Be Ye Kind

Robertice Hobbs
better known as Dear

This past week as I counted my blessings and enjoyed being with some of them, I was mindful of one the greatest blessings in my life. Maybe it was the chocolate pie or cooking and cleaning with her granddaughter, but my mind went several times to my husband’s wonderful grandmother.

My daughter playing on the blue
floor while Grandma Dear
cooks lunch

I had known her all my life, but for 5 years I was blessed to watch her up close and personal often from the coveted place on the chest in her kitchen. From this place I watched faith lived out in the common things of life; preparing a meal, folding the laundry, sewing or repairing a garment. The art of caring for one’s family and others was always on display at 405 East Ross in Waxahachie, Texas. Hemming a wedding dress for a grandson’s bride, making a special hot air balloon for her youngest granddaughter, sewing up a pretty pink dress for her new great granddaughter, making a favorite cake for a birthday and adding an extra piece of fried chicken for her brown eyed grandson were all acts of kindness that I witnessed. And they were not random acts of kindness, they were intentional and often.

Saturdays were for chores, mopping, vacuuming and scrubbing the bathrooms and Sundays were for rest and visiting with family. The only time this changed was when someone had an emergency or as she would say when there was “an ox in the ditch”. She understood that an act of kindness was an act of worship.

One of the first memory verses I remember learning was “Be ye kind one to another”. I memorized this when I was probably 5 or 6 years old. I watched it when I was 20 something at 405 East Ross.

This verse is found in Ephesians 4:32, “Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (NLT) “Instead” is one those words like “therefore” that insist we read what came before. Here’s what came before, get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander, and all types of evil behavior. Back up a little further to verses 25 - 29 and we find more instructions; be truthful, use your hands for good hard work, give generously and then there’s this one “Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (verse 29 NLT) Everything?!  Let’s back up a little further to verse 23 for some insight into how this might be possible. “let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes…”

I can honestly say that in all the time I watched Grandma Dear, I never heard her speak a harsh word or act in bitterness or anger. It was not that she had no reason to be bitter, angry or unkind. She had plenty of opportunity to choose that type of behavior. She was orphaned as a small child spending much of her childhood in an orphanage, as a teenager, she was adopted by a family to care for a blind woman, she experienced the grief of the loss of a child, knew the sorrow of sickness, knew the stress of little financial resources, experienced the death of a grandchild and more.

Ginny & Grandma Dear
in one of those dresses
she made.

In my bedroom, I have a small cane bottom chair that came from her home. It sat by the bed and each night when Dear and Papaw knelt to pray this is where he knelt. We all loved to hear him say grace at each meal we enjoyed there. Life was orderly and it included pray and bible reading each night and with every meal. Might I suggest that this allowed the Spirit to renew thoughts and attitudes! I know it did mine good each time I was there.

In Chapter 2, Paul reminds us of the source and reason for kindness. "So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us... we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Somehow I’ve managed to make life more complicated and less orderly! I pray I will do more this holiday season than enjoy the precious memories but honor them by allowing the Spirit to renew my thoughts and attitudes that I might be kind to those whom I love and those whom God places in my path. I pray I can be an example for future generations of the greatness of his kindness lived out in a life filled with goodness, remembering doing good things is often the simplest of things; a meal prepared, a dress hemmed, a birthday cake baked.

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." (Romans 12:10-12 NLT)

Thanks for listening
See you next Sunday,
Ronda
　
From Webster:
"Kindly implies a sympathetic attitude toward others, and a willingness to do good or give pleasure. Kind implies a deep-seated characteristic shown either habitually or on occasion by considerate behavior"
　

Jesus Loves Me, this I know

A child my Daddy loves and who
no one could deny belongs to him!

Ask my Dad what he preached about this morning or what I should talk about today and his answer will always be “Jesus loves me, this I know.”. And so today, I’m taking my Dad’s advice. It’s been a wonderful weekend spent with friends and family in western Kansas, but as I sit down to write today my body is tired and my mind less than sharp. Ideas are whirling in my mind from the retreat I participated in this weekend, the wonderful stories I heard, the feelings I felt and the Sunday school class I attended this morning. Every thought seems to inspire a blog entry, but ultimately it all comes back to my Dad’s standard answer. So all those inspirations will just go on the list for another day when my mind is better prepared and we’ll keep it simple.



“Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so, little ones to him belong”  “See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are.”  1 John 3:1 (NLT)

I cannot imagine a love stronger than that of a parent for a child. And to think that God allows us to be called his children is overwhelming. That he says, this one belongs to me is an amazing thought. Just this morning, I had one of those moments when I as a parent I wanted to stand up and say “Yes, those two, they belong to me!” While I only have one daughter who has belonged to me all her life. I have a son-in-law who now belongs to me. I choose to call him my child and love him as my own. ( I’m fortunate that it’s not hard! He’s great kid.)

When our daughter was born, Stephen and I where struggling to find the denomination where we felt we belonged. My father-in-law, a lifetime Assembly of God pastor, said to my husband. “Son, it doesn’t matter where you go to church as long as you teach her that Jesus loves her.”

I think my father and my father-in-law are right, every sermon comes back to this simple, yet overwhelming truth. Jesus loves us!  and we belong to Him.

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8 (NLT)

Thanks for listening

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

Another of my favorite hymns, led often by my Aunt Bonnie when I was growing up,



Now I Belong to Jesus

Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,
From Him no pow'r of evil can sever,
He gave His life to ransom my soul;
Now I belong to Him;

Now I belong to Jesus,
Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone,
But for eternity.





A child my brother loves and
no one can deny belongs to him.



A Mess

Michael, aka Big Bubba
Timothy aka Other Bubba
(pronouced utter bubba)
Marcus aka Baby Brother



My baby brother &
a few of his favorite toys.

1977
 My family and I had moved to Tioga, Louisiana where my dad was pastoring Alpine Assembly of God. All 6 of us were living in a 2 bedroom house which meant the dining room doubled as a bedroom for my brothers. One day my oldest and youngest brothers, Michael and Marcus, had finished playing and it was time to put the toys away before supper. Being the older brother, Michael told Marcus he needed to help clean up. Marcus, who was always coming up with the funniest lines, replies with this. "Uh, uh, big bubba, the bible says he that maketh a mess shall not have to clean it up!" That verse can be found in the Book of Marcus, which we quote faithfully in our family. Even my daughter and son-in-law have their version, he that cooks does not have to clean up! (I’m not adopting that translation for fear I might have to do one or the other!)

Can’t find that in your bible? Try Romans 3:23 & 26. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. … and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” Everyone has made a mess, but God has made us right! Nothing we can do for ourselves.

A few years ago I was reading through familiar verses in the Old Testament and came across this verse in 2 Samuel. “Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child.” (2 Samuel 12:24 NLT)

I don’t remember this part of the story from Sunday school. David slaying the bear, David killing the giant, David running from King Saul; those are the stories I remember on the flannel board. Maybe it was that this story usually required the “G” rated version. You don’t put lust, adultery, deceit and murder on the flannel board! As a teenager, we learned the “PG” version of story and studied Psalm 51 learning that this was written after the death of the son conceived with Bathsheba. We learned that it was his contrite heart that God loved. We saw his deep remorse and the high price that he paid for his sin. But I think I must have not been listening the Sunday we learned that Solomon was the son David and Bathsheba conceived after the death of the child they had conceived in sin! Solomon, the wisest man on the face of the earth, the one who rebuilt the temple of Lord, the king who ruled over Israel for more than 40 years of peace. This man was the result of the union of David and Bathsheba.

“During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety …God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else … His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. …And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. (I Kings 4:24,29-30 NLT)

That's redemption -one more piece of evidence that God is the only one capable of cleaning up our messes. We as David only make things worse when we try to clean them up. So what do we learn about God from David‘s most humiliating experience? I think it’s two things, obedience and a repentant heart when we fail. When David was selected as King, God said “He will do everything I want him to do”. (Acts 13:22 NLT). In Psalm 51, we see the broken and repentant heart of a man who had failed to live up to God’s expectation. “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:17)

Going back to the Book of Marcus, maybe we could say it this way, he that maketh a mess can not clean it up. And I would add, but God helps those who cry to him in repentance. David said it this way in Psalm 107, Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.”

Got a mess? Been the fool? Join me in crying out, Lord, help!

Thanks for listening

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

Hymns of Glorious Praise

The first summer I lived in western Kansas I witnessed "amber waves of grain" for the first time. This week I watched as the billowing waves of the Pacific produced an "ocean white with foam". Nothing makes me more aware of the presence of the Creator than experiencing His creation. The beauty and smell of the pine trees in North Louisiana, the cool streams in the Ozarks, the majesty of the snow capped Rockies, the vast blue sky on a clear day in western Kansas; they all inspire me as they did the Psalmist to worship and bow down before the Lord, my maker.
 
These are a few of my favorite experiences with worship inspired by creation. 



Lisa, my brothers & I
in the West Virginia mountains.
(and Dad)

 Walking down a path in the mountains of West Virginia with my mom and my best friend, Lisa and realizing we were all humming the same song, "How Great Thou Art".

"When through the woods

 And forest glades I wander

 I hear the birds

 Sing sweetly in the trees;

 When I look down

 From lofty mountain grandeur

 And hear the brook

 And feel the gentle breeze; "

 Then sings my soul, My God, how great thou art!

Sunflower fields of Western Kansas
against the biggest, bluest sky!

 Watching year after year the beauty of the crops of western Kansas, gave me a new appreciate for a Thanksgiving Hymn I first heard at Red Oak UMC.

"Come, ye thankful people, come - Raise the song of harvest home:  All is safely gathered in. Ere the winter storms begin. God, our Maker, doth provide, For our wants to be supplied: Come to God's own temple, come - Raise the song of harvest home."

 Sitting on a rock in a cove surrounded by the Coastal mountains in central California, listening to the roar of the waves and watching the spray of the water as it broke against the rocks, I found myself humming a line from another favorite hymn, “sweep over my spirit forever, I pray in fathomless billows of love”. Watching as those waves rose and rolled again and again and again, each one seeming taller and stronger than the last, I could almost feel the waves of His love roll over my soul again and again and again. I sat amazed at the strength and endurance of His love and it brought to mind one of Stephen’s favorite hymns.

The Love of God

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell

It goes beyond the highest star

And reaches to the lowest hell

The guilty pair, bowed down with care

God gave His Son to win

His erring child He reconciled

And pardoned from his sin

Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song

 

But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore—the Lord above is mightier than these! Psalms 93:4 NLT

It's easy to miss in the busyness of our daily lives, but if we listen His creation speaks to us every day.  It speaks of His majesty, His provision, and His strength.

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

 

Talking about all these hymns makes me think about cleaning the church on Saturday nights with my dad when I was a teenager. One of the things he always insisted on was “straightening the hymnals”. This task was not as simple as making sure they were all standing upright. We carefully placed each one the same distance apart in the holder so that when one stood at the back of sanctuary they lined up perfectly! I learned something from my Dad on those Saturday nights about honoring the house of the Lord.

 

 

 



There's just something about that name

Stephen & I
Summer 1983

The summer of 1982 changed my life and it was not that I had just graduated from high school, it was a guy named, Stephen.  Stephen and I had known each other all of our lives, but that summer we found each other and never looked back. My notebooks from classes at Louisiana College that Fall are full of pages and pages of doodling his name and practicing writing the one I would change mine to, Mrs. Stephen Bailey.   Almost 30 years later, I don't often doodle his name and I do not ever remember actually signing my name, Mrs. Stephen Bailey. But I love the fact that our names are forever connected. I am the luckiest girl alive when it comes to finding the perfect mate. (I didn't say he was perfect, just the perfect match for me!) I married well.

Along the way I've learned over and over just how lucky I am.  So many of my friends and family have not been so fortunate.  Too many times I've met women who have been mistreated in bad relationships and others who live with the marks of failed ones.  Even more times I've listened to women who are simply disappointed with their choices.

One thing I have seen is that we as women too often, ask way too much of our husbands. We make the mistake of asking them to be the one who meets all of our needs, who brings us fulfillment in life and validates our self esteem. I've made this mistake.  And what I've learned is that only Jesus can satisfy my soul! He is the one and only! Incidentally, in my experience the relief it brings to our relationships when we learn this frees us and our spouses to love each other more honestly.

The last four weeks we've looked at four different women. One who had suffered illness and isolation, one who had experienced failed relationships, one who was caught in sin and one who believed, but felt disappointment and confusion. Today, let's look back at how Jesus responded to each of these.

To each one he offered words that brought life.

• Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you whole
• I know your whole story and I came to offer you life.
• Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more
• Believe and you will see

To each one he offered more than she asked or could imagine.

• One sought healing for her body, Jesus offered wholeness for her soul
• One knew a Messiah would come, she had no idea He would come personally to her
• One waited for punishment and found mercy
• One anticipated healing and received life from death

When we are desperate for a healer for our body and soul, when we go through the motions of life hoping for something more, when we are caught in sin, when we wonder where Jesus is in the middle of our need - we like these ladies can know that He came to offer to each of us personally, life, healing, wholeness, mercy and much more, more than we can image.

Sometimes I like to close my eyes and do a little mental doodling to this tune; Jesus, Jesus, Jesus there's just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus, there's just something about that name!  And I am eternally grateful that my name is forever connected to His!

Thanks for listening,

See you Next Sunday,

Ronda

"Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!"  Ephesians 3:19-20    (The Message)

Testimonies

Growing up in Sunday school, I heard the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead many times. It’s got to be on the top ten Sunday school lessons list. It’s up there with the crossing of the Red Sea, the Lion’s den, the fiery furnace and Peter walking on the water. It’s one of those my brother Michael could have told backwards. When he was in the beginner Sunday school class and was less than enthused to hear the same story again, he complained to his teacher that he could tell it backwards. To which she quickly replied, go right ahead! He did. 

Sister Williamson



Aunt Claudie

As a young lady, I heard many lessons and sermon’s about Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Most of them included a warning not be a Martha. Martha, the one who fussed too much over things and missed opportunities to sit at Jesus feet. I must admit I always felt Martha was cast a little unfairly. But then I always admired hard working women. Some of my favorite ladies growing up were sturdy women, women who worked hard and served the Lord with gladness. Women like Kitty Lee Williamson, Gerturde Brown and my dad’s aunt, Claudie Lewis. (You just have to love those names!) These were the ladies whose dishes emptied first at church dinners! My favorites were Aunt Claudie’s chicken and dumplings, Sis. Brown’s mexican cornbread and Sis. Williamson’s rich chocolate cake. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

None of these ladies ever taught my Sunday school class, took my friends and I to church camp or sponsored my Missionette club, but they taught me life lessons. These women had lived. They had raised children and some grandchildren, cared for dying loved ones, and buried husbands and some siblings. Yet, on Sunday evening when it was time for testimonies, these ladies would stand and declare their belief in the goodness of God.


That’s the very thing I love most in Martha’s story is her unwavering faith. When her brother was sick, she sent for Jesus. And when he died, she still believed. She believed that Jesus could have prevented his death, she believed that He could raise him from the dead and that He would on the resurrection day. She testified to her belief, “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” (John 11:27 NLT) I admire a belief that doesn’t waver when one is disappointed or unsure of details. (Are you sure you want to roll away that stone? It’s going to smell, she said.)


I am blessed to have know some Martha’s in my life. I admire their service and their belief. Women who relate to the father who said “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” Women who understood the truth spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “As the heavens are higher than earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9 NLT)


When I married, the ladies of First Assembly in Haynesville made me a patchwork quilt from fabric remnants. When I look at that quilt I see pieces of the double knit dresses worn by Sis. Williamson, Sis. Brown and Aunt Claudie. Women who showed me faith; mature, productive, sturdy faith. 

My favorite quilt!


Below is a first person script I wrote several years ago for Women’s Ministry Day service at First Assembly in Hugoton, Kansas. A place, by the way, where I became acquainted with some more Marthas.

Thanks for listening
See you next Sunday,

Ronda

Good Morning. My name is Martha. I am from Bethany, a community just outside of Jerusalem. Several years ago, my brother, Lazarus, my sister, Mary and I became acquainted with a man from Nazareth named Jesus. He became one of our dearest friends and often spent time in our home. My sister and I would often prepare meals and serve him - or should I say I would often serve him. Mary preferred to sit and visit. I recall one day when I got frustrated with Mary and asked Jesus to tell her to get up and help me. In response to my frustration, he said Mary had chosen a better way to spend her time, listening and learning from him. He said I should not fuss so much over meals and things. He said he would only be with us for a little while. Well, then someone had to do the work and fast, if he only planned to stay a little while. It bothered me a little the way he said that, after all I was doing these things for him.

Recently, my brother had become very ill and was near death. Mary and I had sent word to Jesus of the seriousness of his illness. But he did not come, until four days after we buried Lazarus. At first I was very hurt that he had not come. You see, we had come to understand that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the very Son of God. He had been traveling around our region, preaching and healing the sick. He had caused the lame to walk, cleansed lepers and even recently he had healed a blind beggar’s eyes! Why would he not have come and healed our brother, whom he loved. But he didn’t.

Four days after we had buried Lazarus some of the mourners came into the house and said Jesus was coming. I got up and went to meet him. I said, “Lord, if you had come my brother would not have died.” He said to me that my brother would live again. I assumed he was referring to the resurrection on the last day. But he said to me, “ I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Then he asked me if I believed this. I said, “Yes, I believe you are the Christ.” I did believe, but I didn’t understand.

I went to get Mary, because Jesus was asking for her. She went with me quickly to Jesus and the crowd of people who gathered at our house followed us. She said the same thing I had said, if only you had been here. Jesus began to cry. We took him to the tomb to show him where we had buried our brother.

And then the most extraordinary thing I ever witnessed happened. Jesus told the men that had come with us to take away the stone from the tomb. I tried to stop him; it had been four days, there would be a terrible odor by now. He turned to me and said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”. I stepped aside. They moved the stone. Jesus prayed and called my brother back to life. Lazarus walked out of the grave!

Then I knew why he had come at this time, rather than when I had asked for him. Many of the people who had come because of his death, saw this miracle and put their faith in Jesus.

Neither do I

Only once in elementary school do I remember getting my name on the board. I don’t remember what I did but I remember the embarrassment I felt. I thought that day would never end and my name would be erased. In high school, I hated reading Nathaniel Hawthrone’s “The Scarlett Letter”. The idea of a woman being branded and publicly shamed for life was more than I could stand.

Today my office is directly across from the county courthouse. It’s not uncommon to look out my window and see prisoners being led into the courthouse shackled and dressed in orange. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes. I cannot help but think that each one is someone’s brother, sister, son or daughter and it breaks my heart. I can hear my Dad say as he often has, there except for the grace of God go I. It’s true. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard." (Romans 3:23 NLT) Fortunately, my sins have not brought me public shame but punishment is what we all deserve. I’m not suggesting that crime should go unpunished, I’m just saying it breaks my heart to see lives branded with their failures.

Every time I’ve read the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8, I think of reading the “The Scarlett Letter” . And every time, I’ve asked just like many of you, what about the man?! Just like the man in the “The Scarlett Letter” stayed in the shadows, the man seems conspicuously absent. I’ve heard many people suggest he was part of the plot. After all scripture does tell us this incident was part of a political scheme plotted by religious leaders who wanted to trip up Jesus. Indeed they may have taken advantage of this woman for their own political motives. Either way, it seems clear from Jesus’ words to her that she was guilty of something, “Go and sin no more” he says to her. As clear as was her guilt, clearer still was the mercy she found at the feet of Jesus. I can only imagine the fear and embarrassment she felt as she was thrown at his feet as He was teaching at the Temple. Not just anywhere in the temple, in the Court of the Women. (A place by the way that no other man would have stopped to teach.) As horrible as this moment must have been for her and the events that led her here might have been, she was right where she needed to be, at the feet of Jesus. A place where she received mercy. That same mercy is there for you and I.  "Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:24 NLT)

There is also a lesson here for those times we reach for a stone to throw. Jesus, knowing that the men were correct that there was a prescribed punishment for the crime, stops the crowd in their tracks with his words. “Stone her, but let he that is without sin throw the first stone”, he says. And then, he waits. The only one who meets His criteria waits until they’ve dropped their rocks and walked away leaving her there at His feet. He asked her, didn’t any of them condemn you. Then she hears the words that brought life back to her, “Neither do I.” What relief she must have experienced. What a motivation to obey the balance of His words, “Go and sin no more”. 

One of the not so lovely things I’ve learned along the way is that life gets messy for everyone. People make mistakes and people misuse other people. But these two things I’ve also learned -

1. There is no escaping the reach of God.

“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” (Psalms 139:8 KJV)

2. There are no mistakes beyond His mercy.

The prophet Nehemiah described His mercy this way, “Yet whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven. In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times!” (Nehemiah 9:28 NLT)


If you find yourself in need of His mercy once again, don't wait to be thrown at His feet. Turn to Him and fall at His feet.  You are guaranteed to find mercy!

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

The words below are from an old hymn, “Neither Do I Condemn Thee”. My mom and I sang this song together at my Grandpa’s church when I was child.

Neither do I condemn thee,
Precious words divine,
From the lips of mercy
Like the sweetest chime.
Wonderful words of Jesus,
Sing them o'er and o'er,
"Neither do I condemn thee,
Go and sin no more."


Greg Long is one my favorite Christian artist and one of my favorite songs is “Mercy said No”. Here’s a few lines and link to audio.
Mercy said no
Sin will never take control
Life and death stood face to face
Darkness tried to steal my heart away
Thank You Jesus, Mercy said no
When sin demanded justice for soul, Mercy said No


http://www.myspace.com/music/54867/songs/28336112/?ap=1&sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4cb27bb0fc6094a0,0

Insights to my soul



Must have been
Brady Bunch time!



Growing up in a family of four males and only two females, our TV time included mostly cartons, westerns, sports and Hee Haw! There were a few sitcoms, too, Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch (not my brothers' favortie!) and I love Lucy.

On occasion somehow, my mother and I would get the opportunity to watch a Doris Day or Audrey Hepburn movie. Those were some of the best times! What girl doesn’t love a romantic comedy! There is just something we like about a light hearted story with a happy ending.

Continuing the tradition, my daughter and I loved to watch romantic comedies. We loved Sabrina, The Wedding Planner, Runaway Bride, You’ve got mail and anything with Doris Day or Audrey Hepburn. So much so that for Ginny’s graduation party we set up an old movie, Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn, in the park, just like in The Wedding Planner. (Well, as much as you can make a backyard in Hugoton, Kansas “just like” a park in New York. )

I think my favorite line in “You’ve got mail” is Kathleen’s response to Joe’s teasing about the possibilities of her secret correspondent’s, shall we say, traits. He proposed he had 152 felony indictments. She proposed he had 152 insights to her soul. Maybe that’s the attraction to romances! Isn’t that what we want, someone who knows our soul. Someone who offers a happy ending to our story.

Here’s the deal, you’ll only find that in one place. All the holes in our hearts will only be filled when we see Jesus. Nicole Johnson, one of my favorite speakers, says the holes in our hearts are what leave us longing for Him. They are supposed to be there, because as we all suspected we were made for something more! We were made for that perfect relationship.
John, chapter 4 records the story of a woman who I think had a lot of holes in heart and a Savior who went out of his way to fill them.

I can’t help but wonder what she was thinking about as she made the routine trip to the well. Was she hoping to avoid the whispers of the other women as I’ve often heard suggested? Or was she looking for any reason to steal a few minutes alone? Maybe she wasn’t thinking about the other women at all. Maybe she was thinking about the men in her life, the four whom had married her previously or the one she was living with now. Was she trying to sort out what had gone wrong? Was it an emergency that sent her for water at this unusual time? One thing I would venture to say she wasn’t likely thinking about was meeting the Messiah. Or maybe she was. She said she knew He would come and when He came He would explain all things. Perhaps she was longing for that someday when maybe everything would make sense. One thing I’m sure of, she had no idea she was about to encounter him in the middle of her daily task list. We’re not told what she was thinking or why she had failed marriages or how she got along with the other women. But this we do know, she was at that well on this day at this time to meet the Messiah. Not because of anything she had done or not done, but because He, tired as He was from his journey was waiting for her.

Jesus, knowing her whole story, intentionally went to the well to encounter her! Not to condemn her, but through her to reveal himself to her whole community. I think he saw her pain, understood her disillusionment and looked past it all to her soul. And said, she’s the one. The one I must go through Samaria to meet. The one to bring the entire city to me.

The Samaritan woman knew that when the Messiah came He would explain everything. We have the same promise to look forward to when we encounter Him face to face. In the meantime, we have this treasure - He knows us completely and is preparing a perfect place for us.

“Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” (I Cor. 13:12 NLT) That’s perfect insight into our souls! That’s what we long for. That’s what we were made for.

Thanks for listening,
See you next Sunday,
Ronda