Certainly

cer·tain·ly   /ˈsɜrtnli/
–adverb

1.with certainty; without doubt; assuredly: I'll certainly be there.

2.yes, of course: Certainly, take the keys.

3.surely; to be sure: He certainly is successful.

This word jumped off the page of my Bible this morning.  Certainly.  I don't often use the word.  It seems there are not too many things that I've been certain of lately, at least not in the dictionary definition of the word.  I might say, "I certainly hope it doesn't rain on Saturday." or "You certainly may not!" when one of my kids asks to have 5 cookies before dinner...  But listen to the word as Jesus used it:
 

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,  yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"  Matt. 6:28-30

He will without doubt care for you.

He will, yes, of course, care for you.

He will surely care for you.

Why do I have so little faith?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.   Hebrews 11:1

LORD, help me have a "certainly" kind of faith today.  Amen.

Psalm 23

I've been working on memorizing Psalm 23.  Not the old, King James Version, but the New Living Translation.  I wanted something that would not be mindlessly rambled, but that would take an engaged mind, and heart in the saying.

1 The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3 He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

 

As I daily work on my verses, I realize how many preconceived ideas I have about this familiar passage.  It is often read at funerals...  I had relegated it to a portion of scripture that was only for enduring the bad times.  The "valley of the shadow" times of life.  But the more I meditate on it, the more I'm convinced that this is a psalm for daily use, and is actually recommended for noon prayer when "praying the hours." 

 

Daily the Lord is my shepherd.  Daily He leads me in peace, by the power of His Spirit.  He cares for me daily - during peaceful times and when I walk through the hard times.  He wines and dines me in the face of my enemies.  He lavishly pours out His Spirit on me, enabling me to bring Him honor.  He daily pursues me with goodness and unfailing love.  That's what it's like when you live in the house of the Lord ~ forever!

 

This simple, familiar psalm that I once pushed aside as being trite (Lord, forgive me) is fast becoming my daily bread.  When I stop what I'm doing at noon to breathe its words, my perspective changes and peace washes over my soul.  I am reminded that being in the flock of Jesus is all I need.  He is the Good Shepherd, and being His sheep is bliss!

 

 

Read what others are saying about walking with the Shepherd here:

center>

An environment for life...

It's finally spring.  The April showers are falling and I hear that on the mainland, things are beginning to grow and bloom.  Living in Hawaii all my life, it's hard for me to imagine a time of year where most everything dies off and has to start all over again.  That just doesn't happen here.


Where I live, plant life is always growing full force.  Yards must be mowed, weeds must be pulled, trees must be trimmed, and something is always blooming.  The city doesn't have seasonal maintenance crews.  They work year-round.  I imagine they start at one end of the island, and by the time they reach the other end, it's time to start all over again.  Hawaii is an environment of continual growth.  I never have to wonder if it is the right time to plant something.  I just plant it - and usually it grows.  (If it doesn't, it's not the weather, its the gardener...)  I guess that's just life in the tropics.  We're close enough to the equator that we always have plenty of warm sunshine and lovely trade-wind showers.  The perfect climate for life. 

Do you see where I'm going with this?  It got me thinking about these verses:

Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NLT)

It's a challenge for me to think of making my life an environment where new life happens all the time, in every season.  Just like in my natural world, I go through times of rain or times that are dry, but can something bloom even then?  Even in the dry times, is there an area of my life that can produce fruit? 

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine,

and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.

Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.

For apart from me you can do nothing." ~ Jesus

John 15:4-5 (NLT)

As a child of God, I have been made new. In my old nature, nothing would grow. All was dead. But now I am living in new life of the Spirit of God.



It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own.

Our qualification comes from God. 

He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant.

This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit.

The old written covenant ends in death;

but under the new covenant,

the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NLT)

The secret to having life and producing much fruit is to remain in the Vine.  A branch that is connected to the vine cannot help but produce fruit.  It is a by-product of being attached.  Living life with Jesus is like living in the tropics - living things can't help but thrive there. 

It may not always be spring, but in Hawaii, there is always something beautiful ready to harvest.  I'm striving to do the same! 

Aloha!

See other posts on Cultivating Life at:

Hunger is a Gift

Hunger.  Hunger is usually something we try to avoid.  When we're hungry, we want to make it go away by eating our fill.  Hunger in the world is so extreme.  It is a mark of poverty.  How we work to avoid hunger.

“God blesses those who are poor

and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."

Matthew 5:3

Last year, my father-in-law had a few months were he just wasn't hungry.  He slowly lost weight and we were all quite worried.  How do you force someone to eat who just doesn't want to.  If only we could get him to be hungry, he would reach for the food that would make him whole.  Thankfully, with the grace of God, he began to eat again and is at a better weight.

That's when I realized that hunger is a gift.  Without it, we wont reach for the nurishment we need.  Spiritual hunger is also a gift.  When we realize our need for Jesus, we will reach out to know him more.

One of the "desert fathers" (I think it was Julian of Norwich) was praying, asking God to help her pray for 5 hours every day.  She felt the Lord tell her to look at the little birds.  God doesn't tell them to eat.  They eat when they are hungry.  When you are hungry for God, then you will pray.

 I will praise you as long as I live,

lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

 You satisfy me more than the richest feast.

I will praise you with songs of joy.

Psalm 63:4-5

Lord, thank you for the gift of hunger. May I feast at the table of Your presence. Amen.


To read other's thoughts on Hunger, click on the lick below:

Ash Wednesday - Turning My Heart Toward Home

Woke the girls up early today and attended an Ash Wednesday Mass.  It was the first time I'd been in that particular church, St. Anthony's, even though I've lived in the area for over 30 years.  The priest talked about how Ash Wednesday and Lent are similar to Toyota.  It is a time to be recalled.  A time to come back for adjustments to the journey to God's heart.   I really resonate with that thought. 

Over and over this week, the Lord is bringing me messages that contain a single theme:  humility.  Jesus is the very picture of humble.  I want more of that in my life.  He has made it abundantly clear that He wants more if it in my life, too.

Physically and emotionally, it's been a trying week.  Who's idea was it to put a perimenopausal woman and three adolescent females in the same house...difficult.  (Condolences may be sent to Mark and Andrew...)  But that is where the stuff of my character is shown.  What's inside the glass will come out when jostled.  God is teaching me to be a minister in my home first and foremost.  That is the true test of His love living in me.  Don't worry.  It's really not as bad as I make it sound.  There is joy and love in the midst of these trials.  His grace is giving me eyes to see it.  I am grateful.

I love this song. It was written and originally performed by Rich Mullins. He was such an intense soul. Now he's with Jesus. This remake of the song is a great tribute and I believe it really captures the raw emotion that the words portray.  (Pause the player at the top of this page before you play the video.)





As I head into Lent, I'm thinking of the words that the priest shared this morning. "Lent is a season we love to hate." I can totally understand that. I love to be drawn to the heart of Jesus. That's my safe place. But to get there, I must cast everything else aside. I go empty handed.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a

huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,

let us strip off every weight that slows us down,

especially the sin that so easily trips us up.

And let us run with endurance the race

God has set before us. 

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,

the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

Because of the joy awaiting him,

he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

Now he is seated in the place of honor

beside God’s throne. 

Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;

then you won’t become weary and give up.

Hebrews 12:1-3 NLT

As the ashes were crossed onto my forehead, the words "Repent of your sins and believe in the gospel," were ringing in my ears.  Yes, LORD, I do repent.  Yes, LORD, I do believe.  Amen.

The Upside of the Downside...

Sunday's climb up to Mount Olomana was great.  The view was worth every rope climbed.  So many spiritual lessons rattle in my brain...  But coming down from the mountain, that's the lesson that is asking to be explored.

Ah, the "mountain-top experience."  Very well named.  So much of my time is spent seeking it.  But life in this world demands that after the experience, I must come down.

Coming back from the retreat last week left me so out of sorts in my routine.  I was off kilter for days.  How can the lessons I learned about climbing back down from Olomana help me make the transition to life in the valley?

Here are four lessons I've discovered:

Lesson #1:  Stop wishing for a life lived at the "top" or for the helicopter ride down, just get moving.
I really didn't want to come down from that beautiful place.  It was such an effort to get there, I just wanted to savor it.  But the sun was setting, and I really had no choice.  So, instead of having a tantrum, I got myself up, and headed back down the trail.  If I had really stopped to think about all those steep cliffs and rope descents, I would have become paralyzed with fear.  Not helpful.  So I adopted Elizabeth Elliot's mantra, "Just do the next thing," and started putting myself through the motions.

Lesson #2:  Use the same ropes you used to get up, to get yourself down.
Those holy habits that I'm learning to use to get up to the mountain-top experience, are also helpful when it's time to scale back down.  The disciplines of my regular quiet time, hard stops for prayer, scripture memorization, and journaling, all help me focus on Jesus and give me strength to come back down into the plain or valley where the majority of my life is lived.

Lesson #3:  Don't look a the drop-off, just keep your eyes on the next step.
When coming down those big boulders, it was necessary to look down to place your next step.  I had to focus very purposefully on the rock where I would step, and not the sheer drop just beside it.  I really don't like heights, so this was a test of my focus.  I just couldn't afford to let my eyes stray.  When coming back down to the "everyday" of life, keeping my focus on the Solid Rock helps to push back fear and build faith. 

Lesson #4:  Take the mountain-top experience with you down to the valley - and share it!
As our group came down the mountain, we just couldn't stop talking about how wonderful it was.  We took pictures to remember and share.  Now, when I pass by that mountain, I will always remember that day.  It looks so high and difficult to climb.  It's hard to believe we where really there.  Those memories will last many years.  How will anyone know that the climb was worth it unless we tell them?

Psalm 121

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

 I look up to the mountains—

does my help come from there?

 My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth!

 He will not let you stumble;

the one who watches over you will not slumber.

 Indeed, he who watches over Israel

never slumbers or sleeps.

 The Lord himself watches over you!

The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

 The sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon at night.

 The Lord keeps you from all harm

and watches over your life.

 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,

both now and forever.

As time goes on, I may discover more lessons, but this will do for now. God is good. He never wastes any experience. He is the Good Shepherd that speaks to me in ways that I can understand. I pray that these discoveries will be a blessing to you, too.








Photos by Jake Heaton, co-moutain climber.

Waves of Glory

We headed north for our Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  It was a fun day.  The waves on the North Shore of Oahu were awesome.  Even though the swell was going down, the waves were still in the 15-18 foot range. 

It's so hard to photograph waves. 

They all look the same - there's no scale. 

No one was surfing, too "blown out," but trust me, they were monsters!

And the sound, it thunders!  You can feel it in your chest as you sit on the shore.  Such amazing power.

It got me thinking...I wonder what David would have written about these waves, had he seen them.  The psalms tell of the ocean roaring at the sound of His name, but I bet the Mediterranean never gets like this.

So I did my best to write my own psalm, inspired but these mega-waves.

The glory of the LORD is all around,

Like a winter, North Shore day

Where mammoth waves roar like thunder,

They declare Your awesome power and might.

Their never ending rhythm proclaims Your faithfulness.

David was right, there is none like You.

If he had seen the majesty of these waves,

He would have included them in his songs.

For just as with these waves,

Your presence commands holy fear.

I can't imagine living my life without natural beauty all around.  It's one of the many ways that God speaks to me.  I see His glory everywhere. 

Like the song says,  "Open the eyes of my heart, LORD, open the eyes of my heart, I want to see You, I want to see you...."

Here are a few more pictures of our day.  I tried to put people in the shots in order to get a bit of scale on the waves....still doesn't do them justice.  Enjoy!

The beach was actually "closed"...

Crash!

Mark

Typical...

A bit more scale in this picture...

Andrew

Rachael

Moana and Rebecca

No day at the North Shore is complete without shaved ice!