But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

(1 Peter 3:15)

Recently, on a spur of the moment weekend trip to the shore, I forgot to pack my sneakers, my earplugs, and my wallet! It’s easy to leave a few essentials behind, but always remember to pack Jesus.  

Whether your trip is near or far, there’s bound to be some down-time waiting in line, sitting on planes, trains and automobiles, getting gas, or at your destination. Often, we’re thrust uncomfortably close to perfect strangers. If you’re a recovering introvert like me, it can range from awkward to daunting. But there’s another option: consider it an opportunity to practice sharing something far more important than talk of the weather or elections: share Jesus!

My hubby was boarding a long flight to Guam years ago. He was not much in a mood to be social, and someone had told him that the best way to silence a chatty neighbor was to ask if they had met Jesus. When the ladies next to him started some small talk, he tried out the advice. To his surprise and ultimate joy, they turned out to be two nuns on the beginning of a missionary journey. They ended up chatting happily about Jesus for the entire flight.

The thing is, we can never know where our sharing will take us when we dare to step out in faith. You might get rebuffed or rebuked. But…you might find incredible encouragement in your own journey, or find out about a need that you can actually meet, or hear a tear-soaked story from someone who prayed for someone to talk to, or get to lead a total stranger to Jesus. I’ve heard first-hand accounts of all these.

On our cruise to Alaska, we were seated at a table with couples from Georgia and Texas. It turned out that all of us wrote devotionals (and even a book) for our churches. In Europe, several on our small tour bus were believers and made a special effort to visit the cathedrals and churches where we stopped. We even got a blessing from a German priest. We also prayed together for those lost on MH-13 which had flown out of the very airport that we flew into only days earlier.

So, give it a try! God may have arranged that conversation just for you. You could be the answer to a prayer. No matter how it turns out, you’ll be participating in God’s great plan for us to go and make disciples!

PRAYER: Lord, help me to always pack Jesus wherever I go. I want to join the Psalmist in singing: “In the assembly of all your people, Lord, I told the good news that you save us. You know that I will never stop telling it. I have not kept the news of salvation to myself; I have always spoken of your faithfulness and help. In the assembly of all your people I have not been silent about your loyalty and constant love.” (Psalm 40:9-10 GNT) I am Your witness. AMEN!

Safe travels,

Jen

Hawaii is an amazing place filled with the wonders of creation. It’s a relatively young place, having been formed by lava, and you can really imagine that the brand new earth and the Garden of Eden filled with strange and amazing fruits, plants and creatures must have been something like it. From the towering volcanoes topped with snow and yet still billowing steam from their vents, to waterfalls cascading down mountains steep and green, to powerful ocean waves pounding beaches of white, pink and black, to rainbow striped trees and red pineapples, Hawaii is a treat for all the senses, just as Almighty God created this world to be.

Genesis 2:4-9

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Psalm 95:1-7

¹ Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before him with thanksgiving
    and extol him with music and song.

³ For the Lord is the great God,
    the great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth,
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
⁷ for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care.

Psalm 104 (1;5-10;19-20;24-25;31-33)

1 Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;

    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;

    it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;

    the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,

    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains,

    they went down into the valleys,

    to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;

    never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

    it flows between the mountains.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,

    and the sun knows when to go down.

20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,

    and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

24 How many are your works, Lord!

    In wisdom you made them all;

    the earth is full of your creatures.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,

    teeming with creatures beyond number—

    living things both large and small.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

    may the Lord rejoice in his works—

32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,

    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

PRAYER: Lord, my soul is filled with praise for all of Your marvelous creations, from the splendor of the heavens to the majesty of the mountains, to the power of the seas, and the beauty of the earth, I stand in awe. Help me to be a good steward of the earth and its amazing creatures which You have put under our care, including Your people in all their wonderful diversity. In Jesus’ precious name I thank you!

Blessings,

Jen

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head.

This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God!

-Psalm 139:3-7

I love camping. When I was about 4 my dad bought a used bread van and painstakingly converted it into a camper. Eventually he cut the roof off and made his own fiberglass top complete with windows and a bunk bed. We travelled to nearly every National Park in that little van.

I learned to appreciate the wonders of the natural world on those camping trips – gigantic snow-topped mountains, mile-deep canyons, bizarre and wonderful rock formations, incredible stinky geysers, hills covered with dinosaur bones, meteor craters, extinct volcanoes, powerful, raging waterfalls, views for miles and star-filled skies. Like Father Abraham, I stared and felt small and insignificant, yet also keenly aware of the presence of God.

Back then, I used to run along the trails and jump over rocks in the streams like a deer. I remember there were many times that I would run ahead too far or linger over a jack-in-the-pulpit or toadstool too long and end up separated from my parents. As one of my heroes said, “the woods are lovely, dark and deep,” but also pretty scary to be in alone when you’re a little kid! Of course, my parents were just around the bend, never even out of earshot. How comforting it was to realize I was never really alone or lost.

There have been many times as an adult that I’ve felt lost – sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally or spiritually. Lost is a scary place to be. How wonderful it is then to read Psalm 139 and find that we can NEVER be lost from God. He goes before us to lead us, and He follows to protect us. He knows everything about us and can put thoughts in our minds to inspire us and help us figure out how to get ‘un-lost.’ Even before we knew God, He knew us, and He charted a path for us to follow. His word is our compass pointing us to True north.

It IS too glorious and wonderful to believe! The God who created the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful Geyser, Delicate Arch, Niagara Falls and Devil’s Tower is the same God who is keeping watch over you. His hand of blessing is on your head. There may still be times when you FEEL lost, but like the 6-year-old me on a trail in the woods, your Father is just around the bend. He knows right where you are, and maybe He’s trying to teach you a lesson (perhaps about running off in the wrong direction, or waiting, or listening). He has wonderful things waiting for you. Personally, I hope that includes wieners and s’mores by the campfire with some songs and stories. You’re invited. And as the embers fly high into the night sky, let’s imagine they’re our praises to our truly Awesome God!

Blessings,

Jen

Last month we had the good fortune to visit New England. As we passed through the southern coast of Maine, we just happened to pass by York Harbor Beach, and it was so stunning we had to go back and check it out. It turned out to be a cliff-side park with picture perfect views of the rocky Maine coast. To my surprise, it also featured this monument with a line from one of my favorite hymns, ‘Eternal Father, Strong to Save.’

Of course, it was Maine, inhabited for centuries by sea-faring folks in search of cod, lobsters, whales and more. And we had just been visiting a lighthouse so common along the rough, rocky shoreline. So, I suppose it makes perfect sense that ‘peril on the sea’ would be a common concern.

For so much of human history the oceans and seas were mysterious, dangerous and uncontrollable.  It was probably rather common for those who ventured out to be ‘lost at sea.’ So, it’s not surprising that in the Bible the sea tends to represent something wild and uncontrollable (by everyone but God, that is).

James 1:5-6

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Ephesians 4:14-15

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Both of these verses use the sea metaphor. Doubting our faith, lacking wisdom and spiritual maturity can leave us vulnerable to being ‘tossed by the waves and wind.’ What is the remedy? Our faith in God’s promise that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life! That hope is an anchor!

Hebrews 6:19-20

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.

We're all in peril on the seas of life sometimes. We all get rocked by strong winds and blown off course now and then. But our faith in God’s promise and vow that belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior will bring us safely into a Heavenly Harbor one day, is a strong and trustworthy anchor. The fiercest storms on the surface of the ocean don’t affect the deep ocean floor where our anchor is secured.

Hold on tight to that precious anchor, our ‘blessed assurance.’ We don’t know when the storms will roll in. And when they do, we’ll be tempted to call out to Jesus like his disciples did, asking ‘don’t you care if we drown?’ He may not calm the storms in your life, but He can calm the storm in you. Find peace in the assurance of your salvation. Find peace in God’s promise never to leave or forsake you. Find peace knowing that no one can snatch you out of God’s hand (John 10:28-30).

And on this Veteran’s Day, I am reminded that ‘Eternal Father, Strong to Save’ is also the U.S. Navy Hymn.  Let us pray the prayer of the final verse for every member of our military:

O Trinity of love and pow'r,
Your children shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire, and foe,
Protect them where-so-e'er they go;
Thus, evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Oceans of Blessings,

Jen 

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. ~Matthew 9:35-37

Everywhere that Jesus went, he was teaching, healing, feeding and asking questions of people in order to get to know them better. By this method he gained thousands of followers, many of whom went back to their towns and witnessed to others about what they had seen and heard. This is God's plan for spreading the Good News about the Kingdom and making disciples. 

There are many beautiful churches in the world. I was lucky enough to stand in awe inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. It is easy to convey the majesty of God in such a place. I have also enjoyed the comfort of a 1000+ seat mega church with cushiony seats and a world class audio-visual system. Westminster Cathedral in Baltimore has a painted pipe organ that fills the entire side of the building. These places are impressive and awe-inspiring and surely in their time have brought glory to God. But for disciple making, God's plan is more simple. “Remember these commands and cherish them. Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working." Deuteronomy 11:18-19. Making disciples is all about relationship. Helping someone, showing kindness, listening to them, asking questions, talking about your own faith, living out your faith in your decisions day after day...these are the methods that soften a heart so that the seed of faith can be planted. For sure it is the Holy Spirit that will fertilize that seed and make it grow, but God calls us to scatter the seed.

My illustration depicts a passport and well-traveled suitcase, but you can be a missionary making disciples anywhere and everywhere. Five minutes of the nightly news will attest to how broken a world we live in, and how much the love of Jesus is needed by so many. People everywhere need love, compassion and the Truth of God's unimaginable love and mercy. You carry a precious, life saving message with you everywhere you go, whether it's to work, the grocery store, volunteering, Sunday School, a mission trip or a family get-together. So get going!

So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. “And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” ~Matthew 28:19-20

See more at www.zazzle.com/visionsandverse

Went camping this weekend -- north of Pittsburgh.  A 5 hour trip each way... It rained the whole way there, but held off most of our stay.  It was Nathan's first Venture Scout outing, and I really wanted to make it great, but instead I came down with this awful respiratory virus that's going around, and was just miserable the whole time.  It was also cooooold.  I know that there are many hearty campers and scouts out there who laugh in the face of sub-freezing temperatures and icy winds.  I'm just not one of them.  On the other hand, I'm pretty tough, I dig rustic.  I cook over campfires, but not when I can barely breathe and feel nauseous! 

Luckily, it wasn't about me, and the boys had a good time.  I had my hubby along also, and he really did look after me.  In fact, I think he kept me from getting hypothermia that first night!  We ended up leaving early, which probably disappointed some of the scout dads, but the boys said they were ready to go.  It was the hubby's command decision.  I had mixed feelings until it started to rain as we drove out of the camp. 

The boys got to fire some guns, shoot some arrows, paddle around in canoes, and other cool stuff.  Nathan really loves the outdoors.  He bugs us to hike and camp every time sun comes out.  I'm glad he got back into scouting.  He gave it up during Middle School because I think he thought it wasn't cool.  But the thing is, you have to do what you love, whether it's cool or not, because that's who you are.  This year he's beginning to grasp that.  It was nice to see him eagerly hauling out the tents and packing up the car, and setting up and breaking down camp.  I only wish my hubby and I were more eager to go backwoods hiking and camping with him, because frankly, we've gotten soft with age.  We'd rather sit on the deck of a warm cabin with soft beds and admire the view of nature than to hike all over it and sleep under the stars.  I'll admit those scouts and leaders are tough -- they shared stories of camping in the snow and rain and in all altitudes.  God bless them, and I hope they can teach Nathan a lot, because that it one trail he'll be taking without his Dad and I (one of many paths he'll be taking on his own as he gets older, no doubt).