Book Review

Sometimes I chastize myself for enjoying a devotional book so much. It seems that in those readings, I enjoy them more than God's Holy Word. Then, I realize these devotional readings shine a light on scripture and actually bring deeper understanding and appreciation to the Bible. Such is my response to Max Lucado's "It's Not About Me". It is a good thing this is a short book (146 pages) because I underlined so much. For me, Lucado puts !!!!! on God's Word. He collects scripture passages to illustrate a point, then POw! I do one of my many underlines. This is a definite stop and ponder book. And, it is a read again book. Thanks Max!

Behind God's Curtain

Have you ever read something that caused your spirit to respond with joy because of the truth it declared? I am doing a re read of A Layman Looks At The Lamb of God by Phillip Keller (one of my favorite authors) -- first a bit of personal history why the statement I will share with you is so meaningful. I was in drama in high school and I was in a play. So, I'm very familiar with "behind the curtain activity" - the stuff the audience is unaware of. Now, here is Keller's thoughts: "Mankind's need for The Lamb of God did not begin in a Bethlehem stable 2,000 years ago. Neither did "The Lamb of God" himself have His beginning there...The account of His initial entry into the world is but the narrative of that point in time when God, very God, chose TO PART THE STAGE CURTAINS OF HISTORY BEHIND WHICH HE HAD MOVED IN MAJESTY UNDETECTED BY MOST TO STEP OUT ON CENTER STAGE. There in full view...the King of Glory disguised in human form moved amongst men. Here was The Lamb of God...none other than the very person of the eternal God. He was the One who had been in company with the Father before ever the worlds were formed or the planet earth was shaped and fitted for human habitation." End Keller. Begin Gini: It helps me when I have a visual - GOD at work behind the curtain in those times when I wonder where HE is.

Thoughts about Good Friday

My thoughts about Good Friday (God's Friday) The Cross - It seems that often the cross has become a beautiful piece of jewelry...and I have two: One that is so shinny and has black stones at the 4 ends. The other, (my favorite) is not a polished silver, but has a little purple stone in the middle of the cross bars, a ring around the cross and the inscription on the back: "Robin of Locksley". This morning I read the words of the well known hymn "The Old Rugged Cross"...here are a few phrases - "The emblem of suffering and shame"..."that old rugged cross, so despised by the world"..."the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, "To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear"..."the dear Lamb of God (Jesus) left His glory above to bear it (the old rugged cross) to dark Calvary". These words certainly paint a different picture. I wonder if my crosses have weakened the message of this hymn. Maybe not...perhaps when I wear them, a conversation about that "old rugged cross" may begin. Today, is a day to contemplate a cross that was old, and rugged, and blood stained. It held the Creator of the world as He bore ALL the evil of the world...and His Father looked away. But, wait! Here comes Easter! ❤

Blessing From Years Past

Charlie shared this on Facebook in 2014 · Driving to church this morning granddaughter said, "Music!" CD started and Grandson said, "We sing that at school!" So we listened to him sing "How Great is Our God" as we went to church. How blessed we are!

Daily Cleansing Prayer

Keep liberating me from my disbelief, discontent, disquiet. So very Amen I pray

Catching A Lizard

Catching a lizard: Over the years I think I have become an expert in catching these cute little critters. So, I thought I'd share my technique. It is helpful if it is hibernation time when you find one in your house. They are lethargic and much easier to catch. Today I found one on the floor in our little guest house. It is important that I keep them outside because sighting one in the bedroom, coming out from under the bed or in the closet or bathroom can give quite a scare. So, here is my method: Get a large glass or clear plastic bowl. Next, and very important get a large piece of cardboard or heavy paper that is larger than the circumference of the bowl. Make sure there is a clear area around the lizard for you to catch it. Carefully put the bowl over the lizard and keep it tight against the floor. Next, carefully slide the large cardboard or paper piece under the lizard, again being mindful to keep a tight seal. Once you have it secured in bowl, carefully turn the bowl over and remove the cardboard. The deeper the bowl the better. It will be too slippery for it to climb out. Take the lizard bowl out side and find a good spot to release the lizard. And, there you have it! Happy lizard and happy home! ❤

An Enemy of God

I was an enemy of God's..."so what" you may be thinking. God is GOD - over all, creator of all and on and on. And little wimpy Gini was His enemy. Big Deal. Yes...it was a big deal. He didn't want me to be His enemy. He pursued me. He called my name. He patiently let me shake my fist in His face. He gave His only Son for me. He decided to give His only Son before I ever drew breath. When my stubborn will finally gave in and I said, "God, I no longer want to be Your enemy", He said, "Welcome daughter" Big Deal? You better believe it...especially since He is STILL patient with my stubborn will. Reminds me of one of my favorite hymns: MOMENT BY MOMENT. The first line reads "Moment by moment I'm kept in His love" And His Word in 1 Peter 1:5 reads "who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

My Faith Journey

When my dad heard my mom was pregnant with me in the mid 1940’s he said, “I could have done without that”… not easy news for a man with an 8th grade education, barely making ends meet with three children, one of which had severe physical disabilities. My sense of worthlessness and insecurity were very much the driving forces in my life. And dad’s hot temper and deeply felt emotions were the traits I took as my own. Strange as it may seem, in this ambiguous atmosphere, I knew Dad loved God and was a believer in Jesus. In my mirroring of Dad I wanted his faith but my troubling doubts of value kept me in that state of worthlessness. How could God love this strong willed, explosive, insecure person? I had no peace. In the early years of my married life I attempted to resolve the ambivalence and experienced a spiritual surrender of self to Jesus BUT my rebelliousness kept me wandering. I wanted life my way. So, the doubts of worth continued. The Bible says in Psalm 40 "...He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along." I began to take these words personally. I began to believe God does care about my day to day existence. Yet, I was SO rebellious. So, God took the initiative. In 1999 – I had a growth in my brain causing life changing health issues. I believe GOD TOUCHED MY BRAIN AND SAID – “I WANT YOUR ATTENTION.” Although the rebellious issues still taunt me, more of His Words keep me centered: Psalm 51:1 “Be gracious to me, God, according to YOUR loving kindness; according to the greatness of YOUR compassion, blot out my wrong doings.” Again and again God’s timing in my life has been impeccable…I am so glad HE took the initiative because in 2005 our son married and in 2008 and 2011 our two grand children were born. What I would be missing if I continued my rebellious wanderings! There are three things that convince me most of God’s love: Our complex universe; the complex design of my mind and body and the moral code I have regarding right and wrong. For me, these needed a creator. And this Creator personally loves me beyond any love I’ve ever known. --- Gini Walker

Our Changing World

Have you ever watched a new house under construction? Here is a story of one I watched. By the end of the work, the house (a remodel) went from 4,000 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft. If I had been shown before and after pictures I would have said, "No way is this the same house." Although some of the original house was still there, it was lost in the changes. Watching the renovation was fascinating. The original plans were constantly being changed. It was obvious the owners were dissatisfied with their original dreams...not big enough, appliances or counters in the wrong place, forgot this, forgot that, just one more window, window on wrong side, need another door, a different kind of door, wider staircase, wider halls, bigger closets, another bedroom, a different entrance to the master suite and on and on. And that was just the interior. We watched frustrated contractors walk in and out with the changes rolled up under their arms. We watched roofing and beautiful bricks go up and come down. When would it end? For me, there are some similarities between this house and our changing world. With change often comes questions - when is enough enough? When is there satisfaction? Who says, "that's it, no more?" Even in my short 70 years on planet earth, I have seen enough change in my country to cause me to say, "This is NOT the same country where I was born." One of the big changes is the inability to voice how I feel about the changes. Not accepting the changes means I'm "intolerant". Voicing my displeasure labels me "judgmental." If I say, there are absolute truths and there are absolute wrongs I am labeled as "narrow minded" and "pious". So as I considered all of this, it has led me to a BIG question I think we should all consider privately so we can be honest with ourselves. Here is the question: as you look at the changes and say to yourself, "I am open minded, no problem...these behaviors are ok...live and let live", can you think of ANY change in relationships, morality, etc. that you would say, NO WAY --- THAT is NOT acceptable? Let your mind take you deep into areas that are scary; deep into areas that you may say, society would NEVER allow that! But, I ask you to consider, why not? The changes I've seen in 70 years are shocking! But if you are teen to 40 or 50 age, you may think---hey it's ok---what's the big deal? Perhaps when YOU are in your 70s + you may be shaking your head, saying "how did we get here?" Are you REALLY willing to say, any thing is ok? If you are young you may think "that radical change is a long way off, we will adjust as we go...not my worry." Don't cop out with a flip attitude. Think! As the saying goes, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything."

Grieving In The Season Of Lent

A world that does not admit it's fallen, says "it's just the way things are." A world that will not be redeemed says "it's just the way things will always be." But in a world that is fallen and being redeemed, we will often find ourselves grieving and crying out, "Things are not the way they should be!"

Can God Redeem Life Stories?

Can God redeem life stories? Here I go again with a Max Lucado story. His talented pianist daughter had a "brain freeze" in a recital before a large audience. As I read Max's story I saw my invisible self sitting next to his daughter. It was a well known piece she was playing and she began with ease and perfection. Then for no reason her hands and her mind forgot the next part. Try as she would several times, the notes simply disappeared. FINALLY the next part of her piece came to mind and she finished. But as Max said, the damage was done. After the applause for her courage, she met her dad off stage and buried her head in his arms with a tearful "Oh Daddy"...I wept as I read this and cried out to God, "Oh Abba Father!" Such a sad story that perhaps his daughter wishes he wouldn't tell. But, the story was "redeemed" as I cried out to God "Oh Daddy"...and as often as I have done this through the past months, I am amazed that God NEVER tires of my cry. ❤