Who Do You "Star" on Facebook?

Do you star people on Facebook?

I do.

I star my closest family, my dearest friends ... anyone I want to hear from. Those I absolutely don't want to miss a post from, an update from, a prayer request from.

Those in China, the Philippines, Malta, Brazil, Canada.

Obviously, we can't star everyone, but we definitely can those closest to us. Those of utmost importance to us.

If I "like" your posts often, you can assume that you are starred. You can assume that you are very special to me.

Recently, my hubs had been googling. Sometimes he'll search all our names to see what pops up.

 

He asked, "Do you know what the LPM Blog is?"

"Yes, that's Beth Moore's blog," I said.

"Did you know that Karalee won a book? So Long Insecurity, Teen Edition."

"No. I didn't."

"She won it in 2013."

I ran to the computer, and sure enough, there was the post announcing the winner's circle. And there was Karalee's name in bold, along with this statement:

"If the winners could email me as soon as you get a chance, I will get your book to you as fast as possible. Go ahead and send me your name and mailing address! We can’t wait for you to have this book in your hands!"

Well, obviously, I had entered my daughter into a contest, and because I didn't star the event—Beth's words—I never claimed the prize for my daughter. I missed it. I had forgotten about it and never checked back to see if she had won. The one time I win, and I missed it. How disappointing!

However, I laughed myself silly, after we hi-fived. And I wondered ... is it too late to claim the prize? Uh, I think so.

(But knowing Beth, I think not)

But, you know me. Nothing happens in my life that I don't stop and wonder what God is trying to teach me.

God asked my heart, "Do you have me starred, Shelli Ann? Are you listening for my every update, my every post, my voice, my love, my love notes, my kisses on your cheeks, my arms around you, my fingertips wiping away your tears, my warnings, my guidance, my comfort? Shelli Ann, am I of utmost importance to you?"

Are you listening and watching for ...

The One who laid the earth's foundation, marked off its dimensions.
The One who gives orders to the morning.
The One who enters the storehouses for the snow.
The One who knows the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed.
The One who raises His voice to the clouds.
The One who brings forth the constellations in their seasons.
The One who hears the morning stars sing.
The One who makes the desolate wasteland sprout with grass, the father of rain, the father of dew drops.

And one special thing about our beautiful Maker, the lover of our souls, our Savior ... it's never too late to claim the prize.

For He is the prize.

For His Daughter, His Son—His Child.
 
He is the bright Morning Star.

Living Life Beyond the Simple Sentence

 

Hey, Friends!

I just want to encourage you today to

live life beyond the simple sentence.

Yes, when it's tempting to keep the structure simple,

follow God's lead and add a phrase.

 

So blessed by you,

Shelli

 

 

 

 



Come to the Table

Seven miles from Jerusalem, they walked along the road with Jesus, and they didn't even recognize Him (Luke 24).

Oh, we are so guilty. Are we not?

Yesterday, our 5th grade Sunday school lesson was over the Emmaus walk. It's such a sweet story. It'll tingle excitement through your every nerve.

As I sat there at that table, with a precious 5th grader next to me, reading through the Word, I asked myself—why? Not only the question of why did they not recognize Him as they walked along, but they were able to recognize Him at the table, as He broke the bread? But also ... why did Jesus do that? Why did He keep them from recognizing Him for a bit? What was His purpose?

Lord, why did you do this?

I thought of the difference of walking vs. sitting. Could this somehow be a clue?

Walking offers distractions. We look at our own path, our own feet, trying not to stumble through our own strengths, and we often neglect to look into the face of Jesus—the very one walking alongside us.

When we come to the table, it's personal. We are invited. We can see the person in front of us—Jesus. If we reach across the table, we can touch his nail scarred hands. If we lean back in our chair just a tad, we can see his precious nail scarred feet and touch them with our own.

We can touch and see. We can taste and see.

We dine with Him, and He with us.

And I was doubly baffled by Luke 24:41, "... they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement ...." What? Why would joy and amazement keep them from believing? This is all scratching my threadbare comprehension, while the 5th grader next to me is scratching her head over her word search.

The question was asked to the kiddos, "Why? Why do you think Jesus did this?"

God's omniscience and omnipotence instantly flooded my mind.

I raised both my hands in utter enthusiasm, like a child ... "I know! I know the answer!"

I know—I either scared those 5th graders half to death or inadvertently passed on contagious love of Jesus into the very marrow of their bones. I pray it was the latter. 

I was called on to answer by my fellow teacher ...

"I wrote this a while back in a response to a blog post, and the answer couldn't be more simpler than this," I said—

Will He harden a heart?  Will He part the sea? To move His people where they need to be?

Oh, yes, He will. For He is ... I am.

He knows our hearts—He knows when they need hardening and when they need softening—and knows what it takes to ensure His Word is still being discussed today as we come to the table ... with the elderly, with the babies, with 5th graders, with Him.

Glory!

Father, help us recognize you. Open our minds. Bring us to the table.

True Reflectors

My baby girl got her drivers license!

But the parallel parking strained to trip us up. We had been going to the Department of Public Safety every single day and practicing parallel parking on their poles. A good 30 minute drive from my home. And my girl ... she was parking so good. We'd drive right up to that pole, getting as close to it as possible, lining it up with the far end of the back seat door, and she nailed the parking every time.

But then ... someone moved the poles. What? The poles were our marker, our indicator. How could they be moved? Why would they be moved? They were still there but in a new position. I got a little upset. Because we were counting on those poles. Yeah, I had to eat a little crow. And I did so graciously.

But the lesson learned? We had to find an indicator that was immoveable. And we had to use the right side mirror. Using the immoveable indicator and using the mirror, there was no way to go wrong. She'd back up, using that mirror ... and I'd say, I think you can back up a bit more, but she'd say, "I don't want to risk it, Mom." She didn't want to risk hitting the curb and failing.



 

In life, we can't count on external, moveable factors to dictate our place in this world/life.

spouse
children
beauty
wealth
health

They can all be moved. They can all be lost.

God has shown me that I need to keep my eyes steadily on Him because He's immoveable, and He will always give me an accurate reflection.

We must count on God.

Setting our sites on anything else is a prescription for disappointment, failure.

Setting our sites on any other indicator is a risk we can't afford to take.

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does." —James 1:23-25