Blog - Page 14 of 31 - Jeannie Waters, Writer & Speaker

Renew Your Walk with God: A New Heart for Spring

April 7, 2021Jeannie Waters16 Comments

Blog post series:

On March 16, I began a new series about renewing our walk with God as He renews the earth in the spring.

Here’s a link to the first in the series: Renew Your Walk with God This Spring

In it I suggested we start a new journal or notebook to log:

(1) our physical walks and (2) the characteristics of Jesus we notice as we read the Bible.

Slip on your comfortable shoes and join me on our ongoing path. We will consider ways to renew our walk with God this spring by prayer, study, and imitating God.

Part Two:

As we “walk” notice the way God dresses the trees with bright green leaves. They dance in the breeze and seem to shout, “We’re alive. Welcome to spring.”

Don’t you love the way God transforms winter’s drab grays and browns with brushstrokes of freshness and new life? Call the vibrant colors lime, chartreuse, spring green, neon green, or any other name on the color spectrum between blue and yellow.

The new shades represent vitality, excitement, and the beginning of a new season. Some of the greens even have a dash of cheery yellow. If we ever needed God’s cheer and freshness, my friend, it’s this year following the doldrums of a COVID winter.

Maybe you’ll identify with the observations of Carrie, a park ranger at the Catoctin Mountain Park in northern Maryland as she described spring outings:

It’s that sense of escape, like animals coming out of hibernation. We as humans are escaping the cabin fever, we’re wanting to get out on the trails and really discover the changes. ¹

How about you? Perhaps the hibernation of COVID clouded your heart with discouragement, frustration, and preoccupation with the fear of illness or social distancing.

Or maybe you remained positive but long for the freedom of spring and increased closeness to the Lord.

Let’s leave winter behind and explore the beautiful new greens that bedazzle our view while we ask God to examine our hearts. If we belong to Him, He can dress our hearts in the fashion of new life in Christ.

First, a little about those light green spring colors …

Editor Catherine Meyers of insidescience.org shares the way scientists explain the shades of early spring:

Young leaflets’ chloroplasts — the part of the plant that contains the green pigment chlorophyll — are still developing, so the leaves tend to be lighter. ²

Chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight plants need to manufacture energy for growth. Likewise, our spiritual lives require light–God’s light–which shines into our hearts as we pray. When we study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit teaches us more about our walk with Christ.

We simply cannot manufacture renewal with our own energy sources. God is responsible for heart changes.

It is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13 NASB

That’s freeing. I cannot change my own heart, but I’m responsible for studying the Bible, praying for transformation (Romans 12:2), and imitating Him.

Let’s begin our spring study with verse 12 of this passage:

Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Colossians 3:12-14 NASB

When spring arrives, the trees “put on” their new green foliage. At the same time, we replace heavy jackets, turtlenecks, and dark colors with light-weight sweaters, short-sleeved shirts, and pastels.

In Colossians, Paul wrote the imperative statement, “Put on.” Christians are to “dress themselves” in the qualities Jesus demonstrated rather than in sinful attitudes.

Imagine reaching into your closet and trying on a garment labeled “compassion,” or “kindness.” What would they look like? How would they fit?

The life of Jesus provides examples.

Jesus demonstrated compassion by His kind actions.

He felt pity, care, and concern for people in need. He healed a leper, gave sight to the blind, and fed hungry people. His heart filled with compassion for sinful man (Matthew 9:35-36, Luke 19:41-42) and He preached good news (Luke 4:43). He even spent time with Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector. Jesus told him, “Hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5).

Jesus put compassion into action by reaching out to others with acts of kindness. Maybe we could define kindness as “compassion in action.”

Jesus put compassion into action by reaching out to others with acts of kindness. Maybe we could define compassion as love in action. Share on X

After asking God to renew our hearts and dress them with compassion and kindness, how can we show the compassion and kindness of Jesus to others? Here are some suggestions.

Showing Compassion and Kindness This Spring

For neighbors or friends who may be unable to complete required home maintenance:

Offer to clean a flower bed for an elderly neighbor, and then refill it with straw.
Create an attractive gift certificate “good for” three hours of outdoor work.
Clean porch or deck furniture and offer to pressure wash if you’re able.
Plant flowers in deck or porch containers.
Enlist a teenager or college student to help you.

For elderly friends and church members (Consider COVID protocols.):

Take someone for a ride around town to see spring’s beauty.
Call to schedule a patio visit with someone in a healthcare facility.
Offer to conduct a devotional at a facility.
Call those who are elderly or incapacitated and offer to run errands.

For new neighbors or graduating seniors:

Create a special greeting card and share a favorite family dessert.
Plan a socially distanced cookout or lemonade and cookie snack.
Share publications from your church and links for online services.

What are additional ways we could show compassion and kindness as Jesus did? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Next time, we’ll consider more of this passage as we seek to imitate Christ.

An excellent resource for renewing your walk with God:

If you’re looking for a devotional book to accompany your spring walk with God, consider Refresh Your Faith: Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible by Lori Hatcher. It’s one of my favorites.

Here’s a link: Refresh Your Faith

¹Meyers, Catherine, editor. “Spring Green: Why Do New Leaves Have a Lighter Color?” American Institute of Physics, accessed April 7, 2021, https://www.insidescience.org/news/spring-green-why-do-new-leaves-have-lighter-color

²Ibid

Celebrate the Joy of Jesus on Resurrection Sunday with a New Easter Centerpiece

March 23, 2021Jeannie Waters28 Comments

My mom made the best potato salad I’ve ever eaten, and she served it on Easter Sunday with ham, green beans, and all the trimmings. She dressed the table with a pastel linen tablecloth and added a vase of flowers for the centerpiece.

I recall other childhood Easter memories, like egg hunts in our grassy backyard, crisp new dresses with a matching hat or flowered headband, and the sweet fragrance of lilies that permeated the small church we attended.

My husband and I planned Easter activities for our children to help create similar memories. We arranged books about Jesus and Bible bookmarks in their Easter baskets along with the candy to emphasize the true meaning of the day.

Celebrating the Joy of Jesus on Resurrection Sunday

Last year I enlisted our oldest granddaughter’s help to focus our attention on the meaning of Resurrection Sunday with a new Easter centerpiece. Beside our traditional vase of pink azalea blossoms, we added the model of Jesus’ empty tomb you see in the title photo. (Directions are at the bottom of this post along with additional Easter ideas for family celebrations.)

What is the meaning of the empty tomb?

What it meant to Mary

When Mary Magdalene wept as she stooped to enter the empty tomb of Jesus, her heart must have felt as empty as the grave appeared. The angels inside asked why she was crying.

She said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they put Him.’

John 20:13 NASB

I wonder if those words were hard to say, if her head pounded and her throat tightened with grief. To Mary, the empty tomb and absence of His body represented the loss of her Lord, her teacher, her friend. He was gone. Or so she thought.

After talking with the angels, Mary turned and saw Jesus but didn’t recognize Him until He called her by name. Then …

She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means, Teacher).
John 20:16 NASB

Standing in His presence, we can imagine, her burden of emptiness lifted, her despair turned to hope, and her empty heart filled with joy in His presence.

What the empty tomb means to us

Our model of the tomb reminds us of the reason we celebrate Easter: Jesus arose from the dead. He lives in the hearts of those who surrender to Him in confession and accept His crucifixion as payment for their sin. Once we yield our will to Him, He lifts the burden of emptiness, turns our despair into hope, and fills our hearts with joy in His presence (John 15:11, Romans 15:13, Psalm 16:11).

As believers, we still face grief, trials, and difficult tasks and people. Jesus didn’t promise an easy path devoid of problems, but He did promise an abundant life with Him (John 10:10) and eternal life (John 3:16, John 3:36). What joy we find in walking with Him each day.

As Mary Magdalene did, we can turn away from feelings of emptiness and face our Savior, our Lord, our friend. We can talk with Him and listen to Him in prayer and Bible study as we walk in new life. Like the sun warms the earth in springtime, Jesus shines His light onto us and renews our hearts.

What signs of new life in Christ will family and friends see in us as we turn to Him each morning? How can we imitate God so that children, grandchildren, neighbors, and friends see Christlikeness in us?

Would you share your thoughts on opening our hearts to His presence and celebrating life with Him? Creating memories of fun family times is important, but when we center our celebration on the meaning of the empty tomb, we share with our families and others the reason Easter is called Resurrection Sunday.

Creating memories of fun family times is important, but when we center  our celebration on the meaning of the empty tomb, we share with our  families and others the reason Easter is called Resurrection Sunday. Share on X

I’m eager to read your comments.

The Empty Tomb Easter Centerpiece

Numerous internet sites and Pinterest boards include similar models. Find the one your family would enjoy making. The directions for the pictured model are below.

Ask children to collect thin sticks and small pebbles. You’ll also need one flat rock that will serve as the stone in front of the tomb.
Use hot glue to form three crosses (adults only).
Find a terra cotta or plastic plant saucer to use as the base.
Lay a tiny flowerpot or substitute container on its side in the plant saucer. Cover it with a firmly packed mound of dirt so that only the opening shows.
Cover the dirt mound with a layer of moss.
Arrange pebbles as desired and place the flat stone upright against the dirt, beside the opening to represent the stone that was rolled away.
Insert the three crosses into the back of the mound.

More Easter Inspiration

Find more Easter inspiration this week on Instagram from my friend, Dawn Bata. I hope you’ll share this link with families you know. https://instagram.com/dawnbata_aheartformoms

For more family ideas, visit my Pinterest Easter board.

https://www.pinterest.com/jeanniewaters44/easter/

P. S. In the next post, we will continue our series on imitating Christ.

Renew Your Walk with God This Spring

March 16, 2021Jeannie Waters32 Comments

When I looked through the kitchen window one morning last week, I spied a patch of moss beside our Bradford pear tree. The neon green spot contrasted with the khaki-colored grass and tree roots around it.

I went outside and stooped to examine the moss. The skinny blades that sprouted straight up out of the soil reminded me of new hair growth on top of a toddler’s head and made me smile.

Then I smiled for a different reason. The bright green growth signaled the coming of spring.

A friend and I predicted folks will welcome the new season this year with open arms as never before. After the trials of 2020 and a winter of pandemic gloom, we need the joys and renewal of spring with its blossoming beauty and warmer temperatures.

Have you noticed how as soon as the temperature rises a few degrees people venture out to walk? Exercising leg muscles, breathing fresh air, and noticing glimpses of green invigorate us and renew the hope of brighter, healthier days.

In addition to physical exercise, some people are exercising faith amid trials they encounter. Navigating new paths can be scary.

Those who don’t yet know God can find peace, hope, and direction by surrendering to His Son, Jesus. Then they can walk with God as a beloved child (Romans 10:9-10, John 3:16, John 1:12).

As Christians, we need consistent renewal in our journey with God. Share on XAs Christians, we need consistent renewal in our journey with God.

Has your joy and hope become dormant during the pandemic winter? Are you wearing a heavy coat of discouragement? Is fear paralyzing your victory? Or are you filled with the joy, hope, and encouragement of Christ but long for a still deeper relationship with Him?

The Bible provides guidance.

Come close to God and He will come close to you.
James 4:8

Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:10 (emphasis mine)

What a helpful verse to post and read each spring morning.

How can we renew our walk with God this spring?

First, we acknowledge that God enables us to please Him. Just as God creates the seasons, He creates changes in us and renews our soul as we walk with Him.

Try as we might, improving ourselves is usually short-lived. The One who created us also creates soul change.

For it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13

The Amplified Bible expands the truth this way:

For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13

Secondly, in addition to recognizing the source of our spiritual renewal, we look to Jesus as our example.

The one who says that he remains in Him ought, himself also, walk just as He walked.
1 John 2:6

and

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Ephesians 5:1-2

When we read the Bible, we can notice the characteristics of Jesus and ask God to transform us to be more like Him.

Slip on your comfortable shoes and join me on the path of the next few posts as we consider ways to renew our walk with Jesus this spring.

Here’s an idea for now:

Start a new journal or tab a section of an existing journal.

You might log actual walking times or distances in one section.

In another part of the journal, as you read your Bible, note the characteristics and actions of Jesus that you can imitate.

Ask God to guide you into a deeper relationship with Him.

How do you plan to renew your walk with Christ this spring?

If my posts brighten your day, please share the link with your friends. Thank you.

Bible verses are taken from the NASB.

Storing Treasures in Your Heart: Eight Ways to Memorize Scripture

February 23, 2021Jeannie Waters24 Comments

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is title-meme-bracelet.png

When I open my mother’s jewelry boxes, I ponder precious memories attached to the pieces she wore. I can almost smell her Max Factor perfume when I pick up the gold rhinestone bracelet she wore when she and Daddy went out with friends.

Mama’s jewelry boxes store treasures and safeguard dear memories. Peek into your jewelry box or another space where you keep jewelry and consider its value as safe storage for precious possessions and perhaps for fond memories.

A ring or a necklace may prompt a smile as you remember the person who gave it to you. A bracelet may kindle memories of a joyous occasion when you wore it.

In the same way, Scripture can spark memories.

Memorized verses may remind us of a Bible character who endured similar trials or may help us focus on one of God’s characteristics. They also remind us of times when God’s Word instructed us or offered peace.

When we commit verses or passages from God’s Word to memory, our hearts become safe storage for jewels of truth. Share on X

When we commit verses or passages from God’s Word to memory, our hearts become safe storage for jewels of truth. Even after we’ve learned verses, our memories may falter, but God prepared for human error.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26 ESV

Our job is to learn portions of the Bible and store them in our hearts. The Holy Spirit then brings them to our remembrance.

I’m not an expert on memorizing Scripture, and words don’t stick in my brain as easily as they once did. That’s why I’m gathering and sharing the ideas below with the hope my suggestions will help you, also.

Eight Ways to Memorize Scripture

We select jewelry according to personal taste. Consider these ideas for memorization of Scripture and pick the ones that suit your learning style. Print and star those you want to try and add other methods you discover.

1. Study and write out the verse(s).

Ask God to reveal His truth and apply it to your life. Jot down synonyms, definitions, and thoughts about the passages. Use cross-references, a study Bible or commentary to add insight about the author and audience of the passage you’re studying.

2. Cut and paste the words.

Type the verse in a large font and print it. Cut the words apart and store them in an envelope. Practice assembling them to create the correct word order.

3. Try Bible memory apps.

My friend and Bible teacher extraordinaire, Jean Wilund, offers reviews on Bible verse memory apps in the link below. (You’ll love her You Tube lessons. Subscribe and enjoy.) https://jeanwilund.com/memorizing-bible-verses-just-got-easier-the-best-free-bible-verse-memory-apps/

4. Create a greeting card with the verse.

After studying the verse and creating a card, mail it to a friend. Old cards, photographs, and bits of ribbon or rick rack add beauty.

5. Write a prayer using the verse.

Write the verse as a prayer asking God to help you remember the truth and apply the principle. Select two verses from Psalms, one to pray each morning and one for each night. When you learn those, try two more.

Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

6. Hand letter or decorate the verse.

Try Bible journaling with hand lettering or calligraphy. You may prefer simply printing the letters and embellishing your print with drawings. My friend, Katy Kauffman of Lighthouse Bible Studies (http://lighthousebiblestudies.com/), uses fancy calligraphy sometimes and simple print at other times.

7. Write the verse on a card and post it in the kitchen and bathroom. While you’re washing vegetables or applying makeup, recite or sing the verse using the tune of a hymn or praise song you know. Look away from the card and try to recite it.

8. Add hand motions to dramatize the verse.

At a ladies’ Bible study I attend, one of the teachers regularly reminds us to study God’s Word and commit it to memory. (Thank you, Jimmie Annette!) After other methods failed for some of the study verses, I made up hand signals for words or phrases in the verses. I wish I could show you, but here’s an example verse with a motion for each part:

I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:8 ESV

I delight to do your will

Point to yourself, then place index fingers on the corners of your mouth and smile. Then point upward to indicate your will.

O my God

Pull hands down to your heart to indicate He is your God.

your law

Pretend to hold a Bible in your hands.

is within my heart.

Point to your heart.

Create motions that work for you.

How do you learn Scripture? Would an idea from the list help you?

Please add your ideas in the Comments. I’m eager to try them. May our hearts be filled with the treasures of God’s Word.

This post is part three of a three-part series.

Post 1 link: https://jeanniewaters.com/blog/storing-treasure-thoughts-from-a-jewelry-box-and-psalm-119/

Post 2 link: https://jeanniewaters.com/blog/embrace-gods-all-occasion-treasures/

Embrace God’s All-Occasion Treasures

February 9, 2021Jeannie Waters19 Comments

Part 2 in a 3-part series

Breakfast table surprises greeted my brothers and me each Valentine’s Day of our childhood. My mom either served heart-shaped pancakes with bacon and strawberry syrup or pink grits with sausage and heart-shaped toast.

Pink grits, you ask? Yes, what fun! She also sprinkled valentines and candy on the table with Pinterest-worthy flair.

My mother adored showing love to her family and celebrating special days. For the entire week of February fourteenth, she selected dresses or slacks outfits with pink or red touches and then added a piece of heart-shaped jewelry.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Feb.-10-jewelry.jpg

Each morning Mama chose her jewelry according to the day’s events. For Sunday school and church services at our small wood-frame church, she wore matching earrings and a beaded necklace to accessorize her dress and hat.

She wore pearls for weddings, funerals, and church directory photo shoots. For workdays at home, her wedding bands served as her only adornment. However, trips to the library, the Colonial grocery store, or a Merry Weeders garden club meeting required the addition of earrings.

Mama’s jewelry boxes held treasured pieces suitable for every occasion. Some of the bracelets and necklace-earring sets were gifts, selected especially for her by people who loved her.

Each day we can find word gifts in the Bible selected especially for us by our heavenly Father who knows our needs. As we embrace the jewels He provides, He enables us—with His truth engraved in our heart—to face any occasion that may arise.

Every word you give me is a miracle word—how could I help but obey? Break open your words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning.
Psalm 119:129-130 The Message

When we ask God to teach us while we study His Word, we collect cherished gems from Scripture. Like a jewelry box that holds bracelets and rings, our hearts hold dear truths that fit every circumstance of our lives.

I wrote in the last post, “As we store God’s words in our hearts, He transforms them into sparkling jewels that change our lives.” Thoughts from a Jewelry Box and Psalm 119

Our heavenly Father sprinkles heart verses like valentines and sweet treats throughout the Bible to remind us who He is and how much He loves us. As a loving Father, He also includes words of correction and instruction. His truths create a well-balanced, festive spread to decorate the table of our hearts with His gifts.

Which treasured piece of Scripture do you need to add to your ensemble today? Do you need peace, instruction, or forgiveness? Do you lack faith, strength, assurance of His presence? Are you seeking wisdom, comfort, or boldness to witness? The Bible includes the right word for you today.

When a verse of Scripture addresses a particular challenge in our life, we could write it on a card and imagine wearing it as a valued accessory for a day of walking with Jesus. Perhaps we could write an encouraging verse on a valentine before mailing it to a friend.

Let’s proclaim with the psalmist:

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Psalm 119:15-16 ESV

Please encourage us by sharing how a particular Bible verse or passage of Scripture makes a difference in your life.

In the next post—the third in this three-part series—we’ll share ideas for memorizing Scripture.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is marguerite-2380664__480.jpg — **Happy Valentine’s Day, reader friends.**
Image by Pixabay