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The Real Deal

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

Today, people are talking about the death of Dolly Parton and her impact on the world around us. There is no getting around it–she was the whole package. Someone who was a wonderful songwriter, a poet, a singer, an actor, and full of faith. She made the world better just by being in it!

But today, I want to honor another woman who passed from this life into eternal life on the same day. She had a great influence on everyone who came within her realm. There are not enough words for me to explain the example she was to me and many others. I met her at church shortly before my husband and I married. She quickly took me under her wings like she did for so many of the younger women in our church. She was certainly a mentor to many of us. She was one of the kindest and wisest women I have had the privilege of knowing.

She was famous in our circles for her hospitality. Her home was always open, and the kitchen was always busy. She made a peach cobbler that was one of the most popular desserts at the many potlucks our church had. She hosted Bible studies and home teams up until a year before her health became challenging.

Not only was she someone who made people feel at home, she wasn’t afraid to open her home to others. Whether it was a place to stay overnight or longer, she didn’t hesitate to share her resources with others. She heard of a family who lived far away in Missouri who needed a place to stay while their child was treated at Children’s Hospital. She issued the invitation for them to come and they did, along with the multiple children they homeschooled. For several years they made the trek to Janice’s home while their daughter received treatment. Now they are family. Missionaries, homeless, heartbroken, and more–she mothered them, prayed for them, and blessed them.

Janice was also one of the original coupon clipping queens. From the time I first knew her she shared her coupon savings with others. Back when coupons were still printed, she would seek out the best deals and rebates out there. She could make her household money go farther than anyone I know. Plus she made nutritious, healthy meals. Her ham and beans were the best I have ever had. I suspect even if money had not been tight, she still would have found it a challenge to get the best value for her money! Originally from Kentucky, one weekend I and another friend went to the 100 mile garage sale with her. We laughed so hard and found some of the best bargains ever. When we ate at a restaurant and then went to sit in the rockers on the porch (not Cracker Barrel), the manager joined us and Janice had his whole life story and talked to him about Jesus before we left.

Next to my dad, I have never known anyone who loved babies so much! She was a baby whisperer and perfected the football hold. It never failed to put my children to sleep. She was a huge advocate for breast feeding and active in the LaLecha league, mentoring many young mothers and encouraging them. When her daughter was in the hospital having her baby, her nurse told her all about the amazing woman who mentored her when she had her first child. Turns out it was her mother!

She loved others like Jesus loved. No matter where you came from or how you acted, her love was genuine and you knew it. Life was not always easy, with circumstances that were challenging on occasion, but she never let that stop her from loving others.

She saw challenges as opportunities instead of obstacles. When her young daughter was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, she advocated for her, learned how to give insulin shots, and adapted her cooking to be healthy for a diabetic. When her husband was misdiagnosed with depression and his whole personality changed, she prayed, stayed patient, and gave it to God. When he was correctly diagnosed with a brain tumor, the whole family followed her lead and supported him and prayed for him. For 17 years he battled one tumor after another until the Lord called him home. During the times of job loss, frustration, and treatments, she remained faithful to God and continued to praise him for his goodness. When other people might walk away, she remained faithful to her calling as a wife, a mother, and a friend.

She and her husband started a business after they found out about the tumor. Doing accounting and taxes, she worked hard to make sure her family had income to sustain them. She always gave thanks to God for meeting their needs during lean times. She and her husband adopted the verse in Joel 2:25-26, as their life verse. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you;”

I could go on and on about Janice. Her humility, kindness, hospitality, and love for Jesus defined her. The last time I was able to talk with her before she died, she told me, “I want to go home.” Now after a life well-lived, she is there. I cannot imagine a more fitting reward for her than sitting at the banquet table with Jesus. Goodbye for now and I will see you at the table.

All Fall Down

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

While I do not see children playing this game now, when I was a child we played Ring Around the Rosie. The poem went like this: “Ring around the rosies; Pockets full of posies; Ashes, ashes, all fall down!”

When we got to the end, we would all fall down on the ground and then get up laughing. While some attribute this to a macabre ritual from the Bubonic plague days, in actuality there is evidence that it dates back to more playful origins in Europe. Needless to say, when we recited this as children we were not thinking about any plagues!

I have taken a lot of falls in my life–both figuratively and literally. There have been sprained ankles, broken elbows, paint chips embedded in my forehead when I fell and hit the corner of a wall, and more. But the falls that you cannot see are probably the ones that have left the most marks on me. The failure to meet someone’s expectations, the breaking of a promise, the crashing of a ministry I loved, and more, litter my life. Some of the falls were a result of my own carelessness and others were things out of my control.

There is a magnet I keep on my refrigerator. It reads: “You fall, you rise, you make mistakes, you live, you learn. You’re human, not perfect. You’ve been hurt, but not destroyed. Think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, and to pursue the things you love. Sometimes there is sadness in our journey, but there is also much joy. We must keep putting one foot in front of the other even when we hurt, for we never know what blessings are waiting just around the bend.” –Anonymous

When we fall we have choices of how we respond. Do we learn valuable lessons? Do we dust ourselves off and move on? Do we allow someone to help and lift us up? Or, do we stay on the ground and wallow endlessly in the pain? Do we blame everyone else for our fall, sometimes neglecting to see our role in it?

We all fall. After all, we live in a fallen world–one that was perfect until Satan entered the picture. But we do not need to wallow in the fall. God has given us everything we need to rise up and overcome the hurts, the disappointments, and the agony of falling.

Micah 7:8 says, “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” In Psalm 37:24 we are reminded that God holds our hands even though we fall. “Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

We all fall. But the Lord will help lift us up so that we can continue on our journey and grow closer to him.

More verses to reassure us that God has us when we falter and fall. Psalm. 37:4; 2 Corininthians 4:8-9; Proverbs 24:16; Isaiah 43:2

Beckoning Me

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

It sat on my kitchen table. All alone. With only a pen and highlighter to keep it company. You see, I had gotten away from using it every day. Distractions. Busyness. Neglect kept me company even as I glanced at what was beckoning me with every look, every glance, as I passed that way.

Then I found that I could no longer ignore it. As I walked by, I almost physically heard it calling to me.; bidding me to just take that step and open it.

Finally, one day I sat down and it felt like I was spending time with an old friend. Strength and wisdom flowed. Encouragement and admonishment both spoke to me as I continued to peruse the pages. And each time I listened to its beckoning it satisfied me down to my very soul.

You see, I had let myself get away from daily time spent in God’s Word. Oh, I was still going to church, still participating in my small group, but I had neglected to really seek out the word of God on a daily basis. It had become a hit or miss time in my day.

Have you been there? Has it become easy to let the habit of studying God’s word drift away? I allowed myself to become distracted by the busyness of life and the siren call of social media–too distracted.

But what I have found since I have been back to opening my Bible every day and studying through the book of Psalms, is God has been speaking to me more. He whispers his love and encouragement into my life more. He helps me praise him more, seek him more, petition him more, and be thankful to him more. Those were all the things I neglected along with neglecting to spend that quiet time with him.

I am glad he beckoned me, almost cajoled me, to stop walking by and listen to his call.

What about you? Are you spending your day setting aside time to immerse yourself in his word? Or are you just walking by when he beckons you? Are you ignoring the good things he has in store for you?

I am beckoning you, with an outstretched arm and an earnest look, to hear the call. Stop the busyness. Stop the excuses. Just listen to the call and open the Word of God.

Psalm 119:130 “Understanding your word brings light to the minds of ordinary people.” (CEV)

Hebrews 4:12 “God’s word is alive and powerful! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts.” (CEV)

Food and Friendships

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

In the past few weeks I have had meals with some of my closest friends, some of my long-time see-you-every-once-in-a-while friends, family, and church friends. There is something about gathering over food that develops into more than eating–it becomes a way to connect with people and share life with them.

In all honesty, it doesn’t matter if we are eating hot dogs and beans at home, or a great steak in a restaurant; the important thing is we are sharing together. We have discussed families, memories, good times and hard times. Some of us have hit upon those dreaded topics of politics and religion–civilly, even when we may disagree. We laugh together, cry together, rehash stories we have told over and over again through the years, and just share. With many of my friends, we talk about Jesus.

Jesus shared meals with people, and in doing so we see some more facets of who Jesus is. In Luke 19, he told (didn’t really ask) Zacchaeus that he was going to his home. The fact that he went to the home of a tax collector was not unnoted. I am sure people who knew Jesus were astounded that he would have anything to do with a Zacchaeus (but maybe not his disciple, Levi).

Jesus shared meals with Lazarus and his family–sisters Martha and Mary. While Mary saw the value of sitting at Jesus’ feet, Martha was more concerned with preparing the meal. Having prepared many meals for company during my lifetime, I can certainly identify with Martha! We also see a time when Mary anointed his feet with perfume and wiped them with her hair. Sometimes meals lead to amazing actions.

Photo by Linda Wallace

Jesus shared meals with Pharisees. They may have had their own agendas in inviting Jesus, but he certainly used those opportunities to ask his own questions, share his own stories, and even show compassion to others. This was shown when a sinful woman entered the Pharisee’s house, only to anoint Jesus’ feet with rich perfume, much to the dismay of his host. She washed his feet with her tears and her hair. This was the ultimate submission, and took place where Jesus had come to dine.

Meals with friends, meals with sinners, meals with self-righteous Pharisees, a meal for 5,000–Jesus used all of them as opportunities to teach, to show compassion, and to fellowship with others.

Amazing things can come of sharing meals together. In my own life I have found that it is a time to catch up with long-time friends, a time to make new friends, and a time to have some meaningful conversations. I am not positive that there will be a banquet in heaven, but some scriptures allude toward it (Isaiah 25:6, Matt 8:11, Rev, 3:20). So when I get to heaven, I look forward to sitting at a banquet table and having a meal with Jesus. I eagerly await that day!

The Christmas Cactus

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

My mom had a Christmas Cactus that was prolific when she was alive. After her death, my sister inherited it. And goodness, that plant  has continued to thrive. She has given so many people a start from it. I have one and I have started at least five more from what I have. This cactus, with lots of love and care, has thrived and multiplied many times over the years.

However, I noticed that my plant was starting to look a little peaked and not as healthy as it was. My sister suggested that it was probably root bound and needed to be transplanted to a larger pot. She noted that I would need to take it out, gently shake off as much dirt as possible, and lightly trim the roots before repotting. I would need the proper drainage, so I needed sand in the bottom of the pot and cactus soil over that.

As I was in the process of trimming and repotting, I thought about how similar this was to the way the Lord works in our lives. Occasionally in our Christian walk we grow peaked. We are not thriving, growing, and multiplying.

Sometimes God needs to repot us by shaking up our environment, cleaning our roots, and depositing us in a place where we will thrive and grow. The process may be a little different for each of us, but the fact is God is a master gardener and knows exactly what we need to become the healthiest person we can be.

John 15:1-4: “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit. You have been made clean already by the teaching I have given you.Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can do so only if it remains in the vine. In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.” (GNT)

Modern Day Dilemmas

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

Recently, I experienced a full two days of not having internet access at my home. It was an interesting time to say the least. It is hard to realize how dependent we have become on technology, until we no longer have it! No internet meant no computer internet access, no Alexa, no television streaming, no telling my RoboVac Bradley to clean.

It is kind of sad that I have become so used to these amenities that I no longer appreciate them like I should. I take them for granted and when they disappear I am made acutely aware of how heavily I rely on my modern day conveniences. Luckily, I enjoy reading or doing crafts so while I was home I did that. But I did miss my internet access.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

It would seem that while technology is great for us, in becoming dependent on it we have lost some very precious gifts. I only need to look around at an event or in a restaurant and I see people constantly looking at their phones. Research has shown that excessive screen time creates additional anxiety and depression, interferes with our social skills, and disturbs our sleep patterns–just for starters. For teens, cell phone usage becomes a minefield, especially if the teen is portrayed negatively by peers on Instagram, TikTok, and SnapChat. Suicide rates have rocketed and I believe some of that can be attributed to cell phone usage without being judicious about what you are reading.

In the past, societies built relationships with one another by spending time together, working alongside of each other, and having immediate and extended families in a somewhat close proximity. Today when I watch families together, many of them are sitting in the restaurant with their phones out. Instead of talking with one another across the table, they frequently text instead. I confess it is refreshing when I see a family who has their cell phones put away during a meal together (including Mom and Dad!).

So as Christians how does this impact the church? It is great being able to use technology to communicate with church members and visitors alike. There is no doubt that during the Covid epidemic, churches keeping in touch by using technology and streaming their services live, was a huge blessing. Unfortunately many churches never reached their pre-covid attendance when things started going back to normal (whatever normal is!). Luckily my church not only did that, but we also have been having a very healthy church growth spurt.

The fact that we are raising generations to depend on technology is kind of frightening. Many newer homes are built as “smart” homes, with locks that are voice activated, and lights that come on automatically when programmed. Even stoves and ovens can be programmed with cook times and temperatures now.

But this is the thing. God made us to be relational people. He created Adam in order to have a relationship with him and then created Eve so that Adam would have companionship. Mankind has been shown to be relational through the generations. Sometimes those relations have been good, and occasionally bad once sin entered the world, but the fact is they are important.

It amazes me for all the technology in the world, you still have to be connected to something that drives the technology in order to communicate via cell phone, computer, or tablet. There must be a power source.

It just reminds me that our power source is God. By his death, Jesus tore the veil of the temple and became our high priest. He made it possible for us to come into the presence of God through our worship, prayer, and praise. We can be connected to God by prayer, not by anything electronic, but by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

So when I am surrounded by people who are attached to the phones like it is another appendage, I am grateful that I have a relationship that is not dependent upon technology, but rather upon truly fostering one-on-one relationships, and most of all, a relationship with God.

The Lord Is Good to All

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

It has been a while since I have written in my blog. I could make excuses and say it is because I have been super busy, or traveling, or working. But the fact is I have been struggling just to keep my head above water. Have you ever been there?

This year has been filled with multiple health challenges for me and it is starting to take a toll on how I think, what I do, and what I don’t do. So many of my plans and goals for this year have taken a back seat to dealing with physical issues. Since the end of February, I have had ER visits, a hospitalization, CT scans, tests, a biopsy and multiple x-rays—all of it is more than I care to think about. Some of the things were serious bumps in the road, and others just little annoyances. I feel like my life has been consumed by them and I am just now starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, my blog has taken a back seat.

But the thing is, I have learned some valuable lessons along the way. The first one I knew–God is in control and he is good–but I had it reiterated over and over again. No matter how much we think we have it all together, life sometimes gives us curve balls, and the one constant is God. Putting your trust in God during scary diagnoses and unknown territory isn’t always easy—but it is always worth it.

The next thing I learned (and really have always known) is that support of family and friends is important. Although my son did tell me if he was going to be taking me to the ER all the time, I would need to move closer to him, he was willing to go the extra mile for me. My daughter sat with me while talking to the doctor about a potential negative diagnosis (luckily, while it is something rare, it is not life-threatening and didn’t involve chemo!). A good friend has taken me to Urgent Care more than once, and I am extremely grateful that God has put her in my life.

I also learned that I need to take better control of my health. Last year I was able to go off my diabetic medications which is a win, but this year I need to eat even healthier and exercise more! Sounds like a new year resolution, doesn’t it? But seriously, I think God expects us to use common sense and avail ourselves of the resources he gives us.

Like many people with chronic illness, it is easy to dwell on my problems, rather than my blessings. I have always known that if you think more about God and others, and less about yourself, your outlook changes for the better.

So, I think I am on the upswing here, and hopefully, you will see more frequent posts from me in the future. And they won’t involve all of my physical complaints, but instead will focus on how good the Lord is! He truly is, isn’t he?

The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9

Keeping It Real

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

Last night in our home team we shared about what it means to pray “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Wow. Did that ever generate some conversation. That is the thing I love about our home team; as a leader all I need to do is guide the conversation a little and they take it and go.

We discussed the great debt we owe God for sending Christ to shed his blood for us. We talked about the amazing grace that covers our sins. And we talked about forgiving others–not so easy to do when you have suffered abuse, lies, and deceit at the hands of others.

We talked about the amazing, freeing power that becomes ours when we are able to offer forgiveness to others, even if they don’t acknowledge the depth of wrong done to us. There is just something about those two words, “I forgive” or “forgive me” that have the power to change our lives.

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash

After I came home from our study last night, I dwelled on our discussion and realized how much this group of Christians means to me. Being with them is like coming home. They come from all walks of life–different families, different personalities, different ways of life–but they all have Jesus in common. Some of them have learned lessons the hard way, some have walked roads that have been filled with heartache and sorrow, or some have been flat on their backs with nowhere to look but up–but we all have been touched profoundly by the love of God.

We all recognize we are sinners. We all recognize the wonderful gift of forgiveness. We all walk in God’s grace on a daily basis. We certainly are a far cry from perfect (although I think there may be one or two who are close!) .

Yep, I love these brothers and sisters who have shared their vulnerabilities, their joys, their challenges, and their lives with one another. I love that we get real with one another and can be honest and open without judgment. I love that we share our joys and our sorrows. I love that we are building relationships that will last an eternity.

What about you? Have you found your tribe? That group of people who know they are living under God’s grace and want others to have the same thing? If you haven’t I challenge you to find the Christians you can get real with–the ones who will love you even when you mess up (and you will). Find the Christians who have a hunger and thirst for the living God. Because I guarantee when you do, you will feel like you are home.

My Independence Day

/ Linda DeLay Wallace / Leave a comment

It has been a while since I wrote this, but it is still true today.

Linda DeLay Wallace's avatarOrdinary People Extraordinary God

Today we celebrate America’s Independence Day with picnics, food, time with family, and fireworks. A multitude of people celebrate without recognizing the great sacrifices that were made in order to gain autonomy from Great Britain. We need to remember the lives that were given, the homes that were burned, and the families that were forever changed when America made her bid for independence.

Photo byWeston MacKinnononUnsplash

While I love July 4th, today I want to talk about my own personal Independence Day. It is a day I still remember vividly even though it was many years ago. I came from a good home, but not a home where we learned about Jesus and made faith a foundation. My life changed when a neighbor volunteered to send me to church camp. I had absolutely no idea what church camp was, nor did I understand why I was chosen…

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