God’s character traits that we cannot, as humans, show. His omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence and His position in the Trinity. Being sovereign, immutable and rendering judgement are reserved for Him. But He has allowed us to take on other character traits to make us better people and make the world a better place.

Gal. 5:22-24 from The Message says it well:

^22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

^23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

What about you? Has God given you opportunities to show your Godly character? How did it go for you? Leave a comment below. I’d love to know how He works in your life.

Going out with joy today to experience His plan for me-

Cathy

Why, God?

Questions for God

Greetings, Dear Readers-

Do you ever wonder why God asks you to do some of the things He does? This question has rolled over and over in my mind since my return from Los Angeles. So far, the answers have been vague. Here’s what prompted the question:

Near the end of our time on Hollywood Boulevard, on the second day of our trip, we stopped at the entrance to a shopping mall to pray. As we were deep in prayer, a lady came near and took a seat on a wall, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive. Sam felt God nudge him to pray for this lady, but while we were still in prayer, she walked away. He prayed that God would bring her back if she, indeed, needed prayer. She came back. Finishing our prayer, we approached her and tried to have a conversation with her. She was from Holland and only spoke Dutch. We couldn’t understand her and she couldn’t understand us. She seemed okay with us praying anyway.

Echo Park Entrance

On Friday, we returned to Echo Park (more on the park next time) to pray. We all had the feeling we weren’t quite done yet. I felt God urge me to go pray for a man scrunched down behind us painting. I left the prayer circle and approached the man only to find he couldn’t speak English. Through some hand signs, I discovered he came to the park to paint canvases which he later sold on the street. He knew the names God and Jesus but I don’t know if he had a relationship with them. He allowed me to pray for him. I returned to my friends who were still praying.

So, my question is, “Why would God send us all the way to Los Angeles and have us pray for people who couldn’t understand what we were saying to them?” What do you think, my dear readers? I’d love to have your insights in the Comments Section.

Prayer Circle

The only thing that has come to me is that it was a question of obedience. Would we back away or follow through, given this barrier? Maybe God translated our prayers into their own language. He did that in the Bible. Both of them had an aura of peace about them when we parted. Did we witness a modern-day miracle and didn’t even know it?

Going out with joy today, waiting for my next set of instructions-

Cathy

Movie, Anyone?

Hello, Dear Readers-

Movie Theater

Before the Hands on Missions Team left for Los Angeles, we spent several months praying collectively and separately about the trip and the mission God had for us. These are the notes I made in my prayer journal after I prayed one morning:

07/07/17 God said, “Pray for the film industry to be flooded with good, wholesome films – no sex, no violence, no foul language – that families can attend together and that I will approve of. Pray for film writers to be writing those kinds of films. Pray that people, especially Christians, will become fed up with films that depict behaviors I would disapprove of and that they will stop using their resources to support these films. Money speaks in Hollywood. If Hollywood rejects these well-written movies, let other, lesser known studios, profit from producing and showing them. Turn Hollywood upside down. Let the current powers that be in Hollywood stand around wringing their hands because they don’t understand what is happening.”         

On the second leg of our flight to Los Angeles, Sam, our Team

Leader, sat next to a young man who is in the Christian film industry. Davis and his business partner work with Christian organizations to make films used to promote the message they are trying to get out to the public. Two evaluations he made in the conversation with Sam touched me:

1)      Christians need to be about the business of busy-ness warfare. Satan is keeping Christians so busy, even doing good things, that they are neglecting their prayer life and other Christian duties.

2)      When we asked him how we could pray for the Christian film industry, Davis replied, “Pray that Christians will support us.” It broke my heart to think that Christians wouldn’t attend good, clean, family oriented movies over those that portray worldly lifestyles.

A familiar scripture says,

“If my people who are called by My name

will humble themselves,

and pray and seek my face and

turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin

and heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14 ESV)

The solution to this and other problems in this world is in our hands, Dear Readers, if we count ourselves as His disciples. Will you do your part to use the resources He has blessed you with to support films and television shows that honor Him and the Christian Worldview?

Going out with joy today to love and serve Him-

Cathy

Take a Seat, Please!

Hello, Dear Readers –

LA Mission Team

Mary Jane, Cathy, Karen, Sam and Hannah

The team of five arrived home from the Los Angeles mission trip and we’ve recovered from jet lag, which, as it turns out, is a very real thing. I couldn’t physically or mentally function for several days after we returned. We are all back to normal now (I smile as I type that – us, normal!) and as He promised us, God showed up and heaped blessings all over and around us. I’ll have to unfold the story in several smaller portions to get it all told. Here’s the beginning:

On the flight from Charlotte to Denver, Sam (our team leader) sat on a row alone, with two of us seated behind him and two seated across the aisle. The seat beside him stayed vacant for quite

An Empty Seat

some time as the plane filled up. A young man finally came searching for that seat. As we were traveling to the airport, Sam told us that he planned to get some rest on this first flight. The young man sat down and he and Sam exchanged pleasantries, and Sam prepared to lean back and get comfortable. Once the young man found out Sam was involved in Missions, the floodgate of questions opened and Sam politely answered them, still set on resting during this flight. But the young man was so hungry and thirsty for the truth of Jesus and the knowledge of Him that he kept Sam busy and then prayed to accept Christ as His Savior somewhere between Charlotte and Denver.

Brand-new Bible in a Suitcase

Sam let the rest of us know what had happened and we prayed for this young man with our arms through the seats, over the seats and across the aisle. His entire countenance had changed since he sat down in that seat next to Sam. God had prompted one of the ladies to pack a Bible she had at home, brand-new, still in the wrapper. She got her suitcase out of the overhead bin and fished out the Bible and gave it to the young man, who we now knew as Wycliffe. He hugged it to his chest and rubbed it and smiled as he said, “I WILL read this.”

We all met in the airport waiting room when we debarked so all we Mommas could hug him and properly welcome him to the family.

Now here’s the rest of the story:

Wycliffe lives in Atlanta now but is originally from a village in Africa. Sam was in Wycliffe’s home village three weeks earlier as he partnered with a minister there to spread the news of Jesus.

Wycliffe wasn’t supposed to sit in that sit next to Sam. His seating assignment had been changed at the last minute “to accommodate another passenger with a special need.”

I had just finished reading the autobiography of William Cameron Townsend, the founder of the

Wycliffe Bible Translators Logo

Wycliffe Bible Translators, the week before the trip. One portion talked about how some of the natives had shown their gratitude to Townsend and his wife for all the many kindnesses they performed in the villages by naming their children after them and their work. I asked Wycliffe where he got his name and he replied, “From my grandfather.” As soon as I heard Wycliffe’s name, I was struck that Wycliffe’s grandfather may have been one of those babies. The time periods line up for it to be so.

Was all of this coincidental? I don’t think so. I believe God let us see how He works. I believe God had been making a way for Wyclliffe to come to know Him for over three generations.

What lengths has God gone to so you would know and love Him? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.

Going out with joy today because God is at work all around us –

Cathy

Because You Will Go

Los Angeles, CA

Before another week passes by I want to touch base with you, my dear Readers. It’s that “time flying by” thing going on again. I guess that could be written up as the story of my life.

Tomorrow I will be flying to Los Angeles, California, on a Mission Trip where a team of five will be doing street evangelism and prayer walking in a couple areas of the city. God has given us a specific assignment just as He did last year when He called us to go to Washington, DC, for a similar purpose. On that trip, God showed up and showed out in ways we never imagined He would, even giving us visual cues for what He was going to accomplish in Washington.

We have been gathering each month since March to pray for the trip, for each other, and for

Meeting for Prayer

directions from God as to what our exact mission is. Several of us have questioned God about why He would call people from a small town in North Carolina to go to a huge city like LA, especially when there are already Christians there. Why not just call on them? The answer I received through prayer was, “Because you will go.”

Because I am available, He is using me. It doesn’t have anything to do with my skills, what I can add to the team, or whether I am prepared to meet strangers on the street with the message of God’s love for them. It’s simply because I will go. He’ll do the rest by preparing hearts in California for a divine appointment with an old lady from North Carolina. Just because I will go.

What about you? Are you available? Will you go where He sends you? Tell me how He is using you in the comment section below. I’d love to hear your stories.

Going out with joy today-

Cathy

Getting Older? Here's the Test

Time Flies

I’ve discovered a sure-fire way to tell if you are getting older: combine three active children, sometimes alone and sometimes together day and night for parts of two weeks and then add in a four-day trip that will require sixteen hours of driving before you’re back home. It’s been a whirlwind but I loved every minute. My children and grandchildren live away from the town I live in so visits are a treasure.

Emma, our 9-year-old granddaughter, arrived first. She stayed with Pawpaw and me so she could attend a two-week long drama/art camp in town. The camp was Monday – Thursday from 9-11 am for drama and from 1-3:30 pm for art. It’s been awhile since I was responsible for getting someone up, dressed, fed and delivered somewhere at a certain time of day. Thankfully, she was good about getting up and getting ready. It was just us the first week.

Emma and McKenna

at the  Park

The next week, McKenna, our 6-year old great granddaughter, decided she wanted to come spend some time at our house. She arrived on Sunday evening. Emma also returned on Sunday evening from spending the weekend at home. The two girls loved being together again and, as a bonus, McKenna got to play with a cousin who was also in town.

Our grandson, Matthew, 9 1/2 years old, came from Charleston on Tuesday to join the festivities. He came so that he could travel with us to Columbus, GA, on Thursday to a reunion of the unit my husband served with in Vietnam. Matthew is a history buff so this trip was right up his alley.

Matthew with his

Black Belt

These three and the two others who didn’t get to come are beautiful, sparkling gems that God has placed in my life. We managed to fit all kinds of activities into these two weeks. Afterwards I wondered when I got so old. In my mind’s eye, I’m still in my twenties with an abundance of energy. In reality, I’m seeking every opportunity to take a nap.

Looking back on those two weeks, I’m glad it all happened. I loved seeing the drama camp play that Emma was in come together as they worked on it day after day. Imagine taking 60 children, most of whom had never acted, and producing a play to present to parents and the public in just eight days, costumes and all. McKenna’s sweetness permeates the house and everyone in it when she’s here. Even gruff old Grandpa is transformed. At six, she has formed definite opinions about life and I learn a lot from her. On one hand, Matthew quietly observes life (you can learn a lot that way) and on the other he is all boy riding four wheelers, climbing trees, shooting his bow and arrow, and learning about guns from Grandpa while sitting under a shade tree.

Four Wheelin'

Today, I am thankful for these precious blessings God has given me in my old age. And I’m thankful that I still have what it takes to keep up with these blessings. What are you thankful for today?

Now, I think it’s naptime!

Cathy

Continuing the Journey

Hourglass

Hello, dear readers! Lots of life has happened since we last talked. We’ve been apart longer than I intended when I took a break from blogging. I’ve missed you.

            Often, I feel like I am a puppet on a string at the mercy of someone else’s plan for my day. A day is gone, then a week, and then a month has passed and my head wiggles and waggles like a booble-head doll, wondering where all those days went and what I did to fill them up. When I was about twenty-years old an elderly lady (it seems strange to say that now that I am one!) told me that the older you get, the faster time goes. I discounted that information because she was an old lady and what could she possibly know. Now I know. Now I’m the old lady giving young women a reason to shake their heads.

Friendships are

like jewels

            I’m looking forward to being back with you, my dear readers, as we share the journey through this world to our real home in Heaven. The journey here is still joyful and God is still placing gems along my path that I want to share with you.

Joy and blessings to each of you!

See you again soon-

Cathy