Wacky Wednesday

God Bless America! (The view from my front porch this morning)

Some of my blogging friends do a Wednesday Hodgepodge, and some also do a "Whimsical Wednesday", which usually displays a lovely evening or wedding gown with choices of shoes to match for you to decide...and I love all of the above reading and entertaining posts for the middle of the week.  Not to detract or distract from these wonderful posts, but I thought I would do  my own version of all of the above, and have a "Wacky Wednesday", for today only (maybe). 

Our friend Debbie from "Breathing in Grace" is currently somewhat inactive on her blog, but she stays pretty active on her Facebook Page "Breathing In His Grace, Breathing Out His Praise", and today she posted something pretty funny.  See the lovely ladies below:

Now, I just love this picture...as a matter of fact, I loved it so much that I wanted to join in the fun.  I hope this will inspire you to consider the same idea and share your new "Easter Dress" for online church this year. I think in light of the fact that we are all having to sacrifice being able to attend church services on Easter (and the rest of the month), it's quite all right to have a little fun with this. We could all use a few good laughs, don't you think?

Little did I know when I was preparing for my hospital visit last month (one month ago tomorrow! Wow!), that the lovely aqua blue duster with the pretty pink roses on it would actually become my new Easter dress!

  Just needed to add an Easter bonnet and my lovely white gloves...

Oh, and my matching socks, and I am all ready for our Easter Sunday online service!! 

So how about you?  I hope you will be bold and daring enough to share your Easter outfit for this year. Let's have a little fun in the midst of the craziness of this current situation.

Meanwhile, of course we are not forgetting the true meaning of Easter, and that it is the very foundation of our faith.  What Jesus did for us on Calvary, when He sacrificed His very life so that we might be set free from our sins and have eternal life forever with Him in heaven...well, that is the most amazing and wonderful gift we could ever receive.  Regardless of where we are, Easter is a time for celebration.  As Christians, we celebrate the resurrected life every day we live.  The whole idea of having a new "Easter dress" originated from this celebration of new life...all things new, because in Christ we are a new creation:

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

17. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

So wherever you are, my prayer for you today is that first of all you are well...and that you are safely protected in your home (as much as possible), and that even in the midst of all this enforced isolation from the world, you are spending time with the Lord and celebrating the blessing of freedom from sin and death...yes...death. In Christ, we have eternal life...we may have to cross through death's door from this life to the next...but because of Jesus, we have the hope of everlasting life with Him...no more sickness, no more sorrow...no more isolation!  We will be set free from the cares of this world forever.  

John 11:25-26 says:

25 "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. 

He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 

26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. 

Do you believe this?”

Jesus may have been talking to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, in this particular passage, but the question is still there for you and me today:  "Do YOU believe this?"  That is possibly the most important question you will ever be asked in life.  My prayer is that each and every one of us can strongly say, "Yes, Lord, I believe".  

Have a blessed and holy and happy Easter season, my friends. 

Now, let's see those Easter dresses! Come on...be a sport!! 

You have from now until Easter to decide and share!!  

An Advent Message-"Behold, I Will Do A New Thing!"

Yes, I am "recycling" this Advent message from a previous year again...  I hope you are as excited about preparing for Christmas as I am...no, not just the decorations and shopping and baking, etc., but about actually preparing our hearts for Christmas...for the Advent of the Christ Child once again! That is a message that is well worth recycling and repeating over and over and over again!!

Original Message:

I believe in recycling...old Christmas cards, and last year's Advent messages.  This one has some of my childhood Christmas memories...as well as a message of hope for today and forever.  Please go back in time with me...and look forward to our future as well...

Picture is from a Christmas card received in previous years!

Can't you just imagine what these children are saying as they stand in front of this toy store window? The little boy sees a sailboat and a pony, and perhaps a toy truck or train.  The little girl sees a new baby doll or a teddy bear...or possibly a dollhouse.  The older girl has her eye on a bride doll or a pretty new dress.  They each have stars in their eyes and dreams of the magic of Christmas morning, when they will discover new and exciting gifts under the tree...maybe even some surprises they never imagined they might receive.

I remember those idyllic days of childhood.  My older sister and I would snuggle into our beds on Christmas eve wondering what Santa was going to bring us...hoping that he had actually read our Christmas list and that perhaps there would be at least one thing we were yearning for under the tree. We found it almost impossible to close our eyes and sleep...every little noise just had to be Santa and his reindeer on our rooftop!  And oh! The excitement and thrill as we actually heard sleigh bells ringing and the prancing of hooves...no matter that we learned in later years that our sweet daddy was actually ringing those bells and throwing stones on the roof to make it sound like hooves...we never felt sorry that our parents allowed us to enjoy the dream and fantasy of Santa Claus as long as we could.  Those were the kinds of moments that made our childhood happy and memorable.

Me, My Sister and Two Older Brothers on Christmas Eve,
"Hanging our stockings with care in hopes that St Nicholaus
would soon be there..."  

There was never any doubt as to what was the real meaning of Christmas.
We had been brought up going to Sunday School and Church from practically the day we were born.  Our family had a strong faith and belief in Jesus...and in the child of the manger.
But we enjoyed the fun and tradition of the Christmas legends and mysteries...and our parents made sure that Christmas was always a time to be merry and bright!

Yes, that's me...so sweet and angelic! Wonder what happened to that
little innocent babe?  

Yes, Christmas at our home was magical and happy. Homemade cookies, pies and candies...hot chocolate with marshmallows, toy trains and villages under the tree, lots of singing and laughter. Homemade paper chains and bells strung from wall to wall, and myriads of pretty colored lights and glistening balls on the tree.  I think that's the way God intended Christ's birthday to be...a time to celebrate...and a time to rejoice!


I believe God wanted to wipe away the tears and sorrow of His people...and to give them a new hope...Some ONE to redeem them from the cares of this world and to show them the way to live "out of this world" eternally!

In Isaiah 43:18-19 He said to us through His prophet:

"Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing!

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?"

That's what the promise of Christmas is all about...through the wonder and majesty of a tiny babe in a manger...God gave His people hope...He did a new thing...He sent His only Son to this old, sinful, sorrowful world, and through Him sprung forth salvation, full and free...new life...old things are passed away:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation; 

old things have passed away;

BEHOLD! ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW!"

II Corinthians 5:17

Now, isn't that good news?  Isn't that the best gift ever found under a tree on Christmas?

We are new creations in Christ!

Oh! What wonder! What joy! What delight!
Jesus came to earth for ME that night!

This beautiful Nativity ornament was always on my parents' Christmas tree.

And Now, click HERE for an update about this particular special ornament!

"Jesus, my Saviour, to Bethlehem came,

Born in a manger to sorrow and shame;

Oh, it was wonderful~

Blest be His name!

Seeking for me, for me!

Seeking for me, for me!

Seeking for me, for me!

Oh, it was wonderful~

Blest be His name!

Seeking for me, for me!

"Seeking for Me!", a Hymn,  Anonymous, 19th century

What are YOU longing for this Christmas? May all your dreams come true, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Sermon Notes: "Feast or Famine?"

Our sermon passage came from Luke 5:27-38.  The pictures are from my neighborhood, and I thought in some ways they kind of go along with the scriptures.  Let's see:

27:  "After these things He (Jesus) went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."

28.  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

29.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.  
30.  And the scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

31.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
32.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

33.  Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"

34.  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?

35.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."

Notes:

• Jesus said, "Get up and follow Me" to Levi (who became known as Matthew) the Tax Collector. 
• Levi invited Jesus to a feast.
• The first thing Levi did was introduce others to Jesus.  He didn't wait around, nor did he have to be told to do this.  He wanted others to meet this Man called Jesus.
• John Wesley said "No one person ever went to heaven alone"..You either find friends, and you introduce them to Jesus, and they introduce others to Jesus...and you will take them with you to heaven!
• Jesus came along and came into the lives of lepers, tax collectors and sinners. Then someone called the Pharisees and complained that Jesus was eating and drinking with sinners.
• Jesus told them that "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
• Jesus was saying to treat others as loved ones...we CAN make a difference. 
• Share the love of Jesus with them.
• Jesus' party looked like a bus stop...all kinds of people. He brought everybody in...all sat down together...and that upset the Pharisees who were the "keepers of the law".
• Jesus gives us a Messianic Banquet where everyone is invited.
• When we get involved with Jesus, times are changing...the bus is filled with sinners and He changes them...He makes all things and all hearts new.

In verses 36-38 we see a "New" parable...and I think I finally understand it better than ever before.

• 36.  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.
• 37.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.
• 38.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

When we accept the free offer of salvation that comes from knowing Jesus Christ, we become a new creature in Christ.  (see II Corinthians 5:17).  Jesus is not a legalist. Christianity is all about GRACE...love, forgiveness...new life springing up out of death.  When we become a New Creature in Christ, we can't go back to the old ways of trying to earn our salvation by keeping the old law. 

When we live our lives for Christ, we can't be gloomy at the "wedding celebration". It is time to celebrate.  We do everything to glorify Christ. We seek God's face and His vision for us as we reflect on our "new life".  What is God about to do?

• The Pharisees tried to fit Jesus into their way of thinking, but He just didn't fit.  
• Jesus is doing NEW things all the time.
• Will we allow ourselves to be changed and renewed every day?
• God is doing new things...are we going to join the "party", or pout because these "Christians" are doing something different?
• Will you allow yourself to be changed, renewed...or will you stick with the old?

Dear Lord, please go before us. Prepare the way. You've called us to the celebration. Invite us in, and help us to welcome others to the feast.

"God prepares the table for us, offering us a feast of abundant love.  Our cups overflow with the bounty of grace for our Shepherd knows us as no one else can...restoring our souls, healing our brokenness, nourishing us with bread and cup for the life of ministry. Come to the table and feast with the Shepherd."  

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given.  I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously.  Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said.  Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear...  That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts.  So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.

Sermon Notes from FUMC, Interlachen, FL., 11/11/2018, Pastor A.C. Myers.

New Life Out of Death

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."  

John 11:25

This picture is a mushroom found growing in the decaying birdseed on the ground this morning...amazing!!!

Have a blessed SONday my friends!!

You Are Now Entering The Secret Garden - Updated 1-21-2018 One Year Later

I can't believe it has been a whole year since the creation of "The Secret Garden".  I was looking at these pictures earlier today, and marveling at how green and lush everything was at this time last year...and that we were wearing shorts and t-shirts!!  Not so this past week! We had several days of freezing temperatures (yes! here in Florida!)  And the picture that I will show you at the end of these original pictures will show you how the garden looks today.  

Original Post 1/22/2017:

You are now entering The Secret Garden...

Welcome!

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name,

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations."

Psalm 100:4-5

This sign and the Welcome sign above were lovingly created for the Secret Garden by my sign-maker son!

For those of you who have been following this story, you will be happy to see that "The Secret Garden" is truly becoming a reality.  God has been blessing this sacred place...yes, I call it "sacred", because it has been "set apart for the worship or service of a deity" (definition of sacred according to the Merriam Webster dictionary), and in this case, the "deity" is none other than God Almighty, Our Lord and Creator.  And most definitely this beautiful secret garden is a place of worship and praise to our God, as well as a place of service, or ministry to His children.  I am His child, and the Lord ministers to me in this place as He speaks to me through His Word, His creation, and His Holy Spirit. Not only me, but to anyone who wishes to come to this place and sit in His Presence for prayer, meditation of His Word, and/or encouragement between friends.  That is my prayer and desire for this "Secret Garden".... may it honor and glorify God in every way.

So that being said, let me take you on a tour of the newest additions to the garden....
Oh, Hello Mr. (Mrs.?) Chickadee!  Welcome to The Secret Garden...

I believe she has already taken up residence here!  How amazing is that???  And I was concerned that because I could not put any bird feeders into the Secret Garden, due to the bears that roam nearby, that I wouldn't have much bird activity to observe....guess I was mistaken!!!

"Look at the birds of the air,

for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;

yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of more value than they?"

Matthew 6:26

Perhaps we will one day welcome a family of chickadees to the garden!

 Oh wait! This same chickadee flew over to the other birdhouse and deposited more seeds into this one as well!  Could she have two nests?  Two families?  Hmmm...we will have to watch these interesting developments...

"But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;

And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;"

"Who among all these does not know 

that the hand of the Lord has done this,

in Whose hand is the life of every living thing,

and the breath of all mankind?"

Job 12: 7, 9-10

"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;

Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises."

Psalm  98:4

"How lovely is Your tabernacle, 

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, even faints 

for the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young...

even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,

My King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;

They will still be praising You."

Psalm 84:1-4

(Jan. 2017) Meanwhile, back at the workshop, my two wonderful sons are finishing up the bench that was the inspiration for this marvelous Secret Garden project...

 Here they are putting on the crowning glory to the bench..."Mom's Secret Garden".... and I am in awe...

and then they placed it in the garden....

 and I am overwhelmed with the beauty of it all....

 Here's my "sign-maker son", who created all of the signs for the garden, including the "crown" for the bench...

And here I am with my other wonderful son, who found this bench in the dumpster and restored it for my Christmas surprise gift...setting the wheels in motion for the creation of this beautiful space....

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

and to sing praises to Your name,

O Most High;

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,

and Your faithfulness every night,

On an instrument of ten strings,

on the lute,

and on the harp,

with harmonious sound.

For You, Lord,

have made me glad

through Your work;

I will triumph in the works of

Your hands.

O Lord, How great are Your works!

Your thoughts are very deep."

Psalm 92:1-5

Thank you for joining me in this visit to The Secret Garden. I do hope you will come often and enjoy the peace and beauty of this sacred place...and give praise and glory to God.

Back to the future:
1/21/2018, one year later:

Yikes! What a difference a freeze makes!

All those lovely ferns were bitten by the frost...but actually the frost has done me a favor.  The ferns were getting too overgrown and I didn't know how I was going to thin them out...and God took care of it for me! And they will grow back in no time at all with a little rain and warm temperatures...which we had today!

This reminds me of the story in John 15:1-8, about the "Vine and the Branches"...

Jesus said in verses 1 -2:
"I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, 
and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, 
that it may bear more fruit."

Verses 4-5
"Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, 
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, 
unless you abide in Me.
I Am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing..."

This year  (2018) my "One Word" in Renew.  I think I am in a kind of "pruning" season of life...old things are being snipped away little by little, and God is renewing me and helping me to "bear much fruit" in the process...at least I hope that is going to happen. Just like these ferns, they have been frozen down to the ground so that all the old leaves have been stripped off and fallen into the dirt.  Out of that dirt will spring up new life, fresh, vibrant and green.  Old things have passed away, and they will become brand new.

Just like what it says in II Corinthians 5:17~
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!"


I am excited to see what NEW things the Lord is going to do in my life in this year. 
How about you?

The Secret Garden Chronicles: Surely The Presence of the Lord Is In This Place

Yesterday afternoon I spent some time in the Secret Garden after a busy day of cooking and celebrating my son's birthday.  It was quiet and peaceful and so very comforting to just sit there in the garden and rest for a few minutes at the close of the day.  I was thankful for my son, whose birthday we celebrated, as he was the one who helped to initiate the whole idea of the Secret Garden when he presented me with the beautifully refurbished garden bench for Christmas. 

  (See the finished product HERE)

Also yesterday afternoon I transplanted some azalea bushes from the sunny, hot front side of the house to the Secret Garden, because they weren't surviving in their original location, and I pray the cool shade of the Secret Garden will be a better place for them to grow and thrive. I wanted to give them a second chance at life...because isn't that what Jesus did for us when we accepted Him as our Savior?  We began life anew when we were born again into His family. 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 

II Corinthians 5:17 KJV

I hope someday when people come to the Secret Garden they will know that there was a lot of love here...and that they will feel the Presence of the Lord in this place.

As I sat there listening to the sounds of the birds singing in the trees above and around me, I just couldn't help but start singing this song (the chorus is all I knew, but this video has the whole song, which is so beautiful)

"Surely The Presence of the Lord Is In This Place"

Psalm 16:11

"You will show me the path of life;

In Your Presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

I pray you will have a blessed and peaceful, glorious 

day in the Presence of the Lord, 

wherever you are!

New Creatures in Christ - recycled

This post is being recycled from its original posting on 12/30/2010...and the message is still the same today...some excellent points to ponder as we prepare for the closing of one year and the beginning of the new.

This Nativity Ornament has been a part of my parent's Christmas tree ever since I can remember.

II Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

As I reflect back on this past year and all of its important events in my life, I can't help but think that through all of its trials and tribulations, old frustrations and new beginnings , closed doors and open windows, losses and gains...that God has been busily re-creating, molding and shaping and refining me into the "new creation" He desires me to become.  Every aggravation, new challenge, defeat, and victory are all a part of that bigger picture...the grand scheme...the masterpiece that God is creating in my life.

Looking ahead into the New Year I can't help but wonder what joys and travails are awaiting my discovery...but I can only move forward with faith, trusting in the same God Who brought me through this past year...the God Who never changes...He is the same, Yesterday-Today-and Forever...

In the words of an old A.B. Simpson hymn:

"Oh, how sweet the glorious message simple faith may claim; Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same. Still He loves to save the sinful, heal the sick and lame, cheer the mourner, still the tempest-Glory to His name!"

"Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same; All may change, but Jesus never! Glory to His Name!"

"For I am the Lord, I do not change..." Malachi 3:6


We can trust fully in this God, Jesus Christ, that little baby Who was born in a manger...Who came to save us and set us free from all our sins and shame...He is still working in our lives today just as He did when He walked upon this earth... and He is preparing us for His soon return...of that I am certain. 
 
Dear friend, are you ready to meet Jesus face to face?  Do you know this Saviour Who is working behind the scenes of your life, re-creating you into the beautiful image of Himself?  Perhaps this New Year will be full of life-changing events in all of our lives.  My prayer is that we will face each new challenge full of faith and trust in our life-changing God.  May it be a year of truly becoming a "New Creation" in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

I Have a Blank Page Before Me

I have a blank page before me.  This page right here. Of course, by the time you are looking at it, it is no longer blank. It is a finished and published post. I won't let you see it until it is complete, edited, proof-read again, and finally pronounced good enough to publish...in MY mind.

There are times when I have hit the "publish" button too quickly, and then and only then do I spot the very obvious mistakes...the typos, the misspellings, the grammar errors.  However, at that time it is technically too late...I already hit the "publish" button, and the whole world is watching.  Now, fortunately, there is also an "edit" button, and if I am quick enough I can hit the "edit" button and go back and fix the mistakes.  Then I am much more careful before I am tempted to hit that "publish" button again.  I do not like to expose my errors to the world. I prefer to keep them to myself...and erase them before they can do me too much harm and embarrassment.

My life is much like this blank page.  Or, at least is was when I was born.  I started out with a clean page. No big mistakes to fix, no errors to hide, no major issues to correct. And the whole world was watching. Sadly, my page did not stay clean for long. Being human as I am, and not a page in a computer or a notebook, it did not take long to make huge mistakes that could not easily be erased or edited out of my life. Once the unfortunate act was committed, whether by choice or by accident, it was much like hitting that "publish" button too quickly.  It was already "out there" for all the world to see.

Even if no other human saw my folly, God saw.  Even when I tried to hide my mistakes, He already knew. There was no getting around Him. No "edit" button could undo my errors.  There was only one way to fix the problem.

Ask for forgiveness. Tell Him the truth. Tell Him I was sorry.  And what did He do? Did He hide my errors under a rug?  Did He tear up the page of my life and start over? Well not exactly, but then again, yes exactly.

I John 1:8-9 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I John 1:7 tell us that "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

When we confess our sins, (errors, mistakes, faults...same thing), God forgives us...and cleanses us from all sin!  He gives us a new page...a blank page on which we can start over!

II Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (blank page?); old things have passed away (been edited, deleted, removed!?); behold, all things have become NEW!"

That is great news!  Yes, I can have a new, blank page before me! Christ has covered my sins with His blood, and has cleansed me from ALL my sins.  Not just the itty bitty mistakes, not just some of them, but ALL of them.  I am a new creation.  Brand spanking new!

And the BEST news is, He can do that for YOU too!  All you have to do is ask!

Now, let me spell check and grammar check this before I hit that "publish" button!  I want to make sure I am telling this great news to you correctly, without error, spot or blemish!  This news is too wonderful to hide!


Okay, let's start writing on that new page...

New Creature or Old? Which are YOU?

2 Corinthians 5:17  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Wouldn't it be nice to wake up some morning and find out that you are a whole new creature...that your body has been totally renewed and your outward appearance is like that of a twenty year old in his/her prime?  Even better, to realize that your inner person, your heart, lungs, bones, muscles, teeth, eyes, brain and nerves are also brand new and in perfect condition; wouldn't that be marvelous? Who among us wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be completely restored to our youthful perfection (if we ever were that perfect)?   I know I would, but only if I could keep the wisdom that I have learned through many years of trial and error. I certainly wouldn't want to have to learn those lessons all over again.

According to what I am reading today in 2 Corinthians 5:17, we can be a new creation, and perhaps many of us already are.  This verse tells me that if I am in Christ, I am a new creation; "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  So just what does this mean?  I certainly don't look like a new creation...I look more like a worn out old shoe...comfortable, but very well worn.  And even more than that, I definitely don't feel like a new creation, especially today after springing the clocks ahead one hour last night! That always throws me off kilter for about a week!

The key is: "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation..."  When we invite Christ into our hearts, when we accept the free gift of salvation that is only through faith in Christ, He comes to dwell within our hearts, and we become new creatures.  Our old sinful nature passes away, and our hearts and souls become like brand new babies...clean and pure.  He takes away the old and replaces it with the new.  That is better than any botox or plastic surgeon or heart surgeon could ever do.  The new creation within us shines through, giving us a happy, joyful spirit that nothing can ever take away.  Even when difficult things happen in our lives, that new spirit within continues to mature and grow and blossom into the beautiful new creature that is designed specifically by God.

If you are tired of the old creature that is dying within you, why not invite Christ in today?  He is only a prayer away...and He is always ready to create a new person.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to wake up tomorrow a new creature in every way...inside and out?  Think about it.  Better yet, just do it!

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"