Posted by admin on May 7, 2012 under Encouraging Words | 
A Man Whose Deeds Match His Words
Albert Eistein was the featured speaker at a banquet. The guests pushed away plates and adjusted their chairs as the celebrated physicist was introduced.
Einstein, however, was an honest man. Thanking the master of ceremonies, he apologized to them all.
“I am sorry,” he said, “but I have nothing to say.” And he sat down.
A few months later, however, he visited the master of ceremonies to schedule another speech. Now, he explained, he had something to say.
In only one respect, I am like Einstein: since Easter, I have had nothing to say! A bit of asthma certainly contributed to my speechlessness and writer’s block. I made several attempts to fill blank pages. But finally I decided to just wait and listen. Listen to the silence within . . . rest in the Lord.
In this Twitter-pated era of self-expression, barraged by texting and talk shows, I am challenged by this admonition:
“My beloved brothers, understand this: everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” (James 1:19)
It is not the endless flow of communication from social media that I need to hear. I need to halt my runaway train of thought. I need to step out into the silence, where I can hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. I lay my concerns in His hands; I wait on Him.
I can’t always go on a retreat or lock myself in a prayer room. But I can cultivate the inner garden of peace, goodness, and love God has planted in my heart. In this inner retreat I praise and thank Him for His faithfulness. I adore Him for His love. I listen intently to His words of encouragement and guidance. I “walk with Him and talk with Him” in this quiet place even as I walk through the world.
Only when I hear His voice and obey Him will I have anything to say worth hearing (or reading). The angry words that pop like firecrackers from my mouth would certainly diminish if I listened more and talked less!
The Pharisees, like many other religionists, were quick to condemn those who violated their laws: “Don’t eat this, don’t eat that.” But Jesus said, “What comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.” What is in the heart comes out of the mouth. ” These are the things that defile a man.” (Matthew 18-20a)
The disciple Peter developed a reputation for hasty words and deeds, even cursing and swearing when Jesus’ enemies cornered him. (Matthew 26:74) But the mature apostle, along with James, reminds us to bridle our tongues, “not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing.” (I Peter 3:9) Peter gives us the example of Christ: “He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth; when reviled, He did not revile in return; when suffering, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to the One who judges justly.” (I Peter 2:22)
Lord, may the words of my mouth be a blessing . . . not blather; the truth . . . not lies; encouragement . . . not flattery; humility . . . not boasting; forgiveness . . . not retaliation.
Fill my mouth with the wisdom of Your Word, not the froth of self-expression.
Let me silent that You may be heard.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) Amen.
Kids Sing Talkative’s Patter Song In the children’s musical Pilgrim’s Progress, Talkative is a meddlesome news reporter who stirs up trouble for Christian and Faithful on the way through Vanity Fair! (lyrics below) One of the children’s instruments is humorously off-key–entirely appropriate for the discord caused by gossip!
Photo: Reverend C. Edward Shipman, my cousin, is the founder of Happy Hill Farm Academy, Granbury, Texas, a residential school that has ministered to thousands of children. For information on how you can help needy children at the Academy, please log on to http://www.happyhillfarm.org/
TALKATIVE’S PATTER SONG
My name is Talkative.
I live wherever you live.
I am the news reporter of the town.
I like to tell a tale
To make folks laugh and wail
And spread your secrets
Up the street and down.
So give me all your news
On topics that I choose.
I have the latest word on every scene.
And soon your steps will lag
As tongues begin to wag.
You’ll find out that I really
Am a scream.
(c) 1993 by Lela A. Satterfield. All rights reserved.
Posted by admin on April 7, 2012 under Encouraging Words |
“What should we say then? Should we continue in sin? We were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that we too may walk in a new way of life.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished . . . Now if we died with Christ, we will also live with Him.”
(from Romans 6)
A meditation for Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday: Read the words and scripture below (aloud, if possible) then click on the link to listen to The Cross On Jesus’ Back.
THE CROSS ON JESUS’ BACK
How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of Him who brings Good News!
How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of Him who brings Good News!
Where I could not go, what I could not do,
Jesus picked me up and brought me through.
* * *
For I was the cross on Jesus’ back.
I watched His dusty feet
As He stumbled along the tortured track
All the way up Calvary.
But still His arms were strong
To carry me on
On His bleeding back.
He heard the mocking laughs;
He bore the brutal slash,
When He could have just turned back.
* * *
I was the cross on Jesus’ back–
The heavy weight of sin.
Helpless, I heard His forgiving words
As the nails were pounded in.
They hung Him there to die,
A living sacrifice,
Gave His perfect life for me.
He conquered death and hell
(What I deserved full well)
And His love poured down on me.
* * *
Now I have new life; I have been transformed
By His resurrection power.
His Spirit leads the way; I walk by faith today.
He gives me grace for every hour.
* * *
How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of Him who brings Good News!
How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of Him who brings Good News!
Where I could not go, what I could not do,
Jesus picked me up and brought me through.
How lovely . . .
© 2010 by Lela Satterfield. All rights reserved.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live in the flesh, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:19-20 HCSB)
HALLELUJAH! CHRIST IS RISEN!
The Cross On Jesus’ Back. *
*based on a devotional by Dr. Bill Gaultierre www.soulshepherding.com
Posted by admin on April 3, 2012 under Encouraging Words |
Pale yellow, pale pink, mint green, and robin’s-egg blue–in popular culture those are the colors of Easter. Bunnies and chicks, lilies and eggs!
But in my mind the colors of Good Friday and Easter cry out–the bright green grass stained with scarlet streaks of blood– the mournful gray sky–the wooden cross black with blood and dust. The ashen body of Jesus carried to the tomb.
Dawn was still shrouded in grief when an earthquake broke the silence Sunday morning. Like a bolt of lightning an angel of the Lord descended to roll back the grave stone. There he sat shining in a robe dazzling as snow. The guards passed out from fear. The sun leaped up in golden glory, for Jesus Christ, Lord of heaven and earth, had risen from the grave! (Matthew 28:2-7)
I recall the shadows of a Good Friday service. No candles lit the altar or illumined the stained-glass faces in the windows as I walked in procession toward the cross. Solemn and pale in our little white robes, the children’s choir sang shrilly:
There is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.
There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
Of Heaven and let us in.
Then the earnest refrain:
Oh, dearly, dearly, He has loved,
And we must love Him too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.*
The Holy Spirit burned that stark message into my soul as I sang. A few weeks later, I kneeled down to ask the Lord to forgive my sins and make me His child. “Help me live for You,” I whispered.
Now from the other side of life, I thank God for answering that prayer. This Father-Artist who splashes rainbows across stormy skies and buries the sun in fiery seas is passionate toward me and all creation. He is faithful and purposeful. He will not be thwarted. His love never fades, and His light never dims. He will not surrender His creation to chaos and despair; He will reign in the glory of the new heaven and earth.
We cannot yet see this masterpiece; God’s canvas stretches from infinity to infinity. But in the center we behold one iconic scene, stained with His own blood: a green hill far away, crowned with a cross, and an empty tomb nearby.
“They brought Jesus to the place called Golgatha (which means Skull Place). Then they crucified Him.” (Mark 15:22,24)
Father, You sent Your only Son to pay for my sins.
Thank You for loving me so much!
Jesus, You hung on my cross and died with me in mind.
Thank You for loving me so much!
Holy Spirit, You brought me to Christ;
Lead me safely home to the Father.
Thank You for loving me so much!
Dearly, dearly, Lord God, do You love me.
Help me to love You more!
Help me to trust You more!
Lord, be pleased at Your work in me.
Amen
* “There Is a Green Hill Far Away” by Cecil F. Alexander and George C. Stebbins
Posted by admin on March 28, 2012 under Encouraging Words |
March, 2012
I have been obese since I was 28, when depression hit me and I found comfort in the kitchen. I tried weight loss programs, overeaters, and recovery groups with mixed success. Hearing all those sad stories just made me head for McDonalds!
I wanted to lose weight for many reasons. As a Christian, I knew some people would look at me and be distracted by my fat. Either they would feel sorry for me and figure I had a problem, or they would judge me. I didn’t want food to be an idol in my life.
Over the years I talked with Christian counselors who helped me face deep issues of loss that led to my eating disorder. I began to let God bring all the dark things into the light. It was a big step when I told my husband what I weighed.
I was still very heavy in 2008 when I walked out of a mammogram with a cancer diagnosis.
Losing weight became secondary to fighting cancer. I was happy to I eat anything that didn’t taste like metal as I went through chemo and radiation.
Swollen with steroids, crippled by a bulging disc in my spine, I weighed in at 256 lbs. when I finished treatments.
In recovery, I have had to deal with other health challenges and the emotional issues common to cancer survivors. I believed the Lord had healed me through my medical team, yet I still had anxiety. I was afraid I would return to my old way of dealing with problems. So with fervent prayer and good counsel, I began to plan my meals. I started exercising too. Glory, hallelujah, the weight began dropping off.
What burned in my mind was this: I want to be free. I want to honor God in my body as the scriptures say:
“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.” (Romans 6:12)
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)
“Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price [the death of Jesus]; therefore, glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
However, after I lost about 40 pounds, I began to lose focus. The scale started going in reverse. I couldn’t get back into the program I had designed for myself. Help, Lord!
Then I saw a poster in a doctors office: a research study for breast cancer survivors. It didn’t “pay,” but the focus was diet and exercise. I applied, prayed hard, and was selected “at random.”
In the program, I take responsibility for my weight by writing down calories, weighing daily, and exercising. I substitute things I enjoy (prayer, memorizing scripture, exercise, writing, music, spending time with family and friends) for food. I used to alternate between fastings and feeding-frenzies; now I eat at regular intervals and make good choices. If I suddenly crave something when I am actually full, I can say no to it, pray, and do something else. The craving doesn’t become a crisis. I can offer it up to the Lord as a spiritual fast.
Once I had a craving for the caramel-pecan rolls I remembered from childhood. I searched the internet to locate the restaurant that sells them. Too far to drive. But one day I was in the neighborhood. Just coffee and a pecan roll; I’ll write down the calories. The line of customers stretched through the store. I cut through to the bakery case. There was my desire. HOW many calories? No! I really didn’t want to do that to myself. At home, over a veggie omelet and whole wheat toast, I gave thanks–I don’t have to smother sorrows with sweets anymore.
The Lord has used many wonderful people–husband, family, friends, doctors, counselors, nutritionists–to bring me more and more healing. I am so grateful to them all. But at rock bottom, I know it is the Lord Himself who has fathered me my whole life. He has treated me as tenderly as a mother. Psalm 27:10 expresses my life experience: ”For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me up.”
I am losing weight, but what I am gaining through cancer and this time of recovery is invaluable. I know that I am greatly loved by the Lord and my family. I used to run to the refrigerator to fill the emptiness when my husband was deployed. Now I know Jesus is always with me. I can run to Him, sing a praise song, remember His promises, and pray. I don’t have to console myself with cookies. But if I plan to have one, I eat and enjoy it! The Lord has removed the shame.
Life is short. I’m looking forward to trading in this old body for a new one. Yet while I am in this “house,” as St. Paul puts it, I need to repair it and clean it up. There are closets I don’t like to open, and the paint is peeling off. But I don’t have to fix it in my own power; my Landlord is the master carpenter. He promises to finish His work in me before He moves me into new quarters.
”For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 4:1)
To God be the glory!
After Cancer Treatments, Summer, 2009
Kids Sing Death, Where Is Your Sting?
Song from my musical Pilgrim’s Progress. This was recorded live at church in spring 2008 right after I received the cancer diagnosis. I was the director; tears rolled down my cheeks as I rejoiced with those kids!
Posted by admin on March 24, 2012 under Encouraging Words |
A very strange healing happened in Bethsaida, when a blind man was brought to Jesus.
The Lord took the man’s hand and led him outside the village, away from the crowd.
Then, as the man kneeled before Him, Jesus laid His hands on him and spat on his eyes.
“Do you see anything?” He asked him.
“I see men,” he answered, “like trees, walking around.”
But Jesus placed His hands on the eyes again. The man’s vision cleared. He could see perfectly. (Mark 8:22-26)
Think about it. Jesus spat on the fellow’s eyes and healed him half-way. At that point, the once-blind man could have risen to his feet, thanked Jesus for a good try, and made his way back to the village, probably on his own. Perhaps, he might have reasoned, a partial miracle was all that Jesus could or would do for him.
Instead, the man waited till the Lord rewarded his faith with a second touch. Now the man had a real testimony to take home: “I once was blind, but now I see.” Not only his eyesight but his whole life was restored.
I didn’t know how bad my own vision was until cataract surgery. I lay quietly on the operating table, as the laser hummed and whirred and a kaleidoscope of colors danced before my eyes. The doctor worked on me, breaking up and removing the old, clouded lens before inserting the new one in its ingenious slot. Soon he raised me up and said, “Look across the room.” Light flooded my eyes, and I could see perfectly.
Half-healed, the blind man could see only distortions and shadowy outlines. Men and trees didn’t look very different to him. But when he looked the second time, he saw Jesus. He saw the face of love; he saw the eyes of mercy. The Light of the World penetrated his heart and changed his life.
Like a man born blind, apart from Christ we simply cannot perceive spiritual reality. Men and trees don’t look very different in a world we think was created by chance! Life appears chaotic, a kaleidoscope of vanishing experiences. Moving carefully in a cloud of uncertainty, we grasp for meaning and try to be content.
Jesus, however, is not content to leave us in darkness. His hand hovers over us to heal us. He offers forgiveness and reconciliation with God. We who were blind and dead in our sins can have new life in Him. *
Jesus doesn’t abandon us to the futility of our own efforts. Our good deeds can never erase the indelible mark of sin, so He simply forgives us. His Spirit moves into our hearts to guard and strengthen our faith. His Word opens to us, providing guidance and comfort. He works healing in body, soul, and spirit. He is preparing an eternal home where there will be no more darkness, evil, suffering, or death.
He promises that Light will prevail. (John 1:1-5)
Even now this Great Physician is on call. He hears our cry and leads us by the hand to a quiet space.
Lord, now I see You indistinctly, as in a mirror. Yet I am drawn to Your light; I long for Your touch. You are the Lord and Love of my life. I submit myself to You. I wait patiently for You. I trust You to restore me spiritually, physically, and emotionally, in whatever ways You see best. Father, Son, and Spirit, I rest myself in You. Lay Your hands of healing on my life. Open the eyes of my heart, and be glorified in me. Amen
____________________________________________________________________________________
* THOUGH WE CANNOT SEE HIM WITH OUR LIMITED PHYSICAL VISION, God is real. He is calling you. He has a plan for your life, to give you a future and a hope.
Pray this simple prayer in your heart:
God, I know I am a sinner. I need You. Thank You for sending Jesus, Your Son, to die on the cross for my sins. Forgive me and come into my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and help me live for You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Jesus has called you out of the darkness. He will be faithful and true. “I will never leave you or forsake you,” says the Lord. (Hebrews 13:5)
Follow Jesus, and He will guide you in every area of your life.
For more information on new life in Christ, read http://satterfieldmusic.com/2011/03/11/good-news-for-today/
Please write me by clicking on COMMENTS (above right). I will write you and pray for you.
A song of new life The Cross On Jesus’ Back
