Lynna Clark

By Lynna Clark

If you live in certain parts of Rowan County, NC you may have recently experienced a power outage. We sure did. It might’ve been two of the longest days of my life. Well, except for that time my husband was coaching the girls’ softball team at the school where we worked. We made it to the championship tournament (yay) but had to travel to Rocky Mount. Though it is only 241 miles from here by car, we were of course in a school activity bus; which turned the three hour tour into a journey of epic porportions. Lord have mercy. Then we were privileged to play multiple back to back games in the sauna that is Eastern North Carolina. Have you ever been there? Situated in the Netherworld between our beautiful Piedmont and the pristine Coastline, this lovely area so closely resembles a swamp that we had to be careful when parking lest the bus sink up to the axles; that wondrous land where mosquitos are the size of hummingbirds. I thought the gravity was less intense but it turned out the aforementioned mosquitos were trying to carry me off. Though we cheered almost obnoxiously for our team to win (too much cowbell), I silently prayed for the joy to end. Please forgive me dear loyal parents and fans. I thought I might die and wished I’d hurry up.

Annyyywayyy…

Our recent power outage brought up memories of a similar time when there was just no escaping the heat. It did help us realize things that are good to have in an emergency. Like battery powered chargers for our electronic gadgets. My tablet died so I ended up reading an actual paper book. It was hard to turn the pages though as I kept swiping along the bottom and nothing happened. We dug out an oil lantern and used it for a while til the wick gave out. Thankfully we had a decent flashlight. David’s grill worked well and also relegated the heat of cooking to the great outdoors. He did not however appreciate the church fan I handed him when he expressed how hot it was in the house. Together we decided that a power outage in the heat of summer is much worse than one in the winter. One can always add more clothes or another blanket if it gets too cold. But in the heat with all the windows open we dared not strip any further lest the neighbors call the cops. Nobody wants to see all that.
Eventually the power came back on about 2:30am one morning. Since it had gone off during a dark storm a day or ten earlier, all the lights were on. It was a happy awakening. We shut out the lights, closed the windows (and curtains) and did the dance of joy. The next morning we ran the washer, dryer, and dishwasher. We charged up all the phones and tablets; then downloaded a cache of books so I wouldn’t have to manually turn pages. Currently we are settled into our normal lifestyle of cool.

Back in those happy days of 1999, our girls won the tournament; the bus made it home, and we all lived to tell about it. I may or may not have kissed the ground. Apparently good stories do not come cheap.

By Lynna Clark

My mom was not the nurturing sort. She tended to be a no-nonsense kind of gal. She was so smart and capable especially about practical things. Though she had great respect for the Lord, I began to notice a warmth in her relationship with Him when I was away at college. She would write long letters about important things; like how to bake a turkey for Thanksgiving; with reminders to remove the giblet bag before baking. Huh. Who knew? One of those letters in her neat flowing script included this verse. “In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.” -Psalm 94:19. It was the first time I remember her quoting Scripture. But that verse became so dear to me later in life, especially regarding my mother. You see, eventually she lost the ability to reason.

As I mentioned, she was a very smart, meticulous individual… until she wasn’t. We started noticing changes in her behavior that were so opposite of her personality. Only two months after the first episode, she lost her life to a rare brain disease. I can’t tell you what that single verse in Psalm 94 meant to me, though she had shared it thirty years earlier.

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.”

I’m so glad God’s truth never fails. His comfort and peace ushered her into His presence, where she will never be confused or frightened again. In fact, it’s good to think on those comforts every day. “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7

May the Lord encourage your heart as you think on Him today.

Dear Sweet Lord, sometimes it feels as if the world around me hast gone completely crazy… and therefore so have I. So many thoughts and fears pound on my heart. Only You can offer the comfort I need. Please Father, I ask that You lift my thinking even to the point of delight in You. Perhaps infuse enough joy to bring others along. Please turn the crashing waves of fear into a peaceful river flowing from Your throne. In You alone I place my trust.

Amen

By Lynna Clark

I’ve been thinking about a word I saw in Scripture, and praying it for my husband and me. You see, we’ve just let go of a lot of security and left jobs we had at the same school for the past twenty years. Yep. We are that crazy. Anyway, he was a middle school teacher [math, Bible, & culinary] and I was the school secretary. And we really loved it. But the Lord kept nudging us to step out of the boat and do a little wave walking.

A while back I heard a teaching series through the book of Nehemiah. The pastor said. “Don’t allow fear to be bigger than your God.” It was at that point that I had real confirmation that God wanted us to do something more. That was in January. So in March, when it was time to sign contracts for the next year, God gave us both peace and assurance that we needed to be done there. And we let go.

One day I was reading and came across the word equip. It’s contained in a prayer at the end of Hebrews. Chapter 13:20 says, “And now, may the God of peace, Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing His will.” Since we are definitely old dogs in need of new tricks, equipping by God sounds like a great request. So this has become my prayer for us. Today, I saw an interesting commentary on that word. The writer, Dennis Fisher, says it is the same word used in several contexts. Stay with me, this is pretty cool. Ephesians 4:12 uses it to describe what pastors and teachers do for us as they bring us God’s Word. Galatians 6:1 speaks of restoring [equipping] a fallen brother. And my favorite is in Matthew 4:21. Mending [nets] is the same word.

God is so practical. He never asks us to do anything without equipping us to do it. And if we fall, and odds are pretty good we will, He reaches out His hand for us. And when we need mending, He’ll do that too. People may think we are not worth the effort, but God never gives up on us. And the coolest part of all is that the power He uses to equip us is the same power He used to RAISE CHRIST FROM THE DEAD! Ephesians 1:19-“I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead!” Strong stuff! Makes me think we can do anything He asks!

So the prayer for today is for equipping. Lord, strengthen us with the tools we need to build Your church. Put in our hearts what You want us to do. Then give us the knowhow, stamina, and understanding to do the things You want done. Help us remember that we cannot rely on ourselves. Then strengthen us to stay so close to You, that when the waves get big, we instantly call to you like Peter did when he stepped out on the water. Hold us by Your strong and mighty right hand! Equip us to do great things we’ve never done before!

More: Psalm 18:16-20; Matthew 14:22-33; Isaiah 43:2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Isaiah 48:17- “The LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says, I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling like waves.”

By Lynna Clark

We love riding our motorcycle through the country. Unchartered territory! Exploration at its finest! One day we passed a huge ceramic owl in a birdbath. I wondered if we were supposed to be tricked into thinking it was real. Who would put an owl in a birdbath? Was that to scare off the other birds? Then why have a birdbath in the first place if you don’t want birds? A house down the road had the entire dwarf clan plus a gnome, snow white, and Santa thrown in for good measure. It was redneck utopia.

On another ride we passed a country church with a sign out front that said, “Be a fountain, not a drain.” Was this meant to be spiritual insight? Perhaps a reprimand to an unruly church member… Usually church signs just get on my nerves trying to be all spiritual, but this one cracked me up. So one day when one of my afore-mentioned godly daughters was griping, [notice in this story she only gets a small “g” in godly], I said to her, “Be a fountain, not a drain.” She replied with an Aretha Franklin head wag, “I’ll have you know that drains are necessary too. Without drains all kinds of stuff gets backed up!”
Had to agree.

Some guys in Nehemiah 4 were being drains, and not in a good way. There was mocking and rage involved. Have you ever been the victim of gossip and anger? Hurts doesn’t it. If only people would give you a chance to explain. Have you ever been the one making fun of a work or a plan? Have you ever given your opinion at the expense of a ministry? I am very sorry to say that I have. The results were very displeasing to the Lord. I have been a part of the naysayers in ministries past. But with great conviction I am asking the Lord to strengthen me to never take part in negative speech regarding ministry again. It takes effort. There is always a better way to do things. But why tear a wall down when you can build one up?

Hebrews 10:24 says, “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” I like how the King James phrases this verse. “Encourage one another while it is yet today.” Sounds more urgent. It is not an accident that the next verse says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do…” God knows we need encouragement. And so do all the people around us. Today, “while it is yet today,” encourage someone. Refrain from negative speech. Build someone up. Take notice of something praiseworthy and point it out in front of the person you are building. Do that for your children. Say to a parent so their child can hear, “I saw Jesse being kind to his little sister today. He must be growing stronger in the Lord.” Watch their response. It’s catching.

With all that said, today’s prayer is for positive speech, and intentional building up of those around us. Encourage one another while it is yet today. And watch out for all those owls splashing around in a birdbath near you.

More Proverbs 6:16-19 Proverbs 14:1

By Lynna Clark

One of my favorite passages of all times, Nehemiah 8:10-12 says “Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength! And the Levites too, quieted the people telling them, ‘Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.’ So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.”

As Soloman says in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven…. A time to tear down, a time to rebuild; A time to cry and a time to laugh; A time to grieve and a time to dance. Hard junk; Good junk; Sad stuff; Happy stuff; Days to hurt; Days to boogie… Joy is much sweeter AFTER the sorrow.

Some well-meaning Christians have the idea that we are to live in giddy oblivion, somehow mindlessly skipping through trials with a happy face. Could it be that God knows we are living in a real world, with real heartache? Do you imagine that He is aware of how hard life is?

Yesterday, when I was using the verse about calling Him Abba, Father, I went to BibleGateway.com to find the reference. It was interesting to see that Jesus, when praying in the garden, that the cross and all its shame would somehow disappear, called His Father “Abba.” He was as close to Him then as ever. Yet He knew our sin would be laid on His back on the cross. Did He go skipping up Golgotha? Scripture says that as He prayed in the garden, His sweat was like great drops of blood. What anguish of soul He experienced.

Look at Hebrews 12:2 KJV- Speaking of Jesus it says, “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He DESPISED the shame. However, for the joy to come, He endured the cross. What’s even more incredible is that saving ME is part of the joy to come. Amazing!

Is it God’s will that we always be happy? Sorry. Should we at least pretend? Nope. Here’s the scoop. Life is hard. But God is good. And no matter how heavy the crap storm we are caught in, there is a joy set before us. We may despise the circumstances, but Heaven is waiting. It is THAT joy that is our strength; the wonderful assurance that no matter what we go through here, it is temporary! Are your eyes fixed on Jesus, the One Who has been here and done this? There’s your joy and your strength. You can make it. He will carry you through the nights of weeping and deliver you to a joyous new morning!

Dear Lord today, we ask for joy. We ask for real understanding of what You’ve done for us. We ask that You remind us continually today that You are in charge and nothing enters our lives that You don’t allow. Make us strong for You. Make our church strong enough to share that joy with others. Thank You for Your great sacrifice at Calvary, because You love us that much!

More: Mark 14:36; Hebrews 12:1,2; Psalm 30:5

By Lynna Clark

I love muscle cars. No, I mean I REALLY love muscle cars. The low rumble of a powerful engine makes my heart pound. If we pass a cool old car, my husband knows to slow down so I can gawk sufficiently. I literally have to wipe the drool off my chin. You see, he had a ’67 Camaro when we were dating. When he added mag wheels, wide Formula One Superstock tires with white letters, and jacked up the back with air shocks…..oh, be still my heart! So I had the idea about ten or so years ago to bring back the old body style of the great muscle cars, and market them with today’s comfort. As great as it was to ride in that Camaro, it was no fun to spend 17 hours in an un-airconditioned bucket seated gas guzzler traveling back and forth to south Florida in the 70’s. We did improve it with an eight track player, so that was nice…. Except we had to crank up the volume to near deafening levels since the windows were down as we traveled at warp speed up I- 77 for a quick college break. So, anyway, have you seen the new Challenger? Now that’s a true throwback. They’ve got a couple different ones at the Dodge dealership on Jake Alexander. You talk about lust of the eye…. And that was MY idea!

Not sure if I can even get my heart back on track now. Nehemiah says in chapter 7:5, “So my God gave me the idea…” He walked close enough to God to recognize when an idea was from Him. Can we do that? What if we got creative, really creative, and asked the most creative One of all, “Lord, give us great ideas.”? What if our church did stuff that no one else is doing? What if we…. Can you think of something really cool to fill in the blank? I can. I have an idea I’ve been praying about for right at a year now, something someone I really respect threw out at me. In the meantime, I’m praying for the resources, keeping an idea file, praying, thinking, bouncing ideas off my family, praying, dreaming a little… I hope this works out. And it’s something that I really believe will bring honor to the Lord in a whole new way.
So the prayer of the day is, “Lord, give us creative thinking when it comes to ministry. Help us bless You in a whole new way. Give us resources to reach out to those who have never been loved. Help us to know what that looks like, and to do an awesome job for You!”

More: Romans 12:2; 11-13

Isaiah 43:18- “But forget all that. It is nothing compared to what I am going to do; for I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun!

Isaiah 64:3-5- “When You came down long ago, You did awesome things beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You, Who works for those who wait for Him! You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow Godly ways.”

By the way, I know you are wondering what became of the Camaro. My sweetheart was coming home from his job as a security guard in the middle of a rainy night and crashed it into the side of a brand new Caddy. The little Jewish lady that pulled out in front of him nearly had a heart attack when he jumped out of his car in his uniform with a gun on his hip. We got $750 from our insurance. They kept our car and our new eight track player. And I have been bitter ever since.

By Lynna Clark

Can I take the time to tell you about my mom? Her name was Claudia. She was strong and very smart. She was meticulous with cleanliness, details, efficient with the day to day. She loved her family. Like me, she had three daughters and three sons by marriage, and one love from the time they were very young & newlywed. Beautiful white wavy hair. Great smile. She worked at Happy Day Care in Landis, NC for around 30 years. I think she potty trained the bulk of Rowan County. I didn’t have all the time I wanted with her.

As I mentioned on day twelve, we lost her to a horrible disease. Technically called Crutchfield-Jacob’s it is actually Mad Cow disease. Yes. Here in the US. She never travelled farther than the beaches of North and South Carolina. It is so ironic how she died. She was very careful with hers and daddy’s health. They walked 3 miles every morning and many evenings as well. We grew up on vegetables, fresh or frozen from a huge garden. Meat was for Sundays and holidays. They seldom ate out. She washed bananas before peeling in case there would be a lurking germ. Who does that? She would work cross word puzzles with an ink pen. No need to erase. I’d look at those words and think, “Woman, you are from China Grove. How do you even know what that means?” She was the youngest seventy two I have ever met. So energetic and strong, she could work circles around me. But her time here was up. God took her. She experienced at that point the ultimate healing, and for the very first time, the truest, sweetest love of a Father.

Time. We do not know how long we have to complete this mission of ours to reach all we can for Christ. But every day is valuable because it involves eternal souls who do not hear about the One Who loves them. Every day someone gives up. Every day someone loses their life to tragedy. Just today, one of my favorite radio hosts died unexpectedly. Darren, of the morning show on WBFJ brought encouragement into our home daily. And the front page of the Post has a smiling picture of a handsome young man only 20 years old, who was tragically killed on the job. His little family, wife and 1 year old daughter, had just moved here. Had anyone invited them to church? Is anyone there to take them a meal or love them through this horrible time? I still grieve the loss of my mom and I had nearly 50 years with her. People need us. Time is of the essence. Every moment matters. “Only a minute, but eternity is in it.”

Nehemiah’s project was completed in record breaking time. 52 days! Unbelievable! Pray for God’s timing. Pray for a smooth completion of all projects. Pray for the world to look on and be amazed at what God is doing on our behalf. Let them look at us as in Neh. 6:16- “They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God!” Your prayers will make a difference.

By Lynna Clark

We’ve covered some very beautiful Scripture from the book of Ephesians. Things like His wonderful grace, how He looks at us as a masterpiece, and His boundless love. Next in line, chapter five, are the verses about husbands and wives. I think I’ll just skip that. Not that the instruction is unclear. No… it’s all right there for those who listen. But you’re reading insight from a girl who has messed up in this area so many times. By the grace of God, David and I have been married forty seven and a half years. Sometimes my stories about our life make us look pretty good. But I need to tell you. David married a very feisty girl with a horrible red-headed temper. And that’s okay. That’s who he fell in love with. But oh, was I headstrong. In fact, when he asked me to marry him, I didn’t hug him and shout, “Oh yes my love! A thousand times yes!” like in my novels. Instead I fetched a long yellow steno pad and said, “Let’s make a list of the pros and cons.”

True story.

I even took hold of the pencil and wrote on the con side while he answered with the pros. Bless his heart. I would name a reason why not, and he’d come back with a reason to say yes. It’s a wonder the man persisted. On our honeymoon we headed toward the mountains. He pulled into a Lemon Tree Inn. It looked mighty fancy to me. As we went to check in before my new husband could speak, I asked “How much?” The dignified lady behind the counter quoted the price and I blurted out, “Too much” and turned to walk away leaving David to watch me exit without him. Little blessings like that have endeared me to him throughout the years.

As it turns out, it’s not good to skip passages in Scripture that we struggle with. Down through the years, the Lord has softened my cold hard heart. And I’ve learned. And life has turned sweeter. David has grown too. It seems the Lord’s plan has always been for husbands to love their wives, no matter how headstrong they are; and for wives to show respect for their husbands, no matter how much they decide to spend on the honeymoon suite. I think we all want what Aretha cried out for from the depths of her soul.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Throw in a lot of love and the pros will surely outweigh the cons.

By Lynna Clark

Have you ever wished for Cliff Notes of the Bible? Like yesterday when I gave you all that Scripture and you started hearing, “Blah blah blah designer shoes blah blah …” Well, here ya go.

I came across a passage that sums it all up. In Matthew 22: 34-40, Jesus is being questioned by the religious experts of the day. These guys were careful to obey the details of the law down to the length of their sleeves. Trying to trick Him, they asked what He considered to be THE most important law. His reply is well known, but not well practiced. “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Then He says it.

“All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” So here’s the scoop. If we get those two things right, all the other stuff falls into place. The God of details gives us an easy button. Well, at least He narrowed it down to two things. So should I take that job? Can I fulfill Christ’s royal law of love there? No? Then the money is not worth it. Should I work in the yard today? Will I in any way defeat the goal of loving God and loving people? No? Then go for it.

Just a little jump off the Nehemiah bus for today. Because if we bear down on these two things, Christ says we’re good to go. Love God. Love people. And it’s also amazing that He places loving others “equally important” as loving Himself!! Knowing that He is a jealous God and wants us to love Him with every ounce of our being, makes that statement even more astounding!

Can I be real with you? Loving Him and loving people is certainly harder some days than others. I bet you already knew that. Here’s what I prayed. You fill in the blanks where you have been.

Strengthen me Lord to love You so much that I never doubt You again. When people hurt me and You are silent, help me rest in Your Word and believe You when You tell me You love me. When we both lose our jobs, both cars break down, the house has a tax lien, and medical bills mount up, [summer of 1990] help me remember that You love me. When I blow my cool and bless out the person I feel to be responsible for our job loss; when I slam the door so hard the windows are still rattling, [also summer of 1990] help me to know that You still love me. When I lose my strong and beautiful mother because she gets an illness that is so rare that only 3 in one million in the U.S. get it [winter of 2004]; When my very first grandson dies before I hold him in my arms, [summer of 2010] help me to rest in the fact that You love me. And when we come out on the other side of heartache with a stronger understanding of Your great love, help us use that understanding to love people better. Everyone is going through something. Strengthen me, and all of us today, to lighten someone’s load just a little; Because You love me while I am most definitely unlovable.

More: Ephesians 3:14-21; Romans 8:31-39; Matthew 22:34-40

By Lynna Clark

Last week we rented the old John Wayne movie The Cowboys. Why you ask? What better way to celebrate 50 years together! In the year of our Lord, 1972 a very quiet guy in my high school took a chance and asked me to the movies. He had no idea that John Wayne was an icon in our home; the picture of all things tough and heroic. I guess the Lord saw to that small detail ahead of time. But even better, the next week he asked me to a Bible study. Not John Wayne… my new friend David. That night my life changed. It was the first time I understood why Jesus went to the cross. Suddenly it made sense. I could never measure up to God’s holiness, so He died in my place. OH! What a difference that single decision made.

Because a quiet young man stepped waaayyy out of his comfort zone and asked a feisty girl to a homemade Bible study, at least the next 50 years were changed.

I went home and spoke to my little sisters about Christ. One trusted Him right away; the other understood a few weeks later. Fast forward to the families of us three sisters. We each married men who love the Lord, raised three kids apiece to honor Him; they in turn are raising children to love Him as well. The ones who don’t have children yet are making a difference in the lives around them. Sure we have a few prodigals in the mix, of whom I am chief. The point is not to brag on our great family.

Lord knows that’s not the goal. We sure don’t want to invite the scrutiny that would bring. The moral of the story is to say, take a chance. Invite the stranger. Reach out to someone the Lord puts in your path. Who knows what ripple effect you could cause in the next fifty years.

Maybe even for eternity.