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Burning Hearts

April 21, 2023April 26, 2023by securelyanchoredLeave a Comment

On Easter morning we usually stop reading or hearing the biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection right after the women run from the tomb to tell the disciples that it is empty and angels told them that He is alive. Peter and John run to see the empty tomb but have not seen Jesus yet. But a whole lot more happened later that day.

The guards assigned to watch the tomb received a large sum of money from the chief priests to change their report. (Matthew 28) Later that day we are told that two men were walking toward Emmaus, a town about 7 miles from Jerusalem. They were talking about everything that had happened when a stranger came alongside asking why they seemed so sad. They explained that Jesus the Nazarene was a powerful prophet in word and deed and they were hoping he was the one to redeem Israel. But the chief priests and rulers had sentenced him to death and had him crucified. Now it is the third day since all this took place and some women were at the tomb this morning and couldn’t find his body. They came back saying they saw angels and that Jesus is alive. It’s just crazy.

Luke 24:25–32 (LEB) Lexham English Bible And he said to them, “O foolish and slow in heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ suffer these things and enter into his glory?”And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.And they drew near to the village where they were going, and he acted as though he was going farther.And they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is getting toward evening, and by this time the day is far spent.” And he went in to stay with them.And it happened that when he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks, and after breaking it, he gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he became invisible to them. And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking with us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?” The men returned to Jerusalem to find the disciples and as they were speaking Jesus appeared before them all.

Can you imagine the excitement of these men? They witnessed a horrific crucifixion of the man they had great hopes in and now they realize he is alive just as he fortold. Amazing. Jesus’ words burned in their hearts the message of truth and hope. His words were profound yet personal. He walked ,talked and ate with them. Astonishing . {If you want to feel some of that excitement, I suggest you listen to Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris sing “I’ve Just Seen Jesus“, it is on you-tube. It raises the hair on my arm everytime! }

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language) Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

Hebrews 4:12 (LEB)
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the reflections and thoughts of the heart.

Dear Reader, when was the last time your heart burned with joy and excitement of knowing Jesus. Because He lives we have a hope and a future. God speaks to us in so many ways reminding us of His presence, protection and provision. While listening to a sermon do you hear God speaking to you personally? Have you experienced a “God moment” when you know He answered prayer or comforted your heart through someone else? Our hearts cannot burn without adding fuel. When you read the Bible do you hear and feel Him talking to your heart? God has given us His word to challenge us, comfort, encourage and instruct us. We all get sidetracked by busyness and worries of the day and don’t feel very close to God. Let us ask Him for burning hearts.

Difficult Circumstances, faith, hope

Words Of Hope For Hurting Hearts

March 24, 2023by securelyanchored1 Comment

My heart hurts. Last month three people I know passed into eternity. This week I learned that a dear Christian sister has entered hospice while another friends’ adult son is clinging to life due to a severe illness. I have spent much time in prayer for the families.

While living in this world can be absolutely beautiful and amazing there are other times that bring us to our knees . Do you have a prodigal child that keeps you awake at night? Have you lost a job and are staring at the bills pouring in? Maybe you are facing a health issue that is overwhelming. Have you lost someone very dear to you? Fill in the blank____. Sometimes loss and grief are so intense we ache mentally, physically and spiritually. God sees and hears us even if a simple prayer is all we can muster.

A simple prayer of David. Psalm 130:title–2 (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)
Help, GOD—the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help!
Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy.

A prayer of Jonah from the belly of a whale . Jonah 2:2 (The Message)
He prayed: “In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to GOD. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, ‘Help!’ You heard my cry.

Our hope is based on His Word to us because He is trustworthy.

Psalm 121:1–4 (ESV) God is on call 24/7
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Creator and Sustainer of earth) He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Lamentations 3:21–23 (ESV) God’s love and faithfulness never ends
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Sometimes the circumstances we face are there to build our faith muscles. The very definition of biblical hope is trusting God and believing Him for what you cannot see. This hope is based on His attributes and past provision. Gratitude also plays a part in our hope as we count our past blessings and look above our current situation. It is a shield and a pathway forward. But we are all without real hope if we don’t have God in our lives in this world. Rick Warren said, “God never wastes a tear. There is a purpose in our pain”.

2 Corinthians 1:4 (The Message)
He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

Jeremiah 29:11–12 (ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

“Hope is also beginning to reveal its value in scientific studies. Among young adults with chronic illnesses, greater degrees of hope are associated with improved coping, well-being, and engagement in healthy behaviors. It also protects against depression and suicide. Among teens, hope is linked with health, quality of life, self-esteem, and a sense of purpose. It is an essential factor for developing both maturity and resilience. From Harvard Health “Why Hope Matters”July 16, 2021 Here is a scientific study to prove what believers have know for millenia.

1 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV) This is the HOPE of Easter
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

We serve a living God. Jesus’s death for our sins and resurrection from the grave gives us victorious power to live each day when we walk with Him. He sees us, hears us and knows us by name. Yes, God answers prayer. We have a living and active hope through Him not just nice thoughts and wishes.

John 14:1–3 (ESV) We have a future in eternity
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

John 14:27 (ESV) His peace is based in faith not circumstances
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

1 John 5:13–15 (ESV)
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Christian Living, soul care

Perils of Social Media

August 26, 2022by securelyanchored1 Comment

I have to confess that I’ve found myself wasting way too much time scrolling through Facebook posts. I casually pick up my phone and look to see local news, friendly posts and then something catches my eye like “Weird Tales From the Woods” and I get sucked in. It’s like falling into a black hole and waking up to find I’ve been drifting for a half an hour or more. What happened and where did the time go? It definitely becomes more of a problem when I am bored or feeling lonely.

It’s a waste of time to engage in political or ethical discussions which then become debates that spiral into pointless arguments. Warning alarms go off in my head telling me to EXIT quickly. ) I had to unfriend one person because I thought I was having a discussion with him when two of his “Facebook friends” jumped in and started to verbally attack me when they realized I was a person of faith.

“… guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge… ” 1 Tim 6:20 (NLT)

I was not raised in an era of instant technology and information. I have learned the hard way to be very careful when commenting on a friends’ post or re-post. The definition for discernment is: 1. the ability to judge well. 2. (in Christian contexts) perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual direction and understanding.

Social Media can be such a wonderful thing. I love seeing pictures of friends and their children, grandchildren, celebrations and travels. I appreciate the encouragement of a shared scripture verse or sermon link. It is exciting to read updates from missionaries and ministries we prayerfully and financially support. Multimedia is such an important part of our everyday it would be hard to live without it. Slowly I have become more aware of the dangers of time thieves, half-truths, one-sided news and opinions. I have also blocked acquaintances that share photos or memes that I don’t care to see!

Did you know that the Bible gives guidelines for what we view in any kind of media even though It was written thousands of years ago?!

²³ Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
²⁵ Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Prov 4:23-27 (NLT)

We need to guard our hearts, minds and time. An old computer expression was “garbage in – garbage out” – you need to have clean programming for the system to work properly. Sometimes its a matter of training and discipline. God has given us passages like this one to use as a guideline.

⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.Phil 4:8-9 (NLT)

As for me, I am going to limit my time on Facebook. I need to avoid the click-bait sites . I will try to stay away from the political blah blah blah and discern what is true from other sources. I really do want to use my time wisely and protect my heart. I encourage you to use the verses above to help you gain a new perspective on the use of social media and Christian living today.

Christian Living

What is Your Moral Compass?

July 9, 2022by securelyanchored3 Comments

I believe our society is losing something extremely valuable to the wholeness and vitality that makes us unique and united. No not the honor due to the American flag , that is only a symptom of the problem. We have lost our moral compass. America was founded on the Judeo Christian ethics that support the right to life ( all life is valuable in God’s eyes from conception to death) liberty (the freedom to choose how/where you will live ) and the pursuit ( the right to achieve one’s personal goals) of happiness.

The definition of morality In the American Dictionary is, ” a personal set of standards for good or bad behavior and character, or the quality of being right and honest.”

In my research I found that people have different definitions for their personal moral compass. Our former first lady, Michelle Obama, was quoted as saying, “I’ve learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values and follow my own moral compass then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own.” That sounds all well and good except that as first lady the country had certain expectations as to her moral character and behavior. I have heard people say “well, that is my truth“. What does that even mean? If my truth says my car will go 40 miles on one gallon but the manufacturer states that it will only go 24 mpg then when I ignore that little blinking warning light – I will run out of gas. That is truth.

In the movie Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket, the genetically engineered racoon, is talking to Nova Corps and asks, “What if I see something that I wanna take and it belongs to someone else?” “Then you will be arrested.” “But what if I want it more than the person who has it?” “Still illegal.” “That doesn’t follow. No, I want it more, sir.” It was humorous because most people share the basic moral belief that stealing is wrong.

The ten commandments, also known as the Decalogue, are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship that play a fundamental role in Judaism and Christianity. God gave His people these rules to help make them a separate and holy people but it does not take away the basic problem of sin. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for breaking God’s law on the cross.

Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Dennis Prager put it this way, “The moral north reads south and the moral south reads north. Much of the world’s moral compass is broken.”

Jeremiah 17:9 states, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it

Since we naturally tend to be selfish and self-centered God has given believers His Word and an internal spiritual compass – The Spirit of Truth.

How do we find TRUTH? John 14:6–7 (ESV)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Our internal compass John 15:26
26“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

Our Guide 2 Timothy 3:16–17
16All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Put God First Proverbs 3:5–7
5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

Everyday is a new beginning. I hope you choose Gods’ moral compass that always points true north.

Christmas

Christmas Catastrophe

December 23, 2020by securelyanchored2 Comments

As we look forward to celebrating Christmas and saying goodbye to 2020 it is okay to acknowledge that 2020 has been a disaster in many ways – the media has bombarded us with earthquakes, fire, floods, pandemic and political unrest. But remember the narrative of our Saviors’ birth happened under Roman occupation, forced to travel miles for a census and not being able to find a proper Inn, Mary gave birth in a stable. That seems pretty awful to me but it was part of God’s plan.

It seems an appropriate time to share one of our stories. It was early Christmas morning when my husband awoke to the smell of smoke. The alarms hadn’t gone off yet. Thankfully it was not a fire but our furnace had “puffed back” and oily black soot was infiltrating the house. Paul shut off the heat, opened the bulkhead door and later at a decent hour called our oil company.

The children were up and opening their presents with great joy when “Dennis” arrived tool box in hand. They were wearing their footsie pajamas and had blackened little noses and toes but barely paid attention as the stranger entered the house. They didn’t notice the chill in the air or soot on their toys. I asked them to stop playing and wave good bye as we thanked him profusely and apologized for ruining his Christmas morning. While I was greatly dismayed thinking about the clean up that would come afterwards, the children were focused on their gifts.

What takes away our attention from God’s gift? There was great joy at Jesus’ birth despite the difficult and humble beginning. If you remember, Joseph and Mary didn’t plan any of their circumstances! Maybe it will be good for us that our celebrations will be “different” this year. Missing family members, downsized celebrations and maybe a quieter day will give us time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:8-14

Christmas Day will come – whether there is a pandemic or your furnace has trouble. Most of our problems are temporary and can be cleaned, fixed or healed. Christmas is the day for remembering that God came down to earth to make His home with mankind and later to lay down His life for us. Knowing Jesus brings peace to our hearts, hope for the future and true joy. Make sure your focus is on His best gift today.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Christian Living

Life is Like a Donut

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018by securelyanchored1 Comment

Eating fried dough as a treat has origins that date back to ancient Rome and Greece. However, the dessert we call a “doughnut or donut” is credited to early Dutch settlers in America during the early 1800’s.

Doughnuts took on a patriotic resonance on the front lines in World War I, when female Salvation Army workers known as “Doughnut Girls” would fry and distribute doughnuts to American soldiers fighting in France. They offered a taste of home to the soldiers during World War II as well.

And National Donut day, is the on the first Friday of June, it succeeded the original event created by the Salvation Army in 1938, to honor the members who served doughnuts to soldiers during WWI. I wrote that day in my calendar!

But near and dear to my heart is the story of “Dunkin’Donuts” which began in 1948 in a restaurant called “Open Kettle” in Quincy, MA. A Dunkin’ shop can be found literally all around the world. We found one while on vacation in Nassau and Key West!

In the 1990’s, my children would watch a show called “The Donut Man”. It was created by American Christian children’s songwriter and performer Rob Evans. His overall theme is “Life without Jesus is like a donut – it’s like a hole in the middle of your heart”. He teaches through various bible and real life stories that God wants to fill that hole.

Life is full of good, even delicious, things. But there is also a brokenness or emptiness inside. The Bible shows us over and over that we have a need God for in our lives. We were created in His image for a relationship with Him. But since the Garden of Eden that relationship has been broken.

¹ As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.² I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Psalms 42:1-2 (NLT)

I once wrote a letter to one of my sister–in-laws who was in the midst of some major life- changing decisions. In general it said, “You have tried many things in life. You tried education and got a Masters degree. You have bought property and are a landlord. You have many different friends and are now trying to have a family. (She is single and was considering adoption.) All of these are great accomplishments but there will always be a void in your life without a relationship with God. We were born with a God sized vacuum in our hearts that only He can fill and nothing else will satisfy.

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.³⁶ But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. John 6:35-36 (NLT)

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28 (NLT)

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Psalms 73:26 (NLT)

I live with several chronic health issues and have faced many big “storms” in life. But God has always been there to give me strength, hope and a deep peace. I may feel sad or lonely but I am never alone. That is why I chose Hebrews 6:19a for my ministry verse.

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

Friend, if you feel empty and weary today come to the Living Water that never runs dry. Only He can satisfy the longing of your heart.

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