Freedom Day

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand Firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by the yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

As we celebrate Independence Day in America let us thank God for the true gift of freedom in a life dedicated to Christ. The moment we declare our dependence on our Savior we are freed from the bondage of Satan's grasp. That is truly our day of freedom and worthy of great celebration!

Your fellow herald for Christ,

 Mary

Bright Monday

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my Word and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).


What a bright Monday it is as we continue celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The grave could not hold Him as He passed over from physical death into eternal life. Our great hope as Christians is this truth—we will join our Passover Lamb in heaven one day. His death sealed our life and citizenship in His kingdom. What joy to know we who believe in Jesus are forgiven of our sins!

The world outside my window is filled with signs of new birth. Azaleas, geraniums and mandevilla adorn our yard. Soon the peonies, roses and hydrangeas will bloom. Baby birds excitedly chirp in the holly tree by our porch. Spring, with all its grandeur, is only a glimpse into the beauty the new Earth will reflect when Jesus returns to reign. Death used to grip me with fear, but no more. Jesus took away all my anxiety, and I cannot wait to cross over to see where He lives with His Father. Then I will be truly alive!

Let the peace of the Messiah fill your heart each day as you pray to Him. He will fill you with His love; for no one understands your pain better than Jesus. With such a bright future ahead of us, we can’t remain sad for long. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my Word and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

Check out this video depicting Christ's resurrection:

http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/vod/MW131v2_WS

Your fellow sojourner,

Mary

One at a Time

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).

Meandering around our front yard, I am still collecting remnants of fireworks from last week’s cul-de-sac celebration. The fourth of July was extra special this year not because of the festivities we shared with our neighbors, but because I realized how incredibly blessed we are in America beyond anything we deserve. God’s touch is everywhere.

In our household there are many things to be thankful for: my nephew’s safe return from his service in Iraq, our family’s good health, and the gift of employment to name a few. But it was more than these things. As I scanned the faces of the children dancing with sparklers as their fathers sent fireworks towards heaven while mothers snapped photos, I was touched by the diversity on our street. This is what so many have fought for, the freedom to be who we are even if it is very different from the folks beside us.

Most of us gathered that warm July night were not from Raleigh. We came from different states and countries with varying creeds and contrasting races. Yet we seek many common things like a better life for ourselves and our families. With all the social and economic challenges we are facing in America today we can still be grateful the Lord has allowed freedom to reign, even though so many have ignored God completely. Jesus has been merciful in our sinfulness as our nation fights this ever raging war to drown the voice of Christianity forever.

Sitting in the back of our pickup truck beside my husband that night, I felt a sense of urgency to pray for our country to turn our hearts and lives to Jesus. As a nation begins to fear and honor the Lord and submit to His authority, the people will be healed in their spirit. After all, what is a nation but a collection of individuals? God has revealed His love to America time and time again through His only Son Jesus Christ. While some have accepted this gift of salvation and restored fellowship with God, so many more are blinded.

My prayer for salvation is broad sweeping for our country, but God has convicted to me to stay on my knees and intercede for individuals. One-by-one a revolution can take place as spirits are cleansed and renewed by Jesus. We won’t desire to take up arms aimed at our enemies when that day comes. Instead, we’ll lift our hands to heaven with shouts of joy and praises for our long suffering King who prompted others to pray we’d become His child! Then we can declare with gladness, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).

Your fellow sojourner,

Mary

Good Tidings!

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

Wishing you a joyful Christmas celebration! Take time to remember the reason for the season.

Your fellow sojourner,

Mary

Continually Blessed

“May the Lord continually bless you with heaven’s blessings as well as with human joys” (Psalm 128:5).

NOTE: This photo was taken on September 5, 2009 in Hanging Rock State Park, NC by Jon's oldest daughter.
On September 7th Jon and I will celebrate seven years of marriage. Each year the anniversary carries a deeper meaning as we reflect on God’s providence. It’s a time of anticipation of what lies ahead, as we see how far God’s grace has carried us through the seasons. Hardship and happiness all roll into one beautiful tapestry that our Creator is designing. God’s blessings continue to amaze us as we acknowledge this marriage takes three of us to succeed.

You see, I was a bride before I met Jon. That Man was my first love, and it’s critical that I run to Him daily for wholeness, guidance and mercy. He’s selfless. In fact, He longs to be shared! This Man prepared Jon and me to be good to each other, long before we met. It brings Him great joy to see our human relationships flourish. He is eager to help. What a miracle it is that loving two men can create such harmony in my life.

This can only happen because Jesus is no ordinary man. He is the incarnation of God the Father, fully man and fully divine. Every year I celebrate the anniversary of our union in November. It is no less precious to me than my September wedding day shared with Jon. What a beautiful example of heaven’s blessings and human joys working in unison! Both involve trust, love and a life-long commitment to discovery. We never stop learning about each other, and finding new ways to grow closer.

Being saved while I was single was a great gift. God had my undivided attention, and could shape my heart for the mission He had planned for me. He taught me how to pray for the qualities a godly husband should have, and gave me discernment in my dating relationships. Until I gave Jesus control over the choice of my future mate, my selections were always second rate. Any joy I felt was superficial and fleeting. He filled my empty soul, and satisfied my deepest longing for acceptance. This took the pressure off of any human man to eradicate the hunger in me that only God can fulfill.

While life will always contain a compilation of experiences, earthly pleasures are short-lived. However, the blessings derived from our unity in Christ are eternal. As much as Jon and I love each other, we cannot guarantee we will always be there for one another. Humans disappoint. Death claims all of us one day, leaving loved ones behind. God is the one Person who never abandons us. This truth brings me such comfort! It is just one of the many constant blessings the Lord bestows on believers. Heavenly bliss is truly everlasting.

Celebrating the sacredness of my marriage to Jon is always overshadowed by the realization that I belong to Jesus too. No matter what our situation—single, married, divorced, widowed, there is a greater love available to each of us. All we need to do is R.S.V.P. with a resounding “yes!” to the wedding feast our King invites us to attend. Don’t delay your reply; won’t you join Him at the table reserved for His family members? Come celebrate this eternal anniversary with your Savior. “May the Lord continually bless you with heaven’s blessings as well as with human joys” (Psalm 128:5).
Your fellow sojourner,

Mary

The Newest Family Member

Previously posted on my web site http://extravagantlife.net/site/ in February 2009. Copyright Mary Singer Wick 2009.

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:17).

On January 12, 2009 a new member of our earthly family made his grand entrance into our lives, and we’ve been celebrating ever since. That day afforded me an extra blessing when my sister-in-law virtually invited me into the delivery room with a text message from her Blackberry to my cell phone. We all knew my niece, and her husband, had gone to the hospital that morning, but I never expected to know the exact time she was pushing her firstborn into the world. Please indulge me as I share that special day.

It might help you to understand a few things about me before I recap this story. First, I’m not very technically savvy. In fact, I’m still figuring out how to use my cell phone having switched from a land-line last May! I didn’t know how to compose and send a text message, let alone reply to one. But on that sunny January day, I quickly learned that the desperation one feels to communicate can be a great motivator!

The second thing you might want to know about me is that I love my family very much. What happens to them (good or bad) also affects me; our lives are very much intertwined. Perhaps you’re like me, very involved with the lives of those you love whether family or friends; experiencing life on a deep emotional level. Have you ever viewed God this way? If not, I believe you’re missing out on a great blessing. Here’s how He touched my life that day.

As I strolled through our neighborhood that winter afternoon, my walk was interrupted by the buzz of an incoming text message on my phone. Lifting it out of my coat pocket, I selected the “view text” option, and read these words from my sister-in-law who was in the delivery room, “She’s at 10 centimeters and she’s pushing!” Frozen in my tracks (I can’t walk and text at the same time!) my hands were shaking, and I was crying, as I fumbled for the reply button; wondering what to type in response. I’ve never given birth, nor have I witnessed one (T.V. doesn’t count). Would humor serve my niece best, or do I say something profound? Help me, Father! I don’t even know how to type on this phone!

God is so good. He immediately cleared my jumbled mind, and helped me send my first-ever text message. Caught up in the gravity of the moment all I could say was, “Tell her I love her, and that I’m praying for her.” After I pushed the send button, anxiously waiting a reply once the baby was born, I slipped the phone back into my pocket; continuing to walk and cry. Thank goodness for sunglasses!

Traveling in the direction of home, I found myself imagining the scene in the delivery room, and began to pray. So many emotions were flowing out of my heart in those moments. I felt, in some small way, I was partaking in my niece’s journey into motherhood as if I was standing beside her. She was about to experience something I never had, and this time I would learn from her. As I praised God for this precious gift, and asked Him to surround my loved ones in that hospital room, I tenderly felt Him surrounding me with these profound words, “Mary, as excited as you are about the addition of this new life into your family, think about how fervently heaven celebrates the welcoming of each new member into my family who believes in my Son as their Savior?”

Wow! I love when God takes an every day event and reveals His word to me at the same time. Within seconds this Scripture came to mind, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:17).

How beautiful is the Father’s heart that rejoices over our physical births. But it doesn’t end there. His greatest joy is over our spiritual rebirth through faith in His perfect Son, Jesus Christ. I’m so glad God reminded me that He loves to welcome new members into His family too.

Your fellow sojourner,

Mary

The Year of Jubilee

“Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields” (Leviticus 25:10-12).

The last twelve months I have been celebrating my jubilee year. The irony is this has not been a year of rest where I feasted off of the surplus from the forty-ninth year’s crops. My fiftieth year has been a time of sowing and fertilizing the soil for the harvest to come; one I won’t see until eternity. Many nights I battle exhaustion as I complete one more task before shutting down my computer. My mind, however, does not turn off so easily. Could I be mistaken? Am I not listening to God? Should I cease all work and take a year-long vacation? On the contrary, it seems the work I need to retreat from is that of my own conjuring, not what God has commissioned!

Although my jubilee year has been riddled with challenges and struggles, my walk with Jesus is growing more intertwined; I cannot function at a peak level without Him. It would be so nice to say the transition from my full-time corporate job into a full-time writing and speaking ministry has been seamless and swift. Instead, it is a slow arduous process. For now, God requires me to tend many fields as He simultaneously prunes me into a more glorious display of His majesty. My challenge has been to celebrate during this plowing and planting season while I patiently wait for the blooms to appear.

Recapping the blessings of the year, I find there are many reasons to throw a party. First, my book, “My Heart’s Desire: A Journey Toward Finding Extravagant Love” became an Amazon #1 bestseller in late April. I praise God every time a reader shares with me how this story has encouraged them! Other reasons to celebrate emphasis the gift of health I enjoy; one I did not always have. Honestly, I love being fifty. It’s full of surprises. People’s expectations lower when they learn I am half a century old. No one ever said to me at twenty-five, “Wow, you look really good for your age.” At twenty-five we are all supposed to look good! Any compliment at fifty seems to instantly propel me into a class of over achievers; a category I never expected to be in.

Fifty is a well-blended age. I am old enough to have survived life’s hardest trials, and young enough to put to good use the lessons acquired from them. There is a confidence I have now that in my youth I lacked. This is not of my own striving; it comes from something greater than my experiences. It is a benefit of having spent nearly nine years in a close relationship with my Savior, Jesus, and having Him walk beside me through the fires. There is peace in the knowledge that I am deeply loved and accepted by God, and I am never alone. This gives me courage to keep going when the road I am treading is filled with dark corners, large boulders blocking my path, and an uphill winding bent. There is little time to catch my breath, but a day of rest awaits me along with a picturesque view from the mountain top.

This was a year of gathering in close to my own clan, of looking back at my earthly roots while preparing for a future banquet with spiritual siblings. Although fifty was not a year of physical rest, I do not believe it was supposed to be. Instead, the Father intends for me to feed daily on the produce from His hands, not my own. He has placed me behind the plow of a computer to spread words of hope in my writing, but the Holy Spirit is the true power behind the work. As I seek His counsel, I am well nourished and equipped to share the Lord’s bounty with others. This is a time of spiritual rest and renewal. I am not reaping from what I grew myself, but from the fruit that springs forth out of the vine that gets its subsistence from the Divine Creator. You know what? God’s food is always the most succulent variety available! To go with another supplier of my daily seed would only invite blight upon my crop.

As I reflect on this milestone year, I realize that my life should be a continuous jubilee. There is no leave of absence from working in heavenly fields. My jubilation has nothing to do with turning fifty but everything to do with being God’s daughter. Whatever our age, as God’s redeemed children we can continuously rejoice in the holy work He has ordained for each of us. Let us learn to worship as co-laborers alongside Christ who gives life to all who plant their roots in the fertile soil of His love! “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields” (Leviticus 25:10-12).

Your fellow sojourner,

Mary