Set Me Free!

Our house has been anything but peaceful as of late. School starting back brings new friends, new unknowns. Work goals bring pressures of the already known. Today, it began at a new level. I woke up at 4:00 a.m.; wide awake with an idea. There was no way I was going back to sleep. After writing for an hour, I climbed back in bed, only to lay there for the next hour. My alarm went off. I reset it. My 17 year old son would have to get off to school today on his own with a bowl of cereal. The alarm was reset for another half an hour. More time to just lay there and wish I was sleeping.

When I finally got up to get my other two off for school, I was a mess. Friday is cleaning day for me and I began to think how was I possibly going to get this entire house clean on five hours of sleep. The next half hour was an unhappy one for those caught in the cyclone of my emotions. The storm finally settled as I sat in my chair for my time with the Lord. "Lord, I need You to do something here!" "Lord, help me, I feel like I am drowning today." These have been the likes of my prayers as of late. But today, with the help of Stormie Omartian, a prayer broke my heart to see it is not others who need to change; it's me. The particular prayer goes like this "Make me a tool of reconciliation, peace and healing in this marriage. Make me my husband's helpmate, companion, champion, friend and support. Help me to create a peaceful, restful, safe place for him to come home to." As of late, I have been doing anything other than that.

In John 8:31 Jesus says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Today's truth for me: You be the tool I can use for peace in your home. I'll do the rest."

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Let's Do It!

Jesus tells His disciples in John 9:4 "As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." What is the work He has given us to do? What is your piece of it?

Sometimes under the pile of laundry, menu for dinner and oil changes at Pep Boys, the work He has called us to do seems to get lost. One way that I find encouragement is to read about others who are not letting the cares of this world take over. Check out some of the blogs that I have listed on my blog roll. I like to check out these blogs during my day as a treat to myself. Fold a load of laundry, I get to read Suzanne Eller. Run and get groceries. My reward is Lysa Terkeurst. These woman and others spur me on to get about the busy that Jesus has called me to: investing in others.

So, give yourself a treat today. Check out some of inspirational sites. Let me know who you enjoyed!

Copy Daddy

It was so tiny. When did my little boy fit into the child-size, Home Depot apron with his name "Zach" written in Sharpy? It is amazing the types of things that can be found in the nooks and crannies of a garage desperately in need of a cleaning. "Manny" as I liked to call when, especially when it seemed he was a "mini me" of Greg, enjoyed being a big guy; doing projects at the Home Depot.

Like a little child looking up to the father that he sees as perfect, Jesus encourages us to do the same by His model. "...I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the Father has taught me." John 8:27 NIV

My dad was a strong, very dependable man. Though I came from a family of eight, I never once worried about where we would live, what I would eat, or what I would wear. My dad worked two jobs to make sure that was all taken care of. He was gone much of the time because of his responsibilities. He was quiet and reserved, yet not passive.

They say our concepts of God come from the way we view our daddies. Maybe that is why I have never struggled with depending on God. Worry has never been my way. I always feel confident that things will work out. On the other hand, maybe that is also why I have sometimes struggled for attention. Working hard just like my dad.

Thank you, Lord, for good fathers. Thank you, too, for fathers who are not so perfect. If they had been, maybe there would not be such a desperate needs in our hearts for You.

How about you? How do you think your relationship with your father has effected your relationship with the Father? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Living Water

Yesterday, while running with my friend Kathy, my body began to feel...well, just weird. Not quite crampy. A wee bit achy. Not at all happy. I began to describe to my friend what it was that I was feeling. Her conclusion: I was dehydrated.

Dehydration. A pretty simple thing to avoid; I simply have to remember to drink. Not too difficult. Yet somehow in my day, I manage to forget.

On what the Bible calls the last and greatest day of the Feast in John 7:37, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

This is what He saved for the last and greatest day - let him come to me and drink.

Friday, Zach and I were out cutting bushes together. "Mom, I have something to share with you that I have wanted to, but haven't yet." The heart of the mother of this 17 year old boy was beating like the wings of a hummingbird about now. What is he possibly going to say to me? I mean, do I even want to hear it? "I have read my Bible every day for a week." OMG! That is it! That is what I almost dialed 911 prematurely for?

Of course, I was ecstatic to hear this great news! My son is making his faith his own. Maybe there is a part of him that understands what Jesus is saying; in order to be alive - in order to have a life on this planet that counts, we have to believe in Him. Believe that today, He can take the concern that I have for my friends. He can take the weight of my future. He can give me a life each day that is MORE than worth living - it is a place where streams of living water flow out from us to others. A pretty simple thing actually, but we have to remember to drink.

Take His Challenge

A few months ago I shared with you that I had gotten a new Bible. There are so many great things about getting a new Bible. I am really enjoying seeing things in a way I haven't seen them or read them before. Fresh, clean pages free of underlinings cause me to slow down. A new translation brings words to life since familiarity is gone.

Today, Jesus' words stand out. John 7:17 "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." If anyone chooses...

I have a friend who is really struggling in life right now. He is very depressed and feels like God has left him. I want to share with him this challenge: "Try God's challenge. Try following hard after Him - choosing to do His will. Just see if you won't see Him move." You see, Jesus is faithful to His word. When we truly follow His will, abundant life is our's.

That is not to mean life will not be hard. He promised us that as well. In John 15, He reminds us of this. But, when we are daily connected to Him, there is life in the middle of the hard times.

Take His challenge today - do His will. Be in His will. Walk with Him in His will. You'll see, friend; He's faithful!

Jesus Desires or Others Demands

"Will you take me to the mall again before school starts?" Madi asked me yesterday as I was trying to dig out from under the rubble called my office. "AGAIN?!" I had taken Madi and Mariah to three different places to shop over the past two weeks. Madi, who wants to be fashionable and comfortable (have you ever found that those two go together?)has only found a couple of shirts for school and now the day is looming just overhead. Pressure. I know that sounds silly, but for a girl like me who would rather be outside than inside a mall, her question made me feel pressure.

In John 7, Jesus' brothers are trying to bring pressure. "No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." was their advice. Jesus didn't fall for it. He knew what He came to do and how He was suppose to spend His time. Verse 6 holds His reply, "The right time for me has not yet come..."

With school getting underway, many new opportunities may come your way. Boards that need chair people. Volunteer slots that need to be filled. Kids have sports and music to be shuttled to. Whose agenda do we fall to? Are there people in your life that represent Jesus' brothers, pressuring you to cram up your schedule so that there is no time for peace; no time for recharging.

As I head out the door to my daughter's middle school open houses, I am preparing myself for the requests for volunteers. I asked the Lord this morning, "Where will I be most fruitful for You? Where I can expand my territory for Your name and influence others with Your light, peace and joy?"

I encourage you to do the same. Try asking the Holy Spirit where He wants you to invest. He may say exactly what you were already thinking. Then again, if you open the door to Him, He may just fill it with the deepest desires of your heart!

This is Hard!

Life here can be so hard. Stuck in a messed up world with a heart that knows that we were meant for so much more. I truly don't know how those who do not carry this hope deep inside get up each and every morning.

Jesus in the book of John was constantly making his disciples aware that this is what life was like. Hard. In fact, John 6:66 says that after the teaching on eating my flesh and drinking my blood, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. I am sure that like me, you see many around you doing the same thing (especially as many of us hit this mid-way point in life). No wonder they call it a mid-life crisis.

Two verses later, Simon Peter speaks the truth - the truth that I feel - "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Just this morning, as I was reading His Word, I was thanking Him for it; it is what gets me through. Yet, the wishful thinking of an easier life often calls out for my attention.

A new friend shared this poem with me this morning from missionary Amy Carmichael:

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified,
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod;
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.



Today, Lord, fuel that flame of your Holy Spirit inside us. Cause us to reflect often in our day, that You have the words of eternal life!

New Videos Alert

Last night, as Greg and I were watching a news program together, some new videos available to our kids were shown. I was SO disturbed by them. A mix of anger and sadness swirled together in my heart.

Planned Parenthood has launched a new web site for teens that are VERY explicit. They cover a variety of topics. One encourages them to use condoms. One promotes recognizing STD's (one teen is asking other teens if they see it - this is in mixed company!). The persons in these videos are young people themselves.

I share this information with you for two reasons. Part of me wants to "upset you"; to shake all of us who bear His name so that we not be lulled to sleep by our daily busyness. The other part of me is bringing a warning. The times our teens are growing up in is NOTHING like the times we did. They are daily faced with problems and lifestyles that we only heard about (if that!) when we were growing up.

Be bold with your kids! Do not be afraid to talk about the things they are facing. Do not be embarrassed to bring up what their friends are doing; your kids may be in on it too! They want SO desperately to tell us what is going on in their world. They are afraid. Afraid we won't understand; afraid we will reject them. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you words to open doors to have these conversations with them. He gave them to us and they need us!

If you would like to know the site for these videos so that you can block them on your computer, email me at lynnettemcowell@yahoo.com and I will send it to you. You can also go to http://virtuealert.blogspot.com/. This is Vicki Courney's blog - check out August 4th. She informs us on what to do to make a change.

Thanks!

Whole Wheat or White?

Many years ago, I moved my family to eating whole wheat bread. My children where small back then, but they could still express their opinion on the change! I would especially hear about it when they would come back from a friend's house, "At their house, they have that soft, white bread! The kind that bounces back when you touch it. Why do we have to be so weird?"

Jesus tells us in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." So what type of bread is He? Whole wheat or white?

Jesus is anything but soft, easy to chew and what every family is eating. He can be rough, solid, weighty, and against the norm. Those who decide to go with the soft, will themselves become soft. They may appear to be ok on the outside, but inside, things are slowly breaking down.

A couple of weeks ago, Greg and I were getting everything ready to head to Kentucky in the early morning for my family's reunion that we have every three years. It was 8:00 p.m. when I glanced out our backyard and noticed something odd about our pool. It was still; there was no water circulating. Strange. I headed out to the pool equipment; smelling something burning as I got closer. Dreading what I would find, I felt sure the pool pump had gone out. The timing could not be worse. It had been near 100 degrees here for days and with more than a couple of days of not filtering, we would return to find our pool looking like the lake we were heading to.

I called the pool man. He said he had been getting a lot of calls from people having troubles with their pumps. Running 24 hours a day in this sweltering heat was causing many of them to overheat and give out. "Shut it off and turn it back on in the morning. Maybe it will work." We could only hope.

Six o'clock the next morning, I headed back out to the equipment. It turned on! I was so excited; I could head out to my trip with peace.

When we returned, our pool was clear, blue and good as ever.

Over the next few days, I would look out of my window. My pool would be still one minute and then running a few hours later. I was hoping I had messed up the timer and foolishly waited a couple of days to check on it. Yesterday, I looked out of my window; the water was still. Against my hope, the pump had overheated and shut off. I paid attention to it all day and noticed that every once in awhile the water would be circulating; then it would shut off again. Tomorrow, I have to get a new pump.

Does your walk with the Lord ever feel this way? It looks good - clear, pool, refreshing. But really, something is not quite right. On the outside, like my pool, we look good. People may think our families are good, our jobs seem to be going well, we look so pretty at church. What they don't know, is that during the day, our pumps are shutting off, because they are overheated - burned out.

Maybe we have been taking in the "white bread"; not really chewing on the truth of the Word like we need to. His ways are not easy; living for ourselves comes so much more natural.

I woke up this morning feeling overheated and overwhelmed. Life on this planet is just downright hard sometimes. Yet, as I sit here and discipline myself to chew on the Word, I am strengthened and ready to live another day in Him. I'm calling on my Pool Man for that new pump. If you need a new pump, my friend, call on the Pool Man. He is available to you, too and He loves house calls!

Let Nothing Be Wasted

These were Jesus' words after He had just fed the five thousand in John 6. He had done His work, given thanks for it, others had benefited and now it was time to finish it right. Verse 12 says, "When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."

Last summer I taught each of our children, at the time ages 10, 13 and 16, how to wash and take care of their own clothes. They are basically on their own. Greg and I also started giving them a certain amount of money in the fall, along with a list of what they were to purchase, in an effort to teach them how to handle money responsibly. It has been a great way to teach them about how to find a bargain. It was so fun this summer when Zach called me from T.J. Maxx and had found two pairs of shorts and three t-shirts for under $50! (He later discovered online that the t-shirt he found was going for $50!)The draw back to this method is I no longer have a true grid for what is in their closet (unless, of course, I take the time to look!)

Monday was Mariah's birthday, so I thought it might be fun if this year we all headed to the outlet mall together to do our back to school shopping. They each found some jeans, some Appalachian State shirts and other "up-to-date" duds. We came home, showing Greg our purchases with smiles on our faces. Later, Greg asked, "So, how much did you spend today?" It was then that it occurred to me, I didn't really know. I know we were buying what was on sale, but did I buy what they needed? Was it all really necessary?

I suspect I am not the only parent in America who gets caught up in the excitement of the back to school rush. I was convicted yesterday that I am guilty of waste. Unlike Jesus, I have not said to myself and my family, "let nothing be wasted". I started thinking about all of the "stuff" that my family has that we don't need (nor do we need to purchase more!). I went up to my attic and pulled down 6 bags of homeschooling books that I need to take to the consignment shop. My kids pulled out clothes that I need to take to Plato's Closet. I have a flute I put on Craig's List...the list could go on and on.

For me, it is not just a matter of getting rid of what we no longer need, but asking the question, "Do I really need what I am getting ready to purchase? Is the Lord happy with the decisions I make and would He agree that I am not wasting the resources He has given me?"

At a time when our country is in a slump in its economy, it is a good time to reflect on our habits. Lord, help us each day, when surrounded with such plenty to not be wasteful and to glorify You with all You have given to us.

(And now, I am off to the consignment shop!)

Be Still & Watch Me Move

In John 6, verse 5 a crowd is following Jesus. They had just seen the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick; they probably needed more of the same.
"When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for those people to eat?" He asked this only to test him,for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Philip looked at the five thousand plus very hungry people and must have thought, "We have got a real problem on our hands and you are asking me what to do?" All that Philip could see was straight ahead and straight ahead apparently had a dead end. Jesus knew differently.
There are times when we look at our life and it looks like a dead-end, when in fact, it isn't. What we cannot see is the t-intersection at the end. That T is where our will comes into play: Will I trust the Lord, even if I can't even see the road? Trust that His way is THE way or will I take the path that the world tries to lay out - try to figure this one out? Philip in this passage saw only the world's answer "We can't do anything about it". Andrew, though not perfect, saw the tiniest bit of potential. "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" He had some clue as to who this Jesus was. Maybe He could do something with this boy's five small barley loaves and two small fish.
When we are desperately in need of a miracle, it isn't that we don't question or wonder how He is going to work. It's a matter of where our dependence lies. Will we try to think our way out of the problem or ask and trust the Lord which direction is His?
At this t-intersection in our story, Jesus gives a command, "Have the people sit down." In order to see this miracle, the people involved had to obey His command. Maybe for you the command is the same, "Sit down! Be still!" If the people didn't sit down, the food could not be distributed. Maybe for you it is "Get out of the way so that I can move!"
Then, when they sat still, the people witnessed the miracle and it was more than enough!

The Awesome, Incredible Power of God + Our Radical Obedience and Discipline = A Miracle

What came out of this situation? Verse 14 says "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." That is what others will say about your life as well..."See her life? That is Jesus!"

Hard to Satisfy

Jesus - so unlike what the world today perceives Him to be. Unpredictable, yet unchanging. Unhindered by the fear of what others would think - just told it like it was.
In John 5 verse 40 He said, "...you refuse to come to me to have life." Why? What is it that we are afraid of? Is it what He may require of us? A.W. Tozer said, "He is not hard to please, but maybe hard to satisfy." I believe He may be hard to satisfy because He wants so much more for us; much more than what we are willing to settle for. In Mark 8:34 - 38, He calls us to deny ourself to follow Him. Now that is a word we don't hear very often in our culture. Yet He promises if WE will loose our life for His sake, we will find TRUE life.
Can we ask Him today what that looks like for us? What is He asking me to lay down in order that I can have MORE of Him? More of His best and more for His glory.

Happy Birthday Mariah

Today is the 14th birthday of my daughter, Mariah! Greg, Madi and I went to her school and painted the rock to wish her a Happy Birthday (something we do here in Charlotte!) That's Greg on the back of the rock (He calls himself Morris the Moose!)
More later,

Family Reunion

My family had a wonderful time at the Martin Family 2008 Reunion. I am number 7 of 8 Martin children and this is my family (actually there were 23 missing and boy did we miss them!)We have a tradition of go-cart racing. This year, the Cowell family took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! We dominated!


This is my mom and her new husband Bill. We celebrated their marriage that took place this spring. After 9 years of being alone, my mom now has someone to celebrate life with each and every day.







Just when you think you know your husband so well, someone shows you that you don't know everything! My brother Rob and Jen beat all of us couples in The Marriage Game!

Devo for Teens

Hello everyone...I have missed communicating with you each day! I just returned home from my family's reunion in Kentucky and a visit to Arkansas.

While I was gone, I had a devo posted at www.radrevolution.blogspot.com. If you have a teen (or would like to read it for yourself, check it out.

More tomorrow!

Walk!

In John 5, Jesus asks what seems to be an obvious question to the man who is laying by the pool. "Do you want to get well?" The man doesn't answer the question; he just gives a reason as to why he hasn't been healed so far. "When the water is stirred, I have no one to help me into the pool."
I hear Jesus ask me the same type of question, "Lynn, do you really want to carry out my Word? Do you really want to share my heart with others?"
Jesus' command to the man by the pool was "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk" (verse 8)
I believe His words to me are similiar. "Get up! Do what you have already been instructed to do. Exercise perseverance, discipline. Be teachable. DO the work of the ministry.
When this man did what Jesus commanded him to, at once he was cured. He picked up his mat and walked.
What Jesus commanded of this man was that the man partner with Jesus in his healing. Jesus didn't just do it for him; he had a part of the miracle. For the man to obey, it required him to go outside of the norm; outside of what the religious people around him approved of (carrying his mat on the Sabbath). It didn't really matter what the religious people thought; he was obeying Jesus.
This theme keeps circling in my time with the Lord. Jesus doesn't always do the obvious. Jesus doesn't always work in the same way. Jesus cannot be put in a box.
His command to me is "Listen to the Spirit and obey!"
"In order to have what I have always wanted, I will need to do something I have never done."