Thoughts Ordinary People Think

Loose Thoughts

2011-08-27T22:08:00.001-04:00

Do you know the saying - "the children will lead them?" Well, this happened to me recently. My daughter, whose 11 years old, wanted to raise money for a group called "Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade" (BGMC). She was so "gun ho" about raising money to help missionaries around the world. I was so pleased and proud that she had "caught a vision." She began rummaging around the house for loose coins and fumbled around in the couch cushions. She asked her dad if she could have his loose change in his jar on his dresser. He encouraged her to get all the coins out of the cars. She was able to get around $54, just in change. Wow! I didn't realize how much money was just hanging around. It was a week or two later when I informed Elizabeth that we were going to have a big yard sale. She was so excited! She asked me if she could raise more money for BGMC by putting things in the garage sale that belonged to her. I said sure, that she could. The game was on!!!! My neighbor got in on the action and put some of her things into the sale as well. Some of the other neighbors donated more items for the yard sale, too. Elizabeth thought that only the things she put in the sale would go to BGMC. Little did she know that everything raised at the sale was going to be turned into BGMC too. The day of the sale, Elizabeth was so excited! She even set up a lemonade stand and sold lemonade. After the sale was over, we added up the money. The total amount came to over $300.00.

I didn't think we were going to raise that much money, I was surprised. I thought to myself, "You didn't tell Elizabeth that all of the Yard Sale money was going to go to BGMC; you could still keep that money for yourself." When Satan comes against your mind with wrong thoughts, you don’t have to concede defeat. It says in Eph. 4:20-24 "That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Take those loose thoughts and test them with the belt of truth buckled around your waist and with the breastplate of righteousness in place. (Eph. 6:14) As I began to mull over this idea in my mind, the idea felt OK, at first. I wasn't doing anything wrong - I was still giving money to missions - Elizabeth could say she gave all of the money she raised. Many hours passed and I began to feel the pangs of the Holy Spirit in my gut. The wonderful conviction of the Holy Spirit began to infiltrate my mind with His wonderful truth. Immediately, I conceded and allowed the cleansing oil to pour into my thinking. Soon, I felt excited that all the money was going to missions. God replaced my carnal thoughts with thoughts of cheerfulness and love for God. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can infiltrate the flesh like that. Through practice, we all can allow the work of the Holy Spirit to take over our loose thoughts and let His light shine through!

A Work in Process

2011-07-07T22:16:00.002-04:00

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12,13

As a teacher, I have often thought of the long laborious struggle teachers go through to prepare new curriculum. The first year's preparation is very intense and you tend to make many mistakes upon delivery of your instruction. A good teacher, though, will look over the material the following year and decide what to keep that you did well and what to change. Through this process, you begin to constantly evolve your thoughts and ideas to develop and enhance your skills and preparation of the curriculum. New methods form and your delivery is stronger and better the next year. This process is critical if you want to see growth in your students. It not only benefits your students but it benefits you as well.

So it is with our spiritual walk with the Lord. The Lord is giving us new curriculum to learn and develop in our daily life. This curriculum He is teaching us to use and to teach others is a laborious struggle. We work and evolve our thinking so that eventually we will be able to align ourselves with His plan. The first year and for many ongoing years, we tend to make mistakes, we adjust, we try again, we learn and make the necessary changes. We are a work in progress. It is God who works in us to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.

Too often I beat myself over the head saying, "I am not good enough." I think I am my worst enemy. God is telling me that I must work out my salvation with fear and trembling. God isn't saying to me, "You are bad, you made a mistake, you will never learn." God is my greatest cheerleader, He says, as a good teacher would, "Let's evaluate what worked well, what do you need to change, readjust and make this change, great job, keep going, I am so proud of you, I know the intent of your heart." Let God reveal to you His love for you, allow yourself to reframe your thinking, and let go of your preconceived ideas.

⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
   and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:6-9

Praise Him, Praise Him

2011-03-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Psalms 34:1 says, "I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises." Ponder this psalm for very long time and you will not be able to think of a single negative aspect of life. Your current circumstances will just melt away. As you praise the Lord and constantly speak his praises, your focus shifts. Just try it for a moment, then try it for a minute. Imagine praising God for just five minutes. I'm sitting in my kitchen, drinking ice tea, and I begin thinking "God I praise you for being with me always, you are my light in a dark world, you help me when I need help. I am pausing now, because I want to just thank God for many things, but the verse said to praise God constantly. I begin again-Lord, you are my king, you are my healer, I praise you because you are my King, my Savior, a living, active God, you wait for me, you live in me, your my teacher, my prayer partner, my intercessor... I raise my hands up to you in adoration! I am stopping now - you should get the picture. Take heart, let yourself indulge in giving God the praise. No matter your circumstances, praise the Lord. Praise Him in the morning, praise Him in the afternoon, praise Him in the evening - all day and all night. The results were very evident for me when I began praising the Lord. I no longer worried about me, I focused on God. I sensed His presence and He showed me that greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.

Wise Training

2011-01-20T21:03:00.000-05:00

I have been reading a great book recently and thought this quote was very practical and helped me personally with my crazy, busy, on the go life. "Our primary task is not to calculate how many verses of Scripture we read or how many minutes we spend in prayer. Our task is to use these activities to create opportunities for God to work. Then what happens is up to Him. We just put up sails: 'The wind blows where it chooses....' Wise training respects our unique temperament and gifts. There is good news here: Whatever your natural temperament may be, it is not a barrier to your spiritual growth." Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg

New Year Blessings

2010-12-27T22:13:00.000-05:00

I recall a passage in Philippians about being content in all situations, whether you are going through trials, of which Paul was in prison during the writing of this book, or whether you are living favorably and comfortable. If struggles are upon me or I am on a mountain top, I am striving to live a life of contentment in my relationship with Jesus. My circumstances may not be what I expected or desire, but my relationship with Jesus is solid. What does this have to do with New Year Blessings, well, anyone can receive blessings from God regardless of their circumstances. The prophet Isaiah said in chapter 61:1-4 that the Spirit of the Lord is upon me - He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and open the prison to those who are bound - through all of this we are to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor! No matter what situation you find yourself in, we can be conquerers. Isaiah also said that when you find those around you who mourn or are sad we are to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes; the oil of gladness instead of mourning; the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. When we do this, then we can be called oaks of righteousness- imagine, OAKS that God plants so He can display His glory. Wow! This is powerful stuff.

Let me share an experience I had with a very good friend of mine. She was struggling with some issues in her home and needed someone to, as my sister says, vomit upon. (This sounds gross, but it illustrates the ugliness we carry inside sometimes and just need a listening year to get it out of our system.) So, my job that evening was to just listen. For about two hours, I listened, she talked. She shared her struggles, her circumstances that she was going through. She was emotionally and physically drained and I was her outlet for two hours, no kids, just us and God. When she finished, I simply said, now let's turn this frustration of life and put on a garment of praise. I told her to find as many things about her situation that she could find good in and then praise God for them. So, she started with all the good things about her family, job, home life, until it just started to pour out of her. She was given the oil of gladness and the garment of praise. God was beginning to plant in her the roots of an almighty oak so He could display His glory. Ask yourself, what is your perspective on this new year ahead? Are you ready to allow the burdens of life to be released and live a life that is full of the garment of praise and an oil of gladness. When you do, God takes root! I have been thinking about this hymn lately and cannot shake it off - "Showers of Blessing, Showers of Blessing we need, mercy drops around us are falling, but for the showers we plead."

Alike or Different

2010-11-22T21:18:00.005-05:00

Conversing with a colleague at work, the question arose, "Are all religions alike?" The argument was, "Are you saying that you believe that your religion is the only one that leads to heaven?" I could see the wheels spinning as I began to explain. First of all, the answer is no, all religions are not alike. They are not the same. Buddhist, Hindus, Islam, etc., to name a few, believe differently about heaven or eternal life, as well as other doctrines.
Here is a quick overview of just three of the big religious beliefs about eternal life (note: all of them were defined by this web site - Religious Tolerance (http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm)

Buddhism teaches that humans are trapped in a repetitive cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Each successive rebirth may be into a better, a worse life, or a similar life, depending upon the person's Karma -- the sins and merits that have accumulated during their present and previous lives. One's goal is to escape from this cycle and reach Nirvana. Once this is attained, the mind experiences complete freedom, liberation and non-attachment. Suffering ends because desire and craving -- the causes of suffering -- are no more.

Hindus believe in the repetitious Transmigration of the Soul. This is the transfer of one's soul after death into another body. This produces a continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth through their many lifetimes. It is called samsara. Karma is the accumulated sum of ones good and bad deeds. Karma determines how you will live your next life. Through pure acts, thoughts and devotion, one can be reborn at a higher level. Eventually, one can escape samsara and achieve enlightenment. Bad deeds can cause a person to be reborn as a lower level, or even as an animal. The unequal distribution of wealth, prestige, suffering are thus seen as natural consequences for one's previous acts, both in this life and in previous lives.

Islam believes once they reach puberty, his/her account of deeds is opened in Paradise. To attain paradise, at death, their good deeds (helping others, testifying to the truth of God, leading a virtuous life)... must outweigh their evil deeds.

I just have one question about all this: How are all religions the same and how can we believe the same things? Can we all live eternally believing in no absolute truth? There is much fallacy in thinking truth is what you make of it. How can a person believe in the truth of the Bible and also believe in the truth of Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism if they contradict each other?

A Religious Tolerance website states "they believe that the systems of truth that we have studied on the topics of morals, ethics, and religious belief are often considered absolute within various religions and secular belief systems. However, they are obviously relative because they vary greatly from one culture, religion, and time to another." Even from their perspective, not all religions believe the same truth.

Christians (though that word is used liberally in our society, so I will say people who believe the Bible is truth), cannot make it to heaven by just being good. It says in Titus 3:5 - "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us..." and in Eph. 2:8 - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - 'not by works, so that no one can boast.'" God gave us the gift of His son, Jesus Christ, to bring salvation to the sinner. We all have sinned, according to the Bible, so to me, it means everyone can receive God's gift of mercy simply by believing that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life to receive eternal life.
Now back to our question - Can all religions lead to heaven? If I believe the truth about the Bible, which I do, then the answer is no. Does this mean I am intolerant of other people's beliefs? No, it just means that we do not believe the same things. Everyone has a choice of beliefs and I believe the only way to heaven is through believing that Jesus is God's son. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. As you can see, this is not the same belief as Islam, Buddhist, or Hindus. Please don't call "Christians" closed minded. No, we do not believe the same, but one thing we do believe and that is to love each other as Christ loved us and this I will strive to do.

I Love Him!

2010-09-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

I was just thinking about my love for God. The other day I was having a conversation with a friend and we began to talk about Jesus. We shared the usual, we loved God, how good He is to us, how vast and wonderful His creation is and just "the I love God, He loves me" stuff. I never really questioned His love for me, but my love for Him, how did I know I really loved Him? I remember recently talking to a young girl about what Jesus means to me. The intimate times I had in deep discussions with God. I would pour out my heart to Him and I knew He heard me. Praying, praising, weeping, expressing worry and anxiety, sharing my inner most thoughts and frustrations, asking for healing, thanking Him for many things, worshipping, questioning, and the list goes on. It was not until I shared with this young girl my relationship I have with God, that I began to realize the deep rooted relationship I have built with Him or maybe I should say He has built with me. God has invested so much in me and I could not live without Him. He is my all in all. I am a woman who is living in God's graces and does not deserve that, but is enjoying his companionship. Wow! So amazing!

I Need Thee!

2010-09-06T20:46:00.001-04:00

I was in my kitchen working on cleaning up the dishes when I heard the music. I love music, but some music speaks to me more than others. This music happened to come from the upstairs room and a melodious sound was coming from the piano. As I stood in front of the sink listening, I also heard a male voice singing, "I need thee, oh, I need thee, every hour I need thee........." Praise and worship was flowing out of my sixteen year old son and I could immediately sense God's presence in my home. Wow!!!! What a privilege for me to listen to my own child, or should I say God's gift to me, and hear praise and worship and an acknowledgement that my son needs the holy, living, almighty God. Praise and worship is catchy, soon my daughter was singing the song and I started singing it too. Now we all are acknowledging our need for God. I hope I will never forget the impact of just one voice has on me. Just one voice brought me to the realization of my need for my Father! I serve a truly amazing God and I do need Him - thank you Lord for speaking to me and helping me to have an intimate time of discovery!

The Spirit Walk

2010-06-30T23:27:00.000-04:00

When I go for a walk I enjoy looking around. I see the freshly cut grass, beautiful flowers in the yards, and the designs of a persons home. It's so relaxing! The things you notice, like the dog you met a week ago, walking opposite you, pleading to cross the street so he can meet you again. Or, how about the neighbors flowers blooming and the sprinklers fireworks of water gently flowing down to give them a drink. It's peaceful and makes me smile. Now, let's take a slightly different kind of walk, a spiritual walk. As you are walking down the street of your heart, what does your world look like inside? Look around, notice the color of the lawn or the condition of the houses. Is the grass mowed or are there at least a few flowers planted? Maybe, the paint on the shutters is flaking off and the grass is turning brown. The flowers have withered or are beginning to loose it's pedals. Some of the sidewalk has broken pieces of cement and tufts of grass creeping up from the cracks. The condition of the heart, spiritually speaking, needs careful observation. Look around, what do you notice about yourself? The disarray and messiness of this place may appear to be somewhat tidy, but those around you will begin to take notice of what truly goes on inside. The misconception that no one will see the mess and that everything is alright is just that, a misconception. When I think about all the reasons why the grass has become brown or the paint on the shutters began to chip, I never really change its look, I just question and even complain about its condition. But when I concern myself with doing something about the brown grass or the chipped paint, my place begins to take shape. I begin to see the flowers bloom again because the trickle of the sprinkler of my heart begins to cause things to grow again. I've knelt down and pulled all the weeds out of the soil and cleaned up the flower beds of those traveling vines and blotches of grass. What appears is something beautiful going on in the inside. With careful watering, sunshine, a little air to breathe.......Spiritual growth comes. With this tender care and careful tending, growth happens-not that I can make it happen, but with persistent attention to the voice of the Spirit, the gentle leading of the Word, the heart can be a healthy, strong, and fabulous place.

Do Not Pass Me By.......

2010-06-27T21:27:00.006-04:00

I still love the old hymns of the church. Fanny Crosby wrote this hymn, though blind from 6 months of age. She said she would never trade being blind because she might not have written hymns to praise God. Recently, I heard the hymn "Savior, Savior" and was moved by it's words. Verse 1 says,

Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief,
Kneeling there in deep contrition;
Help my unbelief.

The chorus goes:

Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Can God pass us by? If we are sincere about kneeling before Him in deep contrition, would God pass us by? NO! This is what is so fantastic about the God I serve, He is omnipresent - everywhere - there is not a place in this universe that God is not. So when we sing do not pass me by - He's always been, His presence is everywhere. It is our choice to allow the Savior to pass by us and go on to someone else. It is not God's choice to pass us by. God can call on us and the whole world at the same time. To me this is a miraculous act. God is truly a God that is so amazing. Just think, He is with us at all times, we must initiate a relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit does bear witness with our Spirit, but we must allow Him into our life. We have to want this relationship.

The next verse says:

Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.

When we recognize that we are sinners, with wounded broken spirits, we can then be saved by His grace, but only if we allow the Spirit to move in our lives, trust in Him and see His face.

The last verse says:

Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in Heav’n but Thee?

After we have begun our relationship with Christ we can find comfort and know that He is more than life to us. Jesus becomes our all in all. Life as we knew it will never be the same because of the influence of Jesus and His Holy Spirit in our everyday life.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me......

2010-04-26T21:52:00.003-04:00

A common Chinese saying goes, "The net of Heaven is vast but loose, yet nothing can escape from it." According to Psalm 139:1-6 , the Lord has searched us and known us, He knows when we sit down and when we rise, He understands our thoughts from afar, He scrutinizes our path and our lying down, He is intimately acquainted with ALL our ways, He even knows the words we are planning to form on our lips. Wow! Talk about intimacy, our Lord is all over our business. He knows our name, and not just our name, but oh, so much more! The Lord is intimate with His children. He knows us before we even know and understand our own self. Such understanding of the all knowing God is almost too wonderful for us. Not even our husbands/wives can know us as well as our Lord knows us. We think this or that problem is too difficult for us, so therefore, it must be too difficult for our Lord, too! This is an untruth. The Bible says He is intimately acquainted with ALL our ways! No problem is too big, no difficulties is too big, nothing is too hard for God! Let's take our struggle and put it into perspective. The Lord already knows our struggle, He has anticipated our words we were planning on our lips. Guess what? We haven't even said them yet and He already knows how we feel about them. Imagine serving a God like this! Nothing will surprise Him. No, we do not have a completely private life. We can't hide from the Lord. Let's quit trying to control God and allow His spirit to fill us up. Let's let God in and begin to reciprocate back to God the intimacy He has shown us on a regular basis. Besides, it says in this passage we will not be able to attain to His great knowledge so lets revere Him and allow the Holy Spirit to walk and talk with us every day. In Jeremiah 23:23-24 it says, "'Am I a God who is near?' declares the Lord, 'and not a God far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?' declares the Lord. 'Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the Lord." Let's let go of our struggles and let God!

A Seashell of Hope

2010-04-17T10:33:00.002-04:00

LOST but FOUND

2010-02-08T22:02:00.008-05:00

Have you ever felt lost? I remember taking some adult students on a field trip to downtown Detroit, using a GPS, and still getting lost. I really thought I was safe, using the GPS, and I really felt I could still find my way, even though I was trudging through Detroit. My students kept asking me if I knew where I was going, and as time went on I realized they were losing confidence in me. I could see their apprehension, the further I went, and they became very aware and started to pay closer attention to where I was going. I believe we, as believers, also feel the same apprehension as my students felt when God is leading us down a pathway He wants us to cross. We lose confidence in the direction He is leading and try to remedy our dilemma by deciding on a path we may think is best for us because we want and must know the way, so we muddle through. In doing this, however, we lose out! God wants our confidence to be in Him and He tells us to go forward, even if we are not sure how or where to go. We attempt, but we think there is a better way and we jump at it because if feels safer, we have more confidence in ourself, and we are more comfortable in our own way of doing things. God has so much more for us if we just obey his leading, even if we feel lost and feel like our map is wrong or non-existent. In Hebrews 4:16 it says, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." As I was reading my devotional the other day Andrew Murray spoke to me: "In waiting on God, you may grow weary because you don't know what to expect. But be encouraged. Ignorance is often a good sign. He is teaching you to leave everything in His hands and to wait on Him alone."

The Dash Between the Dates

2010-01-08T18:22:00.004-05:00

This poem was read at my grandfather's funeral. It points out that one's life is a date of birth, a dash and a date of death. The dates are fixed by God but the dash, the time between the date of birth and death is ours to invest for the good of others and the glory of God.

....It was then I noticed something,
It was but a simple line;
It was the dash between the dates
Placed there it stood for time.

All at once it dawned on me
How important that little line.
The dates placed there belonged to God
But that line is yours and mine.

It's God who gives this precious life
And God who takes away;
But that line He gives to us
To do with what we may.

We know God's written the first date down
Of each and every one,
And we know those hands will write again,
For the last date has to come.

We know He'll write the last date down,
And soon, we know, for some,
But upon the line between my dates
I hope He'll write "Well done!".

by Lucille Britt

Waiting on God's Counsel

2009-12-31T10:59:00.007-05:00

"When we come together, praising God for all He has done and taught and given, we may at the same time be limiting Him by not expecting greater things. It was when God had given Jericho into his hands that Joshua thought the victory over the city of Ai was sure and did not wait for counsel from God. And so while we think we know and trust the power of God for what we might expect, we may be hindering Him by not practicing the habit of waiting for His counsel." Andrew Murray

"REAL isn't how your are made"

2009-12-28T19:15:00.001-05:00

"Real isn't how your are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." "Does it happen all at once like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

I read this book to my daughter recently and realized what the Skin Horse had to say is so true in a Spiritual sense too! I find myself thinking about Jesus and all the things He went through for us. Bit by bit, not all at once, Christ suffered and not only broke, but even died so He could be Real to us. So often I find myself not wanting to break or have sharp edges and I want to be carefully kept. In order to be Real, though, you must allow yourself to become hurt and loose in the joints because that's when you will be able to understand the love of Christ.

He Will Bring You Through!

2009-11-25T11:25:00.004-05:00

"When confronted with a difficult situation a person with an outstanding attitude makes the best of it, while he gets the worst of it. Life can be likened to a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you, depends on your attitude." John Maxwell

Andrew Murray

2009-09-03T22:07:00.006-04:00

"The great bane of all our converse with Divine things
is superficiality. When we read anything
and understand it somewhat, we think that this is enough.
No: we must give time, that it may make an impression
and wield its own influence upon us.
Read every portion the first time with consideration,
to understand the good that is in it,
and then see if you receive benefit
from the thoughts that are there expressed.
Read it the second time to see if it is
really in accordance with God's word...
ponder them in order to come under the full force
of what God has said on the point...
Read it then the third time
to find out the corresponding places,
not in the Bible, but in your own life,
in order to know if your life has been
in harmony with the New Life,
and to direct your life for the future
entirely according to God's word...
Only give Him time to hold converse with you
and to work in you,
and your heart shall overflow with the blessedness
of God."

Andrew Murray quote:

2009-09-03T21:29:00.003-04:00

A new quote I recently heard by Andrew Murray, "We find the Christian life so difficult because we seek for God's blessing while we live in our own will."

It's Simple!

2009-08-19T22:46:00.007-04:00

It's simple! Sitting here beside my daughter who is quite sick with a kidney infection, plus a broken leg, she looks up at me and says, "Mom, I am tired of being sick, I don't want to be tough anymore, I don't want to be strong and grin and bare it, I am not a trooper. I just want to cry and tell you I am done - no more shots, no more hurt and pain." Well, I look up into her baby blue eyes and tell her she doesn't have to fake it, she can share her raw feelings. She can express herself with transparent honesty. It's quite simple, she was true to herself and allowed herself to express the simple truth. What are we, the adult, doing with simple truth? Can we look up to God and have a complete, honest, transparent conversation with Him? All God asks is that we be real and share our heart. How often do we mask our feelings, pretend, and end up trying to be a trooper when all God wants from us is to be real, honest, and transparent as David did in Psalms-(How long shall the wicked be exalted?, or How long O Lord will You hide Yourself? Forever?). God already knows everything about us, He even knows the number of hairs on our head. Children have a way of expressing simple thoughts and ideas. They seem to tell it like it is and even pray with such simplicity. Andrew Murray says, "prayer is so simple that even the feeblest child can pray, yet it is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise. It is fellowship with the Unseen and Most Holy One. The powers of the eternal world have been placed at its disposal."

Water!

2009-07-22T11:19:00.006-04:00

Water! Without it we die. Our body is made up of about 70% water. We need to drink 6-7 glasses of water a day in order to stay hydrated. The earth is covered by mostly water, our bodies are made up of mostly water, water is even stored underground. It is the most essential part of what we need to live. It is also true in the spiritual sense. In John 7:38, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" Living water is even referred to in the Old Testament-Ezekiel 47. "...and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house....it will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes." In this passage Ezekiel had a vision of the temple and an angel was showing him the measurements. He showed Ezekiel the need for water in the temple. It must be fresh and living, not stagnant and marshy, full of salt, in order for it to flow properly. Fresh living water is essential to spiritual living. It's your lifeline. So, we must conclude that Jesus is the living water, our lifeline of freshness. If you feel down today: Come to the river, that flows from deep within, come to the fountain, that frees the soul from sin. Come to this river, there is a vast supply. There is a river that never shall run dry. The river flows right into the throne room of God.

New Inspiration

2009-05-13T21:58:00.007-04:00

The Bible has never ceased to bring new inspiration to me. It truly is a book that brings revelation time and time again. I have been reading in Jeremiah recently and always thought that this book was too difficult to understand. I have read it many times, but never really felt I was learning anything from this experience until this time. It is such a fascinating book and I will never be the same again after reading it this time.

Jeremiah is a great story teller who loves teaching with object lessons. He reminds me of all the great Children, Youth, and Senior Pastors out there who use this type of strategy to teach Bible lessons. This section of Jeremiah is about a Cushite named Ebed-Melech who was an official in the royal palace. Jeremiah angered the wicked officials of the city of Jerusalem because he told them that the Lord said they needed to surrender to the Babylonians and leave Jerusalem to go into captivity. He also said if they did not God would burn their great city and they may even die. Well, this angered the officials and they decided to throw Jeremiah into a cistern (a well that was not currently in use). Ebed-Melech, the Cushite, heard about Jeremiah and decided he needed to do something about Jeremiah's fate. He went to the king and privately told him about Jeremiah's tragedy. He explained that the wicked officials of the city threw Jeremiah into the well where he would starve. He begged the king to help Jeremiah and the king listened to him.

Well, as the story goes, Jeremiah was right, the king and his people are taken away to Babylon and their great city is burned with fire. Jeremiah is released from the well by the Cushite and is allowed to stay in Jerusalem. What really is interesting about this story is the King's family is killed in front of him and his eyes are gouged out. Many of the people of Jerusalem are killed or in exile, but what happened to the Cushite who helped Jeremiah and why was this story of what he did allowed to be shared with us? He's just a Cushite anyway, right. He's not of the tribe of Israel, right? He is not of the covenant, so who cares if he helped Jeremiah, right?

Well, here is the answer. Obedience! Ebed-Melech obeyed God by saving Jeremiah. It was not because he was a Jew or not a Jew, it was because he obeyed. Here is what Jeremiah told him before the invasion: "I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 39:18 He not only obeyed the Lord, but he also trusted him. To go to the king and ask the king to save Jeremiah was very risky. The king could have killed him instead, but he did not and Ebed-Melech knew if he trusted God, God would answer. As the song goes, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!"

Aslan's on the Move

2009-03-26T20:26:00.005-04:00

C.S. Lewis wrote a children story called "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." In the book, he writes a story using an allegory. The phrase "Aslan's on the Move" was mentioned throughout the story. It symbolizes Aslan as a kind of Christ. Jesus Christ is on the move. Jesus is moving about His people and is giving them a message. Recently, at my church, God has been speaking to His people through many messages in tongues and interpretation about getting out of our comfort zone, reaching out to our dying world, being willing to tell others about Him. Jesus is telling His church to move out of the infancy stage of drinking milk and onto more solid food. Jesus is asking us to take more opportunities to walk forth in faith and trust in God by obeying Him. We need to share Christ with the world around us, without fear. Christ said He raised us up for this very purpose.

Recently, my 16 year old son came to my husband and I in tears. Here is this football looking guy, weeping. As we stood there in silence, we hugged each other. I asked him what was wrong and I was astonished to hear his words, but so pleased at his tender heart. I began to cry, too! He said God was speaking to him about how many opportunities he has missed in telling his friends at school about Jesus. He was greiving because he felt he might be the reason that his friends may not have found salvation. He said he did not want to lose out on what God wanted him to do by waiting until he was 30 or 40 years old. He was sick and tired of waiting until he knew more and became an adult to really feel he was ready to share Christ with others. He really wanted to be obedient to the Lord, and share his heart when God wanted him to. We prayed together and talked some more about the tenderness of his heart. I told him God wanted him to give his all and trust Him fully. How many adults do you see running around concerned about missing out on all that God has for them? I dare say, not many! If a 16 year old young man can really hear from God and heed His call, so can we!!!!

In Romas 9:17 it says, "I raised you up for this very purpose that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Give it Up!

2009-01-27T18:46:00.007-05:00

I've heard myself singing an old song lately, "It's not by works of righteousness that I have done, but according to his mercy He has saved me." When I was a girl I remember my mother telling me to do the right thing, make good choices, do your best or don't do it at all. Now don't get me wrong, I agree with my mother; however, as of late, I have been thinking about my works. I have been raised to be an independent worker and thinker, to work and think hard and strive to do it with all my heart. Again, I agree! This idea causes me to think of how God's presence is at work in me. Can I work hard enough to draw closer to God, can I read the Bible consistently and pray consistently, and just follow the rules consistently? - Then I will be able to gain more access into God's network. All of this sounds so good, but it's just not sound doctrine. It's not what I do to gain access to God, but it's according to His mercy that I gain access to God. It's not that I have to DO anything, it's that God is doing a good work in me and He alone will accomplish His will in me. I can try and work and sweat and become spent, but I must give up my ways of trying, doing, working, or whatever it is I do, and allow God to do it! I must put my faith in Him, trust Him to do the doing. I simply must give up! Give up my will, give up my earnestness to work, give up my desires, give up my independence, give up my comforts. It's somewhat of a security blanket that I have latched onto. I'm safe when I have control of my life. What a lie! When I am in control, God is not in control. Who knows better than God to control my life. Well, I guess I have a lot to learn! My prayer is to give up and let God be in charge! Imagine what God can do through my life if I just let Him!

Dinner time talk

2009-01-10T21:05:00.007-05:00

Does your family have a set time for eating at least one meal together. Through the years, my family has made it a daily event to eat together at least one meal a day. This was a practice of my family when I was a child as well. Why is this so important to my family? Let's just open a small window into my home during dinner time. It's 5:00pm, all four children and my husband and I are sitting around a rectangular table ready to eat the evening meal. We all bow our heads for prayer. We then dig in to the good things to eat. This is just a preliminary to what's ahead. As our meal winds down, we not only dig into the food, but we dig into an ongoing conversation. You know - how was your day, what did you do, tell me what's bugging you today or why are you so excited? Each person gets a chance to talk about whatever is on their mind. I recall conversations of laughter, teasing, lengthy discussions, debates-and boy are they lengthy at my house with all these analytical minds, success stories, sadness, joy, someone sings at some point, and there is even silence. Wow, what fellowship we have together; a time of nearness, togetherness, comfort, and peace. These times at our table have been some of the best memories of my lifetime. I even find my children, three of which are teenagers, wanting to stay at the table and talk for hours. You may be asking how on earth did you get your teenagers to stay at the table and not go off on their own? Well, it started when they were young. This time was not just to eat a meal, rather, it was to fellowship together. We drew near to each other and became comfortable in each others presence. We talked about everything and anything and we did not allow the children to leave without permission. Now, they don't even ask to leave because they love this time together. We have gone through a process of time to build our relationships and have grown to love being together.
You may say that's great for you, but it's not for me or my family. My family watches TV, or we each eat in separate rooms, or my teenagers work, or we eat out all the time, and the list goes on and on. This does seem like the norm in our day and age, but how do you establish a place of communication, stability, communion, and intimacy with each other? Actually, I'd like to parallel that idea with our relationship with God. It says in Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me." To me, for God to dine with me means I must have reached a place in my relationship with Him to be allowed into His inner circle. His place where family is totally comfortable with each other and can talk; you can even talk for hours. Now, think about your relationship with God-do you sit at His table and eat with Him or are you finding excuses to go and eat in front of the TV or at a restaurant, or maybe even eat alone. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Taking time daily to talk, ask questions, laugh, play, just simply be together is a great way to allow God to have fellowship with you. I remember when my children were small and did not want to sit at the table and have fellowship together. All they wanted to do was play, play, play. But, we insisted they sit, they listen to others, they participate in the conversation and they also eat. Sometimes it is hard to be patient in the Lord's presence, but through a process of time, we do grow fond of our Lord, and we are intimate with Him and we may even want to stay and talk for hours.

THE REAL THING!

2008-11-05T17:45:00.007-05:00

No, I am not advertising a Coke commercial. Are you real? That may be an odd question, but have you ever asked yourself lately if you are real with God? Is it OK to tell God all that your are thinking? After all, he is an all knowing God, right! It is of my opinion, that if you are not real with God, then who can you be real with? God is wanting a relationship that is intimate. He wants to communicate with you in every way. It seems that when we have friendships in the real world, those who are closest to us know our faults and our strengths. They love us for who we are and really care about how we feel. Does God care who we are or how we feel? Well, I believe if God wants us to be intimate friends, then the answer is yes. How else can we let God know that we trust Him if we don't let our guard down with Him and tell all! Yes, all! Besides, God already knows all, so don't worry about taking a risk, there is no risk. He just wants us to be real. When you do, you will truly find liberty in Christ. "Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'" John 8:34-36 If you have secrets with God, I suggest you get rid of them and tell all! Jesus is my salvation, my friend, my all in all!

From Entanglement to Praise!

2008-08-22T23:08:00.003-04:00

Do you sometimes carry some things around that tend to entangle you like the entanglement of a snake? Feelings? Cares? Hurts? Pain? And much much more! You walk around in life, stroking them, coddling them, giving yourself some sense of control over them. Pretty soon, they become comfortable; a normal part of your life. They eventually have power over you and you allow it because it now feels right.

Aaagh? You say, “what are you talking about?” Well, let me share with you something that God has been talking to me about lately. I just got a new teaching job and it is very close to schools beginnings. I realized just the other day that I now had two classrooms to set up and I only have about a week to accomplish this task. Now, the former Julie would begin telling herself – “Only a week? There’s so much to do! I am so worried I won’t be able to get it all done! How? I am afraid I will fail.” I could go on and on about my worries. You see, I have been entangled with this false truth that I must worry and fret in order to motivate myself enough to get this huge task done. (Yes, I am very task oriented!) I realized, just recently, I have been robbing myself of the joy and excitement of entering into a new endeavor. My worries are only allowing myself to have control and familiarity, that I have missed out on my communion with God.

Just the other day I was driving in my car and I decided to just praise the Lord for all of His greatness! I simply changed my worried attitude and adjusted the frame of my mind to align with what joy and praise I could give to the Lord. Do you know that I stopped the worrying, that familiar nagging tug in my soul left and God’s praises were in its place?

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19:14) Notice it did not say let the worries, feelings, cares, or whatever holds you back from God’s anointed walk, it says the spoken word and the content of your heart!

Potter and Clay

2008-06-19T21:18:00.003-04:00

My son recently came home with several pieces of pottery that he made from school. He even received an award for one of his pottery pieces. The one pictured here is a vase that he created. I remember as a girl singing a song about the potter and the clay. It was called "Have Thy Own Way Lord" (Yes, I am dating myself). It went like this,

"Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way,

Thou are the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me, after thy will,

While I am waiting, yeilded and still."

As I was thinking about a potter that forms the clay with his bare hands and mold it and makes it, I often thought about the common spiritual application of this idea. The scrapping of the clay to make it smoothe, the shaping of this pot, the fire process, ect. All of these ideas are important to shaping our lives in God's image. But this time, as I thought about the pot, I thought of the size of the pot. The smaller the pot the easier to shape and the less time it takes to mold it into something. But the larger the pot or even the piece of pottery, the more time it takes to shape and mold it. As I processed this information, I thought what size of pottery am I allowing God to work with in my life? Have I simply given Him only the parts that I wanted Him to have (therefore, a smaller piece of pottery)? This would allow me to give the Lord some of me, but only on my terms. What if we gave Him more clay to work with? Yes, it would probably be tougher to form, but what a fantastic piece of work in the long run!

Choices

2008-04-24T19:35:00.010-04:00

I was talking with someone the other day about astronauts and we discussed how difficult it is for them to adjust to life in space. My friend told me he met a real astronaut. He explained to him his story of what it's like in space and described the feeling he had when there was no gravity to hold him down. He didn't know which was up and which was down. He had to choose each day what was going to be up and what was going to be down so he could somehow orient himself to some normalcy. It's kinda like that with our relationship with Jesus. Oh, sure, you could just float around and be so disoriented to the "up's" and "down's" of life. Floating is fun, but eventually you will be so confused about what paths to take that you will never be able to live a life that is controlled by the Spirit. Just like the astronaut, you must decide to let the Spirit of the living God orient you to which way is up and which way is down. I realize that sometimes life is up and sometimes life is down, but if you allow the leading of the Spirit to take control, you will never be confused and you will be able to live a victorious life; a life that can be overcome by your weightlessness! It says in I John 3:23-24, "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." Also, in Romans 8:6, "...the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace...but those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. ....But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness."

Praise, Praise, Praise

2008-02-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

My daughter recently poked her eye with the rubber part of a pencil. Jim and I did not think much about it, however, she complained of pain and blurryness. We decided to take her to the eye doctors. When we got there the doctor said she was not able to see out of her right eye. She could see a wave of your hand, but that was about it. She could not even see the big E on the wall with her right eye. The doctor looked concerned and decided to take an MRI, in case there may be a blockage behind her eye or a tumor. He told us it was just precautionary and not to panic. Well, MRI seems to me like a panic word, but I tried very hard to leave it in God's hands. We waited for about a month for all that to be completed. When we received the results back, the MRI was good and all was well in that area; however, it did not explain why she could not see out of the right eye. The doctor told us she has had a lazy eye all her life, since she was a small child. Children with this condition are excellent compensators and can fool even the family physician. (Lazy eye means the brain no longer sends a message to the eye and tells it to use it). The eye doctor also told us that a child whose brain has told them not to use that eye for 7 years now, will probably not change. However, we serve a miracle working God who knows how eyes are suppose to function normally and was the creator of our eyes. Elizabeth and I started to pray every night before going to bed. We began our prayers like this, "Father, thank you for healing Elizabeth's eyes." Every night for 2 months we prayed. About two weeks before we went back to the eye doctor, a group of people from church laid hands on her and prayed for her healing during a Sunday evening service. We continued praying our evening prayers and two weeks later we went back to the doctors. When the eye doctor examined her eyes again, with her using her glasses, she was able to see 20/20 vision. The doctor was amazed, because we had only been using the glasses and patching her eye for one month. His plan was to patch for a year to see if possibly any change could happen. Though this healing took place as a somewhat slow process and was not instantly, it was a tremendous miracle that she can now see. Praise, praise, praise the almighty Lord! (James 5:13-16)

My Hearts Burning

2008-01-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

Just the other day I called my parents on the phone. I thank God for the telephone! It blesses me to hear their voices. I am so thankful for such Godly parents. Anyway, I was on the phone talking to my dad and as we were conversing I felt such a surge of God's presence while we were talking. It was such an intimate burning fire of our hearts united in communion with God. We were talking about God and how lost our world is, but at the same time, how wonderful it is to have intimacy with God. It reminded me of the two men who walked with Jesus after his ressurection. It says in Luke 24:30-32, "When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'" (NIV) Yes, I believe our hearts were burning within us as we spoke of Jesus. When I got off the phone, I just had to tell Jim, my husband, about my phone call. Yes, I believe that when you encounter Jesus, first, your heart burns within you, and second, you must tell someone about the experience. Just like in Luke 24:33-35, it says, "They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread." Allow Jesus to burn within you this week! Maybe you will want to tell of your experience too!

God's Work-Not Mine

2007-12-30T17:22:00.000-05:00

"The sign that God is at work in us is that He corrupts confidence in the natural virtues, because they are not promises of what we are going to be, but renmants of what God created man to be. We will cling to the natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us into contact with the life of Jesus Christ which can never be described in terms of the natural virtues. It is the saddest thing to see people in the service of God depending on that which the grace of God never gave them, depending on what they have by the accident of heredity. God does not build up our natural virtues and transfigure them, because our natural virtues can never come anywhere near what Jesus Christ wants. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every bit of our bodily life into harmony with the new life which God has put in us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristic of the Lord Jesus." Quoted by Oswald Chambers

Suffering-Change

2007-12-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

My churches youth pastor, Pastor Buzz Barr, spoke a couple of Sunday mornings ago and was discussing suffering and change. He stated that oftentimes we, meaning we Christians, often like to compensate instead of change; whereas, God wants us to obey him, regardless of the suffering we may go through to obey. Christ learned obedience through the things he suffered (Heb. 5:8). I quote him with this statement, "Obedience doesn't happen unless my desires and God's desires conflict." This kind of suffering is not pleasant to human nature, but in the end God's desires are best for us.

Still-Hillsong Video

2007-12-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

I really thought this video was very meaningful. Enjoy!

Just a Little Talk with Jesus

2007-12-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

Those of you who have children, have you ever sat down and had an intimate talk with them about what's important to them. I had a discussion with my sons recently about what they wanted to do with their life, you know, the ever important question about what you want to be when you grow up. Well, we had a wonderful, intimate discussion together and laughed and had some serious moments. We really enjoyed being with one another. It has become a sweet memory in my mind that will always be there. Have you every tried to have the kind of interaction with God that you do with your family. The connection with God is so much more intimate as you begin your conversation with Him. I was sitting in my car on the way to work one day last week and I happened to be alone (which very rarely happens). As I was driving along and listening to the radio I stopped and realized I had no one with me, so I turned the radio off and just started to listen. At first, I didn't hear anything, but after a few minutes I began a prayer that began like this: "Lord, I really want to be in your presence today. I want to feel you, I want to know you, I want to listen to what you have to say. Talk to me and I will talk to you." At that moment, I sensed the presence of the Lord so strongly and I listened, I basked in His presence. We had fun together, just wanting to be with each other. I had no agenda for the Lord. I did not need him to help me or others in any way, I just enjoyed being in His presence. If you have never experienced this kind of relationship with the Lord, you can! Be real with Him, enjoy His love for you. If you do this, His WILL will become more clear and you will be able to know, really know, His voice.

Whose relying on whom?

2007-11-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

Recently, my pastor sparked some juices in me I cannot seem to shake. He said, "If you are frustrated about something you have done or are doing and are not satified with yourself then you are putting too much trust in yourself rather than being dependent on God's faithfulness. Do you remember the list of the acts of sinful nature found in Galatians 5? One of the many in the list is selfish ambition. I know I have thought that maybe I could do the works of God on my own fruition; however, it says in Gal. 5:25, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." So, since we are striving to live by the Spirit, God will take charge if we just let Him and let go of our own strivings. Listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit will help us become more aware of His still small voice and then we will be able to act because we truly know what He wants us to do!

Given Up My Will for God

2007-09-15T20:02:00.000-04:00

"The effective prayer of faith comes from a life given up to the will and the love of God. Not as a result of what I try to be when praying, but because of what I am when I'm not praying, is my prayer answered by God" (by Andrew Murray).

The Word of God

2007-08-22T21:20:00.000-04:00

The other day I began thinking about what the Word of God means to me. I began with a string of ideas: truthful, flawless, inspired, etc. - all the usual words that you think of when you refer to the Bible. I decided to look up "word" in the dictionary and here is what I got: to believe in, honor, to promise, trustworthy, assuredly, a verbal command for action. That last one surprised me a little because it made me think of the verse Heb. 4:12 - The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates.....Recently, I made a list of what the Bible says about the Word.

Jesus

active

double-edged sword

penetrating

no longer milk but meat

love letter

permeates

yeast

living document

truth (speaks truth)

saturates

infallible

enduring

treasure

revelation

prophecy

holy

inspired

good news

fruitful

covenant

consuming fire

anointed

promises

flawless

lamp

light

will never pass away

bread of life

I'm sure there are other words that can give more meaning to the Word of God, but to me thinking about God's Word in this way is comforting. I can apply this to any circumstance I may have in my life because the reliability of the Word is fact to me. It will never stear me wrong. It will always lead me to a path that is laid out just for me and bring wisdom, direction, guidance, comfort, discipline, understanding, life lessons, answers, etc. The list can be endless. Apply the Word and see what it will get you - a life of joy and happiness.

Pulled by an Invisible Thread

2007-04-18T21:35:00.000-04:00

I was reading with my Kindergarteners a story calledd "Swimmy." A picture in the story struck me and caused me to think about the leading of the Lord. The picture had several large fish lined up in a row and the caption said, "Pulled by an invisible thread." It got me thinking about how difficult it is when God tries to pull my will by an invisible thread. I tend to resist the tugging and try hard to go my own direction, this way and that, but, fortunately for me, God tugs on the invisible thread and brings me back into alignment with His will and His way of doing things. When I can come to a place of surrendering by allowing God to captivate my thoughts, my actions, my daily activities and routines, only then can I be led. Paul explains it like this: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then, you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." (Rom. 12:2)

Our God is so Great!

2007-02-25T14:39:00.000-05:00

Do you remember that old song, "Our God is so great, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing our God cannot do." My daughter sings it sometimes. The other day she asked me what it means to be in God's presence. I told her that you know God's presence because you sense His presence. She then said, Mom, of course God is there, God is everywhere, so if God is everywhere then why do we need to sense his presence? Sometimes she can be so profound. God is everywhere, so no problems are too big for Him, just ask my daughter (it's sheer simplicity). We do need to also sense His presence because God wants His children to call upon Him. It says in Jerimiah 33:3, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Is our God great, strong, and mighty? The answer is YES and there is nothing He cannot do!

From the Mouth of Babes

2007-02-17T20:46:00.000-05:00

I was sitting in church the other day, taking notes on the sermon, and looked over to my daughter and noticed that she was copying me. She loves to write and wanted to take notes like her mommy. I told her to write down only what she thought was meaningful to her. Here is her understanding of the sermon:

gods noken at the dor. (translation: God's knocking at the door)
we will hunger for that wich we feed on. (translation: We will hunger for that which we feed on)
garge yor hart. (translation: Guard your heart)
Mi sol frst bfor god. (translation: My soul thirsts before God) Draw near to god (no translation needed)

God will speak to your children, even if they are sitting in church and just listening. You may not think they are getting anything out of the sermon, but God has a way of speaking to all who will listen!

For I Know the Plans I Have for You

2007-02-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

Do you remember that promise found in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." If you read further it says, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." (NIV) In context, God was saying to His people that if they will seek Him with all of their heart, though they were in a place of captivity and banishment, God will bring them back to Himself. God definately knows the plans He has for you, to prosper you and give you hope, but not until you seek Him, confess your sin, and have fellowship with Him. That is all that God really wants from us, to have fellowship with Him. He wants a relationship with Him that is not just a "give me what you got attitude," but a genuine expression of love between His child and Himself. You see, the Israelites had such a history of sinfulness, they did not even realize their separation from God. Their sin blinded them from the truth. Yes, God wants to prosper you and give you hope, but first you must confess and surrender yourself to Him with all your heart. The best part of surrender is that God will listen to you and gather you back to Himself and best of all, you will be found by Him! This is the hope I have in my Lord!

Suffering for our Lord

2006-12-04T21:28:00.000-05:00

I have read a book called "The Heavenly Man." I would really recommend this book as a must read. Brother Yun discusses suffering in his book and I thought I would share his comments: "There are many ways the Lord may lead a Christian during his or her life, but I'm convinced that the path of every believer will sooner or later include suffering. The Lord gives us these trials to keep us humble and dependent on him for our sustenance.

The Bible says in I Peter 4:1, 'Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.' I believe when suffering and pain increases, sinning decreases. I've certainly not yet reached the point of being 'done with sin.' I still complain to the Lord when I suffer.

How we mature as a Christian largely depends on the attitude we have when we're faced with suffering. Some try to avoid it or imagine it doesn't exist, but that will only make the situation worse. Others try to endure it grimly, hoping for relief. This is better, but falls short of the full victory God wants to give each of his children.

The Lord wants us to embrace suffering as a friend. We need a deep realization that when we're persecuted for Jesus' sake it is an act of God's blessing to us. This might sound impossible, but it is attainable with God's help. That is why Jesus said, 'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is you reward in heaven.' Matt. 5:11-12."

It's Not about YOU!

2006-11-30T22:18:00.000-05:00

Have you ever talked in front of a crowd and wondered if you did well? You would go to your friends or family and ask them how they thought what you had to say effected people and they would say to you, "Oh, you were great! You did a terrific job, God really used you today, etc." Then you go home and talk to God about it and tell Him how great you were and how successful you were in front of all those people. Well, I did this, but I was somewhat surprised at what God told me. God told me that how successful you are or great you are is not important, it's who you represent and what you say about ME, the only wise God, that is important. No matter how well you think you did or how bad you think you did, it is ME that is using you to be my mouthpiece. It truly is not about you, but about ME and the message I have for my people and those who are not quite yet my people. Wow, isn't that the truth. God is the potter and I am the clay, mold me as you please and help me to not question or give credit to me, myself, and I. It says in the Bible in I Chron. 28:9, "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."

Who? "I AM"

2006-05-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

Have you ever dialogued with God like this: "I am organized, I am in control, I am tired, I am a planner, I am going to do God's will, I am expecting to complete my work with excellence, I am......I am.......I am...... Just recently the Lord asked me, - Who are you? Did you create the universe? Did I not form you in your mothers womb? Are your steps not ordered by the Lord? You are not the "I AM" - you are because of the "I AM." Whoa!! I have been so convicted. Why should I not trust Him? Why should I not allow Him to be in control? Why do I not trust His way of organizing? Why do I not allow Him to show me His perfect plan? Why have I not allowed His power in me to be a person of excellence? Why do I not ask Him daily for strength so I am not so tired? God, I recognize that you have created in me a clean heart and you have created my inmost being from the start (Psa. 139:13-14). Your ways are higher than my ways! (Ps. 32:8) I recognize that you are the "I AM." You are holy and I give up my rights to control you and I allow you to have your way to guide and lead me as you see fit. Thank you for transforming me into a clean and new spiritual being. As it says in Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, ....let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Family, Women, Devotional, Ministry
Faith, Children, Belief, Bible

Thirsty?

2006-04-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

I was sitting beside my daughter tonight enjoying a musical my church put on about the Easter story. It was the part where the women at the well is stating that Jesus knew her innermost thoughts and told her she would no longer be thirsty for water. Well, just as the song was playing the woman at the well never really retrieved her water, so my 5 year old pipes up and simply says, "Mom, why doesn't she just go get the water from the well? It's right there!"

Well, that is the question of the day. Are you thirsty? Why don't you simply draw the water from the well. Jesus is the well where we can draw from and never get thirsty. Sometimes, we just need to simply believe and His provision will be there for us.

Family, Women, Devotional, Ministry
Faith, Children, Belief, Bible

What's Your Favorite and WHY?

2006-03-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

Have you ever asked your child what their favorite Bible story is? I asked my daughter tonight what her favorite Bible story was and she said she loved the story of Moses and Jesus dying on the cross. I then proceeded to ask "why?" Be careful when you ask that, sometimes you will get unusual answers, but sometimes you get the mind of a child and the faith like qualities we need to have, as adults. Her answer was simply, "because he was a baby and was so cute in that little basket." I then asked her what she had learned about Moses. She said, "Moses needed to obey God or God wouldn't have been with Him." Profound, isn't it! I then asked why the story of Jesus dying on the cross was her favorite. She said, "We needn't worry about dying, because when we die we will get to go up to heaven, just like Jesus did!" Incredible, isn't it, that a child of 5 can have such profound answers. Why do you believe what you believe and do you have faith to believe the impossible. "Without faith it's impossible to please God." We cannot have a relationship with Jesus without faith. Do you have enough faith to realize when you die you GET TO be with Jesus in heaven and that this will be much more fun than living on this earth. Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice. With faith- peace, contentment, joy, and expectancy will follow.

Family, Women, Devotional, Ministry
Faith, Children, Belief, Bible

Part II - Joy Comes in the Morning/Mourning?

2006-03-16T23:28:00.000-05:00

I've often heard this verse spoken of, Neh. 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is my strength" or in Psa. 30:5, "His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes in the morning." I refer back to Moses in Exodus 33 and my previous post. The Israelites went into mourning because of their sins. The thing that upsets me about their sinning was they were not too concerned about their wrong doing at first. God had just allowed the Levites to annihilate 3,000 Israelites and the Israelites seemed to say to themselves that they had paid penance for their sins and went on with their business; however, when God threatened them by telling them He was NOT going with them to the promise land, they began to mourn. They did not mourn for the loss of life of their friends and family, but finally, they realized that not having the Shekinah glory of the Lord, they mourned and refused to wear their jewelry and ornaments.

The reason I went into this part of the story is because we, who desire the Shekinah glory of the Lord, who want what Moses had-he spoke face to face with God, as a man speaks to his friend-want it all without hardships, without sacrifices, without trials and tribulations. How desperate are we to have intimacy with God. Do we mourn for our sins? Do we settle for less and are satisfied with mediocrity? May it never be!! Let's not settle for less, but desire the greater things of the Lord.
It says in Jer 32:40:
"And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, promising not to stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me."
God is a patient and loving God who realizes that we may weep and cry out to Him and all He is trying to do and say to us is that our JOY comes in the morning and it can come through mourning!

Religion, Women, Prayer, Thoughts, Pastor, Christian

Part I - Permission Granted

2006-03-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

Do you remember reading about Moses? You know, the time when Aaron made a golden calf to worship! Wow, was God mad! God wanted to annihilate those who were disobedient. Moses pleaded with God to have mercy. Do you recall what God said to Moses. It says in Exodus 33:1-3

"Now that you have brought theses people out of Egypt, lead them to the land I solemnly promised Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob. ......I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. There is a land flowing with milk and honey. BUT I will not travel along with you, for you are a stubborn, unruly people. If I did, I would be tempted to destroy you along the way."

God granted them permission to possess the land. Imagine that, they could possess the land. I said, they could possess the land! You will never guess what they did. In verse 4 it says the people went into mourning and refused to wear their jewelry and ornaments. Why? God told them they could continue on and take possession of their promised land. Well, the answer is this: Who wants a promised land WITHOUT GOD. God was not planning to come along and take possession with them. Who wants to continue with life without God. Not me! If I can't take God with me, I won't go either.

Family, Women, Devotional, Ministry

Prayer and Desire

2006-01-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

E.M. Bounds wrote, "One might well ask, whether the feebleness for our desires for God, the Holy Spirit, and for all the fulness of Christ, is not the cause of our so little praying, and of our languishing in the exercies of prayer?......The fire burns altogether too low. The flaming heat of soul has been tempered down to a tepid lukewarmness. This, it should be remembered, was the central cause of the sad and desperate condition of the Laodicean Christians, of whom the awful condemnation is written that they were "rich, and increased in good and had need of nothing," and knew not that they "were wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind." ....have we that desire which presses us to close communion with God, which is filled with unutterable burnings, and holds us there through the agony of an intense and soul-stirring supplication?"

Religion, Women, Prayer, Thoughts, Pastor, Christian

A Timeline of God's Faithfulness

2006-01-28T21:39:00.000-05:00

How do we really know God is faithful? How did the men and women of the Bible know that God is faithful. Well, if you take a look back upon their life and see the work of God throughout their life , you will see God's faithfulness. People like David, who even as a young boy, God's hand was upon him. And Joseph, look at how God groomed him to become 2nd in command of pharaoh. Many, many others were also shown by God of His faithfulness. As I thought of this, I decided to take a look back and see the many glorious things God has done for me and my family and the proving of Himself time and time again.

I recall a time when I was seven years old, back in the times of record players. I used to lie on the floor and listen to my dad's praise and worship records and just sing and sing. The more I sang, the more God's presence hovered over me. Eventually, I was crying in the presence of the Lord and praising Him. You tell me, how does a seven year old recognize the presence of the Lord and can tell others of His faithfulness? God did it! Even as a young child, God's presence was felt and complete trust in an unseen God was manifested in my young life. I don't ever remember questioning God as a child and I always trusted and had faith in Him.

As time went on I recall my sister having a brain tumor and watching the healing power of God upon her little life; she was totally healed. My brother had a heart murmur and God also healed him. My daughter had a terrible urinary track infection and was asked for a urine sample to determine the severity of the infection. The sample was sent to a lab and the results came back that she had a very bad infection; however, the next day, as the culture grew, the lab results came back as no infection at all. You see, God can even reverse a prognosis for the better. The doctors were amazed and everyone who was involved was amazed. God is faithful.

I can't say there was never a time I questioned God's faithfulness. It was way back in college when I was roommates with a very intelligent young woman. She often would challenge me on why I believed what I believed. I really didn't have answers for her, much of the time. As a child, I knew that I knew, it was inbred in me and I never really questioned God; however, after awhile my roommate made me try and explain my reasons of why I believed what I believed and I am a better person for it. She, however, has become a non-believer. It was ingrained in me because I recognized the presence of God, even as a young child.

What an awesome responsibility I have, as a parent. I must train my child to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit. What if I did not have the opportunity to attend church on a regular basis? How would I learn about His presence? Yes, in the home, but what if my parents did not practice being in the presence of God at home? Then what?

You see, God's faithfulness is so easy to understand because God is hovering over me, daily. I recognize Him, I am learning His voice, I sense His presence. Thank you Lord, for allowing me to have a past history of learning about Your presence and also knowing of Your faithfulness.

Religion, Women, Faithful

Foggy Day

2006-01-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Have you ever walked into church and sat down in a seat and realized it was not your usual seat you are accustomed to sitting in? I have! I sat down and realized I was sitting around people I really didn't know or associate with and felt a little embarassed and uncomfortable. My friends, whom I usually sit by asked me where I had been lately, because they had not seen me in church and thought I was skipping. (Yeah, right, a pastor's wife skipping) Well, I got to thinking about that and thought about the old hymn, "His Eye is on the Sparrow, and HE's always watching me." God is watching me regardless of whether I sit on the left or right, whether I come to church or not, or even if I am at work or home. It is comforting to me to know that HE has his eye on me and I am never forgotten, I am special to Him, I am always in view, even if I may stray away at times. HE always watches me! If God really cares about me and wants me to know how much He cares, then I too much be watchful, and take time to care about those around me. Next time you find yourself in the wrong seat at church or even the wrong place, seemingly, at the wrong time, be watchful, and take time to care for others, God does.

What's stirring inside?

2006-01-02T13:15:00.000-05:00

Have you ever made a cake or cookies? You start out pouring your ingredients into a bowl and then you must stir. So, you get out your mixer and turn it on and your ingredients blend all together to make one. Do you suppose that God is mixing His ingredients in us and stirring us until we can blend into one? For some, the mix is quite complicated and difficult to stir. How is it for you? Does God have to struggle for you to submit to His will for you or are you going to blend together into God's plan and soon be a sweet smelling aroma for others to see. Mixing can be the toughest part of making a cake, but oh what luscious taste and aroma for all to see when the mixing and blending is done.

The Sweet Smell of Christmas

2005-12-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, the little Mathews brothers and I went to "Holiday Craft Night" at Natomas Park Elementary school. It was crowded, unfamiliar, but fun. The favorite table, of course, was decorating Christmas cookies. Jack had to wash his hands 2 times before he finished one cookie. The table that I steered my boys away from was the potato-stamping-too-messy-paint table where kids made pictures that would never dry, ever.
There was one craft table we hadn't stopped at: the sandpaper gingerbread man Christmas ornament table. I heard someone in the masses say, "Oh, those are sure cute." "They smell so good," someone else said. And since I'm always up for free Christmas ornaments, we all migrated to the gingerbread man table. Grant started trying to draw a gingerbread man on the 6 inch square of sandpaper. He ended up with a skewed, one-inch man. Ah, but there was a tracing pattern we hadn't seen. So with a new sheet of sandpaper, Grant used the template and traced a perfect shape. Then I had to trace and cut one out myself. It's especially fun to do crafts when the mess is not in your house.
I had glued on my eyes and cut out a ribbon for a hanger, when I noticed this bark looking stuff on the table. Hmm, what in the world is this for? "Maybe it's for a bowtie," one mom suggested. I broke one piece in half and tried to fashion a bowtie on my gingerbread man's neck.
Just then, my 10-year-old slipped in beside me. "Next, rub the cinnamon stick on the sandpaper," he read from the instruction sheet that had been sitting in the middle of the table, but I had yet to notice. Oh, wow. He's reading the instructions. What a novel idea. So that's what you do with the bark stuff. Someone who follows the directions rubs the cinnamon stick on the sandpaper gingerbread man so he emits a holiday fragrance.
I wondered then just how many times my unwillingness to follow directions had left me without God's intended desire…fragrance. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 puts it this way: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." How many times had my lack of obedience-- an unwillingness to forgive, or reach out, or compliment someone-- kept me from being a sweet scent to those around me.
On my own I cannot do it. If I want to be a pleasant fragrance to those around me, I need to follow someone's instructions. I need someone to lead me, and work through me--someone like Jesus, who came to earth to show me how it's done. I need someone like Jesus, who was born into a stinky barn so I could learn how to smell sweet. Oh wow! Directions, what a novel ideal!

This article was written by a preacher's wife by the name of Melissa Matthews. You can view her articles at http://www.studylight.org/col/gmg/

Presence of God

2005-12-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

As I reflect on the sermon preached by my pastor this Christmas morning, I began thinking about the presence of God. If I could keep in mind that God's presence is everywhere and I should be aware that He is with me always, imagine how I could remain stress free. If I could really put this in perspective and live in a way that helps me realize I needed to be aware of His presence, then I could easily find peace, comfort, strength, intimacy, not be lonely, feel totally secure all the time, and the list could go on and on. I pray that throughout this up and coming year we all can experience living in His presence daily. You can't get any better than that!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

2005-12-15T22:45:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard your 5 year old say, "Mom, when will I ever loose my teeth. Everyone else in my class has lost theirs?" Well, this Christmas, my daughter wanted to sing the two front teeth song but could not because she had not lost her two front teeth yet. I told her one day she could sing that toon. How often do we wish for something from God and God says back to us-"One day, you will be able to sing that toon, but not yet!" "Patience, my dear girl," is a motto my mom used to tell or (and I hated this one and still do) "This too shall pass!" That quote from Mom really rings out from my past. As the Bible says, "God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." (NLT) Wait on the Lord, it's worth it!

Amazing Resolve

2005-12-04T22:03:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking this week about Ruth and her amazing resolve to accompany Naomi on her journey and to continue and persevere for the long run. I found this quote in Matthew Henry's commentary and he states her situation in this manner: Those that are unresolved, and go in religious ways without a steadfast mind, tempt the tempter, and stand like a door half open, which invites a thief; but resolution shuts and bolts the door, resists the devil, and forces him to flee. John Wesley puts it a little differently: Left speaking unto her - See the power of resolution! Those who are half-resolved are like a door a-jar, which invites a thief. But resolution shuts and bolts the door, and then the devil flees from us. I suppose the part I like the best about these statements is the devil has to flee from me when my resolve is to be obedient to the Lord. When I realize that I must have such a steadfast mind to stay and do the things of the Lord the devil cannot penetrate that kind of strength.