“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. “ -Ephesians 6:10-17

This time of year always brings some “flying friends” around my house. No, it’s not the chirping birds who occasionally build a nest in our crepe myrtle trees or on the ledge of the columns on our porch. It’s these feisty, bossy, territorial things called…..CARPENTER BEES.

Several years ago, I was talking to a friend and her husband about cutting the grass in the backyard. A wooden fence encompasses our backyard for privacy and to keep our dog, Deuce, safe and sound. This fence is also a burrowing ground for carpenter bees. As I started to move into the backyard, these bees would dive bomb at my head. Even when I was far away from the fence, they continued to bully me. (Yes, the drama is real.) If there had been cameras installed in the backyard at that time, they’d have seen me ducking, swatting, shrieking, pushing the lawnmower off on its own (as a decoy?) and hauling tail out of the backyard. Ridiculous. I JUST WANTED TO CUT THE GRASS! My friend’s husband gave me some advice: “Don’t worry about them – they’re just carpenter bees. Look at its face. If it’s yellow, it won’t sting you!” While I appreciated the advice, I knew good and well I didn’t want those things close enough to my eyeballs to see what color their faces were! The yard could wait…..I was fleeing to “safety:”

This spring, I’ve made a a decision that I will not allow a one-inch insect to have so much control over me. I’ve mowed several times and I just walk patiently, keeping my head up, keeping my hands on the mower and finishing what I’ve started. Those bees are still swarming. They still dive bomb at my head. They still go get their friends and try to double team me. I still have those moments of fear that I’m about to get stung by one of them, but I press on.

You see – I didn’t do ANYTHING to aggravate them. I didn’t hit the fence, I didn’t bring out any bug spray, and I didn’t bother them at all. Thinking back on my friend’s advice, I researched a little bit about carpenter bees. I learned that the females are the only ones with stingers but they rarely sting unless their nest (probably inside the posts of our wood fence) is threatened. In reference to the male carpenter bees, however, the Terminix website states “This ‘stingless aggression’ is little more than a scare tactic, but should serve as a warning that you’re getting too close for their comfort.” Wait a minute. You’re in MY backyard burrowing in MY fence and warning me that I’M too close for comfort? All I did…..was try to mow the grass.

Spiritually, it’s easy to feel the same way. I didn’t do anything to “stir up the enemy.” All I did…..was give my heart to Jesus. And in that moment, I became a target of dive bombs at my head (mind), my heart (spirit) and body (soul). Sometimes, it’s a “one bee” attack. Other times, it’s a full team assault. Just because……being a follower of Christ encroaches on the enemy’s territory and he knows no other way but to threaten and bombard us to weaken our impact and make us want to quit. To question. To pull back.

Ephesians 6 gives us so much to equip us. We are told how to dress. We are told that to PUT ON (Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Gospel Shoes of Peace) a few articles that, by nature, serve their purposes just by wearing them. In addition, though, we are told to TAKE UP some additional things (Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, Sword of the Spirit) that are intended to be used when the enemy sends his fiery darts our way. Just like when the Carpenter Bee five bombs my head. Will I be ready? Or will I run?

Keep your hands on “the mower,” my friends. Keep pushing on and don’t lose sight of what He has called you to be and do.

To all of the carpenter bees in the backyard and the enemy who is equally unwelcome…..BUZZ OFF.

COVID-19 has brought about changes in the way we “do life” on a daily basis. Some of the changes have actually been really, really good. Because of the limitations on spacing and gathering, I’ve not been to the gym in several weeks. However, because I have not successfully been socially distanced from my refrigerator, I need to be doing SOME type of physical activity.

Today, my husband and I headed out for a bike ride. Because of work and family schedules, my bike has been hanging in our garage for about 11 months awaiting a chance to hit the road. The weather was perfect and, with the reduction in traffic, it’s not so frightening to head out on the roads.

As we got rolling out on our hilly adventure, I told my husband that I would be riding slow and just hoping to survive. He laughed…..but i really wasn’t kidding. Hills are hard. (Especially when you’re not in the shape you have been when riding these hills in previous years. 😊) As we began heading up the first small incline leaving the back of our neighborhood, I quickly realized that we (or I) faced another challenge: WIND. The good thing about riding a hill is that you know you’ll eventually reach the top and be rewarded with a downhill. With wind….there are no guarantees.

We rode up and down several hills and, after about 7.5 miles, we reached some level ground. At that time, I got as close to my husband’s back wheel as possible to allow him to take some of the wind off of me. This is known as “drafting.” My good friend, Merriam Webster, defines this verb as “to stay close behind (another racer) so as to take advantage of the reduced air pressure created by the leading racer.” Honestly, its a beautiful picture of teamwork. One rider gets in the front to “pull” or take the heavy load for a period of time while the other riders align behind him/her to benefit from the draft…..the reduction in air pressure for a period of time. The lead rider will peel off towards the back and then allows another rider with fresher legs to come to the front and “pull” for a while. Efficiency is increased. Each rider is grateful for the strength of the others because there’s no way one person can pull the entire time.

In Luke 5:17-20, we get a picture of the drafting concept in a different way. Jesus was healing people. Can you imagine the crowds? Whether it’s been from this pandemic virus, a skin disorder, cancer, joint pain, visual challenges, infertility, etc., we understand how packed that town must have been with everyone wanting a chance to be healed. On the outskirts of the crowd, however, were five unnamed men. One was a paralytic who had nothing but a mat…..and four friends who “happened” to be with him. Although the paralytic DESPERATELY wanted to be the recipient of healing, there was no way for him to get there on his own. The concept of “the draft” was in full force here. The four friends picked up a corner of the paralytic’s mat and carried him – through the masses, the noise, the distractions – to the house where Jesus was. They were pulling the weight for their friend.

Once they arrived, they knew there was no way to get in the front door. Instead, they worked around to the side of the house, climbed atop the roof, cut a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down. Scripture tells us that “when Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 5:20) When Jesus saw the faith of the FRIENDS…..the ones who carried the paralytic for a period of time…..He told the paralytic that HIS sins were forgiven. (Read on through verse 26 for the rest of the story.)

What an important lesson to take away from this passage. There will be times when you are the strong friends “carrying the mat” of others. There will be times when you are the one on the mat being carried when your strength, your faith, or your resolve is depleted. Verse 20 tells us that MY FAITH matters to YOU and YOUR FAITH matters to ME. Sometimes you pull…..sometimes you draft…..but both of those circumstances present an opportunity for Jesus to do something incredible.

I have no doubt that the prayers of some women who taught VBS at a church around the corner from our house in Cleveland, Ohio were some of the carriers in my life. Their strength and faith paved the way for my salvation…..and I wish I could have had the privilege of seeing their faces when Jesus, because of THEIR faith, told me that MY SINS were forgiven. I’ll never be the same.

Drafting? It works on the road. It works in our relationship with Jesus. SIGN ME UP!

Although I created this site a few weeks ago, I’ve not had focused time to sit down and write. It’s crazy how quickly things can change.

Because interest rates are tremendously low, we are refinancing our house. I’m taking care of a few things that needed to be done anyway, but having an appraisal looming has been the fire I needed to get them done. One of those items was to pressure wash various areas of the driveway/sidewalk/fence. If you ever THINK you are gross and just want to confirm it….pressure wash something.

As you can see from the photo above, there is a clear separation from the ground that had been pressure washed and the ground that had not. However, underneath the years of caked up dirt rested the same sidewalk, gutter and driveway that was brand new just a few years ago. The purpose of it didn’t change. However, “life happened to it” and, as it was exposed to the elements of nature, it got covered up.

I don’t think it was coincidental that I was pressure washing my house TODAY. Why is that? Because our world is in a crisis right now. Life as we know it has ceased because everything has changed. No longer are we getting up in the morning to get ready for work; instead, we are getting up in the morning and questioning when we will be able to work again. We are (supposed to be) confined to our houses, to our own environments, to bring an end to the spread of a virus our world is ill-equipped to fight.

This past Sunday, my pastor challenged us to read and pray Psalm 91- out loud – each day. Why? Because in the midst of all of this uncertainty, we need assurance that SOMETHING…..and someONE…..is certain.

As I held that pressure washer, I watched as water that had a whole lot of pressure behind it uncovered what had been “hidden” for years. Right now, I see what we are experiencing as a pressure washing of sorts. As I continued on down the sidewalk, Cody Carnes’ song, “Nothing Else,” played through my earphones. I was broken as I cleaned…..because I felt like I saw a visual of “things” being stripped away so that the words to that song became more than pretty……but that they became true.

Yes, this virus is scary.
Yes, we are at a loss for knocking this out.
Yes, the consequences…..physically and financially……have been and will continue to be tremendous.
What I saw on that sidewalk today was a picture of me. Of the typical American Christian. Of the person who can easily sing the words “I just want You – nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do…” while I go on about my day, doing my thing, relying on my abilities and work ethic to make sure my needs are met.

The dirt got stripped off of the sidewalk today. A layer got stripped off of my eyes today as well. I truly don’t know what tomorrow holds. I don’t know what my job will look like based on when students can return to school. I don’t know what money will be left in a retirement account that’s been invested in for a very long time. What I DO know is that I have been placed in a position to learn how to TRUST HIM to be who He says He is. That’s scary….because I’ve been pretty comfortable trusting in me. Lord, let me be truthful when I say, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7)

Pressure washing uncovers so much…..and not on just the sidewalk.