Great Minds Think....differently

I am sitting here watching Good Morning America which is featuring a concert by U2. Hmmm...not that I know who that is mind you, but they certainly have control of the audience. The audience is doing everything they do, every hand motion...Now that is interesting to me. It makes me reflect on a conversation I had with a teen just recently.

We were talking about how difficult it is to find Christians who are really serious about their faith. So many "Christians" aren't any different than anyone else, not in dress, not in attitude, not in the way they live their lives. I was glancing on FACEBOOK at some photos of "Christian" kids and there is picture after picture of kids making the same looks and hand gestures as everyone else. It poses the question what is a "Christian?"

I can tell you what it is not. It is not someone who attends church of any denomination. It is not someone who can quote a passage of Scripture. It is simply someone who follows Christ. Where is Christ and where is He going? How did He live His life? How was He different from all that had come before Him and will ever come after Him? In God's Word we are told that we are predestined as born again believers in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be conformed to His image. God wants me as a believer to be Christ like not world like. To be friends with the world is to be enmity with God...not one of those things we can straddle the fence on...will love the one and hate the other.

Having a conversation with Taylor last week...one of my adopted sons who I love dearly. First let me tell you about Taylor. He appeared last year fresh out of tech school and has been in and out of our lives for over a year. He comes to church once in awhile and joins us for dinner on occasion. He is very real, making no excuses for his behavior. He is definitely my wild child! Anyway...he has an IQ higher than mine so we have this intelligence rivalry going. He really is pretty bright! I made a comment about how great minds think alike and he responded with, "No, great minds think differently." Aha...he is right!

As Christians, we are often accused of being of lesser intelligence, not being able to think for ourselves, being brainwashed and yada, yada,....I have a 3.89 GPA, a Bachelor's degree, a member of Phi Kappa Phi, and am returning to get my MAT. My IQ is higher than the average bear, and I am NOT brainwashed. I can think for myself and recognize truth when I see it. I am not swayed by a professor or my peers. I read and I think. Most importantly, I know that there is really only one absolute truth. History itself teaches me that man is always revising his thinking. What is accepted as fact one day is discredited the next. Man's ideas are finite. God is infinite. Why would I want to be like the world I live in? Why would I want to think like I am told to think? Why would I want to scream individuality while I dress and talk and act like the peers who influence me? Why......Not.....think differently?!

Love, Love, Love

I knew this guy one time that wrote an essay on "What is love." He hit pretty close, but really, Love defies human comprehension....at least the kind of love that makes a difference. I often look at myself and wonder if I am even close. God's love for me is an agape love, a love that is completely independent of me, completely unconditional. I find in most of my relationships, love is anything but unconditional. Not only do I expect something from other people, their demands on me are at times stifling.

I was reading in this little booklet this morning by Gary Smalley, I Promise. It is a covenant book for married couples or those about to be married. My hubbie ordered it not too long ago. He has already read through it, and I am working on it (along with the other dozen or so books I am reading at this moment). One idea really caught my idea today. This idea of "focus."

We can choose what we focus on in other people. We are all composed of good and bad qualities. For every positive, there is a negative. All we have to do is look. (I am paraphrasing Dr. Smalley). In a relationship, we choose what to focus on. I have certainly been on both sides of that issue. There have been lots of times in my marriage when my husband wasn't what I thought I needed. My heart attitude turned negative, and I had to get a grip. I am sure he would say the same thing about me. Not only is that true in our marriage, but as parents, with our children's spouses, and with our extended family and friend relationships. I could list lots of negatives in my own life, my children's lives, my in-laws, out-laws, and everyone in between, but...if love is independent of that, then I have to choose to love anyway and I do.

I choose to love my kids and their spouses regardless of anything that has been said or done on their ends. I choose to love my siblings and parents despite the neglect, abuses, and pain suffered at their hand. (I called both my mom and dad this week) I choose to love the sweet people God has blessed us with, even though they have glaring faults (just like I do). Only God changes people. It is God which is at work in my life to conform me into his image. It is God who is at work all around me. It is God who places us in the family of His choosing, and it is God who knows why. I am trusting. I am choosing to focus on what is good, not on what is not. Love? I don't know that I really know how, but I am learning.

Lord, bless my children today. Guide their hearts and their relationships down the roads that lead completely to you. Give them victory in their marriages, in their on going relationships, at school and at work. Give them favor with every life they touch. Reveal to them how much you love them and are at work in their lives. Remind them today that their very names are written on the palms of your hands. I know you will finish what you have begun in all of our lives and am trusting you to do just that. Thank you that your love for us is so individual and so complete and not a tear is shed that you don't see. Thank you for giving us life and life abundantly. Thank you that not a word of yours returns void and that every situation that ever has been, is currently, or shall be is not hid from you. You know our downsitting and our rising. You have known us before we were formed. You remember that we are but dust but love us anyway. Lord, thank you for placing me into my birth family, the family I married into, and the Spiritual family I was reborn into. Lord thank you for giving me the children you gave me for the time that you did. Thank you for providing life long mates for them. Lord, it is all Yours...it is all Yours!

Freedom...

Freedom Isn't Free...so what does it require? Truth (John 8:31-32 "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

What is Truth? God's Word (John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.")

Wow...how simple is that??? One truth, one absolute, and if practice makes permanent....then practicing living in truth is certainly a much better idea than practicing living by a false philosophy.

God Still Speaks

A few weeks back I had to teach in the Ladies Jail Ministry on short notice. I had no idea what I was going to teach, but got up that morning seeking direction. I could have not gone that day, but it was the last day for two weeks and did not want to leave them without any encouragement. God gave me a lesson on how He speaks.

It is hard to distinguish His voice from all the others that whisper, shout, sneak around the corner, or tap on my shoulder in any given day. I find that teaching Scripture truths speaks to me as I prepare it in probably a greater way than it does to those listening. God has really been speaking to me...and I have been really trying to listen.

My daughter is on an amazing ride right now. I have been praying for her for so long, as I have all my children. They start off my prayer list...my children by birth, those who have married into our family, and those who have become such a part of our lives that we count them among us. My heart lifts them up daily, and often hourly. To see God do the work in their lives I am crying out to Him for is an amazing thing. (I often fall into a deceived mentality that God is not listening and isn't working, but in truth, He is working, in His time, and in His way).

We sat, my daughter and I, chatting last night about her heart. God has revealed to her the necessity of giving up her life to Him, and letting Him direct and provide for her. He is proving He is able to do that in amazing ways...Jon has joined in with us, after much prayer for him and her. It is hard not to love Jon. He is faithful, full of laughter, comfortable being himself and letting everyone be themselves around him. We laugh so much when he is here, and I haven't heard Kat laugh this much in years and years and years. As amazing as that story is, the greater work is the work of the heart. Because she sees what God is doing for her and in her, she wants to share that with those she loves. She has a renewed burden for her friends and the direction of their lives. She sees for the first time, the struggles and burdens we have had for her in the direction she wanted to go. She understands the difference in real love for someone and the need for accountability in our lives.

God is speaking to her...He is speaking to me....as I listen, make decisions-even the hard ones-based on obedience to Him, He gives great peace and comfort. I had to make one of those unpopular decisions this week, and I know there will be repercussions from those who want me to do something different, but I am not here to please men...I am here to please God. The whole process made me think of the tshirt "I can only please one person today, and today is not your day." Today is God's Day...today, as He speaks, Lord, help me listen and obey!

Moment of Gratitude

Sometimes I just sit and think, I wonder...about stuff...Many times that leads to discouragement, other times I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

This is a moment of gratitude. When we got the news Aunt Betty had passed away, there was no question we would go and be with our family and honor her memory. We knew how hard it would be for my father-in-law to say goodbye. His sister had been the glue that held the rest of the family together. She kept up with addresses and phone numbers, as well as the latest news. She leaves such a huge void. She was his only sister.

The trip down was a special blessing because we traveled with my father-in-law. We don't usually get that kind of time, so the time was absolutely precious. We stayed in the same hotel right next door, so that too gave us time with him. Once there we ran around to visit family and check in on everyone. What would be a trip to Florida without seeing Uncle Jack? (By the way his name is NOT Jack-I had been telling my husband that for years, but he didn't believe me.)

We saw him the night before the funeral and then spent the afternoon with him after the funeral. He told us stories, instructed us on how to solve a rubic's cube (yes, and he is 82), and proudly demonstrated how the player piano (the one he restored) works. (I videotaped that!) That was an amazing moment. How many 82 year old men rebuild pianos???

The whole trip was about family. Because it was, we spent alot of time pondering what it means to be part of something so big. I thought back to when my stepfather died two years ago. My mother married him because she had three kids to take care of and he was willing. He turned out to be an abusive perverted man. He subjected us to every imaginable type of abuse-not one of us got out unscathed. When he came to the end of his life, it wasn't about that anymore, all I cared about was his salvation...it didn't matter what he had done, what mattered was if he knew Jesus Christ died for him and he could have an eternity in heaven. I knew he was lost, and I knew I wasn't going to get another chance. I knew I had to forgive him and love him with the kind of love God loves me. I cried out to God the entire trip down. God in His mercy let me be the one to lead my stepfather to Christ. He died three days later. All of these thoughts led me to my brother.

My brother was rather upset with my mother some years ago. He pulled away from her, not giving her his address or phone number. His kids thought their grandmother was dead. It had been something like 5 years or so since my mom had even spoken to him, and then my stepfather lay on his deathbed. We contacted my brother, and he came. He came. He had enough character to lay everything aside and be there for my mom and for us. He stood right beside his siblings in the one moment we needed him to be there.

My stepsister had not really known her dad, and hadn't met any of us. Her mother took her from him when she was just a child. She didn't have any contact with him until she was a senior in high school. She is grown now, married, and has two kids. She came too. She got to see her dad the last days of his life, meet the rest of the family, and share in our moment of grief. She missed out having a dad her entire life, but in the end, she came. There is something about that. She came. He came. I applaud their character.

I saw my stepsister when we were back home. I always make it a point to try to connect with her when I am down. I have only known her for two years, but she is family, she is my sister, and I know her because she came. Our trip was hurried, but we were so blessed to spend a moment with all those that came. I am so full of gratitude this Thanksgiving season. There is no reason to dwell on what I don't have when what I do have is so great!

Precious Memories

I was amazed from the first time I met my husband's family. He grew up knowing his cousins, his aunts, all the extended family. He still tells stories of his childhood adventures. I remember when I first met any of his family. I was seventeen, a scraggly kid standing in front of Mommaw with soaking wet jeans because I had stayed out all night with my husband (not yet) at the beach. She didn't ask any questions, just gave me something to put on and washed my jeans. They loved me from the beginning.

His family was all about family. Not that his family was any more/less perfect than mine, because they have their fair share of misfits, skeletons in the closet and the such, but then....what family doesn't? We consist of people, people come with quirks...but a family is where you learn to love unconditionally, not for gain, not because people are who you think they should be, or say and do what is right to you, but just because that is where God planted you. This family I was born into and the one I married into is exactly where God wanted me to be. When I married my husband, I got his entire family; when he married me, he got mine. (hmm....who got the better deal????)

This week our family suffered a great loss. My father-in-law's sister passed away into eternity. We have shared our lives with her-she has impacted our life. We have witnessed her growth, and she took part in ours. I think back over all these precious moments we have shared as a family, and know that we are who we are because of every one of those moments. My children are the people they are because of the family they are part of. They can't take credit for molding themselves anymore than I can take credit for building my own life. I didn't do that-God did that, and He did that through our family.

Said I wasn't going to post to this site anymore, but I have had so many comments, so many people encouraging me that I just couldn't help myself. There is so much to share...so much to say...so many opportunities to love...just can't pass one up.

Yesterday was another one of those opportunities. We drove over to East Texas to visit with my in laws who we affectionately call "Ma" and "Pa." When that side of the family gets together, there is always music. Ma can pick and sing like nobody's business-Kat has her love for music. This time they encouraged Kat to join in, and we all did. It was precious remembering, singing, and yes, praising...Our family is hurting right now, but that pain has a lesser sting because we know where our loved one is today, and we can call up all those precious memories!

Nearing Half Way

My birthday is right around the corner, and as that day closes in, I am reminded of how much of my life has already been lived...wonder how much more there is to go? My husband and I talk alot about what is going on in the world around us, in our immediate family, situations which arise and need "analyzing," and just where we have been and where we are going. He has always been my greatest fan, but also my balance.

I spend what leisure time I have reading...I am always on the lookout for books that have the potential to change my thinking-bring life into perspective. After all there is always someone who has experienced what I have, and there really is nothing new under the sun. I just finished reading about grace and have picked up one by the Pearl family called Jumping Ship. The book is about kids raised in Christian homes who jump ship ie...leave their families and faith. Interestingly enough, I read a statistic just recently that stated 70% of Christian kids abandon their faith after attending secular colleges. We have witnessed the truth of that statement way too many times now. That is why my daughter, who does attend a secular college, is remaining at home with her friends and family around her to hold her accountable to truth.

The book-which I am already half way done with-brings many things to light, one of which really hits home with me. In our attempt to protect our kids from the ugliness of the world we live in, we did not adequately provide them with the tools to deal with that world. I didn't share with them what all had happened to me, because I wanted to protect their innocence, and I was afraid of what they would think of me. That lack of preparation leads to curiosity and vulnerability to what is being said outside our faith community. I am guilty of not sharing truth with them. I was so afraid for my kids...I so wanted them to have freedom to grow up and explore life without the peer pressure...I so wanted my kids to be innocent and just kids...and they were...till they became adult age, and then I couldn't protect them anymore.

I hate the idea of being a statistic....from my earliest days I can remember turning my rebellion against the "norm" to fight NOT to be a statistic. I thought maybe that fight was inherent, but now I wonder if God didn't give me what I needed to survive my life. I wouldn't have survived without that inner fight...I would have succumbed to the craziness that enveloped my life and thinking. I don't even know how I got from there to here, except by God's grace. I fought for my marriage, I fought for my education, I fight against the inevitable crippling affects of arthritis, I fight daily to live a life of faith...and so far I have beat the odds. I am not a statistic. I am still married after 25 years. I was the first in my family history to get a bachelor's degree, and so far I am not crippled, but living a life of faith-much harder. Resolve won't get me there, only grace, only God's provision. And...looking back-none of it was about my ability, my strength, my resolve, it was ALL about God's grace or I too would be a statistic.

My life is about half over. I can't undo anything in the first half. I can't raise my kids differently. If I could, I would do some things much differently, others, I would do just the same. We did many things wrong-the downside of being imperfect and not having all the answers. We also did many things right. Hindsight really is 20/20. We can learn from where we have been and not go there anymore...so as I embark on the rest of my life-looking back just for a sec to remember-I am going to spend the years ahead of me looking forward, praying more, trusting more in Christ and less in me, growing in grace, searching for His will and living it!

I'm Loving It...

I was sitting in church yesterday morning, between my husband and daughter, listening to our pastor and thinking about how different life is now. Our pastor preached on the mission of our church which boiled down to edifying families and reaching the lost. He always references Scripture to Scripture, rarely quoting commentaries and the such. Our time with him has been incredibly challenging. I am loving my church, my church family, my pastor, and mostly my Christ! I felt like singing the McD's jingle....buh buh bump, bump, buh...I'm Loving it! It has certainly been quite awhile since I could say that!

We never hear a message that doesn't leave us in thought...considering...where we are and where we should be going. He [our pastor] made a comment that really stuck with me-We can't remain neutral. We are on one side or the other, Christianity is not a neutral activity, although it would seem that some think so. We are either following Christ or following the world-can't stand still and can't choose both!

Every part of my day yesterday was filled with God's amazing presence. I had some time with my brother and sister-in-law, time to study my Bible, time to listen and be taught, time to minister to others, and just time....time to live my life in Christ. Another moment, another day, another opportunity...and time is short! I have never been fully convinced of the truth that Jesus Christ is going to return again in my lifetime...thought we would live and die like generations before us. The whole idea that Christ is returning seemed more like a Sci-Fi movie! My soul is bubbling over....I am so excited...but, I am seeing the multitudes of lost around me that need to be reached and how... Lord, here I am, send me!

Martha, Mary, Lazarus?

Me..I am the Martha, but I have always wanted to be someone or something else. At times I am glad to be the doing one, but other times, I really want to be the one center stage, or the one sitting at the feet of Jesus. The truth: Not always living content with who Christ created me to be, want more, more, more! Once again..Jesus addresses my heart need in such a still small voice...but He spoke to me...this time through another online devotion I get, but rarely read. After I hit the "encouraging word" from Klove, I opened "Upwords with Max Lucado." Today it was on Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

"God gave Martha a bass drum of service. God gave Mary a flute for praise. And God gave Lazarus a trumpet. And he stood on center stage and played it.

God still gives trumpets. God still calls people from the pits. God still gives pinch-me-I'm-dreaming, too-good-to-be-true testimonies. But not everyone has a dramatic testimony. Who wants a band full of trumpets?

Some convert the lost. Some encourage the saved. And some keep the movement in step. All are needed." (From Cast of Characters© Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2008, Max Lucado Now Available)

http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/upwords/

I needed that....don't have to be a Mary or a Lazarus...I get to be who God wants me to be and I need to be content with that.

Lord, I Need Your Grace

I have been reading Lord, I Need Grace to Make It Today, by Kay Arthur. I am down to the last day. This book is one in a series of devotional style books by Kay Arthur. I plan to dive into a few more sometime in the near future.



Quoting her, "when you act on God's grace, when you trust God's purposes during trials, the reality of the grace of God spreads because others see the reality of Christ and His sufficiency in us" (Arthur, 196). *There is a purpose in trials; one of which is to magnify God's amazing grace! Throughout history Christians have endured incredible trials of faith making my trials seem so small and insignificant, but God knows who is watching and who needs to experience His grace!Lord, I so need your grace manifested in my life so that those, even those who are attempting to derail us, will only see you!

Take a peek at the book...it is a great book on the grace of God!

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=64417&event=CF

"And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;" Philippians 1:28-29

Must Be Doing Something Right

Sometimes God just gives me a really noticeable "amen." With all the chaos and conflicts of this past year, including the ones we are engaged in right now and...Katherine's health issues, it is hard at times to trust that God is at work. I have really had lots of moments where Jesus could be saying to me, "Why are you kicking against the pricks?" I have wrestled in prayer, not sure anything was ever going to happen! The encouragement we have been getting, the Biblical counsel from our wise pastor and dear friends near and far has reminded us that we must be doing something right to be under such attack!

Icing on the cake today was a face to face encounter with what it looks like when someone is so angry because they can't get control...let me tell you...not pretty! We don't need control, not only of our life circumstances, but not of anyone else's either. We KNOW who holds the future!

I was sitting in church tonight listening to our pastor and rehearsing my year -a song came to mind (not Christian and absolutely unrelated except for one line)...must be doing something right...and suddenly a smile just had to escape! God knows where He wants us to be and I AM SO GLAD He does! I just had to go pray. I went to the altar-not so much to ask God for anything-but to praise Him and lay it at His feet...I was deep in my private sanctuary when I felt an arm around me. (I can't remember the last time I was praying at an altar and someone joined me!) What a blessing to be prayed over in such a way (thanx friend!).

I have such peace at this moment just because I know He is weeding and pruning...and with every cut, I get a little more confident in who He is! Woo Hoo...Yippee...I am on God's side...not kicking...not screaming...not pouting...God's got this!

Living a Life of Compromise

After last night's-searching for the right word-fiasco (not the right one, but strong enough), I open my email this morning and scan through it, landing on this devotion from Charles Stanley. How easy it is to compromise our values for the sake of peace, how many times we have found ourselves in that very place, and how we have wrestled with the idea of how to live our life according to the truth of God's Word AND peaceably with all men??? It becomes increasingly apparent that just isn't possible. Our values are going to be offensive to others, and although we do seek to let them live their lives with just a covering of prayer from us, they often force their values on us. Isn't that the way it is in our world? Christians are accused of trying to force our belief on everyone, but in reality it is the world forcing theirs on us while trying to silent us. The devotion encouraged and reminded me to to "walk in his [God's] ways" (Psalm 119:3b) and to "seek him with the whole heart." (Psalm 119:2b)

November 5, 2008
The Landmine of CompromisePsalm 119:1-8

Compromise injures a believer's spiritual life as surely as landmines wreak havoc upon the body. Our testimony is damaged or destroyed when we bend God's principles.

For example, suppose a young Christian woman meets an attractive man who doesn't share her beliefs. For years, she has known Paul's caution, "Do not be bound together with unbelievers" and recognizes the apostle's intention to protect Christians from worldly influences (2 Cor. 6:14). But she rationalizes that one date won't hurt her. Actually, she is probably right. However, a first date leads to a second and third and then to a relationship. He offers marriage, she accepts, and the bent principle becomes a broken rule.

To navigate a spiritual minefield, we must look a few steps ahead for possible danger. Even choices that seem trivial may have far-reaching consequences. But the Lord equips us with a "divine GPS" (God's Positioning System): the Holy Spirit sounds an alarm in our spirit if we veer into dangerous territory.
For us to hear these warnings, our heart must be tuned to the Holy Spirit's wavelength through Scripture study. Relying on our own understanding can lead to trouble. But those who trust the Lord and apply His principles will find straight paths through potentially explosive situations (Prov. 3:5-6).

The young woman in the above example knew Scripture and felt the Spirit's cautionary nudge, but she ignored it. For safe travel through this dangerous world, decide to obey His initial warning so you can steer clear of compromise.

In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=dhKHIXPKIuE&b=2336199&content_id={0C8662C3-B7F0-48C6-8D09-9003D70CEDCB}&notoc=1

Reflection

I was doing my devotions yesterday and flipped to the back of my Bible. I have this really cool Cambridge that has lined paper in the back! :) I have had this Bible a few years now which means there are lots of sermons, prayers, and journal entries in the back. Sometimes it does me good to see where I have been, where my heart has been, what mattered to me at particular times of my life. My prayers have been pretty consistent-usually about my children. As I read through some of those, I was amazed at what God has done these past years in His provision for us, and wept over the unanswered prayer in my childrens' lives. Of course, I know, there is no unanswered prayer, but those have yet to be answered (that is what I meant!). Daniel is still estranged from the family, Kat is still struggling, Rob...he actually is an answered prayer. That I am very thankful for. I am thankful for a relationship with Gabrielle and the knowledge they are both growing in the right direction! It goes without saying that we are deeply thankful for Aaron and the opportunity to share in his life!

Last night as I was talking to a friend and sharing with her that my prayer for our children has always been obedient hearts and willing spirits. From the time they were just infants I began to pray that. Yesterday, I was talking (almost yelling at) to Katherine and telling her how I see this present conflict (not a new one, just an ongoing one) in our lives; towards the end of that I reminded her that love and obedience go together. God says if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. That truth extends so much deeper than the surface obedience...it is a reflection of my trust and faith in Him. Obedience in children to their parents is the same reflection and is just preparation for obedience to Christ. My children's lack of obedience from the heart hinders them from also listening and obeying God's call on their life.

I say all that to say...as I considered all of the above, I realized my prayer for them has been like praying for patience. Patience doesn't come cheap...it comes through trials. Obedience and a willing heart doesn't come cheap either. I have wanted it to just happen...I pray...God answers...poof...obedient hearts and willing spirits. Nope...it has more like an extreme game of tug-of-war...my kids pulling against our authority to pursue what they want, while we are tugging on one end just trying to hold on to them, no doubt Satan has an end, and he is tugging with all the wiles in his arsenal, and then of course God who is tugging (ever so quietly) in a whisper of the corner of their heart calling them to trust and obey.

My- if we...and they...could see the big picture. If we could quit holding on to the fake pearls when God has the genuine. How my heart aches for what I could have had all these years in Christ had I of just obeyed and trusted Him...and how my heart aches for my children...I so want them to experience all the glory and goodness Christ has in store for them....if they will just surrender their heart to obedience to Him.

Dancing

I have been trying to pinpoint the moment in time when I learned to dance around the truth, that place where I lost confidence in my ability to speak the truth. There was a time when I had no problem speaking....giving my thoughts or opinions...even when I was wrong...but now, I can't seem to get it out even when I am right!

My husband and I have had this conversation a few times now, and he goes back to an incident with our sister-in-law a few years back. I thought we had freedom to speak and be who we are, and that was turned around and manipulated. Everything we said was turned into a lie to be used against us. There was absolutely no truth in any part of that situation: the result-a lost relationship with a brother, no opportunity for us to watch our neices to grow up, and broken relationships with other family members. Nothing but brokeness is left in this wake of manipulation and deception. Even worse, our son bought into it and this idea that somehow parents no longer have a right to say anything to their children when their children aren't walking in truth. We are supposed to sit by and watch them dive off into an abyss of darkness and destruction, all under some idea that they are "adults now." We no longer have any freedom to disagree with our childrens' choices and vocalize that, because they are "adults." All these years invested in them training them to live in Christ-gone-poof...just like that. All the years they came to us with questions, with conflicts...not a thing has changed on our end...actually we are more Spiritually sound than we were...have more answers than we did...and more tools to resolve conflicts.

Where on earth did someone get the crazy idea that being a "majic age" makes you an adult-suddenly able to do whatever your mind can conceive! How can a perfectly compliant child who has submitted to authority, studies and memorized the Scriptures, knows the truth of God's Word, suddenly think that just because they are an "adult" nothing applies??? How can God's Word be truth and authority one day, and not another? Where in our culture did it happen that drinking is wrong....unless you are legal? Where did it become ok to have sexual relationships as long as you are a consenting "adult"? I stand back, ponder all of that, and am absolutely blown away...and then I look at the situations in our nation, our communities, our families,

...and it is no wonder-no one wants to take a stand for what is true...we all want to dance around it. Sure you can make your own decisions. Sure you can live a life of sin. Hey...so can I, but why would I want to when my Heavenly Father knows so much more than I do! It makes me think of the Israelites when they were under the judges...over and over they "did that which was right in their eyes." What a difference it is to do that which is right in our eyes as opposed to that which is right in God's eyes. There is only one truth, there is only one way, there is only one life I want to live...in Jesus. How do I get that truth to stick in not only my life, but in the lives I touch? How do I speak the truth without fear? How can I love people and not condone the choices they are making? How can God possibly use me when I keep wanting to dance?

Smile From God

Got this in my email today...had to smile!

Staying Connected

Keeping in touch with people and sharing their lives takes time and effort...sometimes I need a reminder of that. I am also learning that relationships are give and take. You can't build a relationship with someone who doesn't contribute anything to it. I can minister, I can share once in awhile, make a phone call, send a note, but relationships can't be forced. When I do try to force them, I end up on the end of a very short stick-giving and being used to meet someone else's need while my needs go totally unnoticed. I am often disappointed when I realize how powerless I am to do anything about anyone else, especially when I had hoped to build a relationship, sustain a relationship, or mend one.

God has opened doors in such expected ways lately! Many people I have given to-those one sided relationships-have dropped out of sight. I am tempted to keep trying...but they aren't really interested so I am filing them away in the ministry folder...pray when God brings them to mind, call if He lays them on my heart, maybe send a note. Others have appeared through doors that I could never have opened myself! I am loving sharing my life with Shelly and Natalie. Shelly just walked into my life and began to share in this remodel with me. The time I have spent with her is priceless! I love her! Natalie was just someone I knew in church, then she came over...those moments spent with her have opened up a myriad of other doors-Facebook for example. Natalie wanted me to get a Facebook account...hmmmm I thought. (Not a big fan of all of that stuff) She sent a request and next thing I knew, my box was flooded with friend requests. As a result I have renewed connections with people I haven't seen or heard from in awhile, and have begun a new friendship with Natalie. :)

There are so many things important in life and so many that aren't.

Sweet Assurance

Sometimes the efforts of my life, trying to live my life in Christ in the midst of life situations and endless criticism, seems futile. There have been more moments than I would like to admit that failure seemed imminent, and I just wanted to throw my hands up and quit. One such "falling" down moment resulted in me going through my house and throwing away every Scripture posted above every door, putting away every Christian magnet on the frig, and refusing to go to church. That faith struggle was a rough one, but God challenged me with a simple phrase from my pastor, "A faith not tried is a faith that can't be trusted." It seems like every moment of my life the past four or five years has been a trying of my faith to see if it could indeed be tested. These moments have changed my perspective on what faith is.

Yesterday, Kat came walking in the house, put down a few groceries, and walked back out all the while talking on the phone. I walked through and heard her encouraging her friend in Christ, and then...praying over the phone with her friend. That touched my heart in such a remarkable way-she has heard me do that a thousand times. Her and I have prayed together over the phone. I don't know hardly anyone that stops and does that, yet it is so powerful...to just stop...pray with someone, over someone..not to say, "I will pray for you." Not saying...doing then, right at the time that person needs it!

She was talking to me a bit later about the situation-one she could relate to and understood-God was using her and her life struggles to encourage someone else to turn to Christ in their need! Awesome hardly describes the amazement I felt hearing her speak. God, at that moment, gave me sweet assurance that He is indeed working through me and teaching my daughter to live her life in the power of His Word!

Living in Grace

Thought:

"...if you do not appropriate in faith God's all-sufficient grace in the trials of life, it will affect your service for God. Without appropriating His grace, your trials can overwhelm you or consume your thoughts, thereby distracting you from God's calling upon your life...it's one thing to have access to the grace of God but another to appropriate it..." (p 177)

-Arthur, Kay. Lord, I Need Grace to Make It Today. Waterbrook Press. 2000

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:" Hebrews 12:28

Encouragement

God is so gracious to always provide in ways beyond my comprehension. I have a sweet friend that pops into my life periodically-always to bless me! I love her muches and muches! I don't always get to spend the time with her I would like as life gets in the way; however, I never leave her presence without being challenged to live my life in such a way that honors the Lord!


Tina... Knowing Jesus is such a wonderful reason to become dear friends with you... I am glad God gave me you when HE did.. our boys growing up together.. coming to know Christ.. the attitude adjustments.. even within our own hearts as we try and discern what God was doing with them.. and then see how God works it all out. Of course I cannot leave out ms. Priss...otherwise known as KAT.. lol.. she was almost 1 when I met her.. that girl.. she practiced then for singing. but it wasn't as lovely then to the ears. as it is now..... screaming .. to endure it .. then to rejoice in what God has done for her through the years.. and now. I cannot put prices on friendships.. but I know that a friend loveth at all times.. all the times I was down and needed a different friend..you'd send notes.. I cherish them still.. and your friendship.. I love to see God's progress in YOU!.. and I will not forget your sweet husband.. that in such a quiet way.. lets you know he respects you and loves you dearly! -Kayla


Thank you, Kayla, for being such a faithful friend to me. Not only do I count you as a true friend and sister, you are one of my heroes. I have had the privilege of watching your family grow in the Lord too! I too cherish every moment, every prayer, every phone call, every gift of your time to us. God always knew what I needed and when I needed it!

Fear and Faith

Last week I taught my Sunday School girls on "fear" from the life of David, this week we are discussing "faith" also from the life of David. I have always known that you learn by teaching because obviously you have to study to teach....as I am studying these two things and connecting them in my own heart (in order to connect them for the girls), God is convicting me of how guilty I am. I have lived so much of my life in fear and have failed so much of the time to live in faith.

Todd is such a good guy, and he has been really good for Katie, but I have had the hardest time giving my heart away this round. Jumping in has always been so easy for me. Being hurt, struggling with the situations of my own life, and then there is my family, my kids, and extended family members..giving and being taken advantage of....that being "used" feeling which always shuts me down... all of that has left "fear" in its wake.

Todd took Kat out for her birthday Friday night. (I took the first picture I have taken of them, because I was hesitating accepting them as a couple) I was good up until I had calculated about when the dinner and movie should be done, and she wasn't home yet. Fear crept in and panic started to bubble up to the service. Instincts said "text" and find out where she is, but reason said "be patient." I prayed instead for their safety, and she of course returned home safe and sound. Some areas of my life are incredibly difficult for me to let go and let God-my kids are way at the top of that list. They are all grown now, but it isn't any easier not to "fear," for them, even though I know God's got this. "Faith" believing in the promises of God's Word that I have yet to see. What kind of faith is it when I have to see to believe? It isn't of course. Praying.....and trying to trust...

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."