Tools of Life

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Posted on 24th May 2009 by Tracie in Tracie's Blog

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Many of you will recognize this theme song from the 1975 movie Mahogony.  It was sung by Diana Ross.

Do You Know Where You\’re Going To?

Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to, do you know?
Do you get what you’re hoping for?
When you look behind you there’s no open door,
What are you hoping for, do you know?

As I read those words I can do nothing less than to ponder them and I ask myself, do I know in what direction my life is going?  What do I hope for?
As I look behind me, and see the experiences of life that have shaped and formed me I am joyful for them.   Notice I didn’t say ‘happy’, but joyful, for many of the experiences were rough going and I would not want to experience them again.  And I’ve made mistakes.  But as I look in the mirror to what I have become, and where I am going, I am joyful in the Lord!  He has blessed me with life shaping experiences that have led to lifelong Christian formation.  I can now look behind me to see closed doors and smile inwardly as to the invaluable experiences.

We cannot know the exact direction our life is going, but we can set the course through planning and preparation.  We begin this process very early in life usually with the aid of another (parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, etc.)  They set our course, give us the directions, and then set us free hopefully with all the right tools.

If you were to list the tools you’ve had in life, those you have passed on, what would that list look like?

As some of you are reading this, you may be thinking of your children and asking yourself, what have/did I pass on?  Did I include the very ones that matter the most; the teachings that are for lifelong Christian formation?

What are you hoping for, do you know?

Lifelong Spiritual Formation is the essential tool to the whole of life.  If we have given/received nothing but spiritual directives then we have given/received the love of our Maker and Redeemer, the tools that are life sustaining.

It’s not too late you know.  If you were not given the directions of life, you can still receive them with some effort.  It takes effort to learn the ways of the Lord; it takes effort to teach the ways of the Lord.  But we have a responsibility to ourselves and our younger generations.  We have a responsibility to our Lord and our church family.

Many of us hope for, we yearn for that one thing in life that is solid, strong, never failing and life sustaining.  And it is right in front of you.  Grab it, hold on to it and never let it go.

“For the Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”                               Hebrews 4:12-13

Where are you going to, do you know?

Come to the gathering of believers, to your church, with no pretense, with the doors of the past closed, ready to open doors to the future.   Join a Sunday school class and/or the Wednesday evening Bible Studies for that is where lifelong spiritual formation begins.

Receive and give the tools of life and then you will know, you will be assured of hope and direction.

“Growing spiritually is an exciting adventure. As individual and as communities, we change, we are renewed, and we share in renewing God’s creation every day. As Christians who claim life in the power of the Holy Spirit, we live and rejoice in what God already has done, what God is doing, and what God wants for us. Spiritual growth is a lifelong process, and spiritual disciplines are the means by which we continue that process.”
Foundations: Shaping the Ministry of Christian Education in your congregation.

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Blessings and Hope

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Posted on 30th November 2008 by Tracie in Tracie's Blog

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I hope all had a great Thanksgiving holiday!  The Davisduo enjoyed time with family and friends, delicious food and made memories.  We certainly are a very blessed people!  I think of my most cherished blessings each time I can hold a grandchild, look into their eyes, whisper in their ear.  What is it about grandchildren?  I don’t get to see my Kens(no.3) very often but there is something about the connection, the bond of grandmotherly love, that makes time irrelevant.  The moment I see her/she see’s me I feel the love in her heart, see it in her eyes.  She is so very beautiful.  It is no different with each one of the other girls.  Rhilyn is the sweetest little toot!  She has this wonderful head of curls and scrunches her nose when she smiles.  She is just learning to talk.  Soon we will have grandchild number 5!  We are all hoping for a boy.  Ahh yes!  So many blessings!

Speaking of blessings, today was my first Sunday back since my surgery.  We had our Church Christmas dinner with Santa Claus.  For us Methodists, today is the beginning of Advent.  It is the season of the church year that we prepare our hearts and minds for Christ’s coming.  It is a time of waiting, listening, of stilling ourselves in preparation for the greatest of all events.  Each Sunday the sermon, the whole service, is set around that.  We have an advent wreath which consists of 5 candles.  Each week a candle is lit by chosen families of the congregation.  Families use that particular Sunday to make sure their entire family is in attendance and dressed up for the scripture reading and the lighting.  The candles represent Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and then on the Christmas eve service, the Christ candle is lit.  It is our tradition that the pastors family lights the first candle, the light of hope.

So now, the season of hope has begun.  As I sit here pondering that thought, I am reminded of a dead man’s family in what must be utter grief and confusion.  That a man was trampled to his death by people caught up in a moment of despicable and inhumane acts of greed speaks volumns to the degrading condition of the human race.

Every day, turn on the news, open the paper, crime is rampid.  Violence of every kind is reported.  Tragedy in people’s lives is a common occurrence whether from accident, disease, crime, greed, hate, selfishness, neglect.  These are the events, the attitudes that rob us of so much of life’s beauty.  From the bliss of the garden to the shame of deceit we have always been dependent upon the grace of our Lord and Savior.  It is only He who can rescue us from those moments of hell on earth.  It is only He who can give us hope.  He is the provider of our many blessings; He is the provider of our hope in a world of chaos.  It is He who provides the very one thing we can hold on to.  Do you know this to be true in your life?


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Hope

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Posted on 1st November 2008 by Tracie in Deeper Thoughts

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I remember well the time when I had no hope.  It was a time of great misery for me.  A time when the trials of pain consumed my every thought.  Pain had become the controlling presence of my life.  But it was at that time of my deepest despair that God reached out to me.  With His mighty arm He pulled me into His grip of grace, enveloping me with a love that only He can provide.  He breathed into my very soul the light of hope.  It was then that I began my search for an answer as to why I should have any hope at all.  It was in His word that I found my answers.  Through His divine leading, by the power of His Holy Spirit, I found this verse…

“So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

The truth and power of this one verse gave me the hope I had been lacking.  It was His strength that lifted me and led me on to discover that my hope lied not in self, but in the promises of a new life. 

As I grew in my understanding of the Biblical story, I began to realize that from the very beginning of creation God has constantly been in action to instill and fulfill hope for mankind.  He does that now through the various journeys we travel in our lives.  Journeys that grow faith, events that keep hope alive.

Christ’s journey involved much sacrifice, temptation, some disappointment and much pain.  But His faith was unbreakable for His faith bore the Spirit of God.  His hope was that found not only in His eternal life but in the newness of His people.  He came so that we might all die to self and rise again in a new life.  A life filled with hope, peace, joy and love.

Hope, very simply put, is in Jesus Christ.  And that hope is alive today and available to all for the asking. 

If you don’t yet know Jesus Christ to be your Savior, your hope for new life, pray this prayer now asking Him to fill your soul with His Spirit.

Abba Father, I praise your very name, for it is Holy.  I praise you Father, for You are my Creator, my Savior, my Lord.  I love you.

Father, I am a sinner.  I have sinned in many ways and on many occasions.  I repent of these sins and ask that You would make me aware of every sin in my life.  Help me to overcome them, Father.

Father, I believe that you are the Creator of all, I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and in the power of Your Holy Spirit.  I believe that Jesus walked on this earth, that he was crucified for the forgiveness of my sins, that he died, was buried and then rose and now reigns with you.

I want to live for You Father.  Bless me now with your great love and grant me this request to live my life in glory for You.

I pray this prayer in Jesus Christ most Holy name,

Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer with all sincerity, you must now take the next step.  Seek out His will for your life.  Seek out others who can help you to grow in faith, to grow in love for Christ.  There is so much more to learn, so much more beauty to discover in your new life.  You must turn to His Word.

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 2:1-5

God Bless,
Tracie

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Faith?

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Posted on 27th October 2008 by Tracie in Deeper Thoughts | Tracie's Blog

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What does it really mean to have faith?  We say we have it, yet do we live it in our daily lives?  There are some that do, yes.  But most often, I would have to say people lack faith.

Paul tells us in Hebrews 11:1 what faith is…”Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

I’ve thought a lot about this particular verse in seeking to understand why it is that I continue to suffer from chronic pain.  It has caused me to think a lot about my hope and where it lies.  I do carry a lot of hope that one day I will be free from the daily suffering, but I’ve come to understand that it is not in the end result that we carry hope, but it is in the journey toward the end result that it abides.  And that journey of hope has brought me much gain.  The fulfillment of peace and the exuberance of joy are two of my greatest treasures.  But faith has become the essence of my Christian life.

In Mark 11:22-24, Jesus said, “Have faith in God.  I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Faith that moves mountains.  Faith in yourself that you can move a mountain will not gain entry into the sea.  But faith that God will move the mountain for you will move it beyond the depths of the sea.

It is too often that we base our faith on the end result rather than the blessings we received during the journey.  It is then that we may begin to lose hope and life becomes a chore.

Where does your faith lie?  Does it rely on the outcome of daily life or is it found in the hope of your daily blessings?  Must you have proof of faith, if so, then it is not faith at all.

In my faith journey, I have refocused my hope.  It is not on the hope of the physical being, but it is hope in the spiritual.  For my physical self is dying just as is yours.  But what lies within my spiritual being is the promise of Jesus.  He has moved mountains for me.  My hope is that God allows me to use His strengths, gained through faith, to bring blessings upon another.  My hope is that my blessings flow into you and that you share them with another.  And God is faithful.  He has used me to reach out to others in ways I never thought possible; just as He uses others to bless me.  It has been and continues to be an awesome journey.  It is a journey of growing Christians.  Christians who find that hope lies in salvation and salvation is discovered in what we sow each and every day.

I have learned to stop staring at the mountain before me and to look for the space between the mountain and the sea.  It is there that I’ve discovered faith and where my hope lies so preciously.

Thank You Jesus for the faith, hope and love you’ve given me.
God Bless,

Tracie

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