Author: pmclead

Have you ever been put off by a fellow Christian’s behavior?  Maybe someone who teases past your comfort point or one who is just a bit too sarcastic that it makes you feel uneasy? When that happens, sometimes we might not stay around them long enough to see the heart of the person, to see Jesus in them.  

Recently I met someone whose teasing sense of humor was relentless, and I noticed that I steered clear of him every time we were in the same room. Not until he spoke to the whole group and shared his love and compassion for people through Scripture did his true heart shine through. Then, no matter how much teasing followed, the truth in his heart could not be overshadowed. He didn’t change, but my attitude toward him certainly did.

It was like those hidden picture pages in the children’s magazines. You know, the ones that have you looking for hours for a silly toothbrush in a drawing of a library, and you cannot find it until you do. Then, you can’t not see it. Once I saw Jesus in this gentleman, I couldn’t not see it, no matter how silly his jokes or how endless his teasing, Jesus shined through.

I hope people can see Jesus in me. I wouldn’t want the way I act or the things I say to get in the way. I’m afraid there have been times that my sarcasm has come through much louder than my Jesus. Hopefully, as I’ve gotten older and maybe a bit wiser, that happens far less often. A quick review of James, Chapter 3 is always a good idea! That tongue can certainly get out of control sometimes.

What do you think? Do people see Jesus in you clearly or do they have to get passed your humor, sarcasm, or something else to see Him?

Lined up on my back fence was a male cardinal and three fledglings. He was busy feeding them one by one as he’d fly off to find food and return to continue his meal time duties. The whole scene was lovely except for one glaring abnormality – one of his babies was obviously not a cardinal. Continue reading “Search Me, Lord” →

I walked outside one morning to find a beautiful bird gleaning the foliage of our backyard bottle brush tree. Since I’d never seen this bird before, I quickly ran back inside for my bird book and phone. Continue reading “Listen for the Real Thing” →

Years ago, I had the privilege of teaching the Lydia Class in Sunday School.  This was a lovely group of senior women whose ages ranged from 75 to 85 and beyond.  I remember being very excited to teach them but at the same time a bit anxious about just what I could possibly teach them, after all, I was in my thirties! When I received the material to use for the class, I was surprised to read the topic for the first lesson, adultery.  Really? For the Lydia class?!  

Sunday came, we all got settled into our little classroom, opened with prayer and as soon as I got the word amen out of my mouth, one of the sweet little ladies spoke up.  “Patti” she began, “we thought we would set your mind at ease about today’s lesson and let you know that we all agree that we’ve pretty much handled the adultery thing!” We all laughed and I quickly responded, “I am so happy to hear that you don’t have a problem with sexual immorality now that you are 80, but y’all there’s a second part to the lesson, how are you with… murmuring?”  Suddenly, it was very quiet.

Sometimes we get to a point in our lives where we have conquered a certain sin or two but then there are other sins that are a bit harder to give up.  The murmuring, complaining, and grumbling that we all are guilty of from time to time, that one, is a bit harder to stop. The Israelites were known throughout Scripture as a people who murmured and complained and God dealt with them sternly.  Grumbling was one of the sins they committed which caused them to wander the desert. Complaining may not sound like a serious sin to us but God takes it very seriously.

In Philippians 2:14-15, Paul implores the people, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God, without fault in a crooked and depraved generation…” He wrote this around the year 61 AD, the world was crooked and depraved then, too.  It was no harder for them to stop complaining than it is for us now, but He still wants us to stop, He still wants us blameless and pure.

Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  We need to cut out the murmuring and complaining and take responsibility for our conversations, because they do ‘depend on us’ in order to have a peaceful outcome.  I know, we can only be responsible for our part of a conversation, but I’m guessing we all could work a bit harder at removing the complaining and griping that is so very easy to fall into.  

Join me in a challenge.  Let’s pray that God will show each of us when we are about to murmur and complain, and ask Him to help us stop before we start.  Before long it may very well  be a sin we get to call ‘handled’.

A friend of mine, who knows I love birds, gave this cute bird sign to me for my birthday this year.  Of course, as an English teacher, the first thing I saw was the misspelled word. Continue reading “All Birdys Welcome” →

Forgiveness is not an easy thing for me.  Maybe it is for you.  Continue reading “Forgiveness & Revenge” →