From Winter to Glorious Light

Gosh - it has been so long since I have posted to this blog!! I wound up being sick with the flu and cold for a month – that wore me out. Then by the time I was well from that, I had surgery a few days before Christmas.

Anyway – I am recovering well and looking ahead to greater things in 2009. We actually have not celebrated Christmas yet. Our children and grandchildren are coming on New Year’s Eve, so we will have Christmas on New Year’s Day with them and with Ralph’s family all at the same time. I am soooo looking forward to it! Family is such a blessing.

What a winter storm most of us had! Here at our farm we had over a foot of snow. The first few days the wind blew hard and all the snow drifted, but it didn’t look like much at all on the fields. Our driveway was drifted over, though. We could get through (barely) in our 4-wheel drive pickup, but anyone with a regular height vehicle –even SUVs got stuck and Ralph had to pull them out. When the last round of snow came, the wind was no longer blowing, so it accumulated over the course of 2 or 3 days into over a foot on the fields. How beautiful it was!

Here are a couple of pictures of the view from our windows taken during the last two days of snowfall.




This kind of beauty just reminds me of how glorious God is. He has given me a life incredibly full of beauty and rich experiences. Last night at church, the pastor was speaking about how glorious heaven will be. I cannot even imagine how amazing it will all seem when we get there. But I do know that it will be even more splendid than the most beautiful and joyous earthly experiences.

Sometimes in the midst of our day to day struggles or in times of pain and suffering, it may be hard to see the glory of all He has to offer. We get tunnel vision as we trudge along just trying to get through each day, sometimes. But look at what the word of God says about that:

Psalm 56:13 – For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life!

Psalm 76:4 – You, O God are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game!

2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who said, “Let light shine out of the darkness” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is not variableness, nor shadow of turning.

Today – at this moment – the sun is shining through my window. The reflection of the sun on the snow that is left (after all this rain for the past two days) is absolutely brilliant – almost blinding. But it is such a joy to see.



As 2009 approaches, remember that in those times of darkness that will inevitably come, God is there with you. And if you look at Him in the midst it, you will see His light working its way through to your very being. Eventually, His light will shine so brilliantly, you will hardly be able to contain it as you come out the other side of the valley.

Look at His light and continue to walk in hope and truth as we forge ahead to the end of this year.

I, for one, am excited to see what his plan is for me in 2009 – I don’t want to miss the light and glory He has for me along the way!

God bless you – every one!!
Patti

He Lives

I woke up this morning with the song “He Lives” going through my head. I have not heard that song in ages, so I don’t think it was coincidence that it was there. You know how sometimes, you wake up with the last song you heard before going to sleep, or one you have heard a lot recently, or the song in your head is one that was retrieved from your memory banks as you heard a couple of words that took you there?

Well, I can’t think of anything that would have brought this song to mind, so I can only assume that it was God who brought it to my consciousness. So I began to ask Him “why this song, this morning?” It is more of an Easter song, really, and we are headed soon into Christmas. But here is how it goes:
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HE LIVES!
I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;
I know that He is living whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him, He's always near.

Chorus
He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives,
Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives -
He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And tho' my heart grows weary I never will despair;
I know that He is leading thro' all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing will come at last.

Repeat Chorus

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find,
None other is so loving, so good and kind.

Repeat Chorus
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I guess maybe it is important for me to remember that Jesus is my HOPE and no one can take that away from me. No matter what the circumstance, He has promised a hope and a future – and He cannot lie or take back what He said. I feel sadness for those who have placed their hope in a mortal man, thinking he can fix all their problems. And though I think this country’s problems will only get worse because of the outcome of this election, I feel surprisingly unaffected. In fact, it has been a catalyst for placing my focus more on Him and less on this nation. He Lives – and that is all I really need to know!

IT'S ALL GOOD!

This morning, I was sitting at my kitchen table enjoying the sunrise and reading The Word. I went back to Genesis 1 and read again about the creation. As I read about what God did each day, I was really struck by the fact that He is all about not just renewal, not just regeneration, but GENERATION! He created out of nothing. The earth was void, blank, nothingness and He made this incredible complex place with all these incredible complex pieces that work together for RE-generation. After He created each day, he looked back and said “it’s all good” (my paraphrase). It seems like we hear so much about regeneration and renewal – which are the essence of His presence in our lives. But why do I forget about the generation part – creating something out of nothing? When we are taught about using our gifts to serve somehow or another in ministry, does that limit us? Does that put God in a box?

My husband and I had a prayer counseling ministry when we lived in another town and we loved it! We are feeling called into ministry again and I think we have this concept that it will be really similar to what we did before – that our gifting will again be used and our ministry renewed. But maybe He wants to generate a new ministry with gifts that we never thought we had. That is kind of a scary thought, huh? Yet, when hearts are tender and yielded to God, people follow Him to amazing miracles in their lives. I don’t think the fishermen who left their nets and followed Jesus had any idea the gifts and experiences they would receive. They were not taught what their gifts were – they just followed to see what Jesus would do and they joined Him in what He was doing. Wow – how unorthodox that was!! Did they stop and say, “wait – let me see what my gifts are before I decide what I will do for you”? NO – they just went along! Oh – and what miracles they saw - and what an incredible journey they took. Was it all fun? No – sometimes it led to death and there were many trials, but in their relationship, and in their willingness to follow, I believe that God said “it’s all good”.

I am so excited that He is calling me to something new! I don’t know what it is yet, but I just want to follow, no matter what I think my gifts are and see the miracles He produces at every turn along the way. I hope that no matter where this takes me, and even in the hard places, I can look at Him and say along with Him “IT’S ALL GOOD”.

God's Economy

It has certainly been an interesting time in our history these past few months, culminating into a wake-up call to to people of many nations about the economy of this world. The stock market dabblers and forecasters don’t seem to have a clue what will happen by the end of each day - let alone in the long term.

I have friends who have money in the stock market and they are a bit freaked out right now. But my husband Ralph came to me the other day and said “well I looked at our stock this morning and it is doing just fine!” Here is a picture of our ‘stock’.




Some day we will inherit the cattle on a thousand hills, because my glorious and wealthy Father in heaven owns them all!!

I have been watching all the anxiety and fear in the news and on Wall Street lately and I am glad that I know that God is my source.

Does that mean good Christians will always be prosperous financially? I don’t think that is true, but we can know that as we go through hard times, He will be with us and wants us to focus on Him rather than the physical world we live in. We can believe His promises – that he is our provider, our strength, our peace, our healer, our helper, our friend, and so much more. It is when we take our eyes off Him and look back at ourselves and this world that fear and other negative emotions invade our lives.

The first chapter of Joshua is often used as an encouragement and a promise - that the Lord will be with us wherever we go. Period. But sometimes we forget that with promises and blessings, there are some things that God puts in as disclaimers – “if’s”. In verse 7, God tells Joshua to be sure not to turn from the Book of the Law - THEN he will prosper wherever he goes. Verse 8 says he should meditate in it day and night, observe and do according to it – THEN he would be prosperous and successful. God then commands Joshua to “be strong and courageous” and to remember that God is with him wherever he goes.

This whole chapter is a series of IF –THEN principles. The New Testament teaches us that since Jesus came, our sins are washed away and we have no guilt or shame. I truly believe all that when it comes to salvation and an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. However, at times we seem to forget that God’s principles still apply.

How many times have I claimed God’s promises, yet forgot to pay attention to the commands that God gave to Moses and Joshua. Then, when the promises don’t come to pass as quickly or in the way that I would have wanted, I get discouraged. Though it is true that When Jesus died, the barrier between us and God was destroyed and the Old Testament law was abolished, there are times when I put up my own barriers between God and myself, creating quite an obstacle course for those promises to overcome. When I allow the enemy to controls aspects of my life or when I get too busy for God, I am clogging up the conduit through which those blessings flow. We are not bound by the law anymore, but it is true that if I have not spent time with the Lord and His word, it becomes much harder to hear his voice and to be strong and courageous. Fear creeps in – then worry, then fretting, then anger, then pride, then shame – and on and on and on. Because many of the Israelites turned against God, worshipped other Gods, and forgot His commands, they were not allowed into the land that God had promised. Consequences!

Yes, we are to “be strong and of good courage.” But we don’t have to muster strength and courage from within ourselves. In these uncertain times, step back, remember that God is for you, not against you. It is times such as this that I need to look back at the triune God and ask “Where are you in this and how do you want me to help you there?” In serving and watching Him at work there are so many exciting things that happen and it helps put things in perspective. Then we can more easily see the big picture through the barriers of the immediate challenges.
I pray for God’s blessings, strength and courage for all of you who read this blog.
Patti

Uncle Larry

My uncle Larry has been fighting cancer and though it has been in remission, recently found that it is in his lymph nodes and liver. He has been a pastor for years and his last couple of e-mails have so amazed me. This is a person whose focus is on God and his faith remains unshaken. Let me insert an excerpt from his last e-mail as an example.
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I not only got up feeling blessed this morning but God was speaking words of wisdom and comfort into my heart and soul. He was helping me keep cancer in its proper perspective. It is not the main thing in my life. It certainly is a disruptive thing that I have to deal with and even with its attendant focus on death, it's not the main thing. When I get up in the morning I go about my day just like I did before any of this was ever a reality. Each day is filled with life and living. In the midst of the disruptions that we face God shows us new ways to serve and give and encourage. It's the living that occupies our minds and hearts not cancer.

Yesterday, Linda and I encountered some senior moments that were lighthearted and funny that got us to laughing and just enjoying and delighting in life and each other. We are doing ok. Today, to celebrate Yom Kippur, October 9th, seemed like a good as reason and any, we're making a tub of homemade ice cream. Actually we're just celebrating another day of life. It just happens to be Yom Kippur.

I've decided as I did the first time around that Satan is not going to win. In saying that I don't mean I won't die with cancer. That's not Satan's victory. His victory is when I quit living, give up, become discouraged and despairing. There isn't a week goes by but that I read about, hear about or encounter someone who has struggles that are far greater than mine.

Again, we don't know why God chose us for this adventure but we do know that it is seamlessly connected to a greater purpose that he has for us.We are seeing some of that worked out as we see our own hearts being transformed by God's love and goodness and grace.Thank you for your care and love and especially your prayers. Thank you for sharing the journey with us.
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Mind you, he is in a second round of Chemotherapy with all its ravaging debilitation - but he still remains steadfast and wants to encourage others!

As I have been writing sections for a retreat I will be doing, I am trying to learn how to always turn my focus on Christ - every minute of every day. Larry's e-mails have given me an example of Christ's outlook. As Jesus was dying on the cross, He was still thinking of you and I.

May His grace always be sufficient for all of you who read this.

Lovingly posted in the name of Jesus Christ,
Patti

Garden Harvest

Yesterday, I knew that it was supposed to be the last really nice day and rain would begin, so I decided to go out and begin preparing my garden for winter. In my mind, I was thinking about how the weather had been so cool that my garden was not the only one that was behind in its production this year. Feeling a bit discouraged that my corn and tomatoes were not very plentiful, I set out to salvage what I could of the fruit of my labors.

I planted 8 potatoes in July and I knew there were some potatoes under there and I wondered if there would be many to store for the winter. Yet, by the time I got done, what a bounty!! I had a whole wheelbarrow full of potatoes and most of them are quite large!! Then I started lifting the vines to see what my pumpkins are doing and I found at least 12 pumpkins of Jack-O-Lantern size. They have not turned orange yet, but they are starting to turn. I was happily enjoying the thought that my grandkids could pick pumpkins from Grandma’s garden this year as I picked another bucket full of green beans.

As I was harvesting and cleaning my garden, I began thinking “well even if the economy falls flat, we will have lots of potatoes, green beans and beef to get us through the winter!” (We have a small herd of beef cows too). Immediately I realized that this cool summer has actually benefitted some things in my garden and has given the cows more to eat, since the grass has not dried up as much this year. Was it what I thought I wanted? Not really,I wanted longer spells of warm weather so my tomatoes and beans would flourish. But God is amazing! He decides what will thrive and what will wither, but He is always faithful and knows what is best, even if we don't always agree at first. Sometimes we miss the miracles and divine providence He fashions, because we are focusing on a specific outcome – like I was with the tomatoes and corn. But if we really look, we realize that there are many underlying miracles that we might have missed if we didn’t choose to look at Him instead of our circumstances.

In this case, it was a simple realization that this actually was better. For instance, potatoes and beans are easy to store through the winter. When I put up corn, I cut it off the cob and freeze or can it. Whether you freeze or can tomatoes, they are much better with the skins peeled off. So corn and tomatoes take more work to store. There is a big sale on canned goods at the local store, so I can go buy canned corn and canned tomatoes fairly inexpensively. Not to mention the fact that the blackberries and blueberries were late this year too; but because my job kept me so busy all through the summer and I now have some time off, I have been able to pick and freeze some of those this past week too. That is providence!

These are just a few minor examples of how the Holy Spirit so faithfully turns my whining into praise and thankfulness! When we keep our eyes on the Sovereign God, He really does turn our mourning into dancing and our sorrow into joy. That's miraculous!

My friend Annie reminded me of this verse as we had lunch the other day, and it so aptly seems to fit our Christian walk in what could be a very scary economic time in our nation: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" ( Matthew 6:28,29).

Oops I’d better go – gonna make a blackberry cobbler!

Unbelievable Grace

I am so constantly reminded of God's wonderful Grace. When I began this new year, I asked God what His theme for me would be. I very quickly understood that my theme for the year was "Grace". Well, I imagined wonderful things, but by February, two important people in my life had died and I began to realize how multifaceted God's grace is.

Dictionary.com defines grace this way (theologically speaking):

a. the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

b. the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.

c. a virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christian graces.

d. Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect.

Grace comes when we need it the most and when we don't feel in need of it. It is freely given by God when and where He chooses and to whom He chooses. It comes in the midst of pain and suffering, grief, fear, and joy. Sometimes we don't recognize it, but it is there. Even though I don't ever deserve it, I am so thankful that it is there for me.

In March of this year, a few weeks after my Dad died,I was blessed to go spend two weeks with my granddaughters, Natalie and Kendra, while their Dad and Mom were gone to Africa. (My son Brian and his wife, Cheri were in Africa for a month, so of course I shared the care-taking with others). They had such a wonderful adventure and today I found out that . . .

Brian's book about their African adventure has now been published. There is a link to it on the sidebar of this page and a picture of the front cover at the top of this post.




God's grace was abundant to them throughout the whole trip, just as it was to me while they were gone. I am so blessed with the family that God gave me and so proud of my boys and their families. They love the Lord and understand that Grace is abundantly available in every circumstance!

I am learning more and more about God's grace and as different areas of grace open up to me I hope to share them here. Hopefully I will be more able to share specific instances and discern what grace really is as the year goes on.

Patti

Morning Glory Garden

MORNING GLORY GARDEN

If my walk with God were a Garden, it would be a Morning Glory Garden.

You see, God has given me a gift – it is the ability to see beauty – to see God’s glory - in the midst of the weedy parts of my life.

There is a patch of morning glories near my house. They are all tangled in with blackberries and other grasses and weeds. People say that they are a noxious weed, but when they are in bloom, they are magnificent!! Underneath the thick vine are some hidden treasures, if I dare but look. They grow in the place where my mother-in-law’s gardener deposits the clippings from her flower beds. Buried beneath the vines most of the time, some of these flowers raise up through the mat and I am always amazed at how much it looks like they are all raising their faces up to God. So whether the morning glories are blooming or not – they still allow others to join in their display.

That’s how it is with me and God. As we walk through life, He shows me beauty through the weeds of my life. When I have been in pain, He soothes me, when I am sad, he holds me close and makes me smile. When I am discouraged or afraid, He gives me strength I never could have imagined. And when I am in full bloom, it is because He is shining through me and I am lifting my face up to Him.

So you see – even though I still have many weeds that invade my walk with God, when I look at Him, he shows me hidden gems beneath the surface. When I feel like I am struggling beneath the tangled mat (many times because of my own doing) He shines light and gives me room to grow – with new strength, because I had to go through the tough stuff. When I see myself as noxious and weedy – God sees my beauty, because of Jesus in me.

He provides the morning glories of my garden for growth, medicinal purposes, my own natural hallucinogenic, and to keep the ground from washing away from under my feet. And even when I feel like the ground is washing out – I can glimpse little glories daily – the face of a baby, the caring of a friend, a supportive husband, my incredible grandchildren, a “coincidental” miracle - the list goes on and on. Perhaps the greatest glory is the fact that my walk with Him – my garden - is uniquely mine – it doesn’t have to be like or look like anyone else’s garden.
His Glories are new every morning - because I am His and He is mine!
By Patti Wieland

My intro

Ephesians 4:32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.

Hello, my name is Patti Wieland, founder of Tender Heart Ministries. The name for the ministry came to me when I realized three things: that Jesus was a man with a tender heart, but he was not by any means a wimp, that God wants to tenderize our hearts so the seasonings of truth can enter and that the Holy Spirit can work through me when my heart is tender toward others.

I am a wife (30 years) mother, grandmother, a business owner, a sister, daughter, friend, colleague, adventure seeker, counselor, mentor coach, international christian speaker and most importantly, an agent of God’s kingdom. I know that I have been set apart for such a time as this and that God fills me with the power and might of a warrior when I need it through the shed blood of Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. This may sound somewhat boastful, but it is only because of God’s presence in my life and my belief in His word that I can say these things today.

Listen to what He says in Psalm 92:12-14
“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
· shall flourish in the courts of our God,
· shall still bear fruit in old age ,
· and shall be fresh and flourishing.

I love that! It so clearly shows that it is never too late to have an impact in Gods kingdom. I love life and when challenges come, my desire is to meet them head-on! But sometimes the enemy and my humanness get in the way. So I need to remind myself that it is time to once again “plant myself in the house of the Lord”.

When I speak to women or counsel them one on one, I want them to know that no matter what their life has been, what they have been through or where they are right now, God wants to lovingly direct them to great things for him. I want them to know that God has abundance for them and created them for His pleasure. He has appointed them for this time, this place and for His glory. I want women to know that life is so much more exiting and full when intimacy with God outweighs their fear, shame, guilt, apathy, and pain. I want them to know that they really can soar as eagles to greater heights than they ever dreamed possible. We have all read these things in God’s word, but it is so crucial that our hearts – not just our minds - know the truth of what a close relationship with Jesus does.

Because of my life experiences I also know that God loves each one of us and sees us each as the apple of His eye. So in those times when I don’t feel confidence about my walk here on earth and with Him, in those times when I don’t feel very adventurous, and when I feel totally discouraged, He holds me and loves me and cries with me. That same God that fires us up also calms us down and even carries us when we cannot walk for a while. Isn't that an awesome and inspiring truth?

I would love to share more of my life, thoughts and passions with you. You may hear about how God has been working on me and wooing me even when I was not walking with Him. You’ll probably hear how he protected me even in my own adrenaline junkie pursuits. You will find out that I am not always a shining example and my failures are many. But I always pray that women I speak to and with will hear what God wants them to hear during our time together - and that with love and transparency I can be an instrument God uses to spur them on to what they are called to do no matter what their abilities or “disabilities”.