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Posted on June 4, 2021 by beverlyeash

If you are like me, you long to be forgiven quickly and completely, with relationships back to “normal” immediately. I don’t like the “I’m bruised and I need a little time to heal” phase.

Perhaps forgiveness is difficult for you. I know it is for me. It’s hard to know what exactly it means to forgive. After all, a wrong was committed so who is going to pay for this mistake?

13Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Colossians 3:13

Then I read this and I realize, again, I have no excuse. I want to be forgiven, of course! So then I need to forgive others. It’s simple.

And yet it isn’t. May the Lord bless you with the supernatural ability to forgive whoever offends you today because he already forgave you!

Have a blessed and beautiful weekend!!

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Posted on June 3, 2021 by beverlyeash

I have never been to any of my high school class reunions. I moved away right after graduation and never lived in that area again. Relationships weren’t maintained, new interests formed, distance developed. Honestly, it feels like a huge hurdle.

I remember my high school years through a certain lens, as do we all. Since I haven’t been around, I don’t have current information to inform my remembering. I wish I did. The only way to change it is to attend a reunion, willing to reframe everything I knew about my classmates. Time has a way of changing all of us.

This is true of all relationships. I don’t want to be stuck in someone’s mind in a place of immaturity. I want them to see me as I am now.

David says it well in Psalm 25. He knows his youth was troubled with rebellion and he doesn’t want to be remembered that way. He wants to be seen through the lens of God’s unfailing love.

7Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord.

Psalm 25:7

Perhaps there is someone in your life that you are seeing through an old lens. Maybe it’s time to let it go and look through the lens of love, mercy and forgiveness. After all, how do you want to be remembered?

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Posted on June 2, 2021 by beverlyeash

21Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

Lamentations 3:21

Jeremiah, a prophet to the southern kingdom of Israel before they were taken captive by Babylon, warned the people of Israel what would happen if they didn’t surrender to Babylon. The king, Zedekiah, didn’t listen and the people of Jerusalem suffered needlessly.

Lamentations is written after the people have gone into exile. It highlights some of the really horrible suffering the people endured. In spite of the terrible suffering, Jeremiah says he still had hope! How? What was he remembering that incited hope?

22The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” 25The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.

Lamentations 3:22-26

I find six attributes of God in this short passage that inspire hope!

  1. His love never ends.
  2. His mercies never cease.
  3. His faithfulness is great.
  4. His mercies are new every morning.
  5. He is my inheritance.
  6. He is good to me.

I also note three positive actions necessary to experience this hope.

  1. “I say to myself” – positive self-talk is absolutely imperative
  2. I must search for and depend on him – look for his presence around me.
  3. It is good to wait quietly – pause, listen, notice.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t experienced the atrocities the people of Judah did in captivity. And yet, I find that my hope waxes and wanes. I need this reminder that my hope can be alive and active in spite of the difficulty of life.

So, remember this…

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Posted on June 1, 2021 by beverlyeash

32Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. 

Luke 17:32-33

Remember what happened to Lot’s wife. What happened?

Lot was Abraham’s nephew who traveled with him to the land of Canaan. (See Genesis 13) At one point, because together they had too many flocks and herds, the two men separated. Lot went to the fertile valley of Jordan and camped near Sodom while Abraham took the land of Canaan.

The people of the Jordan Valley were described like this:

13But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.

Genesis 13:13

Eventually, Lot moved into town.

The wickedness of the place came before the Lord and he planned to destroy the people and villages of the Jordan Valley. He shared his plan with Abraham, giving him the opportunity to intercede for the people which he did. It’s fascinating to read so check out Genesis 18.

Sadly, the only righteous people were Lot, his wife and two daughters. As they escaped the destruction from heaven, Lot’s wife looked back to the city.

I always felt her looking back was more than just wanting to know what was happening. I believe her heart longed for what she left behind, in spite of the fact it meant death.

32Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. 

Luke 17:32-33

Today remember this warning. If you cling to what seems like life to you, you will lose what is truly life! If you let go of your life and receive LIFE, you will know what it means to truly live!

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Posted on May 31, 2021 by beverlyeash

Today is a day set aside to remember and honor those who have served our country in the armed forces. Throughout my lifetime, it served as a day to remember loved ones who died. Taking flowers to the cemetery often happens on this day.

It is good to remember. As I thought of that, I wondered what the Bible has to say about remembering. My discovery amused me, convicted me, delighted me. I decided to share it with you.

9History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

While I don’t want this admonition of Solomon to be true, it likely is. My life is filled with memorable events, trying moments, hardship and joy. I want to think someone will remember me. Reality is, I will be forgotten. Even if I was famous, eventually I will be forgotten.

This doesn’t discourage me as much as it makes me remember to take myself less seriously. It’s okay if I don’t get it right every single time. It’s okay if I don’t get the highest score, the best grade, the promotion or the accolades. I want to live my best life, but I also want to live it free from the pressure of creating a legacy that outlives me.

There is a song by Casting Crowns that helps me keep my life in perspective. I hope you enjoy it!

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Posted on May 28, 2021 by beverlyeash

Pause.

Sometimes life pauses.

The work on the cabin is paused. Paused for a wedding, for the weekend, for the holiday, for personal interests. It sits and waits — patiently.

Sometimes pauses are welcomed with grateful hearts. Other times pauses are forced and unwelcome intruders. There is one perspective I always gain in a pause.

No activity is so important it can’t be paused. At the same time, living well is so important, a pause is completely necessary to gain perspective, rethink a response, develop character.

This weekend is a holiday — a pause, if you will, in our busy schedules. Stop to appreciate someone or something you take for granted. Take a nap, sit longer with your friends, eat really great food.

12So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Oh yes, if your schedule allows, join me this Sunday morning as I bring the third message in the series “Two Kingdoms” at Maple City Chapel. Services live stream at 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. EST.

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Posted on May 27, 2021 by beverlyeash

Dismantle. In any restoration project that is the first step. It is unsettling.

The first thing done on the cabin was to take it apart. Not completely, of course, but half the roof came off. New dormer walls went up. The floor of the loft came out and everything in the cabin removed.

First steps in renovation!

For a few days, there was a pile of rubbish giving evidence to all the dismantling. That is cleaned up, dormers finished and the roof ready for metal.

As I watch the cabin take shape, I am reminded of my own healing journey. The first step I took was to examine what I believed and dismantle anything that wasn’t true. It might have been what I believed about God — he is distant, he doesn’t care, I am his slave, he expects a lot from me, he is a hard master — or what I believed about others — I need the approval of friends, siblings, parents, family — or what I believed about myself — I will never be anything, I will always be last, I am the tail.

It is impossible to build healthy patterns on top of rotting beliefs. In the process of dismantling, remember that it isn’t what happened in the past that needs to be changed. We can’t change events. It is the belief that was formed that needs changing.

Perhaps praying this prayer with the psalmist is a great place to begin the journey.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24

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Posted on May 25, 2021 by beverlyeash

We started talking about renovating the cabin a long time ago. We threw ideas around, wondered what we should do, were we just happy with it the way it was.

A journey to emotional and spiritual healing is much the same. There might be cracks or hang ups noticeable, but often I am used to them so I am fine with them. Then there is a point when I look at my life more seriously. I begin to be dissatisfied with how I am feeling. I am no longer content with discouragement, depression, doubt or fear being my constant companions. I begin to wonder what it might look like, or ask if it is even possible for life to be different.

At one point in our cabin journey, we involved a carpenter who drew a plan and gave us a quote for the renovation. He had never worked on a log cabin but was willing to give it a try. We waited.

A while later, we consulted with another carpenter. He had never worked on a log cabin but was willing to give it a try. We waited.

Then one day, I happened upon a carpenter who builds and renovates log cabins. No way! I called him and after the first conversation, I knew this was right. I hung up the phone that day with something I hadn’t experienced in any of the other conversations — hope! He was as excited as I was!

I explained that our cabin was rustic. He didn’t care. I explained that squirrels and other forest animals like to find shelter there. It didn’t faze him. He wanted to see it.

In your journey of life, whether it is emotional, physical or spiritual, there is a process of finding the right person to help. You might have to talk to three or four people before that spark of hope is ignited. It wasn’t that the other carpenters I talked to were not capable or talented. They just didn’t have the skills I needed.

I know that I know that I know your life doesn’t have to be full of discouragement, doubt and fear. I know there is a better way. I believe that lasting growth happens in the presence of Jesus. It’s just finding the person to take you there.

1When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 

Mark 2:1-4

Who will go the distance to take you to Jesus? Who will walk the road with you? Be persistent. Don’t give up. Your life is meant to be full of joy, hope and peace!

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Posted on May 24, 2021 by beverlyeash

I see so many parallels between my spiritual life and what I experience in the natural realm. Last week the work on the cabin officially began. (Pictures to follow soon!) I’ve shared before the underground work that happened – electric, sewer, water – all necessary. None of it exciting. None of it visible.

That is beginning to change. Visible improvements are happening. The lane to the cabin went in last week. Check this out!

It’s not quite the yellow brick road, but it leads to a wonderful destination where one might just find life has quieted down enough to hear the birds, feel the breeze and encounter the living God.

I pray for those who will make the journey down this road whether it be to find respite, refuge or refreshment. It is those first steps that make all the difference. Much of the soul work we do cannot be seen by others. It is hidden and sacred and completely vital. At some point, though, change begins to happen on the outside. You might smile more, worry less; take chances, trust again. The light shines through the trees, sparkling off the water and suddenly, it will have been worth the effort.

How would you describe your present state of being? Are you satisfied with it? When you are ready for change, it will be waiting there for you. There is no hurry — take your time. In the meantime, God is gently preparing the way. When you are ready, he will take you by the hand and lead you to a better place!

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Posted on May 21, 2021 by beverlyeash

What is the key to vibrant, healthy, fruitful living? Is it too far off to be attained? Listen to the psalmist . . .

1Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2

“The law of the Lord” might automatically cause a negative reaction. Law sounds like a lot of rules with someone policing to make sure they are followed correctly. I’m supposed to think about those all the time? I thought that was in the past?

The law as mentioned in this psalm refers to a higher way of living. You see, when God gave the law (Ten Commandments) to Moses, it was a breath of fresh air to the people. They knew what brought them life; the law brought a sense of safety. Many times, especially in the psalms, the law is referred to as a delight, fresh water for the thirsty, a place of refuge and safety.

Jesus also offers a new way of living. He invites us to step away from the hurriedness of life and trade our burdens for his. He says that his burden is easy to bear and his yoke is light. He offers a way of living that prospers the soul, causing it to bear fruit with roots that go deep into his provisions.

Life is rough on humans. Every day we face challenges and voices that lure us away from the presence of God. That’s the chaff mentioned earlier this week. But there is another way. And while not easy, its benefits are out of this world!

Read God’s word and think about it. What does he want to say to you through scripture, nature, life situations? Let your roots go deep into his resources and you will be unstoppable!

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