In case I haven’t said it recently, thank you for reading this blog. If it wasn’t for you, there would be no reason to write. God has blessed me through you over and over again. Some of you have become dear friends that I cannot wait to meet “in person” in heaven some day. Through this blog, I have realized that there are other like-minded believers across the world who desire to trust and obey God and His Word, even if it costs. And that has been a big blessing! (Find Growing4Life on Facebook to experience some of that like-minded Christian fellowship for yourself.)

I wanted to mention a couple of important things as we head into summer–

First, a month or two ago, I began to notice that gmail was not letting me reply to your emails. I would always get the “Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender” error message. I have never had this issue in all of the years that I have been writing. I waited a few weeks to see if the problem would disappear but it has not. So I need to try to figure out what’s going on. But I want you to know that I try to respond to all of your emails. They are important to me. If I don’t respond it is because they have landed in Spam (that has happened throughout the years and sometimes I catch them and sometimes I don’t) OR, currently, it is because I can’t figure out how to. Even if I email you with your email address in a separate email (not replying to yours), it comes back to me undeliverable. It’s frustrating beyond measure. So I will be working on that but I didn’t want you to think I don’t care.

(And a personal note: for the person who wrote to me about the surgery they are having tomorrow, I want you to know that am praying! I cannot figure out how to get that response to you but please know that I am praying for you!)

Second, I wanted to just mention that my posts may be a bit more sporadic during these summer months. I will be writing some new material but I am not sure it will be weekly or always on Tuesday. I have a busy (and fun) next few weeks planned and it may make it difficult to write regularly here. It seems like a good time of year to take a small break.

Third, I’d like to ask you for prayer. My husband is facing a pretty serious back surgery at the end of July. At the beginning of 2022, he started having back pain. In the past, he could do a few things that would relieve the pain and it would go away in a few weeks. But this time it never went away and, in fact, grew worse and worse until now he is unable to be on his feet for any length of time. My husband (some of you already know this) does not like to sit still. This has been quite the challenge for him. To say the least. We are thankful to the Lord that he can sit and lay down without pain. I know many of you who have back pain are unable to do that. At any rate, if you could pray for comfort and strength for my best friend as he faces this major surgery, I’d greatly appreciate it. And for the doctor, that he would be able to do what is necessary to give relief (there is some fusing involved). Also, perhaps pray for us both as we face a long recovery together. I imagine it will be rather challenging for us both! haha

Thank you in advance! :)

Fourth, I want to thank those of you that reach out to me once in awhile to let me know you are reading. Blogging is a rather one-sided thing to do and, if it wasn’t for hearing from some of you occasionally, I really wouldn’t know if anyone is reading at all. So I just want you to know that I appreciate you taking the time to encourage me. It means more than you know.

Well, I guess that’s it. Not a normal post but I did want to update you on a few things. I hope you all have a great summer! Keep praying and studying the Word! We never want to take a break from that :) Have a great day!

Something you may not know about me is that I love flowers. Not only do I love flowers but I know a little something about them. My husband and I have owned a landscaping company for 36 years now and one of my responsibilities is ordering and organizing the flowers we plant for our customers. All that to say…

I notice if something isn’t right when it comes to flowers.

For example…

This past weekend our family went to a little amusement park that is nearby. The park was clean and the grandchildren had a fun day as the park was perfect for them and geared toward their ages (7 and under). And, in fact, we adults had a wonderful day just watching them!

However, shortly after we walked into the park, I noticed something strange. There were flowers I had never seen before. I had certainly never planted anything that looked even remotely similar and, upon closer inspection, I noticed they looked rather…odd.

I bent down to investigate further and that is when I realized that they had taken artificial, plastic flowers and stuck them in the ground. One wasn’t even in the ground and the entire thing was lying forlornly in the middle of the bed. I picked it up with disgust and showed it to my husband. What self-respecting amusement park would use fake flowers?!? I was flabbergasted.

We talked about how those fake flowers would be easier to care for, for sure. They would require no watering, no maintenance, no extra hassles.

Yes… but… they weren’t real.

But, looking around, I realized that no one else seemed to care. In fact, most people didn’t even notice those fake flowers at all.

So why did I notice? And why did I care?

I noticed because I love flowers and I know a little something about them. And so when something doesn’t look right, I see it. But most people don’t care all that much about flowers and know even less about them and so, quite naturally, they didn’t care at all about this. And that’s okay. No criticism from me on that point. We all have our different interests.

Oh, but what a perfect analogy…!

We believers are walking through the amusement park of this life. We love God and we love His Word and when something is off we should notice. We should care.

So why do few who call themselves Christians care? Why does very obvious fake religion and false doctrine escape their notice? There are a few reasons that come to mind…

First, we are so easily distracted. We get caught up in life and its responsibilities and we are tired. Too tired to worry about if what the coworker said is true or if that movie our kids want to watch is something we should actually be watching. Just like people walked on by those fake flowers because their kids are complaining or they are purposefully headed to that show before it starts, so we, too, get distracted and miss what’s right in front of us.

Second, we say we love God but often, by our actions, we show that we love self more. We tend to look out for number one. So, although we do truly want to live for God, it is sometimes hard to make obeying Him our first priority. So while we say we love Him with our lips, our hearts are on our own agendas and dreams and certainly not on God’s Word and Will for our lives.

Third, the cost is often higher than we want to pay. For me to stop and point out those fake flowers may have caused an eye roll or two but it didn’t cost me anything that really hurt. However, when you start recognizing the amount of false teaching out there and share with those who are fellow siblings in Christ, we usually pay a high price. It is usually much easier to walk right by that fake religion and pretend it’s not there. Even if we notice it.

Fourth, we can be encumbered by that ugly nemesis of pride. Pride blinds us to what is right in front of us. It keeps us from seeing the truth because we assume we already know the truth. It keeps us from humbly searching for the truth by comparing all things to scripture as we are commanded to do (I Thess. 5:21) because we think we already know it all.

Fifth, there are many false converts. The first four reasons apply to genuine believers who are at various stages in their faith. We must have much grace for our brothers and sisters in Christ because we are all at different places on our journeys. But there are some who claim to be part of our family in Christ who just…aren’t.

Someone may say they love flowers and, yet, by their actions, show a complete and utter lack of interest in flowers. From this we can assume they don’t really love flowers at all but they are just saying that for some reason known only to them. And so it goes with people and God. So many say they love Him but, by their actions, they show they really do not care about Him at all. And so to walk by false doctrine–or even to embrace it– is quite natural for them because they were never regenerated to begin with!

But, of course, we can’t know who these false converts are. And we shouldn’t even try to pick them out. We just need to be aware that this may be the case for that person that shows no interest in God and His Word and is completely lacking in fruit. Don’t judge their salvation because only God knows if they are saved or not. But DO pray for them. And DO pray and ask God to give you opportunity to have conversations with them that point them to Him and His Holy Word.

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Just as those fake flowers were easier for me to spot because I love and know flowers, so, too, is false teaching easier to spot when we begin to truly love and know God and His Word. For it is there that we begin to understand what is true and what is false.

So if you want to easily spot fake flowers, learn to love and know flowers. And if you want to spot false teaching (or to even care about it being such an affront to our Holy and Perfect God), then learn to love and know your God and His Word.

The other day we were driving by a rock wall when I noticed various and sundry weeds and vines growing through its cracks and crevices (see photo above). How do they even do that? I wondered.

Plants must have three things in order to flourish: Something in which to grow their roots, water, and light. Amazingly, these plants are able to get enough of these three necessities through a tiny crack in a rock wall.

Sometimes, the things life throws at us makes us feel like we are a tiny seed sitting on a wall with nowhere to go. We are stuck on a hot surface without hope.

But those vines growing from that wall remind us that there is always hope. It just may not be quite like we had dreamed. Instead of waiting to be transported by a lovely wind to fertile soil, we need to just dig down into our current surroundings and sprout wherever it is we find ourselves this very day.

So often we want to wait until the conditions are perfect–

“I’ll start studying my Bible when….”

“We will go back to church if…”

“I’d like to attend that Bible study but I can’t until…”

“I’ll serve and help others when…”

WHEN…UNTIL…IF

things slow down a little

soccer season is over

I feel better

I retire

this terrible trial ends

We have a million reasons for why we are choosing to sit on that rock wall instead of putting our roots down right where we are. But that rock wall reminds us not to wait. It reminds us that we need to grow now. That we don’t have to wait. A form of rock wall will always be there because there will always be excuses that will keep us from walking with God. When one ends, we will think of another one.

But we can bloom right now–right where we are at. But how?

A few things that have helped me to do this through the years are–

• Make prayer and Bible Reading our first priority of the morning. I know people say you can do this anytime and that is true. There is no biblical command for morning Bible reading. But, in my personal experience, I find that if I wait until the end of the day, I will be too tired or too distracted. It seems I always find a reason to put it off until the next day.

• Evaluate our priorities. I don’t know about you, but when I am crazy busy I often find that there are things I can eliminate. They are things that I have set up as important in my mind but, when I am honest, they can wait. It is important that I don’t make these priorities more important than my time with God.

• Be willing to deny self in order to do what’s right. This one can be hard. Back in 2020, when our church shut down, we realized we thoroughly enjoyed staying home on Sunday mornings and having a leisurely morning with an hour dedicated to listening to a sermon. This was far more comfortable and convenient than giving up a whole morning to go to Sunday School and Church. But to stay in that place would have been unhealthy and not what God would have wanted and so we knew we had to go back to church, although our flesh would have said to stay home. This is just one example of denying self to do what’s right. There are so many others, aren’t there? TV shows and novels draw us and we choose them over Bible reading. OCD tendencies can make some choose a pristine kitchen over Bible reading. There are so many ways we can and should deny self. But they are so very HARD to do. But with intention and the Holy Spirit, we can choose to do what is right over what we want when the two are not the same.

These are just three simple things that have helped me (and continue to help me) in those times when I feel stuck and like I am not growing. Perhaps they may be helpful to some of you? If you have other suggestions, please comment below. I’d love to hear how you “grow in the wall”!

May we bloom right where we are planted on this day. Regardless of how busy our schedules, how frustrating our circumstances, or how deep our trials. For God will always provide one small crack in which we can dig our roots.

I have spent the last couple months helping my mom go through my aunt Sarah’s things. My aunt, who was killed in a car accident on March 3 by a drunk driver, had no one left but my mom. Her husband, her only child, her parents, and her two brothers had all gone on before her. That left her only sister, my mom, to help her as she grew older, although many of her other relatives did support and encourage her–particularly my cousin Mark, who took the time to call her every day and whom she loved dearly. Because she had no family of her own, she joined our family gatherings and celebrations as an adopted and much beloved member of our family. She was kind and generous and made us laugh. Needless to say, our family feels incomplete without her.

Going through her things fell to my mom and, of course, I wanted to help her. It is quite the job going through someone’s things, as I know so many of you fully understand.

I knew it would be time-consuming, but what I didn’t realize is how emotionally difficult and draining it would be. What we keep through the years really says something about us. It gives a window into the soul of a person in ways that conversations never can.

I already knew my aunt Sarah LOVED knick-knacks but came to understand this in a much more meaningful way as we gathered item after item from every conceivable surface. Many were the $1.99 or .97 cent Goodwill tags we found on the bottom of porcelain or glass figurines. She had some things she especially loved and we found lots of bears, eagles, dogs, cats, and apples. She loved animals, which was evidenced by the many figurines and doodads found in her home. They loved her, too (as you can see in the top right photo) and she was often found with a little dog curled up on her lap.

We also found several of those Avon glass aftershave bottles that used to be in the shapes of things. Deer, bear, birds, trains… anyone remember those? And my aunt loved Christmas and she loved gaudy things and so we also found lots of tacky Christmas decorations. We even found a big bucket of dehydrated food in case of an emergency– 200 homemade, gourmet meals are claimed to be in that bucket! Haha!

We discovered that if she liked a specific shirt, she’d go back and get it in every color. There were four or five shirts that were in multiples of different colors. One specific one seemed to have endless color options and I am sure we packed away ten or twelve of that same shirt in every color possible. Like most of us, she mostly wore only a handful of the plentiful options in her closet and there were some things that were never worn at all. And it was definitely confirmed that purple was her favorite color, which we already knew.

We also discovered that she had kept lots and lots of things from my grandma’s house and memories flooded my mind as I saw things on shelves and in cabinets that I hadn’t seen in years. But none brought more memories flooding back than when I opened her bathroom cabinet to start clearing it out and found the plastic frog that used to sit on my grandmother’s tub and hold the Dove soap. Immediately, I was back in my grandmother’s tiny bathroom, playing with that frog, spritzing the side of the tub with the squirty hole at the top of his white hat while I was taking a bath in her tub. Why my aunt kept this plastic frog all these years I have no idea. But isn’t it amazing how something can take you back to your childhood in a second? Of course, I’ll probably keep it for my kids to find one day. But it won’t mean a thing to them. To them, it will be junk to discard. Such is the nature of “stuff”. What to one has great sentimental value, to another has no value at all.

And, while we had some good laughs over the many odd and sundry things that she kept through the years, we also found some things that made us feel sad. Guest books and programs from the funerals of those she loved so dearly; expired driver’s licenses of her husband and son; lots and lots of old photos of her beloved family; and a diary of daily activity of sorts (but no date).

Another thing we found in her kitchen cabinets were gifts that we had given to her that had been tucked away and never used. Cute mugs were put in a cabinet far from the sink, because, clearly, she had preferred her tiny, {very} stained Corelle coffee cups.

This window into her life has been sad but it’s also been interesting. I wish I could talk with her about some of the things I found and find out why they were special to her. I wish we could talk more about the music she so obviously loved and her memories of Christmases long ago.

But we just always think we have tomorrow, don’t we?

The most precious thing we found were a stack of notebooks that were filled with Bible verses. She had very specifically chosen these verses and had handwritten each one. Her Bible was well-used and her devotional book held a bookmark that was located at the very date of her death. She had had her devotions that very morning before she left, unaware that she was going to meet Jesus in just a few short hours.

My aunt had been rather reticent about her walk with God and so, while we had always assumed and hoped that she knew the Lord as her personal Savior, there was always a teeny bit of doubt and uncertainty. But finding her Bible and these notebooks were such a comfort to us. Sometimes people just struggle to talk about the things of the Lord. It may be just a personality thing or it may be the vestiges of hurts and experiences from long ago. But, whatever the reason, in this case it took her death to get a better idea just where she stood with the Lord. Those notebooks, especially, felt like a gift from the Lord.

As we finished up packing most of her things today, I thought about my own home and what my family would find if they packed up my things. What about your family? What would they find? Would it be clear that we loved God with our whole hearts? Would there be well-worn Bibles, prayer journals, or notebooks filled with handwritten Bible verses? Would they find any wicked or demonic entertainment or books? What if they went on to our computers and read our emails or looked at our web history?

This was a great reminder that what is hidden will be revealed in the end. Eventually, we will all leave this earth and who we were will be made clear to those we love. What a great reminder to live pure and holy lives, both publicly and privately.

This exercise of going through my aunt’s things confirmed how important it is to be intentional about purifying my life and walking with God. Because one day our loved ones will learn to know us in a whole new way. May there be no surprises but, rather, may it simply be a confirmation of who they already knew us to be!