I'm not sure why, but early this morning as I was sipping my coffee quietly, an out-of-the-blue question came to my mind: "What's the benefit of being a Christian?" Within 10 seconds, I came up with 5 reasons why I have chosen, by grace, to walk this daily path.

Read and rest in these truths with me:

Benefit 1: I have a place to "put my junk." So much of the time, the things I think, say, or do are just plain wrong, and I know it. The cross of Christ is the place I can pour out my mess, and then walk away clean. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1John 1:9

Benefit 2: I have a Wise Counselor. And, boy, do I need Him! The wonderful thing about Jesus is: He's always available, He's always right, and He's always free. Truly, His Word is flawless. With Him are wisdom and might; to Him belong counsel and understanding. Job 12:13

Benefit 3: I have a bigger purpose than myself. God wants more for me than this culture's unending, life-draining rat race. Instead, He desires to fill me with His incomprehensible love, and then in turn, He asks me to pour it out all over others. THIS is the true, adventurous, fulfilling life! Get yourself up on a high mountain... bearer of good news. Lift your voice mightily… bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to (the people), "Here is your God!" Isaiah 40:9

Benefit 4: I have hope. When, not if, but when, life doesn't make sense, I can trust that God knows what He is doing. If I allow Him to work, then my trials can become the fertile soil of His blossoming glory so those around me will marvel and wonder why I have inexplicable strength, peace, and even joy. Now may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Benefit 5: I am going to live forever. This life is a passing vapor compared to what is ahead for those who call Jesus Savior and Lord. For those who doubt eternal life, let me ask you this: If even man desires to end most of our entertainment with a "happily ever after" closure, why would God, creator of man, end life with disease, death, and decay? No, He is a much more redemptive Author than that! Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. I Peter 1:3-4

Believer or non-believer, ponder these God-breathed blessings and then consider agreeing with each one with a praising shout, "Amen!" Yes, today and tomorrow and forever, let us all rejoice in His rich benefits.

Are you struggling with a relationship right now– a friendship, a parent/child relationship, your marriage?

This may sound too simple, but try kindness. Think of your kind words as much needed raindrops falling on a thirsty flower. Very practically, just as a flower cannot survive without water, neither can your relationship survive without kindness.

First of all, be willing to humbly push aside any stubbornness, pride, or unforgiveness that exists in your own heart concerning the one you are struggling with. This attitude only keeps the air thick and the clouds dark between you both. Ask yourself, “Am I happy with these ill-feelings; really, am I happy being miserable?” If the answer is “no”, then go ahead, choose to rain drops of kindness:

Say to your friend, “Thanks for walking life with me.” (then, compliment him/her on a specific character quality)

Say to your son or daughter, “You are AWESOME!” (then, be sure not to add “but” to this statement)

Say to your husband before he leaves for work, “You’re lookin’ good today, baby.” (then, smile)

It’s amazing what a few uplifting words can do for a thirsty soul. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if kindness was the instigator in saving your relationship? Are you willing? Just try it for a period of time–not just for a day, especially if your relationship has been in a drought for years. Choose a sprinkling throughout each day, every day, until it becomes a habitual part of your relationship.

Now if you are saying to yourself, “No way, impossible, I can’t or won’t do this,” here’s another simple concept: ask God for help. Remember, the fruit of His Spirit is…kindness. (Gal. 5:22) In His kindness, He died for you. Now He wants to (and certainly can!) live through you, but only if you are willing. So reader, if you want to be determined in your relationship, I challenge you to be determined in a new way… decide to speak life-giving words into the heart of another. Likewise, if you want to be strong-willed in your relationship, then do so with a new purpose. Uncompromisingly say to yourself concerning your friend, your child, or your spouse, “The drought is over…today, it’s gonna rain.”

She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Pr. 31:26

Dear Readers,Not too long ago I had a conversation with Michael Easley on his radio broadcast show called InContext. If you have the opportunity, I welcome you to listen to my thoughts and stories about life and God, highs and lows, messing up and maturing.

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The interview can be found here: http://michaelincontext.com/listen/

‍Resting in Him alone.

The other morning I woke up extra early. Within minutes, I had numerous thoughts about the upcoming day racing through my mind. When this happens, it is more tiresome for me to lay in bed than to just get on up and sit, be still with the Lord, holding a warm cup of coffee in my hands. So, I rolled out of bed…In the summer, my "quiet place" is a specific spot on the screened-in-porch. On this particular morning, it was still dark outside…very very quiet. Ahhhh.Even though it was dark, I knew the landscaping that existed just beyond the porch: the crepe myrtles with pink blooms, the green grass, the rounded bushes, etc. Although, I couldn't see these things, I was certain they were there; darkness did not mean the existence of nothing. This got me to thinking about the biblical concept of faith. And then these questions came to my mind:What if I believe God's word with the same certainty as I believe in the unseen landscaping that exists before the morning light? What if I know that I know that I know that every word of God is true and good and just? Would I live differently? I want to.If His word says, Do not fear, I am with you, do I believe this truth whole-heartedly? And if Scripture says, Be kind to one another, am I living this command convictingly? And if His word promises, I will come again, and receive you to Myself, am I holding this gift expectantly? (Is. 41:10; Eph. 4:32; John 14:3)Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1The thing is, God's word is more real than the crepe myrtles that stood in the dark just outside of my screen porch. His word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to jusdge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12Hold God's word, my friend, as your ultimate reality. Take all His truths, His commands, and His promises and live by them. See the unseen. And then, as the Lord sheds His light on His truths in your heart, watch expectantly for beautiful things to take place all around you. His word will pierce your darkness.

Let us press on to know the Lord, His going forth is as certain as the dawn. Hosea 6:3

Do not quench the Spirit. I Thess. 5:19Because I believe in Jesus, I know His Spirit lives in me. Over the years of my faith walk, I have grown as a result of: digging into God's word, trusting it to be true, and then following through with obedience. Sometimes this is as easy as 1-2-3, and sometimes it just plain isn't. My flesh is still very much alive and, quite frankly, it can work in complete contradiction to the Spirit.To explain, I will share an experience from the other day. Only to make a contrasting point, I will share two Spirit-led "good deeds"from that day. One, I met with a dear lady for brunch; she just needed a listening ear, some biblical encouragement, and a friend who cared. So, I willingly sat with her. This encounter was certainly Spirit led. And then a little later, I went to get my suburban's emission's test done. For years now, I have intentionally paid the required fee for the the car behind me without them knowing it. (There was a time in my life that I was not able to do this financially, but now that I can, I do.) Again, Spirit led.Now, for the flesh. In between these two acts of kindness, I had a trip to the post office on my to-do-list. For some reason, I have a strong aversion concerning the post office. When I go, there's ALWAYS a long line. And then, there's that AKWARD silence inside. And sometimes, postal people aren't very nice when you finally reach them. Anyway, I was sitting in my suburban about to get out, when I saw a young mom who had a baby in a stroller, a toddler, as well as her package; because her hands were full, she was trying to open the post office door with her leg. While observing this scene, I spoke out loud to myself, "Oh great, you mean I'm gonna have to stand next to THAT?!" Whoa! And wow! Really? Yep, that's Chris without Christ. Flesh at its finest. The crazy thing is that I used to be THAT--I had four kids in under six years and I home schooled; so for about a decade, I was like a walking amoeba, with all kinds of arms, legs, heads, and noises coming from my moving conglomeration. Why in the world would I so begrudgingly target this innocent mom trying to enter the post office? Flesh. The saving thing is, the Spirit keeps me in check. When I heard my own words, I was quiet surprised at my rottenness; I confessed to Lord, and then got out with great intention to go help that dear momma. (Turns out, I forgot to bring the address to my own package, so I never even made it inside. Ugh, the post office!!!)So that's just one day in my Spirit vs. flesh existence. I could share more of my fits of Christ-less-ness, but I might lose some readers. Instead, I will finish this post how I started: the more I'm in the word, trusting its validity, and obeying it submissively, the more I grow in my faith. I will never be an angel on earth, but my hopeful prayer is that the Spirit will win out more and more and more, not only for my own sake but for others around me, INCLUDING YOUNG BEUATIFUL AWESOME MOTHERS WHO HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL, even at the post office.But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Gal. 5:16-17, 22-25

How fitting for the doorknocker to reverberate and my dog to go wild with barking as I sit down to write this post. Over the past two weeks, we have had continual workmen coming in and out of the house due to water damage from the recent ice storm here in middle Tennessee. The first day, a strip of the hardwood floor was pulled up in our den; the second day, more was removed; the third day the kitchen bar and counter top was disassembled; the next and the next day, the kitchen hardwood and the baseboards disappeared. Today it's part of a wall.Early on in this venture, I kindly asked a workman where my bread/toaster drawer might be located so that I could make my daughter a quick sandwich. He said, "Oh, I took that drawer down to your basement. It's sitting on the floor behind the couch." At this moment, I decided that I had one of two options in handling this whole ordeal: either laugh or cry. I looked at the workman and smiled; down the stairs I went... hahahahahaha.Meanwhile, as the workman are ripping apart the kitchen and den, I am trying to write a devotional book. Hahahahahaha. And I'm a stickler for uninterrupted silence when I write. Hahahahaha.This morning, as I was getting ready for the unfolding of the day, the words persevere with pleasure kept rolling through my mind. I am already learning to live this phrase out through the daily "sweet and happy chaos" that involves the diverse people who currently reside here: Mac and me, our grad-student daughter, our high school daughter, our French exchange student, a PA graduate student, and a an amazing budding artist. (We also have an inside-dog that always wants out, and an outside-cat that always wants in.) This variety is all good, and I love it. However, it's these additional bodies showing up ALL THE TIME with hammers and drills and electric saws who are testing my tolerance level. Right now, I never really know who I'm going to meet in my hallway. Hahahahaha.So, can I persevere with pleasure, as I feel the Lord is asking me to do? Yes, but only with Him. Only He can give me a joyful attitude. And only He can change my perspective. Through all of this, He is refining me. Crazily, I am actually learning how to "pretend I am alone", drowning out all noice and choas as I write this assigned 365 day devotional book--241 devotional prayers down, 124 to go. Persevere with pleasure. Yes, Lord, I will.Reader, I am very aware that my current ordeal may be nothing compared to what you may be facing in your world right now. The things happening in my den may accurately represent the turmoil inside your own heart. Life is hard, and deep suffering is not laughable. Your situtation may be worthy of many long blubbering cries. Please weep, but weep with the Lord. He cares for you. Ask Him to come into your midst. Allow Him to fill You with His peace, and yes, even His joy, as you slowly rise up and press on. Know that He is with you right now and that He will see you through to the end. Only He can change your life's perspective, bringing beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3). Hear His words:Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Phil. 2:13Persevere with pleasure, my friend. Jesus is faithful to walk with you every step.Now I have to go….the roofers are here (what?????)….the dog just got out, and the cat just got in….hahahaha.