Recent Posts
Take a Peace Pitstop
Tonight, I had to get out. The noise in the house was driving me crazy and I needed to escape. I grabbed the car keys, ran to the car, pealed out of the driveway and headed into town. After wandering around the dollar store for a little while, I bought some chocolate, a few little knickknacks and made my way back to the car. I was going to drive home but then I felt that still small voice saying “Why don’t you go and just look out at the beauty of my creation.”
I live in a beautiful part of Ontario, Canada. Georgian Bay is a large, gorgeous bay of Lake Huron. Trees, rock formations and beaches line its banks. Nature is everywhere. It is truly beautiful. People come from all over to this place to enjoy nature’s beauty. And I live here. And sometimes, I take it for granted.
Wounded Porcupines
He was so adorable; all curled up in a ball lying in the middle of the field. He was not where you would expect to see him. He lifted his head slowly to acknowledge our presense, tucked his little face in his paws, then slowly resumed his heavy breathing. He was struggling for every breath. The heaving of his chest indicated that he was not well and probably dying. Yet, no matter how much he suffered, there was nothing I could do to help. The nature of this animal kept me at a short distance. I certainly did not want any of his quills in my skin. How sad it was to watch this porcupine struggling for oxygen and yet all I could do was stand by and watch.
I have been and have met many wounded porcupines in my lifetime. These are the people who are desperately hurting yet refuse to let anyone get too close. Their words and actions are like sharp quills thrown in our direction. Their barbs sting on contact. Why do they throw them at us? It is their way of protecting themselves. It has nothing to do with us. They just believe that a little pain will push us far enough away so that they can wallow alone in turmoil.
It is very difficult to love a porcupine. Nobody likes to take the assaults of a wounded, emotionally-exhausted person. Yet Jesus did.
Behind the verbal carnage, Jesus sees the brokenness. He doesn’t see a hateful, unforgiving man but a young boy, abandoned by a parent, left to fight his own battles and make a way for himself in this world. He doesn’t see a conceited, smug woman. He sees a young girl, insecure in her heart, unable to see her true inner beauty.
When Jesus went to the well, he already knew that the Samaritan woman would be there. He already knew that her past was scandalous and her present was salacious. Obviously this woman was hated. She kept to herself and visited the well at the hottest point of the day to avoid the gossip her presence offered. Her quills of isolation became her safety net.
“I have no husband,” she said.
“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”
“Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”
“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” John 4:16-24
Don’t you love how Jesus invaded her space and spoke into her life!? The Samaritan woman tried to push Jesus away with abrupt words but he could see right through her. He didn’t react to her hostility but spoke truth without shaming her.
What God wants is for us to be honest before him. Transparency breeds authenticity. Regardless of our hard shells, we all have spiritual hearts that pump something. The next time you experience the sharp quills of others, look beneath the shell and see the wounded, labored person beneath. Don’t react to the attack but respond to the hurt and breathe God’s words of life into their dying souls.
There is a Season
I just walked in the door and decided to leave all the bags, dirty laundry and who knows what else in the mud room. Every year, we must sadly pack up our trailer and prepare it for winter. So all the items that have accumulated for three summer months ends up on the floor of my laundry room. I don’t know how we do it, but there always seems to be and endless supply of bbq sauce and toilet paper to carry us through the winter months.
Chapters. When one closes another always opens. Life is like that. Winter thaws to spring. Spring births summer. Summer fades to autumn. Fall ushers in the cold, wintery season. Time never stays the same. Our lives fluctuate between joys and sorrows. We are never the same person that we were five years ago. Why? We are constantly being molded by all of life’s challenges.
Back in 1965, The Byrds composed the song, “Turn, Turn, Turn”. The lyrics were taken directly from the book of Ecclesiastes.
Whatever season we find ourselves in, we must recognize that it is only for a time. Our days are gifts. How we choose to unpackage them is up to us. Today, lift your heads. Look to the skies. See who is in control and remember to turn to the One who gives us our times. In the end, it won’t matter what we have faced. Our earthly moments merely exist as a compass pointing us to the One that matters most. As the Byrds once sang…”there is a season, turn, turn, turn.” Let’s turn to Him today.
Playboy and Sears?
Today I was made aware of Sears acceptance of Playboy embellished products in their Christmas Wish Book. Pretty disturbing. For the second year in a row, Sears is offering Playboy bunny bedspreads, purses, wallets, satin sheets, shower curtains…you name it, they have it. As young children flip through the pages dreaming of Christmas morning, their eyes will be assaulted by a symbol representing filth and the degradation of women.
The Playboy ‘empire’ has done nothing but propogate a sexualized agenda. Little girls are made to believe that their self-worth should be tied up in how beautiful they are and how much men want them. Since the 1950′s Hugh Hefner has been selling more than just pornography, he is selling a complete philosophy of life, a world view. He has taught that self-denial is old-fashioned. He has raped the mind of young boys, ingraining images of perversion into their thoughts, willing them to yield to what feels good at the moment.
According to a recent Washington Post article by Elizabeth Fraterrigo, Hugh Hefner “has already succeeded in transforming American culture,” making it “more sexualized and sex more commercialized.” Wow…what a legacy…skyrocketing divorce rates, abortion, rape, sexually transmitted diseases, broken families, sex trafficking and abuse, pornography and addiction.
Hugh has said, “The major civilizing force in the world is not religion, it is sex.” Well, Hef, I disagree. Unbridled sexual passion has brought more trouble into this world than good. There is nothing civilized about an abortion procedure. There is nothing civilized about a young girl selling herself to finance a drug addiction. There is nothing civilized about a woman believing that the only way to be loved is to give her body away. Civilized? More like destructive.
Sears missed the mark on this one. Promoting a logo that represents sin is not big business. I guess the almighty dollar is more important than protecting the minds and hearts of our young ones. I am sorry Sears…but you won’t be getting my money this Christmas time.
Why God Made Children
I love the innocence of children. They teach us to be a little more light-hearted and a lot more tender. I am sure we have all seen children doing things that make you wish you had your camera. Well, today is your lucky day! Every once in a while, someone sends me a cute email that puts a smile on my face. These little munchkins not only were up to their mischievous ways, but someone caught it all on camera. Start your Monday with a good chuckle. God Bless!
The Blessing
I have been giving a lot of thought to this complicated, wonderful world of parenting. Children bring us such incredible joy yet they also create challenges that as parents, we must choose to navigate wisely.
When I gave birth to my first son, Caleb, I remember spending hours staring at him. Just looking into his beautiful face brought a new heighth of joy that I had never experienced before. He was my greatest triumph in this life and I marveled at the wonder of his life. I thought about how I would parent him. Would I be able to steer him through this life without too much damage? Would I have the patience and wisdom needed to guide him? Would I love him unconditionally? As an adult, would he look back on his childhood and think…”My mom loved me and parented me well.” I certainly pray that he will look back with fond memories. But only time will tell.
Sometimes I lean on my disciplinarian side and I set standards that make my sons gasp in exasperation. Other times, I smother them with love, to the point where they struggle to come up for air. I just can’t help myself! I don’t know about you, regardless of my own parenting journey, I must strive to refine my heart so that I can mother my children to the best of my God-given ability.
How can I bless them? How can I show them my love in tangible ways? What legacy can I leave them? I have created a small list of how I can minister to my children. Maybe you already do these things, or maybe you could add more to my list. Regardless, I believe we all should actively bless our children daily…along with all the other parenting stuff.
- Tell them you love them every day. Cradle their beautiful faces in your hands, look into their eyes, and whisper your love to them.
- In private, thank them for things that they have done to help around the house. Let them know that you appreciate their contributions to your family.
- Write notes and strategically place them in their lunch bags. I used to love getting my mom’s special messages at lunchtime.
- Have date nights with each child. The one-on-one time always draws your relationship closer. You will find out what is going on in their lives without the distraction of family life.
- Buy journals dedicated to each child, and write about life, your heart towards them, scripture references, etc. Your child will most likely cherish this and keep it with them always.
- When your child brings a need to your attention, stop what you are doing, listen and pray with them. There is no greater gift than to point our children to our Heavenly Father.
No Longer An Atheist
Regardless of what you think of the story I am about to share, I know that God answers prayer. It may not be in the way you would expect. It may be surprising or even shocking. But one thing I do know…God speaks, He answers and He is always at work.
He has a unique way of getting our attention. He knows exactly the circumstance, the people, and the events to bring our faith or lack thereof to the surface. If we try and put God in a box, he will blow it open and show you how amazing he is. I just love how he works and responds to me…and to you.
The following is a story that is too good not to share. A young, athiest man mockingly asked God to do something outrageous for his mother and God answered his request big time. Enjoy the clip!
The Bike Tire
He walks around the house carrying his mangled bike inner tube. It doesn’t matter that it belongs to the bike he has outgrown. It has to be fixed and it needs to be done today. Josiah spends hours sitting on the garage floor tinkering with this bike. He has an eye for anything mechanical and seeing his bike in dire need of help signals his inner repair boy and of course, he must respond.
For the past two weeks, we have repatched, reinserted, and repumped this lousy piece of rubber. But every time we think we have gotten it right, Josiah trudges back in the house informing us of its disappointing performance. To be honest, this bike drama is driving us a bit crazy. Just last night Kurt got desperate and repatched the tube and applied duct tape for added reinforcement. Tonight is the final test. If it doesn’t meet Jo’s expectations, we have one of two options: this bike will mysteriously disappear or we will be making a trip to our local Canadian Tire.
I marvel at Joey’s persistence. He refuses to give up on his bike. He believes it is worth the effort and will not rest until it is functioning at peak performance. Hmmm….who does that remind you of?
When God looks at us, he sees potential. He sees all the gifts he has placed in us and is just waiting for us to unpackage them. He has created us with more abilities than we even realize and he so wants us to not just function in them, but flourish.
When we become christians, the Bible teaches us that we are blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”. It also tells us that because he has purchased our freedom, we are showered with his wisdom and understanding! That’s amazing! Do you now see the vast resources he has placed within you?
At our point of decision, God removed the old, worn out inner tube and replaced it with the best tube eternity could buy. All that potential is in you now, ready for use, ready for purposeful living.
Today, let’s learn a lesson from Josiah. Let’s tap into the wisdom, understanding, and spiritual blessings that God has poured upon us. Let’s make good use of his power working within. When God looks at you he believes you are worth the effort and he won’t stop working, refining, and strengthening you all the days you live and breathe on His earth. Let him shower you today with hope for tomorrow.
A GLIMPSE OF ME
My name is Stephanie Holmberg and I am a thirty-something wife, mom and friend who sometimes gets it right and the rest of the time is trying. I believe life is more than just moments...it's filled with challenges, surprises, joys and some bumps with a bit of chocolate along the way. I don't have all the answers but I know the One who does. Join me as I journey...walk on sisters!
