Whiter Than Snow

Many of my friends love snow. Since we moved from the North Carolina mountains to the upstate of South Carolina, I have been asked many times if I miss the snow. My honest answer is, "no, I do not." But since there is snow in the forecast for the Upstate this weekend, it seems a good time to write about snow.

Snow is beautiful, but I have spent enough of my years living in very snowy places, with very cold temperatures, shoveling lots of snow. I have had enough. If I really want to see snow now, I can get out my photos and enjoy it that way!

I have a photo of my parents on my desk. One of Daddy's favorite hymns was Whiter Than Snow. The words of that old hymn say “Break down every idol, cast out every foe. Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

"Idols" to us here in 21st century America are rarely made of wood and stone. They are electronic. They are the time-stealers. They are our pride and our sense of self-importance. They are our ego. They take the form of good, rather than best, choices.

And so I am praying that the Lord will reveal anything in my life that has become an "idol" to me. Anything that takes His rightful place in my life.

I want my life to be as pure before the Lord as fresh-fallen snow.

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;

I want Thee forever to live in my soul;

Break down every idol, cast out every foe - 

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,

Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;

To get this best cleansing, I all things forego -

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

(-James L. Nicholson)

 

 

"Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me."

(Psalm 51:10)

 

It’s A Process

By this first week of January rolled around, many - perhaps most - people have packed away Christmas for another year. And there are others - like me - for whom it’s more of a process. Something not done all in one day, but spread out over time.

I went to physical therapy this morning as I have been doing twice a week since having shoulder surgery in July 2024. The surgery was extensive, and my shoulder had not worked well for a long time, so recovery is lengthy. It’s a process. A slow, steady, moving forward.

It occurs to me today that this idea of “process” is a picture of the Christian life. Just as after shoulder surgery I didn’t jump up off the table with a fully healed shoulder, neither do we jump from the point of salvation to knowing everything there is to know. Just as a baby is not born as a fully mature adult, but grows with proper nourishment, so do we grow as we are properly nourished in our faith.

How does this process take place? It’s through the process we often referred to as discipleship. Once we have committed our lives to Christ, we have become His disciples, His followers, His students. And we get to know Him, His character, and His ways, through the Word of God. We are nourished in the Word first with milk and then with meat, as we go deeper and deeper into our study and our understanding of the Word. This is what we think of as one of the disciplines of the Christian life.

Discipline is often thought of as an ugly word. A punishment word. But when it comes to our faith, discipline is that consistent and persistent commitment to the Word, of God to prayer, and to following the command of Scripture. It’s a process.

If you are not yet committed to that process, the beginning of a new year is a very good time to start. If you are a follower of Jesus, and have not yet committed to following Him closely through the study of His Word, please reach out to me. I’ll be happy to share some tools to get you started.

And if you are not yet a follower of Jesus, please reach out about that as well. I would love to help you get to know my Savior.

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” (1 Timothy 4:7b)

Normal

The holidays are over. We have taken the Christmas decorations down. Or at least we are in the process of doing that. In most places, school is back in session. This is the week things get back to normal. Whatever that means.

Normal may mean different things to different people. What is normal for me in this season of life certainly isn't normal for young mothers of preschoolers. And normal means something completely different to me in this post-stroke season of my life than it did before.

But for those of us who belong to Jesus, there are certain things that should be normal, no matter what our season of life.

Things like love. And joy. And peace. (See Galatians 5:22 for the rest of that list.)

If you have spent much time in the Old Testament book of Ezra, you will recall Ezra has something to teach us about normal.  

"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel." (Ezra 7:10 ESV)

I read that verse this morning, over and over. I thought about that verse. I pondered that verse. I prayed over that verse.  

And it occurs to me that what Ezra had set his heart to do is what should be normal for each of us who belong to Jesus.

To study. To make a diligent effort to know the Word of God, what it says and what it means.

To do. To obey God's law. To do what God expects of us.

To teach. To be talking about the things of God, sharing them with others, leading others to join us in being obedient to God.

If that isn't our normal, perhaps we need to ask ourselves why it isn't.


What have you set your heart on today? Something to think about.


"I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget your word." (Psalm 119:15-16 NASB) 

Thoughts on a New Year

 

It's that time again! A new year. Time to take the old calendar off the wall and hang a fresh new one. Time for fresh clean pages the planner. It's time for a fresh start.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me this last year just flew by! Maybe it's a sign of getting older, but I can sometimes hardly believe how quickly time passes. Yet here we are again at the beginning of another year, and it's that time again - time for New Year's Resolutions. You know what I mean. We have convinced ourselves we need to make those ridiculous promises, the ones we make every year but never keep. Things like "I will lose 50 pounds by Friday" or "I will never allow anything chocolate to pass my lips ever again", or some other equally unattainable promise that will be broken before a week has passed.

Have you ever noticed how resolutions are often vague? I need to do better. I need to lose some weight. I need to spend less money. I need to read my Bible more. With all that vagueness, how can we ever know whether or not we have actually accomplished anything?

I am not a fan of New Year's resolutions. I am, however, a fan of setting goals and then determining a way to be accountable about those goals, with benchmarks so I can periodically mark my progress. That works much better for me than those pesky soon-to-be-forgotten resolutions. One goal for this year is focusing on health and good nutrition, with a plan in place to reach my goals in those.

As we begin 2025, I've been reflecting on the past year. I’ve been doing a lot of pondering, thinking about what I learned about God this year. About ways my faith has grown. About how disciplined (or not!) I have been in my Bible study. I'm pondering what God has done in my life this last year. And, to borrow a phrase from a familiar hymn, I'm pondering anew what the Almighty can do. 

A new year brings fresh opportunities to see God at work. To grow in my faith. To "discipline [myself] for the purpose of godliness." (1 Timothy 4:7) 

What about you? Have you thought about goals and plans for the new year? Having a plan in place, especially in the area of Bible reading, helps you stay focused. If you don't have a plan, there are a number of good plans available. I encourage you to read Scripture each day. Don't limit yourself to reading a devotional book. Read directly from God's Word. Read what God has to say, not just what others have written about it.

One of my favorite devotional books over the years as been My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Year after year I return to this book. This year I’ve traded in my well-worn paperback copy for a brand new leather-bound copy. And year after year, as a new year begins, I am drawn to this particular passage of Scripture, the passage with which Chambers begins the year:

".....my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."  (Philippians 1:20 NASB

Hustle, Bustle, Hustle, Bustle, Got So Much To Do………

The title is a line I remember from a children's choir Christmas musical many, many years ago......Hustle, bustle, hustle, bustle, got so much to do!  Hustle, bustle, hustle, bustle, will I ever get through?  And on it goes.

Many are singing a version of that song during this season. There's the shopping to finish. And gifts to wrap. Groceries to buy. Plus all that baking to be done. And in between all that, there are all the regular tasks of life to deal with. It’s a busy time of year. I get a little overwhelmed when I look at my calendar with its lists if doctors appointments and physical therapy alongside all the other holiday busyness.

It's hard to think about peace on earth and silent night and all the rest in the middle of the busyness that is life during this season. 

But....in the middle of all this busyness and hustling and bustling, in the middle of all the chaos that life can be here in the 21st century.....isn't this the time we most need to step back, find a quiet place for at least a few minutes, take a deep breath, and remember.

Remember that night in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. Reflect on the events of that first noel. Rejoice that, even in the busyness of life, and even in the turmoil of our world, the One born on that night came to bring peace.  

When we let that truth wash over us, then we can be at peace even in the middle of the hustle and bustle.

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  (Isaiah 9:6 ESV)

This Scripture set to music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN5BaOGTmGs

Didn’t See That Coming. Eight Years Later.

Today is my stroke-iversary. On November 15, 2016, life was normal. And the next day it wasn't.

Eight years ago, I had a brain hemorrhage. These last five years have been quite a journey.

There was the time in the hospital. I still have no memory of that.

There was thanksgiving dinner at Spartanburg Rehabilitation Institute, another thing I don't remember.

But things began to improve. My first clear memory comes from a few days after Thanksgiving. On that morning, I had a clear memory of a passage of scripture which I shared with Al and Brandon when they arrived. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee."

That was my first clear memory. It stands out because, at that time, I couldn't speak clearly. I was wearing an eye patch because my eyes wouldn't work together. I couldn't read. I couldn't write. I couldn't always understand what was being said to me. Even so, God brought this verse very clearly to my mind. It got me through those days in rehab, and through all the days since.

From that morning forward, I made steady progress.

Eventually, I traded my eye patch for a new pair of glasses.

Several months later, I was able to teach Sunday School again. That was something I had never thought would be possible.

Since then, I've made steady improvement. When I finally graduated from speech therapy in May, 2017, my therapist told me I would continue to make improvement. I confess that I didn't really believe her. But she was right!

Since then, we have had some wonderful adventures! We have been able to travel.....

I've celebrated birthdays and Christmases and family vacations. I've even done some baking, which is a real accomplishment, since the stroke has left me very challenged with anything to do with numbers and baking requires accurate measurements. These years have been full of challenges. Of ups and downs. Of frustrations and discouragements. And of great joy. 

This has been quite a learning experience.

Learning to talk again.

Learning to read and write again.

Learning that even on that days when I struggle with those things, and I still sometimes do, God is still good.

These have been years of learning to trust.

Of learning to deal with my limitations.

Of learning that it's OK when I have to say no to some things.

Of knowing that even though I have limitations, God is still God.

God is still good.

God is still in control.

God has a plan and a purpose for all things.

Even for strokes.

I may not understand (I don't!), but that's ok.

Because God is God and I am not.

Because even in the valley, God is still God and He is still good.

Life is filled with good days and bad days, frustrating days, and encouraging days. These eight years have been years of learning and growing. It is an experience I certainly don't want to repeat, but I am thankful.

Thankful for all God has taught me, and is still teaching me, through this experience. Thankful for family and friends who have walked through this journey with me. Thankful for all the people who have prayed me through this experience.

I didn't see it coming. But it happened. And I survived.

I am a stroke survivor.

And it's all because of God's amazing grace.

"Now therefore, our God, we praise You, and praise Your glorious name." 

1 Chronicles 29:13 NASB

You’re Composing!

When I was a college student, one of the most dreaded hours of the week was Tuesday morning’s Sightsinging Class. Sometimes we sang as a group, but most often we were called on individually. Each of us was given a line from the textbook and a pitch, and then we were to sing the line correctly. A capella, of course. I can still hear Dr. Will saying, “Miss Austin, you are composing.”

Composing would have been fine in composition class, of course. But not acceptable in sightsinging class. This memory has often come to mind through the years, particularly on Wednesday nights in choir practice, and especially when there’s struggle over a section of music. I have often joked about it being “creative license”. After all, that sounds better than “mistake”. And I could often hear Dr. Will’s voice in my head. “You’re composing.”

Soloists often take some creative liberties with the music. (If you have ever heard a pop artist sing the National Anthem, you know what I mean.) But a choir, particularly when singing a passage in unison, has no such “creative license”.

Neither do we when it comes to the scriptures.

This afternoon, I am wondering how many of us are doing exactly that. Taking “creative license” with the Word of God. 

We do that every time we pick and choose the parts we like, and ignore the rest. Every time we quote it out of context. Every time we make it about us. Every time we misapply it. 

How that must grieve the heart of God. 

In order to avoid “composing”, we must read the Word. Study it. Read all of it. Not just the favorite parts. And read the Bible itself, not just books about the Bible. Not just devotional books. The Book itself. The whole Book.

Let’s stop composing. Let’s honor God by honoring His Word.

“Be diligent to present yourself to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB)