I am oh so thankful!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and as I sit here to reflect, my heart is full. Normally, I go to bed around 9:30 or so in the evening, but last night I stayed up till 2 a.m. talking to my mom. It has been awhile since we have stayed up that late and talked! It felt good to bare my heart with her as she did with me. My parents live in Oregon, six hours north of us and getting together is truly a gift in and of itself! Telephone conversations don't tell the whole story...it's better face to face. The facial expressions, the knowing looks and the pauses all tell another version of how things are really going.

This summer I visited my parents and we made a visit to a cool old barn that has been fixed up as a gift store. I purchased a decorative wooden oar with this saying written on it; "Sit long, talk much." Well, last night that is just what we did.

I think that we all need to slow down a bit and just sit and talk with one another. I love the pictures of homes with wrap around porches filled with rocking chairs and porch swings. Sitting down with a tall glass of sweet iced tea or a cup of coffee and talking with family and friends is so meaningful to me. It's about relationship; strengthening those ties that bind.

I am thankful that I still can sit down with my mom and talk to her. It seems that time just gets away from me sometimes and I tend to forget what is most important in my life. Several days can go by without having talked to my mom or dad and then it hits me...I need to call Mom and Dad!!

It seems that when my parents are here or when I am visiting them in Oregon, time just flies by! There never seems to be enough time to do all of the things that we want to do together or the days just slip quickly by and we haven't said all those things that are on our heart to share. When we depart, I always feel like my heart is left wanting more.

I was so tired when I finally retired to bed early this morning. Black Friday had already begun and I knew that I was not ready to greet it just yet! My Dad gets up fairly early and I knew that he would be up and spending time reading the bible or a good book. Steve and Zoe had gotten up early and went to Walmart to catch some of those crazy door busters. Even though my body was craving a couple more hours of sleep, my spirit was aching to talk to my dad. It seems that we hardly get enough time to just sit and talk. So, I pulled myself out of bed, wrapped my robe around me and went into the living room to find my dad. There he was, just as I knew I would find him. He was sitting on the love-seat reading a book about perserverance. Lately, my dad has been feeling a bit discouraged in his place of ministry as a pastor of a small Pentecostal church in Oregon. I wanted to sit with him and hear his heart. As we talked, I learned about more of the details of his life and ministry experience. The things that I learned about his passion for reaching people really clarified things in my life. I was wishing that I had a voice recorder with me to capture these tender moments of wisdom.

One morsel of wisdom that my father imparted to me today was the importance of publicly appreciating the willing and faithful few that God has placed in our church to labor alongside of us for the Lord. "Make sure to publicly pat them on the back, and appreciate the work that your volunteers do", Dad said. As I sat there and listened to him tell me of all the different bus ministries that he had been involved in, I could not help but think of all the countless hundreds of lives that he has affected for the Kingdom of Heaven! My dad told me, "I wish that I had the energy that I had back then!" He looks at his current situation and feels discouraged. He knows things need to change, but how? Who will be the agents of change? Who will count the cost to reap the reward? One thing is for sure, I know he will, and I will do my best to follow his example!

I feel so blessed to know my dad better today than I did when he came down on Tuesday. The stories he told about the places we lived when I was growing up are so precious to me, now that I am in the ministry and going through my own ups and downs of pastoral ministry. The stories help to fill in the gaps that I was never privileged to hear when I was just a little girl, growing up in my parents home. I remember bits and pieces of our lives as pastors, but now the stories are all the more rich with meaning as I sit on the other side of things in this season of my life.

And the story goes on...yours and mine. Take time to share what is on your heart. Take time to get to know the people that matter most to you. Do it NOW. It may surprise you, enlighten you, inspire you and encourage you to keep on keepin' on. What we do with our lives counts. How we live our lives today will influence each tomorrow.

Keeper of My Heart

Not long ago, I spoke with a friend on facebook and they requested that I post the lyrics to this song I wrote back in 2003. No matter what difficulty you may be facing, the Lord will see you through and help you to love even when it seems impossible because of your hurt and pain.

"Keeper of my Heart".

Verse:
O Lord I come before you in my selfishness and pride
I can't deny these feelings that are welling up inside.
It's all unfair and undeserved and my heart is wrapped in pain
but I know without forgivness, I have nothing to gain.

So help me Lord,surrender all and give me grace to grow
a new-found faith, hope renewed and trust again restored.

Chorus:
You're the keeper of my heart, the guardian of my dreams
Oh Jesus, you are my everything!
You are the lover of my soul so with everything I know
I'm going to love you, trust you, surrender all I am...
Oh Jesus, here I am.

Bridge:
In the midnight hour I'm facing,I know I'm not alone
when my hopes and dreams have faded
you give me strength to carry on
you're my victory and my song!
So, help me Lord, to give again, to love without reserve
make my life a vessal through which your message can be heard.

Chorus:
You're the keeper of my heart, the guardian of my dreams
Oh Jesus, you are my everything!
You are the lover of my soul
so with everything I know
I want to love you, trust you, surrender all I am
Oh Jesus, here I am...here I am.

Words and Music by Tabreena Rogers c. 2003

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In EVERYTHING give thanks...

Yesterday I went through a gamut of emotions...anger, frustration, peace, tears, laughter, wonder and exhaustion. The day started off with laundry, lots of laundry...at a laundromat! My front loader washer, which by the way, is only 4 years old, is having technical difficulties beyond a technicians grasp of knowledge. I need Jesus and his divine, infinite wisdom to restore my machine to working order once again!

I have just about reached my fill of laundromats, expenditures of quarters by the handful and folding my husbands underwear in public! This is NOT good...
I am trying to see past this and remember that many people do not even have machines at home let alone the quarters it takes to fill one at "the mat".

I watched "The Blind Side" last night and there is a scene where Big Mike is washing out his shirt in a large, dirty sink, with no soap...just water. I began to feel convicted about my poor attitude, which I displayed in a mild temper tantrum. My husband was so helpful to get up and get us out to the "mat" before the big Saturday rush. What a guy!

I really do have so much to be thankful for! Earlier this week I wrote on my Facebook wall about being thankful...God is so good about providing me with multiple opportunities to flesh out his Word. And so,as I end my week and begin a new one, I write this note of thanks...

THANK YOU, LORD, that I have clothes to wash and for the people in my life who wear and dirty those clothes everyday! My laundry bin runneth over...
THANK YOU, LORD, for the soap and quarters to fill those mighty big machines. You supply all my needs...
THANK YOU, LORD, for a loving husband and daughter, who are thoughtful to help me with my "load". They are fulfilling the law of Christ...
THANK YOU, LORD, for the transportation to and from the "mat" and for the Sunshine that hit my cheek instead of raindrops. Surely goodness and mercy do follow me...

THANK YOU, LORD. Yes, for all these blessings and more, I give you thanks.

All who are thirsty…

Have you ever been so thirsty that you thought that you were going to die of thirst? Have you ever been so weary that you thought you weren’t going to make it another day? You work so hard and for what?

Jesus gives us some hope for those of us who are weary in Matthew 11:28-29. Let’s read it together.

“Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

What is the first thing Jesus tells us to do? “Come to me…”

Our first action should be to come to Jesus when we are feeling overwhelmed by the burdens of our lives. He is calling us to himself. He calls us to take a break with Him…a little vacation, if you will. Doesn’t a vacation sound good, especially a free one? We all would like an island getaway, wouldn’t we? I am sure that we would all love to feel the warm air against our faces and the cool sand underneath our feet; a reprieve from the mundane things of this world that pull us further and further away from the Author of LIFE! Well, guess what? He is calling us to take a vacation with Him to a life that is simpler. A life that is easier. A life that is not all wrapped around a long to do list.

I love the way The Message Bible interprets this scripture.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Matt. 11-28-29

Are you tired? Are any of you sick and tired? Are any of you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Are any of you thirsty? I mean really thirsty? Thirsty for something that really fulfills and quenches your parched heart? Do you feel dry? Washed up, wrung out and left in a crumpled dirty heap?

Jesus says in John 7:37, “If any one is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Jesus offers us living water. Just has he offered the woman at the well living water so he is offering to each one of us water from the wellsprings of life.

Jesus said that when we come to Him, he will give us rest. True Rest. He wants us to sit under his tutelage and learn from him. Demanding people constantly surrounded Jesus. Just spend a few moments reading the gospels and you will find that Jesus was daily bombarded by the needs of people. But if you will pay close attention, he never was in a hurry. Talk about the unforced rhythms of grace! Everywhere Jesus went the Spirit of God led him. The Spirit of God even led him to the desert. And Jesus willingly followed and obeyed. How many of us would willingly go to the dry desert? I prefer lush green gardens with exotic flowers to smell!

Life does not always hand us a bouquet of roses. But, we can in the midst of the harsh realities of life, find respite and a place to rest in the loving arms of Jesus. When we surrender our lives to him and allow him to direct us, we will find that our lives take on a more serene and peaceful tone. We are not all rushed and stressed about many things.

As a kid, every summer we would go camping for our family vacations. We would load up the camper and off we would go. But before any of that adventure and “vacation” could start, we would all be put to work cleaning the house that we wouldn’t be living in for the next week! My mom would crack the whip. Everything had to be spic and span before we could leave the premises. We would be so worn out we all looked like we needed some R&R after we were through! But boy after we got to our destination, were we happy campers! The lake would beckon us to come, come away for a swim. We would stay for hours basking in the sun! One of my warm, fuzzy memories is of being at Crescent Lake in Central Oregon. I can remember the smells and sounds of the lake as I would float along being bobbed up and down by the ripples of the water made by the boats that had just come in or gone out. What a place to let your worries and cares just slip away.

I think that Jesus lived his life very similarly to those rhythms of the water. He sure did spend a lot of time there. Sitting in those fishing boats telling stories about God his Father.

Remember the time he and his disciples were on the Sea of Galilee and a big storm hit? What was Jesus doing? He was resting. Catching a few z’s! He wasn’t afraid of the storm. Do you know why? He knew the one who created the water and lake on which they were. He knew that one who created the lightning and the thunder! He was very familiar with all of it. And in the middle of the thick of it, he could rest easy!!!!

So, today, may you find true rest that only comes from knowing the"Blessed Controller" of our lives. Take a drink from the well that will never run dry.

His name is JESUS!

God is doing a new thing within me. I am so grateful for the inner workings of the Holy Spirit inside my heart. The intimate way that he speaks to me is beyond words. I am enjoying the Journey...

I am anticipating tomorrow. It will be the first day of the week; Sunday. God does such wonderful things when his people gather. I am continually amazed at the treasures that I unwrap as God reveals his word to me. I eagerly wait with an open heart and ears to receive!My prayer is that I will be faithful in active obedience. My heart is so for the Lord.

I lift up my voice to the maker of Heaven and Earth. May He be blessed with my offering. All of me and nothing less.

A Father's Blessing

"May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm--may he bless these boys. May they be called my name and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and may they greatly increase upon the earth." Genesis 48:15-16

These verses ministered to me today because Jacob is blessing his grandsons, Ephraim and Manesseh before he dies. Jacob prays to the God of his father Abraham (his Grandfather) and Issac (his Father). But then Jacob personalizes the blessing by saying that "the God who has been MY Shepherd all my life to this day..." Jacob had many personal encounters with God. He knew him personally and walked with him daily.

How important a Father's blessing is in the lives of his children but how much more important is the godly life that has been lived before them. The spiritual life of a Father is so very important. Jacob had an intimate relationship with his God. He knew that in order to have a blessed life, walking with God was the answer. There is no greater gift that you can pass down to the next generation than the gift of a Godly heritage. A life that has been lived close to God with leave you marked with greatness.

My goal is to love God fully and to walk with him all the days of my life. I myself have been given the gift of a godly heritage from my dad and mom. They both gave their lives to God at a young age and followed him faithfully. I am so thankful for this wonderful blessing in my life. I look forward to passing this same gift down to my children!