He IS My Portion

On BibleGateway part of todays reading passage is "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26).  This message stuck me as particularly important to day because of a conversation that I had this morning. 

We are all going to die at some time.  We don't know when or how, but we do know it is a certainty.  But if we live our lives in fear of death and the unknown, then we are telling God that His strenth is insufficient to carry us through.  This verse says what we should be feeling beautifully "God is the strenght of my heart and my portion forever".  He is all we need. 

It still amazes me how a verse can be read 14 times, not really meaning anything, then that one time you read it, it is like God just added that in there that day for you.  I love you God and thank you for your continual inspiration.

Likes Flies to Honey

We've all heard that old saying.  You get more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar.  Meaning you'll get people to be more responsive to what you want them to do if you are sweet to them. 

I've heard it said that you can't sugarcoat God's word.  That is absolutely right.  But what we must do, is we must allow God to direct us in the right way to present His word to each individual.  I understand that when we are sharing the gospel with a group, it is hard to individualize, but when we have the opportunity to do it in a one on one fashion, we must allow God to help us to know what is going on in that person's life.  We do not know, but He does.  We may encounter a person that is in an abusive relationship and they are lost.  Would it be more beneficial for them to hear God loves you more than a human love, he cares for you and created you for a special job in His kingdom, or that God is a vengeful God that rains down wrath upon people when they don't do as He says?

 For them to learn the whole truth about God, we must first show them His love.  We must not only tell them of His love, but demonstrate it in our lives.  Enough with the Sunday morning Christian.  If you are going to represent Christ, you do so all the time, not just in church.  When you are going against what God has commanded and people are witnessing you do that, it is firstly a bad reputation for you, secondly a bad representation for the church you attend and most importantly, a misrepresentation for God. 

Be mindful of God's leadership.  We don't want people to be drawn to God's word and Jesus' gift of salvation like sugar.  We want them to be drawn like honey.  We want them to come to the sweetness and get stuck there and never depart. 

It isn't just about statues anymore...

Weird title huh?  Well once again, God has used a study that He led me to take to convict me of something.  He used this past weeks lesson about hindrance in your prayer life to convict me of of two things.  Two of the sins that can majorly effect your prayer life are idolatry and broken relationships.  I knew about the idolatry (sort of) but hadn't really thought about all the idols that I had in my life.  The T.V is a biggie, Facebook games is another (or was until I blocked them today).  I put these things in a more prominent place in my life than God.  I spend more time playing Facebook games than I do praying and studying God's word.  This can be be changed though.  And it has, and will continue to.

The other one that I never even considered was broken relationships.  To think that an earthly dispute could have a negative impact on my relationship with God had never crossed my mind.  I thank God for leading me to this study so that I might try and repair these relationships.  I am taking steps, and for those of you who might read this and feel like I've hurt you, I ask that you contact me.  I do not want to be in any way responsible for hindering someone else's prayer life.  If you are carrying a grudge against me, let me know so we can settle it.  There is nothing important on this earth to keep us at any distance from God. 

Thank you God once again for all You do.  The spiritual gifts far outshine the physical.  This physical life is fleeting, heap on me all the spiritual gifts this earthly mind and heart can stand please. 

Seasons of my Life

I've been afraid of changing cause I built my life around you.  But time makes you bolder, children get older, and I'm getting older too. ~Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac, Landslide)

As I was watching TV yesterday, I came across Stevie Nicks singing Landslide with Sheryl Crow.  For some reason tears start falling down my cheeks.  I always am aware, but for some reason I just pondered it more on this occasion than normally.  I am getting older.  My children are getting older too.  Those singer/songwriters that I have loved so long are aging, dying.  Ten years ago if  you would have told me I would be watching television coverage about Michael Jackson or Patrick Swayze dying I would have thought you were nuts. 

We don't really dwell on our mortality that much, well we try not to I suppose.  But if we don't, do we really live life like we should?  If I knew then what I know now, I would have burned memories into my brain, cherished them forever.  Stevie Nicks wouldn't have had that impact on me for sure.  I wouldn't think about people I've lost and wished that I'd have spent more time with them. 

Life is exactly like a landslide.  One day you are standing on top of the mountain, looking around at God's masterpiece.  In the blink of an eye, you are tumbling down, you've lost your footing. sliding and can't get a grasp. 

Really pay attention while you are on top of the mountain.  Look deeper than the surface. 

Sometimes you just need to talk.

Sometimes we go through rough patches in our lives where we feel like no one listens and no one cares.  All it takes in one of these moments is for one person to say something kind to let you know that they do care to totally transform your mood. 

For about 4 1/2 to 5 years  I've been a stay at home mom.  This was a very hard thing for me to get accustomed to, and I still haven't quite got it down.  Some days I start feeling like I am not productive.  Then I have to talk myself down off the pity party ledge before I jump head-first into a cry me a river.  Anyway, I tell you that so tell you this...besides my husband and family I really don't get a whole lot of grown up interaction.  I find myself saying familiar three year old words in a grown up conversation.  That's disturbing.  Recently in the Disciples Prayer Life study we were asked to pick a prayer partner to pray with on a regular basis.  So I approached a gal at church and asked her if she would mind me calling her and praying on the phone with her.  (Well not in those exact words, but you know).  I was more than thrilled when she accepted.  That conversation has done more for me than she can even know.

We pray together (not every morning but I want to do that...consistency is not my strong suit) at 5:30 am and talk about things that are bothering us, or things that we would just like to talk about.  It is soooooo refreshing to have someone else tell me that I am not the only one that feels a certain way about things.  Once again I am thankful for God's guidance in helping me fill a need that I had in my life.

If any of you feel the same and would like someone to talk to, get a gripe off your chest or just hear each other breathe (:D )... just let me know. 

Thank you for reading.  And Nikki if you read this, thank you too. :)

Almost Persuaded to be a Christian

In todays sermon at Watts Chapel Baptist, Brother Dan read from Acts 26:1-30.  He focused mainly on verse 28 where King Agrippa tells the Apostle Paul that Paul had "almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian".  The King knew of Paul's past.  He knew that Paul had been a Pharisee, an opposer of Christians and of the way of heaven through the sacrifice of Christ.  He had had Christians thrown in prison and been a complete opposite to Christianity.  Then on the road to Damascus, Paul recieves a word from God that totally changed his whole world.

Paul told the King, you know of my life, and the change that it has taken.  You know of Christ.  You know of the prophecies.  With all of this knowledge (and mind you the the King was alive during the time of Jesus' walk on this earth, he had first hand knowledge that He did exist), the King still was only "almost persuaded". 

We today have not ever physically met Christ, but most of the people where I live do believe that He lived.  They even believe that He died for their sins on the cross.  If they believe that, then why is it that in my area alone, in the Bible Belt, there are still people that have not accepted the gift Christ gave.

My prayer today is that we can spread the gospel, share the news, pray about it and leave in God's hands.  It is not up to us to make someone see the truth, it is just up to us to tell them The Truth.

It is Well with my soul

Last night during our Wed. night Bible Study, we studied the book of Numbers and more specifically chapters 6 and 7.  In Chapter 6 and verse 22 the Bible gives us a "Priestly Blessing" that Aaron and his sons were to give the Israelites.  It reads:

 ²⁴ “‘“The LORD bless you
and keep you;
²⁵ the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’  (Biblegateway.com)

And in this blessing, Bro. Dan asked us what does it mean when it says "give you peace".  He said that peace (in this instance) doesn't mean without turmoil, it means that no matter what life gives you, you should be okay and at peace with it.  The more he explained it, the more it made sense.  While he was talking one of our hymns came into my brain.  "It is well with my soul".  One of the lines in that song says:

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul."

God spoke to me in that moment and told me that whatever comes my way, it should always be well with my soul, because he knows what is coming on the other end of everything.  He has control of my life. 

Thank you Lord for all you do for me.  Thank you for this gift of technology that allows me to share with others what you have given to me, peace. 

It Shouldn't Take a Disaster to Thank Him!

How many times in our lives do we take for granted ordinary, mundane or seemingly trivial things?  Like for instance, your phone, the Internet, even the library.  Three different ways to get almost instant access to any kind of information that we want.  When was the last time that you thanked God for each of these things?  Better yet, lets get down to something that he directly made...you.  When was the last time you thanked God for your toes, eyes, nose, ears, internal organs?  I've begun to thank Him more for things that I can't see, like my heart, my lungs, and my kidneys.  Those are unsung heroes, until one of them fail to do their job.  Oh THEN we notice them. 

I would like to challenge anyone who reads this post to take some time today.  Think of things that you use without thinking.  Then think of what life would be like if they weren't there.  Don't forget to include body parts.  It will really open up your eyes to what we really should be thankful for.  I know it did mine. :)  God Bless you all.

Busy Doing Nothing

In my churches Prayer Life studies, a verse came up last week that really resonated with me.  The verse was Matthew 11: 29-30.  It says “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.  How many times in our lives have we felt like we are overburdened with life’s worries?  Like if one more thing is put on us we will break?  Why is it that we forget to unload all that to God?  We pray for His miraculous help in times of great crisis, but we forget that He is ALWAYS there.  If we truly believe that He can help us in our greatest hour of need, how then is He incapable of helping us to find a job, or to manage our budget, or find a good baby sitter?  God is in control.  We sing it, we say it, but we don’t act it.  We go through life only calling on His name when we feel like there is no other option.  God is the first answer, not the last choice.

I gave the title to this post “busy doing nothing” because I have found myself with lots of extra time since my Facebook fast started on Monday.  I had been letting my blog writing go by the wayside.  I have had more time to be detail oriented when cleaning the house.  More time to read God’s word.  So I'm not hating on the Facebook fast.  That was just something to keep me busy while doing nothing.

Thank you Lord, for you love, your presence and your conviction.  I give you thanks today for my breath, my intricately made body and my health.  You prove yourself as my constant Watcher, my Companion, my Rock and my Shield.  Thank you for the many facets of You Lord.  Thank you.

The "P’s” of Prayer

Don’t you just love it when you are sitting in church, expecting to hear from God personally, and then it feels like the pastor is talking directly from God to you? 

Tonight's service at Watts Chapel Baptist church  (Crab Orchard, KY)was all about the powerful prayer that Elijah prayed in 1 Kings chapter 17.  The widow whom Elijah had been staying with had discovered her son was dead.  She cried to Elijah “What do you have against me, man of God?  Did you come to remind me of my sins and kill my son?”  Elijah takes her dead son from him (notice that doing this would have made Elijah ceremonially unclean in that day and he would be much of an outcast for a period of uncleanliness) and took the boy to his own bed, laid him out and stretched himself atop the boy praying for God to restore his soul.  Imagine that.  Nowhere in the bible before this has it stated that any individual had ever prayed such a bold prayer. Elijah KNEW that God could answer and he persisted until God did.  Three times Elijah stretched himself out and prayed to God. 

The “P’s” of Prayer given to us tonight were:

The Place of Prayer (meaning where you pray at)

Your Pace of Prayer (Praying on a regular basis, not just during crisis)

Your Posture of Prayer (Not physical posture as Elijah, but spiritually humble)

Boldness of Prayer:  (Praying a prayer even if there is no prescience for it.)

Purpose of Prayer: Remembering that it is not just to say what we want and get it off our chests, it is communicating with God in expectation that He is able to do greater than we can even think to ask.

Lastly, and this was not given to my pastor, but I think God meant me to tell it to him was Participation of prayer.

This is the first time sine I have been baptized that something has compelled me so much that I could NOT not go forward during the alter call.  Many times I have felt God nudging me down the aisle, but this time he pushed me.  God spoke to me during the sermon and told me that when I pray for someone to know Jesus as their Savior, He may ask me to be the one to tell them the Way, and that I should participate in my own prayer.  I came forward tonight, told Bro. Dan what God had laid on my heart and asked him and the entire church to pray that I could have boldness as to not be scared or nervous as I all too often get in any potentially confrontational situation.  Please pray for me to have boldness and a calm heart when God chooses me for an assignment.

On a side note, I know that I am on a fast from Facebook in preparation of our upcoming Revival at Watts Chapel (starting Sun. March 13th at 11-12 am, that night at 7 pm and then each night until Wed. at 7 and nursery is provided), but I am not technically on Facebook, I am just posting this from Windows Live Writer.  I pray this word I received can help some of you as much as it has helped me.

In a Fleeting Moment

Man life goes by so fast.  The sad thing is that even when it isn’t going by fast on it’s own, I am wishing it away.  “I will be glad when summer gets here”, “I can’t wait for Friday”.  I can’t think of a single person that I know that doesn’t feel the exact same way and do the same thing.  One thing that we are forgetting is that we are not promised tomorrow.  In God’s word he says “^{13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. ? (James 4: 13-17)}

So if it is stated plainly that we are not even promised the next breath, why then do we keep on putting off important things for another day?  Why then do we just mull about aimlessly?  Is there nothing important for us to be doing?  You would think with all the people who have never heart about Jesus, and those that have not accepted Him as their savior that there is SOMETHING we could be doing. 

My prayer is this.  Lord, please let me always be present in each breath.  Let me never again wish my life away.  Please give me boldness to use whatever gifts you have blessed me with to reach out to people.  I don’t know exactly what all Your will is for me but I pray that I am always in the center of Your will. 

I ask these things in Jesus’ Name,

Amen

A Word From God

I watch a show on ABC called “What would you do” every Friday.  It is a hidden camera show that shows scenarios devised to capture peoples reactions to various social situations.  Everything from breastfeeding in public to spousal abuse has been covered.  Every time I watch that show I think to myself, “What would I do?”.  Would I react in the correct way, would I just pass by and ignore, would I call out the injustice?  Funny how God delivers a message to you huh?

This morning during service at Watts Chapel Baptist, Brother Dan Gutenson was delivering to us a message about promises or vows that we make to God.  He gave us some reasons that we generally make promises to God such as being in the midst of a crisis (God if you will _____ I will _______ for you).  He also spoke about a promise we make when we accept Jesus as our Savior.  We vow to God to share His word with others.  To be a witness for Him and bring others to Him.  He also said that often times when we can witness to people and don’t, we justify it to ourselves by saying “Someone else will do it”. (That is also the main reason on the TV show that people give when they ignore the situation)  When Brother Dan said that it was like a bolt of lightening went off in my head.  God told me WWYD.  When I am presented with an opportunity to witness to others about God what DO I do?  Generally nothing.  I am too nervous.  I am not embarrassed about my faith, but when I am in a potentially confrontational situation I literally break out in hives.  Even if it is arguing about my bill over the phone, I still get nervous.

I wrote exactly what God said to me on my arm that moment.  I knew if I wrote it anywhere else I would forget about it.  Then during our evening service, Brother Dan talked about hearing from God.  He asked when was the last time you heard from God.    That reaffirmed to me that I had heard from God.  Brother Dan reminded me of something Henry Blackaby says “God’s not into idle chit chat”.  Meaning when He says something, you need to remember it.

(Picture says WWYD Someone else will witness)

So as the show says at the end… What would you do?  Will you speak up for God?  You promised  Him you would.  Pray for me that I always have the courage to speak up when offered the opportunity. 

Life Lessons from a 3 Year old

Is it possible for a 30 year old woman to learn anything from a toddler?  Well thanks for asking…yes there is.  And yes I did.  Today while doing my Bible Study and my homework for a class I am taking about prayer, my 3 year old (who was playing a computer game) kept asking me to help him beat the game.  When I would come and help him out, he would then tell me “No do it this way”.  I thought to myself why ask for help if you are not going to like what I offer.  WOWWIE WOW WOW (as Junie B. Jones would say) like a bolt of lightening it hit me.  How many times have I asked for help from God and then when He gives it to me I say “Not like that”. 
Sometimes we ask for help from God (and rightly so) but when He delivers us in a way we were not expecting we get frustrated.  Why is that?  We are asking help from GOD.  From He who has always been.  The creator of all life.  Yet we decide sometimes that He gave us something wrong. 
Do you see my life lesson now.  God delivers messages in strange (and very cute) ways sometimes.

Take a stand and Shut your mouth.

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Brainy Quotes.com)

Have you ever been in a situation where you hear a child say something that you KNOW they did not decide on their own.  Something that had been instilled in them by friends or family?  Now when it is a good thing that they child says, fine (like Jesus loves me), but when a child is spouting hate, that burns me up!

I have raised my children to not ever discriminate against someone because of their color, economic status, odor, abilities or different abilities.  I have only told them, if they are nice to you, be nice to them, if no one will play with them you should be the first.  I cannot understand why parents would want to create hate in their child.  For that matter I cannot understand why people in this day and age hate someone (or whole races) just because of their color, sexual orientation, religion or any one of the myriad of reasons people hate.

One of my children came home from school one day and told me that the President (Barack Obama) shouldn’t be president.  When I asked him why he said well (I won’t name the child’s name) said that because he was African he shouldn’t be our president.   I was flabbergasted.  We don’t have a large population of other colors/religions/ethnicities in my community.  I think the last time I remember it was 1% Black, 1% Hispanic and the rest are white.  But I explained to my child that our president is an American, therefore he should be the president.  I also told him not to repeat things that he hears other children say because that is not how we live.  My husband is Hispanic, so I used the  scenario of how would you like it if someone was mean to daddy because he wasn’t white.  My son said he would be mad.  I said well, if a child that is a different color heard someone say that about them, what do you think they would feel?

I also told my son and daughter that when they hear something being said that doesn’t sound like what I’ve taught them, they should stand up and say that it is wrong.  Tell someone.  I can only hope that they will always do that.

Going Green!

After much thought and nervous thinking I’ve decided to make some lifestyle changes.  My kitchen is almost a plastic wonderland.  That’s crazy.  I have known about the presence of BPA for quite some time.  I just haven’t found the right way to approach it to my husband that I wanted to get rid of most of our dishes.  Today was that day.  I asked him would he mind if I made a few changes to our dinnerware, because I’d leaned that plastic-ware was not great for our health.  To my utter amazement he told me that HE HATED PLASTIC!!!  SAY WHAT??? I said he told me that he hated plastic.  He says he hates the way it smells.  Ok I’m running with it.  That is all the reason that I needed to then tell him that our budget was gonna get stretched just a bit week by week until we (or rather I) had purchased all the required items for a family of 5.

Thanks to some wonderful help from a far advanced greenie (my friend Stephanie Proffitt), I will embark on this adventure this coming week.  We will be acquiring new dinner ware, glass ware, and I am even of thinking getting some 17 dollar sippy cups for Aiden.  It is expensive I know, but it is my child. 

Prayers are welcome (mostly for my husband and his wallet) as I embark on this very new, very exciting journey.  Thank you again Stephanie for all your help.