Eye Wide Open

A few years back, my daughter wrote a tale (with a small amount of assistance) for a school project about an imaginary creature called a Cy-cat. This particular cat had only one eye that was half-opened, got frustrated with the problems in his life and ran away from home. Even his mother with the big huge eye in the back of her head did not see him run away! (Yes, laughed hard as I read her story!) Along the way, the Cy-cat met a wise Cyclop, who had one large eye wide open and spoke the truth to him about why it wasn’t a good idea to run away from his problems. After leaving this creature and deciding to follow his advice, he got lost…then the Eagle of the Lion (a.k.a. Angel of the Lord) soared over him to help him find his way back home, physically and spiritually. All of a sudden, the Cy-cat’s one half-opened eye was opened wide to the truth, and he was able to run home to his family with repentance, thankfulness and joy.


Wow, what a story! And for us, what a picture. Personally speaking, I can’t even count the number of times I have run away from my problems and my stress, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually…And it’s usually when my eyes and my heart are only half-opened to the Lord’s truths. How about you? Please think soberly about this one.

Let’s take a moment to ponder some of the physical things we run to when we have problems or stress. Maybe it’s friends….food….fitness….fashion? TV, chat rooms…..sleep?

What about our emotions? Where do they go? Maybe they roll off our tongues with anger or send us to the pit of our stomachs with guilt or worry…depression….apathy?

While we’re still on the metaphorical run, what is happening to us spiritually? As we jog back and forth, in and out of all these forks in the road in a desperate attempt to find “the way we should go,” what is the result of the vertical relationship between us and our Lord?

Last but not least, what are the things that trigger us to run in the first place? Whether it be stress or problems or persecution—or whether it be our own sin or just plain boredom, we would be wise to follow the advice of the One whose eyes AND arms are always wide open to us. According to Psalm 32:6-10, He doesn’t want us to wait until we feel the need to run. He wants us to ask and receive right now:

“Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you…the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him."
Psalm 32:6-10

Let’s apply these truths as we pray to Him, hide ourselves in Him, be controlled through Him, and joyfully sing of Him today. As we continually focus on Him with the “cy-eye” of our hearts wide open, we’ll be aware of His provision for us when the mighty waters arise—and we’ll have nowhere else we’d rather run than into the extended arms of unfailing love—the arms of our Daddy. There’s no place like home.

“Father, You are my hiding place, and I rest in that fact today. Help me to take advantage of every opportunity to pray to You and to seek You first with my eyes wide open to Your truth. Help me to stay hidden with You at home where I belong… In Your Unfailing Love I rest and Your Secure Name I pray, Amen.”

In the Key of HE,

Turning Back...WFW

Happy Word-Filled Wednesday! 

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In the Key of HE,

Out of Order

Recently, I began to feel pretty flat spiritually. Okay, really flat. With little inspiration to write, to read or even to pray, it was all I could do to keep from sinking into depression. When the Lord led me to search my soul about it, an unsuspecting thought surfaced.

No, THAT is not the problem. Next thought, Lord.

No matter how much I tried to deny it, the Holy Spirit kept bringing the same subject up in my heart and mind--through devotions I would read, sermons I would hear, songs that left a thick lump in my throat, and through conversations with my friends and family.

You haven’t been putting Me first.

That’s the thought that kept coming. I asked Him to show me what I was doing out of order, and He began the process of revealing it to me. I feel led to share one moment in particular with you...


I would love for you to read the rest at the Internet Cafe today by clicking here: Out of Order at the Cafe This is very new and close to my heart, so I hope it ministers to you in some way...

In the Key of HE,

Burn It, Baby!

Hey all, some of the readers of my blog may not know that a huge part of my Lifesong--where my love for ministry writing was really born was from a totally separate devotional ministry where I send out devotionals and fiction stories from my Lovinthearts.com ministry website . I thought I would post one from last year, and I hope it ministers to you today.

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Burn It, Baby!

As a little girl growing up in the Midwest, I have memories of the smell of burning leaves. In the fall, people would rake their massive volume of leaves, sometimes multiple times a week, but instead of bagging them, they would put them into piles for burning. It was a unique odor that I will never forget…not a bad one, just distinct.

One day, I was going with my Mom to my aunt’s house in “the country,” and I smelled the most horrible odor. This was AFTER making it past all the OTHER odors that one survives as she drives through the rural areas of southern Illinois (maybe to do with cows). Anyway, it was something burning, but it wasn’t leaves, and it stunk to high heaven! I pinched my nose and asked my mom what that hetrocious smell was as I gagged through the little air I allowed to come in through my mouth. She said, “Someone’s burning trash!” I had no idea that people could burn trash, but she went on to let me know that this was a regular act for country folk.

This memory came to my mind as I was reading this morning, and you know what, the smell even came back with it! YUCK! I’m glad it did, though, because it gave me a tangible grasp on this passage of Scripture from The Message:

Matthew 3:11-12
"I'm (John the Baptist) baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The Main Character in this drama—compared to Him I'm a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false He'll put out with the trash to be burned."

Imagine that! When we were saved, He lit a fire within our souls …the Holy Spirit. His role was to change us from the inside out…so the flame lit inside of us shines brightly on “Christ in us” while burning the “trash” at the same time. He took up that stink, so that we would be clean before Him…Do we get that? Our souls are spotless before the Lord because He did some sweeping, raking and burning.

Our goal as Christians is to keep living in Him, in a deeper and brighter way each day. The salvation part is covered, but there is still sanctification to be done. The cool thing is that we have the perfect Source of life within us, and we have access to that Source as we keep ourselves plugged into it.

When the Lord is our starting place for energy, for purity, for holiness, for light, for joy, for peace, for fullness, for pleasure—when HE is the supply of all those things—THEN and ONLY then, will we have success at living the Kingdom life here on earth. There is absolutely no way to do it on our own.

John 14:19 says, “Because I live, you will also live.” Because He did not give way to sin or to death, HE LIVES! When we draw on His life, He gives us the ability to say “no” to sin and death for today. As we repent and submit, He takes out the trash in our hearts and minds and burns it, baby! And I’m sure it stinks to high heaven. After those ashes comes His beauty as He reorganizes our priorities with His own.

What a wonderful opportunity for us to recognize His work in us today, friends, and to praise Him…to fall down and worship Him…to submit to Him. I’m ready for the Main Character in my drama (and there’s always lots of it) to do some igniting in me, how about you?

Let’s go to our Starting Place:

LORD JESUS, YOU ARE OUR SOURCE, OUR PROVIDER, OUR HELP. WHEN WE’RE TIRED, YOU’RE OUR ENERGY. WHEN WE’RE WORRIED, YOU’RE OUR PEACE. WHEN WE’RE CONFUSED, YOU’RE OUR COUNSELOR. WHEN WE’RE ATTACKED, YOU’RE OUR DEFENDER. WHEN WE’RE WEAK, YOU’RE OUR STRENGTH. WHEN WE’RE ANGRY, YOU’RE OUR CALM. YOU AND YOU ALONE DO ALL THESE THINGS IN US, AND YOU DO THEM WELL.
HELP US, FATHER, TO TRUST IN YOU TODAY, TO MAKE YOU OUR SUFFICIENCY.
IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.

In the Key of HE,

A Quick Wit and A Stiff Neck

Hey all, as you know I've been rather busy lately. Tis the season in my life! ;) Anyway, many of you probably don't even know that I have a totally separate devotional ministry where I send out devotionals and fiction stories from my regular Lovinthearts.com ministry website , so I thought I would post one of them from awhile back. I hope it ministers to you today.

God has gifted me with a quick, dry wit. Constantly, I hear catch phrases that ring in my mind and cause it to answer. It’s a blessing and a curse. Some people are drawn to it; others probably run the other direction as soon as they see me just to avoid it. If you could be inside my mind for one day, I guarantee you would either be greatly entertained or incredibly concerned. Anyway, I’ll get to the point of why I’m mentioning it.

One day recently, I woke up with excruciating pain in my neck. While issues with my neck are common, this day was worse than normal, as it wouldn’t even relent to the pain medicine. Halfway through the day, Wit spoke up: “What a pain in the neck!” I chuckled in my mind. Later in the day, she spoke up again: “You stiff-necked woman!” That one wasn’t quite as funny to me, of course, as it reminded me of the stubborn Israelites.

As I awoke that next morning, the pain woke with me. I couldn’t even move my neck from side to side without a wince. I was thankful for Mrs. Wit’s humor to keep me amused along the way.

What amazes me is that God often uses these little illustrations in life to strike me and remind me of Himself. As I spent time in prayer, the Holy Spirit reminded me of some unconfessed sin in my life. I was quick to deal with it.

Then He brought to my mind some areas of complacency and unbelief. I gave those over.

Then a tucked away verse woke up my memory: “Do not be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” That sent me on a trail of trying to figure out what this means to a Christian, and more importantly, to me:

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’”
Hebrews 3:12-15

Though I’ve read this verse many times before, the Lord showed me this time that it is possible as a mature believer to turn away from Him with sin or unbelief.

Before, when I’ve envisioned “turning away from the living God,” I’ve thought of a BIG turning away, kind of like the prodigal son. I picture a monumental decision to leave the Christian life to seek my own pleasure.

While that is certainly a possibility here, I don’t believe it is the only one. It says, “BUT encourage one another DAILY.” Wow---I can actually deal with a sinful, unbelieving heart on a daily basis?!?!?

One of the things about sin is that it can tiptoe up on us.....it is deceitful. It wants to make us believe that we will be unaffected from the repercussions of a wishy-washy lifestyle, but read on: “We have come to share in Christ IF WE HOLD FIRMLY TILL THE END the confidence we had at first.”

We want to share in Christ, don’t we? Do we still have the confidence IN Him to live rightly BEFORE Him? Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

To walk humbly requires a daily giving over of ourselves. If we’re not careful, sneaky sin can convince us that we don’t have time to do this or that it’s not necessary....we can become a “stiff-necked” people, if you will. So what is the answer for us?

The answer is found in Psalm 95:2-8a:

“Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods; In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. COME—let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. TODAY, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts....”

Let’s stretch our necks out for Him today, noticing His creation on the left, His blessings on the right, and His provision right in front of us. As He shares this with us, may it cause us to look UP, renewing in us the confidence to hold on firmly all the way to the end.

© Copyright 2007 Laura L. Shaw
All scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

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In the Key of HE,

Dorito Brain Damage

Leaving ocean waves behind today to discuss brain waves. And yes, me wants to discuss Doritos.

Ahhhhhh, Doritos...I used to eat 'em by the handfuls after school as a kid. I would start with one, and before I knew it, half the bag was gone. It never seemed to be enough. I wasn't hungry for more, but my taste buds wanted more, ya know?

Even today, the crunch, the munch, the absolute glorious taste of a Dorito chip overwhelms me. I can't eat them often, because as a person with hypothyroid AND as a former binger set free, I can only allow myself these fattening, unhealthy pleasures sparingly.

Yesterday was that day. Oh myyyyyyy, were them goooooood. Cool Ranch too. Yummers. But ya know, with each chip, the thing I noticed was that I couldn't keep from eating one more. "Okay," I would tell myself, "just oooone more, and that's it." I started to get frustrated, because my tongue didn't feel satisfied, but my tummy did, so I kept tossin them in...even tried letting one melt in my mouth to absorb the flavor. Bleck! Not a good idea.

After I finally got sick of the goopy, powdery flavoring on the top, I stopped. I shoved the bag as far away from me as possible and walked away, as if I were putting down a gun or something: "(((EXCUSE ME, PUT-THE-WEAPON-DOWN)))" may as well of been blaring from a loud speaker in my kitchen with red lights and sirens going off.

That's when it dawned on me. I finally figured out why you can't ever eat just a few Doritos. First of all, I have brain damage from all of the Doritos I ate as a kid. More importantly, I figured out their lil secret. They taste good when they first hit your tongue, (I guess it's all the salty, goopy, powdery flavoring on the top), but there is an icky aftertaste, so it makes you want the next one to have the yummy taste again. Make sense? Pretty soon you're shoveling them in one right after the other so you don't have the aftertaste at all.

So no more. I'm reversing the brain damage caused from the Dorito maker's addiction scheme. I'm saying "no" to them.

Because I can't help but make an analogy out of almost everything, I have to say that Doritos are a lot like sin. Often it tastes good at first...but it always leaves a bad aftertaste. And if a Christian gets to the point where she is just sinning one right after the other in order to avoid the aftertaste, well, some real damage is occurring. She'll eventually have to hear, "Put the bag down and put your hands up," if you know what I mean. Each and every day, we need to examine our lives for sin. When we do so, we'll probably find some. Then we confess it, we toss it to Jesus and put our hands in the air, knowing He is the only One who can cleanse us from it. Ask Him to help you see it coming and avoid it, say "No" to it.

Unconfessed sin brings about heart damage. It puts a wedge between you and an abundant relationship with the Lord. And that's scarey, because first of all, He is the Lord, and He is holy. But second of all, He is the only One who can truly give us the kind of fruit we need to live a victorious Christian life.

The Lord is the real deal. Yes, He tastes so good, it makes us want more, but He completely satisfies our longings in the process. Don't try to substitute Him for that person, that place or that thing. Lift up your hands and praise the Lord.

Psalm 63:4-5 (NLT)
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.

In the Key of HE,

zzzzzzZombie

Have you ever seen a zombie? Well, if not, all you have to do is ride on a long car trip with me. You’ll see one then. One minute I’ll be talking to the driver, the next I’m almost completely unresponsive. It usually doesn’t take too long for Mrs. Zombie to become Mrs. Zzzzzzzzz-ombie. (remember this when I’m the passenger, NOT the driver. Lol)

It makes me sad to think about how many stimulating conversations and interesting landmarks I have missed while in this lifeless state. Being the analyzer that I am, I’ve given some thought to what makes me so sleepy on the highway. I believe it is this: the view of continuous motion and road noise combined with me physically sitting still.

The odd fact, though, is that if the car makes a sudden jolt of any kind—slowing down, jerking to the right or left—it’s as if someone poured a bucket of ice over my head. My heart will pound, and I’m attentive once again to my surroundings.

I’ve noticed the same tendency in my spiritual life. When life is ‘normal,’ and the journey is at a steady pace, I often ‘glaze over’ in my interest to the Lord. I don’t notice the signs and signals He sends my way, I miss the scenery He puts along my path, and I miss out on valuable conversation time with Him.

It only takes a jolt, however—that trial, that problem to solve, that crisis, that word of strife to wake me up and send me to my knees with my heart throbbing out of my chest. All of my spiritual senses are recessitated, and I begin thriving with Him once again.

Doesn’t this happen to all of us sometimes on our faith journeys? Why do we become spiritual zombies—responding only to the pangs of life when they come? Let me suggest to you that, along with other reasons, a good majority of it has to do with the view of continuous motion and noise combined with our spiritually sitting still.

Continuous motion:
Driving to and fro, Shopping here and there, Attending this and that, Volunteering anywhere or everywhere, Serving him or her…all of it has to be done, right?

Continuous noise:
Background music loud and soft, Internet clips funny and moving, Energetic kiddos sassing and singing, TV programs flipping and landing…it’s our present reality.

Of course there’s a time to be still and be silent, but that is a whole other subject. Depending on what season of life you’re in, the degree of motion and noise will vary, but it will be there, none the same.

The problem is when we have all of this around us, then leave Jesus on the shelf of our hearts at the same time.

Even for those of us who read our Bibles, pray, attend church or do ministry--even for us, we can grow robotic about it.

Jesus wants us to take Him everywhere we go. Into each relationship we have. Into our cars. The mall. Our workplace and our churches. He wants us to hear His voice over the sound of music. The entertainment. His still small voice can whisper, and His powerful Word can shout if we don’t make Him the background noise.

So what’s the bottom line? Galatians 5:25—“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

In other words, don’t become spiritual zombies.

I like the way The Message translation puts it as well: “Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives."

Yes, Jesus Christ can be Number One in all the slices of our lives, if we choose to submit, serve and savor Him with each and every step. And instead of people getting to see a zombie for the first time, maybe—hopefully—they will see Jesus instead.

In the Key of HE,

Stop, Look & Listen

Actor & Comedian Ray Romano is quoted as saying, “The more I go through parenting, the more I say I owe my mother an apology.” Too funny and TOO true! As a mother of an eight, ten and thirteen-year-old, I can honestly say that I don’t know what I’m doing a good majority of the time. Some days, the goin’ is pretty good. However, when “those” times come—the ones where behavior problems, entitlement issues and disrespect rise up---then I lean on the wisdom of the great parents I know who have gone before me.

One of the best nuggets of advice I ever received on taming “those” behaviors was several years ago from a mother of five. She suggested starting with three things before trying any kind of punishment: 1. Get eye contact (have them stop what they’re doing and look me in the eye), 2. Cut back verbal freedom (no interrupting…stay still & listen) & 3. Require a verbal and physical response (“Yes, mom.”). After laughing under my breath at this simplistic method, I decided it was worth a try--and let me just say, I was amazed at the results. When I expected them to pay attention to me, look me in the eye, show respect in the middle of it, and then have them agree with me at the end, (as long as I applied it consistently,) we had a whole new relationship of great conversation, mutual respect & order in our household.

Could the same be true in our spiritual lives as well? One might be quoted as saying, “The more I go through parenting, the more I say I owe my Heavenly Father an apology.” The correlation is truly amazing. God is our Father, and “those” times come for us as His sons and daughters, too. Could the same three actions listed above apply in the relationship with our Father as well?

Action #1: Give Him Eye Contact

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? Psalm 121:1
“I lift up my eyes to you, to You whose throne is in heaven.” Psalm 123:1
“But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign LORD; in You I take refuge…” Psalm 141:8a
“A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” Proverbs 17:24
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2

Point #2: Cut Back on our Verbal Freedoms

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Matthew 13:16
“Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10a
“but I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Psalm 131:2
“even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” Proverbs 17:28
“….turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…” Proverbs 2:2

Point #3: Grant Him a verbal & physical response

“…I answered, ‘Amen, LORD.’” Jeremiah 11:5b
“In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, ‘Ananias!’
‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered." Acts 9:10b
“I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” Psalm 119:60
“He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’” Luke 11:23
“This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome….” 1 John 5:3

If we can ask children to “Stop, Look & Listen” before they cross the street, maybe we can remind ourselves to do the same before we kick off the comforter. And the exclamation mark can be to end our day in obedience! This is impossible to do on our own, friends. Just as a youth needs a loving parent to help him do these things, so we need our Daddy’s help as well. When we ask Him for it, He will not disappoint us: “’Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6b) By the guidance of the Holy Spirit, hopefully each of us can be heard quoting the following: “The more I submit to His parenting, the more I say ‘Yes, Lord’ to my Heavenly Father in place of an apology.” Amen and AMEN!

In the Key of HE,

Got Guilt?

Sometimes it's a song that breaks through a stronghold.

For years, I had been given over to a guilt complex. Not for any one thing. Just for all kinds of things. I would take responsibility for situations that were not even mine to take on. I would ask for forgiveness for something, yet eat my guilt away in Hostess products. I prayed for it to go away, but I could not overcome it.

Then our worship pastor introduced this song. My eyelashes got a bath, as well as my whole face as I stood in awe over the lyrics and the melody. It was positively anointed. It reached through and healed my stronghold. Snap. Just like that. I wish I had a video of my church choir and vocalists singing it, but unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera for the souvenir moment. Aha, but I don't feel guilty. Instead, I go to God. Tube, that is. I found this video on GodTube, and it is powerful as well. Enjoy the powerful lyrics, and if you are a visual worshiper, the film clips as well:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain,
that is, His body, and since we have a great priest
over the house of God,
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart
in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us
from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV)

No more guilt. Not me. When I fail, I go to the One who forgives and gives me help to turn from my sin. I will not bask on the waters of self-righteous, self-pitying guilt. I’ll put my trust in His powerful, loving salvation instead.

Anointed

This is a fiction piece posted especially for Patty Wysong's Fiction Fridays. See her button on the side of this page, click on it, and you'll get to read some more great fiction!

It must have been awkward for Trish to attend the Lifegroup at our church, since her non-Christian husband never came with her. My husband Tom and I were one of five couples attending the group. Trish was the odd woman out, but she found her place by leading us during the worship time.

She would praise so genuinely that sometimes I would open my eyes and wonder if I was on earth or in heaven. Whenever complimented, she would remark, “Please don’t tell me how pretty I sing. Tell God how awesome He is for singing through me.” The one word I would use to describe her? Anointed.

Then she suddenly ceased attending. Meeting after meeting, she would present one excuse after another as to why she could not come.

“Are you okay, Trish?” I asked when I finally got her on the phone.

“Yes,” she tried to assure me, “I’m just busy.” Her voice sounded strange—even fearful. I prayed for her before saying good-bye.

Another “Sorry, I can’t come,” message reached me the next week, and I felt led to pray.

Lord, You know Trish. I’m scared that she’s being abused or something. Help her to ask for help from her friends, Father. Please show us what to do.

Immediately after I rose from my knees, the Holy Spirit prompted me to invite the group to our place the following night. Tom and I had never done so before, as we were embarrassed about how small our house was, but I was going to obey God. Tom will forgive me for not running it by him first, I reasoned.

Jim and Tracy arrived first, and Jim brought his guitar as a result of some arm twisting. “Ok, I’ll do it,” he relented, “IF you guys won’t make fun of my old guitar or my crickety voice.”

“Deal!” I vowed.

Tom continued to greet the others at the door while I served the snacks and tried to find places for everyone to sit comfortably. It’ll have to do, I assured myself.

Trish was the only one who wasn’t there. Where’s Trish? How are You going to help her if she’s not here, Lord?

“Well, guys, welcome to our humble abode,” Tom announced.

Trying not to show my disappointment, I added, “I had hoped that Trish could come, but since I didn’t hear from her, I’m concerned. Could we pray for her?”

Keith White took the lead. “God has laid a prayer burden for her on my heart for some time, so I’ll pray.” We all bowed our heads, and I prayed with my mind with as Keith asked the Lord to “find a way to bring Trish back to us.”

A beautiful chord sounded, and then Jim sang, “God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways, we cannot see….” *

As his finger strummed the strings of that old guitar, I was surprised how rich it sounded. After the song, Tracy said, “I’m always amazed when such a magnificent sound comes out of that ugly thing.”

Jim retorted, “Hey! Who you callin’ ugly?” That sent us into a wave of one-liners and laughter, until we suddenly noticed Trish standing just beyond our circle. She had walked through the front door without our noticing. Her eyes were filled with emotional tears that looked like they could flood our entire home if permitted to flow freely. Her voice broke through the silence, “God made a beautiful sound through that old beat-up guitar--and it made me realize that maybe you guys will still love me even when you find out that I’m even more beat-up than it is.”

I said, “Trish, of course we will still love you. What is going on?”

A wave of shock shot through my heart when she sobbed, “I’ve been having an affair. I’m such an ugly sinner!” The floodgates opened. “But I need help. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

I couldn’t breathe. We all stood stunned, but just for a moment.

What a nightmare, God. Please show us what to say and do.

We took turns praying over her, each of us committing to help her walk through the steps of restoration as stated in Scripture.

It could have killed our group, but it made us stronger instead. I was blown away by the power of God in our living room that night. The word Trish uses to describe our Lifegroup in her restoration testimony now? Anointed.



*God Will Make A Way—Words and music by Don Moen