Sunny&80The Somber Explaining… (#jammed daily devo, day 344)
Posted on December 10, 2018
December #jammed: Grace, gifted.
Day 344: Grace in tragedy.
“No man knows when his hour will come.” Ecclesiastes 9:12a
“OK,” I took a deep breath as I sat down at the dinner table with my two girls, “I need to 
fill you in on what happened today.”
They looked at me wide-eyed and worried, and listened as I told them what had happened in Las Vegas that day. They didn’t understand completely, and I searched to explain just enough of something that I don’t completely understand, myself.
“I would play you a video, but I don’t want it to scare you,” I explained. Now that everyone has a cell-phone, there’s way too much footage available. Our human hearts can’t fully digest the full scope of tragedy without serious scars. I found one video that showed the singer on stage, and then gunshots and screams could be heard. I let them catch a glimpse of the singer, but pulled the screen away quickly after the gunshots started.
They saw my eyes tear up. I felt the lump in my throat.
Why?
Christmas.
God is not surprised at what’s going on. The intensity of everything around us is escalating. People are losing sight of God, and the earth is groaning …waiting …for Christ to return.
Christmas wasn’t a surprise. Jesus’ birth was prophesied for thousands of years in thousands of ways by many people before He lay in a manger under the blanket of angels. It was timed purposely, by the Author of time, Himself.
I don’t know what to say to my girls about Las Vegas. All I can do is repeat what I know to myself and to them. There’s no way to fully understand or explain that kind of madness. It’s pure evil stomping his feet because he’s already lost. And he’s only got so much time left to reek havoc.
Christmas. He came exactly when He was supposed to come.
He’ll come back when it’s time. But days like Vegas …like September 11th …make my heart yearn for Him to come back now.
Father, Praise You for the promise of Jesus’ return. You keep every promise and we are so thankful and hopeful because of who You are. Forgive us for trying to explain away the world’s groaning with any kind of reason, whatsoever, and bless us to be strong ambassadors of faith in these last days on earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Bench (#jammed daily devo, day 137)
Posted on May 17, 2018
May #jammed: Growing Grace.
Day 137: The wrong spot.
“Make your parents happy“
Proverbs 23:22
“Oh, no, MOM!” my daughter wailed, “our bench is gone.”
We’d been stopping eat lunch on our favorite bench since she was just a little toddler. Things change and life moves …and so did our bench.
Today’s section of Proverbs encourages us to discipline our children. Every parent wishes for their child to make good decisions, hang on our every wise word, follow our rules, and respectfully make us proud.
But what happens when the bench moves? When they move away from us? When they grow up? What happens then? Will they retain all of the wisdom we’ve tried to instill upon them in the short time we’ve had them under our noses? Will our arms remain open as their lives drift beyond our understanding and control?
“Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.” Proverbs 23:23
The above verse gives us three keys to parent with wisdom:
wisdom- knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action. dictionary.com
When we tell our children the Truth, we are giving them the opportunity to digest wisdom. If we simply respond, “because I said so,” we rob them of the ability to learn how to discern right from wrong. When we go to God’s Word with our kids, He begins to move in their hearts. They will eventually figure out that we don’t know everything, nor are we entitled to make mistakes without apology. Honesty, humlity, and apology build a foundation for formative wisdom.
instruction- education. (dictionary.com)
It’s not only important for our children to hear the Word of God from us, but it’s important for them to hear it from their peers. A solid church family, Sunday school, after school program, youth groups, Christian camps …it’s important to let them learn the Word of God, and how to build a community of fellowship, too.
insight-an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, especially through intuitive understanding. (dictionary.com)
Sometimes, the lightbulb pops on mid-verse. After praying about a specific situation, the Word will open right up and address it. God’s Living Word is alive and active, and our kids need the savvy to navigate the pages of the Bible. We can help them build a solid foundation simply by reading a short devotion a day with them, and praying with them often.
When we teach our children how to go to God, it prepares their hearts to lean on Christ. They will make mistakes, and it will hurt to watch. Trust that He will always be after their hearts …making their triumphant moments all the more sweet.
Father, Praise You for the applicable nature of Your Word. Thank You for helping us though life and leaving us with the Holy Spirit to help us interpret and remember what we read and experience. Forgive us for lecturing our children with our ways, and help us continuously point them to Yours first. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Word-ing,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Somber Explaining… (#jammed daily devo, day 344)
Posted on December 10, 2017
December #jammed: Grace, gifted.
Day 344: Grace in tragedy.
“No man knows when his hour will come.” Ecclesiastes 9:12a
“OK,” I took a deep breath as I sat down at the dinner table with my two girls, “I need to fill you in on what happened today.”
They looked at me wide-eyed and worried, and listened as I told them what had happened in Las Vegas that day. They didn’t understand completely, and I searched to explain just enough of something that I don’t completely understand, myself.
“I would play you a video, but I don’t want it to scare you,” I explained. Now that everyone has a cell-phone, there’s way too much footage available. Our human hearts can’t fully digest the full scope of tragedy without serious scars. I found one video that showed the singer on stage, and then gunshots and screams could be heard. I let them catch a glimpse of the singer, but pulled the screen away quickly after the gunshots started.
They saw my eyes tear up. I felt the lump in my throat.
Why?
Christmas.
God is not surprised at what’s going on. The intensity of everything around us is escalating. People are losing sight of God, and the earth is groaning …waiting …for Christ to return.
Christmas wasn’t a surprise. Jesus’ birth was prophesied for thousands of years in thousands of ways by many people before He lay in a manger under the blanket of angels. It was timed purposely, by the Author of time, Himself.
I don’t know what to say to my girls about Las Vegas. All I can do is repeat what I know to myself and to them. There’s no way to fully understand or explain that kind of madness. It’s pure evil stomping his feet because he’s already lost. And he’s only got so much time left to reek havoc.
Christmas. He came exactly when He was supposed to come.
He’ll come back when it’s time. But days like Vegas …like September 11th …make my heart yearn for Him to come back now.
Father, Praise You for the promise of Jesus’ return. You keep every promise and we are so thankful and hopeful because of who You are. Forgive us for trying to explain away the world’s groaning with any kind of reason, whatsoever, and bless us to be strong ambassadors of faith in these last days on earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Bench (#jammed daily devo, day 137)
Posted on May 17, 2017
May #jammed: Growing Grace.
Day 137: The wrong spot.
“Make your parents happy“
Proverbs 23:22
“Oh, no, MOM!” my daughter wailed, “our bench is gone.”
We’d been stopping eat lunch on our favorite bench since she was just a little toddler. Things change and life moves …and so did our bench.
Today’s section of Proverbs encourages us to discipline our children. Every parent wishes for their child to make good decisions, hang on our every wise word, follow our rules, and respectfully make us proud.
But what happens when the bench moves? When they move away from us? When they grow up? What happens then? Will they retain all of the wisdom we’ve tried to instill upon them in the short time we’ve had them under our noses? Will our arms remain open as their lives drift beyond our understanding and control?
“Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.” Proverbs 23:23
The above verse gives us three keys to parent with wisdom:
wisdom- knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action. dictionary.com
When we tell our children the Truth, we are giving them the opportunity to digest wisdom. If we simply respond, “because I said so,” we rob them of the ability to learn how to discern right from wrong. When we go to God’s Word with our kids, He begins to move in their hearts. They will eventually figure out that we don’t know everything, nor are we entitled to make mistakes without apology. Honesty, humlity, and apology build a foundation for formative wisdom.
instruction- education. (dictionary.com)
It’s not only important for our children to hear the Word of God from us, but it’s important for them to hear it from their peers. A solid church family, Sunday school, after school program, youth groups, Christian camps …it’s important to let them learn the Word of God, and how to build a community of fellowship, too.
insight-an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, especially through intuitive understanding. (dictionary.com)
Sometimes, the lightbulb pops on mid-verse. After praying about a specific situation, the Word will open right up and address it. God’s Living Word is alive and active, and our kids need the savvy to navigate the pages of the Bible. We can help them build a solid foundation simply by reading a short devotion a day with them, and praying with them often.
When we teach our children how to go to God, it prepares their hearts to lean on Christ. They will make mistakes, and it will hurt to watch. Trust that He will always be after their hearts …making their triumphant moments all the more sweet.
Father, Praise You for the applicable nature of Your Word. Thank You for helping us though life and leaving us with the Holy Spirit to help us interpret and remember what we read and experience. Forgive us for lecturing our children with our ways, and help us continuously point them to Yours first. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Word-ing,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Auto-Correct
Posted on April 12, 2016
“I DIDN’T SAY THAT!!!!” One sister yelled.
“YESSSSSSS YOUUUUUUU DIIIIIIIID-AAAAAAAA,” the other retorted.
“WELL THEN YOU HEARD ME WRRRRROOOONNNGGGG-AAAAAA,” she snapped back.
“Ugh,” I sighed, listening to them pile frustrated syllables on top of simple words, “they’ve BOTH gotten that from me.”
Faces twisted into eccentric versions of craziness, both seethingly glared into the review mirror. Apparently, that was my cue to magically apply logic to what had “actually” been said. Ironic, how they burst into laughter at Siri’s mistakes …or Mom’s …that’s always hysterical. But they take sisterly “corrections” very seriously.
Grown-up or not, we all fall victim to our own stubbornness. Right or wrong, few people have the ability to apologize on the spot for the effect irrelevant to the cause. Except Siri, she’s pretty quick to tell you, “I’m sorry, I did not understand.”
If you join me in the struggle to handle hot-tempered moments of kids quarreling in the backseat, I can offer a couple of tips that have kept me on the road. But don’t judge me if you hear me screaming “SHUT UP!” as I drive around town with the windows down. #trying #inthefield
1. Load up and line up your corrections.
When we rely on the seat of our pants to apply sage wisdom, we conjure a stink full of bad advice. 
“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” Leviticus 20:7-8 (NIV)
Tense moments flare tempers, and words seem to fail us. No matter how many, or at what volume, they spill into the car … mistranslated like a text message surrendered to auto-correct.
God seeks to steer us, and applauds efforts to guide our children through tedious moments. Seek His wisdom. Set aside some space to clear the clutter and read the Bible. Everyday has five free minutes. The time I spend in His Word allows me to relay the motherly messages He always intended for my daughters to hear. 
2. Embrace The Correction
Imagine God watching from Heaven while we blow right by misinterpretations and hit “send” anyway …EVEN WHEN He’s waving both hands in front of our face?!?! Instead of ridiculing us for missteps and side-trails, He sent His only Son to die for us. The love demonstrated in sacrifice forever forgives our failed efforts. Through Jesus, God replaces every “fallen short,” with “grace and love.” 
What missteps have lent us the opportunity to spread Christ’s love? The story of Jesus naming Peter yields immense hope.
“And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas (which, when translated, is Peter.)” John 1:42 (NIV)
Peter was a fisherman that doubted Jesus at the rooster’s crow. But he was also known for having solid faith in Jesus, and for his leadership in the early church. The NIV Study Bible further notes that, although his name is literally translated, “Rock,”
“Peter was anything but a rock; he was impulsive and unstable…Jesus named him not for what he was but for what, by God’s grace, he would become.”
My daughters’ bickering in the backseat brings to light the natural struggle to be right …to be the best …the favorite … independent… No winner emerges from unjust conflict. There’s no reason to put our individual mission on earth to death by comparison. Our kids need us to be who Jesus says we are.
“Peter was best know for his impetuous nature and fierce devotion to Christ.” -NIV Study Bible Text Note
Impetuous means, “acting or done quickly and without thought or care.” (Google.com) It also can mean, “moving forcefully or rapidly.” (Google.com)
Fierce means, “having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness.”(Google.com) It can also mean, “(of a feeling, emotion, or action) showing a heartfelt and powerful intensity.”(Google.com)
So by one definition we can choose to see Peter as a flip-flopping doubter with a temper. Or, we can choose to look a little bit deeper into the heart Jesus identified long before Peter knew his name. The “Rock,” who spread the gospel with force and speed throughout the early church, and loved Jesus with heartfelt and powerfully intense faith.
Embrace the correction.
Parents are glaringly aware of faults and annoying attributes, but our love blows any negative ducks out of the water. We’ve embraced the 
correction before it’s corrected.
“Girls…” I warmed up, as I prayed that a nugget of Spirit-led wisdom would fall out of my mouth, “…it doesn’t matter who started it or who’s fault it is …you both need to apologize and hug it out.”
Insert insane amount of eye-rolling and last ditch efforts to pinch each other…
“Love you,” I added with a smile.
The correction is love.
We don’t have to fight to be fierce. Most of us haven’t even grown into our true “names” yet. When we’re scrunched up and mangled into frustrated faces, Jesus sees our hearts and knows our names. His gift of death in exchange for grace grants us new life …for life …for forever.
Fight with the fierce and ferocious power of the love that conquered it all. And if you let a hot-tempered phrase slip, apologize. It works for Siri …my kids think she’s hilarious when she admits she’s at a complete loss…
When I want to quit, prayer is there to pull me through. I hope you know He’s there for you, too.
Happy Corrections!
Megs
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