Kathy Weckwerth

Everyday Encouragement

women's conferences

Waiting for the Monarchs

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butterfly-1551323The wind is warm and muggy and as I am out in the front yard, I notice my friends coming back to the grove.

Yes, you could think I was referring to the wonderful group of women who will be lining up on Wednesday morning at 8:45 a.m., waiting to get in the door of the little church, set their Bibles and purses down, grab their coffee and their roll and head for the table to begin to study God’s word.

I am very excited about Bible study starting up, however, I’m referring to my friends, the monarch butterflies coming back to my grove.

You see, each and every year, Farmer Dean and I do a little welcome dance as we watch hundreds of butterflies migrating south as the winter months approach, and we are in awe at God’s handiwork.

I remember the first time I realized what was happening was about 7 years ago.  I was outside in the gazebo reading when I looked up to see one lone butterfly out by my window.  I thought it was so beautiful.  I headed inside to let our little dog out to play and he ran directly to the grove, began to spin and bark, and out flew a hundred butterflies.  I’m not exaggerating.  They had quietly, purposefully been posed on our trees and bushes in the grove so that we didn’t see them.  But as our dog barked and scared them, they began to flitter about.  Benny, the dog and I danced around, shouting, squealing in delight, while the butterflies flittered and zipped about, all the while resting once again on their branches in the grove.

Each year since then, has been a dutiful wait as we watch for their return.  But something very sad has happened.  Each year has brought our friends back to visit, but each year there are less and less traveling.

Farmer Dean says the sprays, the change in climate, the change in our lifestyle (the bees are going as well!) are creating limited amounts of lovely monarchs.

Today, I opened the door to see a ton of black moths (not so lovely) which Farmer Dean has explained are here to help control the beetles or something, but I’m looking for my friends.

One is flittering about and I exclaim …. “bring them here for a visit.  We’ll pray for their safety, their ability to create more, and their ability to live.”

[callout]And just for today, I sit back in my chair and watch … anticipating the beauty of the earth.

Thank you, God, for you have truly made a delight in the monarch. [/callout]

 

Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Keeping the Faith

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As I drove away, I found my heart hurting, my mind whirling, and felt the urge to cry.  Not the crying that one feels when you lost someone or something you know, but the crying that comes from feeling the pain of losing something you never knew.  I pulled out of the sleepy little town not too far away and drove down the country roads towards home, but the story really begins with my alarm.

The only thing that could possibly make me want to set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning was a sale … and even more alluring was that it was a sale at a church.

But this sale was different.  This was a “final” sale that was listed at the top of the want ads.  Formerly known as a busy church in the 1940’s, 1960’s and beyond, the church had been sitting empty of worship for the past eight years because it’s congregants joined with a neighboring church.   It meant the end of another era.  I knew it meant another little building was closing its doors to the Life of Church, and its windows and walls would never be the same. It was a final inventory sale and I wanted to take inventory of what was happening.

In today’s society, more and more people are walking away.  They’re not just walking away from attending church, but they’re walking away from their faith.  Recently reported on the ten o’clock news, people age 18-33 were surveyed and said that although they grew up in a “Christian” home, they don’t consider themselves Christians.  What’s happening to us?

Here’s a thought … we’re so busy running our children, grandchildren, and ourselves to get to everything we think is important, that we have put Christ at the bottom of the list.  In a society where our grandparents and parents lived to go to church, made the church their social life, and made God someone who was in school, in church, in the grocery store, and on the radio/tv, we have pleasantly and complacently shrugged our shoulders, been bullied and said, “Oh, okay … whatever.”  Whatever is the word of the day.  Look it up in our dictionary and see all of our faces listed in the description.

But let me get back to the church building itself.  Sweet, hardwood floors, lovely beams on the ceiling, plush carpets, lovely kitchen, offices, and basement were all desperately crying out to my soul as I looked around at the sale items.  Yes, I found things like oak chairs for $3.00 and a fabulous milk can for $6.00, but nothing comforted the deep sadness that overcame me when the sweet owners said someone was moving in to make it their home.

Where were the congregants?  Why was their church home now a literal home?  They died off?  They no longer attend?  No pastor would come out to the middle of nowhere to preach?

The doors are closing because society is shifting.  God is being tagged at a sale and offered up to the needy buyer who wants to shuffle Him to their garage and bring Him out when needed.

[callout]No longer can we find God in our schools, in our conversations, and in our busy weeks as He once was, but He is tucked away neatly in the boxes that say, “Heirlooms.”[/callout]

As I drove away, I wept.  Not for myself, but for every single soul that lined those pews in 1940.  I cried for every single life that was changed, for every prayer spoken and every song sung.  And although I’ll be grateful for the kind owners who kept it immaculate over the past few years, and for the young man who will make it his home, I will remain concerned and confused as to the direction we now take in today’s world.  After all, what will happen to other little churches  next week and the week after that and the week after that?

 

Be Encouraged!

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friends gigglingWhile scanning through some of my emails, I stopped in my tracks as I read one from a large church that said, “Bob Smith, Encouragement Pastor.” I was so excited!  I thought, what a brilliant concept.  Some church finally gets it!  Some staff is leading a team where one person is focused on something that life in 2015 has forgotten … encouragement!

Today’s hustle and bustle keeps us moving.  With our new phones and technology, we can connect with people instantly all over the world.  And yet, while Farmer Dean and I were enjoying a lovely lunch at Granite City this weekend, I looked around to see most of the people setting next to us were on their phones.  No one was talking.  There was no encouragement from watching people sitting glued to their cell phones.

I said to Farmer Dean, “Let’s talk!”  We launched into a two hour conversation about our kids and grandkids, our farm, our church, our future plans, and our lunch became delightfully encouraging.  Great food and good conversation helped  Farmer Dean and I to both feel like we were in a place where although discouragement was trying to settle in, we were fighting back.

The warm sunshine was beating down on our booth, and we laughed, joked, and encouraged one another.  Farmer Dean told me I was a great speaker, a good mom, and fun to be with.  I told him he was strong (that’s why he’s always moving and lifting things for me), he was gentle, and he was a super grandpa!

By the time our day was finished, we were not only ready for another week, but once again, we were propelled onto the path of hope.  The word encouragement  means “support of a kind that inspires confidence and a will to continue or develop.”  What does that mean?  Encouragement produces confidence and a desire to go on.  It’s the fuel in the engine that keeps us going.

Where do we find encouragement?  Sometimes God will meet us in a wide open space and send some friend to deliver gracious words that fill us up.  Once and awhile it comes seeping into our souls when we feel happy about something we made or something we said or heard. Very often, it comes directly from scripture.   I love this verse specifically:

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3.

I’m encouraged just knowing God loves me and cares to draw me in with His kindness.

Encouragement can come from a quiet walk in nature and seeing the deep lush of green grass or the puffy white billowing clouds.  It can come from listening to your daughter talk about school or your grandson’s giggle.  It can come from a long restful nap or a bite of a chocolate brownie with hot steaming coffee.

[callout]Mostly, what I know about encouragement is that we all need it and we can certainly take time in our days and nights to reach out and encourage others/callout] with simple words like:

way to go

I love you

you’re doing great

did you know how good you would be at this

you are so appreciated

you make my life better

Make the most of your days and be encouraged … and in turn, encourage others.

Whether you’re an official encouragement pastor or simply an encouraging mother … just do it!  Encourage one another!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11

5 Steps to Dealing With People Who Annoy You

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Through the years I served as a Worship Director, and now as an Executive Director of a nonprofit.  I have dealt with the aggravation, the angst, and the disappointment of people who are challenging and really bug me.

In my own personal world, I have had struggles with friends and family members who, at the very least, are the ones I  deem the “drive-me-crazies.” If you’re anything like me, you’ve dealt with the same thing!

This week, I had a strange conversation with someone that went like this:

Greeting/conversation/stupid comments/me feeling annoyed/me left wondering how do I even respond/me feeling more annoyed.

I prayed and opened my Bible seeking the only One who really gets Crazy-Land people and knows how to deal with them … Jesus.

In Matthew 16:1-4, we see the setting … the Pharisees and the Sadducees are doing what they do so well … bugging Jesus.

Step 1. “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.” (the initial bugging)

Step 2. Jesus … Listening to them.

Step 3. Jesus … Thinking before responding.

Step 4. “He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” (healthy, honest response).

Step 5. “Jesus then left them and went away.” (just walk away).

Jesus listened to the people who bugged Him. But, after remaining calm and dealing with them, he is honest and walks away.

Step 1: Take a deep breath and remain calm
Step 2: Listen … listen … and then listen some more
Step 3: Think before you respond.
Step 4: Don’t fight, but be honest, real, and authentic
Step 5: Forgive and walk away.

[callout]This week, I remained calm, listened, thought about how to respond, and then said my authentic honest piece and walked away.[/callout]

I may not have a friendship out of this relationship, but then again, I guess I really don’t want one. After all, Jesus stuck by 12 friends who were only slightly irritating once and awhile.

He just loved people like crazy,  dealt with them honestly … and gently, ever-so-wisely … walked away.

God’s Got You

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I had thrown everything into my suitcase, grabbed my talk, and headed for the car.  It would be another day of racing and running to get to where I needed to be and to begin a long journey to Iowa to see my 84-year-old mother.

The drive was not peaceful, but in actuality, gave me an uneasy feeling of panic, wondering how in the world I would ever get everything accomplished.

My mind began whirling over the details.  I had just helped youngest daughter, Jenessa, with babysitting my granddaughter, was the guest speaker for a women’s event, delivered special music for a church service, and was spearheading a new magazine issue.  Not only that, but I was getting ready for a speaking engagement in the morning, and I started going over the talk in my mind.

It seems when you least expect it, the Holy Spirit gently pricks your conscience, and I immediately knew that the talk I was giving in a few short hours, was a talk that was no longer soaking into my soul.  Instead, I was mouthing the words, believing them for sure, but not practicing what I was preaching.

The topic for the women’s kickoff event at the large church in the cities that had hired me, was about filling up on the good things of God … filling up the gas tank of our hearts and minds so that we can be effective in all we do.  But the most important thing is being aware of what you’re doing and having balance in your life to know when your gas tank is running on empty or even stalled by the side of the road.

I hadn’t been doing that.  I began to quiet my spirit and pray, however, the cities’ traffic distracted me and the panic settled in again.

I don’t know about you, but there are times in life when I experience weeks where I feel like things are in check and balance, and then there are days and even weeks where I can’t seem to stop long enough to fill up with spiritual gasoline ….

God’s Word,

God’s Attributes and

God’s Spirit.

I began to feel very alone.  I felt almost as if I was walking a fine wire on a tight rope at the nearby carnival, only I couldn’t see where I was falling.

That night, I spent time in the Word, and prayed.  The sense of busyness was still there, but I felt a bit more calm and yet I still very much alone.  I slept fitfully on my oldest daughter’s couch.

The alarm went off with a sharp beep at 6:30 a.m. the next morning and I awakened to the busyness of my daughter, as she prepared for work.  Her husband was traveling with his job, so I knew to be a good mom; I would pitch in and help get my grandsons dressed and ready for the day.

I walked into Jonah’s room and looked down.  I caught my breath.  Curled up with his blanket, his blonde hair thick and curly, I could see the reflection of middle daughter, Chandra, in his sweet body, and for a moment I let myself remember the days that I would go in and just watch her sleep.

Time was ticking by and I gently said, “Jonah, time to wake up.”  He kept his eyes closed and sat up scooting close to the edge of his bed.  With eyes closed and legs dangled over the side, Jonah threw his arms around me and said, “I gotcha Nanny….I gotcha.” 

And in that moment, everything whirled around me as this little boy hugged me tightly. I can’t explain why I would feel safe for that moment, but I can tell you this … as odd as it sounds … I heard those words and I felt that hug, and I was immediately reminded that God is so much bigger than my issues.  He is there in the cities’ traffic, He is there in talks and plannings, and he’s here in my fretting and worrying.    He is there in the love of family and in the nature I see that is whirring by in my car’s windows.  He reveals Himself in the loveliest moments and the most fascinating ways, like this morning in the hug of a child and the words, “I gotcha.”

[callout]It was in those moments I found God.  I knew I was not alone.  I have a great big God who knows my every thought, my every need.  He is there for me.  He is there for you. [/callout]

And the best thing of all  is the realization that He’s got us.  Imagine that hug around the neck and get going … you’ve got a big life to live.

“I love you, God— you make me strong.  God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.  My God—the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout.”

Psalm 18:1-2