When we travel I like to look at the mile markers on the Interstate from time to time. I try to imagine walking that mile or I just like to see the miles stack up, for progress' sake. I also like the signs that say how many miles it is till our destination. It's just a way to measure the progress we've made in our travels and gives me something to occupy my time. Car/motion sickness limits what I can focus on when traveling as a passenger, which is most of the time, since my husband drives 99% of the time when we are on road trips. These are just markers along the way, they help to measure the distance and let's us know we're getting closer to our destination!
There are events in life that make me pause and think about where I've been and where I'm going in this life. I hope this isn't a mid life crisis thing- although I don't think so, because I've done this for as long as I can remember every New Years Eve. OK, side notes aside. I known hose of us that are Mothers are like this with our children, every first day of school, the baby pictures taken in monthly increments and so on. Which leads me to my son, Michael, as he enters High School! And I am kicking and screaming, "I want my baby back!"
But time keeps moving forward or as I've heard the expression, "Time waits for no man". Jesus gave a command to His disciples that I believe applies to all Christians today, He said occupy till I return. Going back to my childhood, I remember my brother, Doug, getting a sticker from attending VBS which was meant to help him remember what they had studied. It said, "Occupy till I return" -Jesus The reason I remember that sticker and what it said so well, is because Doug stuck it on his dresser and it remained there for years! I think God was telling us something, even as children! I can also remember as a family listening to cassette tapes of sermons regarding the end times. I can't vouch for my brother, but I grew up with this expectancy that Jesus is coming back and we'd better be ready and we have a tall order to fill, to occupy till he returns.
Matthew 24 gives many signs of when Jesus will return. Jesus finishes the discussion up with a story or what we call a parable (something from ordinary life that teaches us about God and His kingdom) Jesus talks about the owner of an estate returning and the way he finds his servants when he returns. This parable is found in Matthew 24:45-51 NLT
““A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 24:45-51 NLT
If the servant knew when his master would return he wouldn't be wasting time, getting drunk, throwing wild parties etc... With our own lives, we have A choice, we can write off Jesus' return by saying, "people have been saying that for years". Or we can take it seriously and be busy following where God wants us to serve, doing what He wants us to do! I will say this, if you are not ready for Jesus' return there is not better time to get ready than now!
Simply and honestly, the prophesies are coming about just like the mile markers show the progress we make in our travels. If we look at prophecies as foretold in the Scripture, like in Matthew chapter 24, we are getting closer and closer to when Jesus comes back! How will he find you and I when He returns? What am I, what are you doing in order to occupy till He returns?
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Worth Everything
On this journey that takes a lifetime to complete there are times when the mountains bring you higher than you've ever dreamed and times when the valleys bring you so low, you wonder if you'll come out on the other side or if you'll survive at all.
My family and I just traveled to Banff, in beautiful Alberta, Canada on our summer vacation! Talk about beautiful, the words and pictures just can't even come close to describing the mountain peaks and the valleys that we saw! If I could, I'd take anyone who wanted to know how our trip was and teleport them there, even if for just 5 minutes. Then maybe you could grasp the awesome beauty that we were blessed to be able to experience! I took oodles and oodles of pictures, so many that were I to show them all to you, you'd be board long before we got through all of them! Again I say it, the pictures just don't do it justice.
If you know me, I've got to find something profound out of this picture object lesson! When I think about God in His glory and think of Angels singing around His throne 24/7 singing holy, holy holy is the Lord God Almighty. Who was and Is and Is to come! I'm sure we cannot even begin to grasp how amazingly awesome Heaven is going to be. I Corinthians 13:12 (NLT) says, "Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity."
We Christians are to be a reflection of God, albeit a poor reflection, but a reflection none the less. So as we live this journey called life, let us not forget Whose name we represent! When the world sees us, do they see love being lived out? Do I live in such a way as to make someone want what I have?! God help me!
Simply & Honestly I close with this final thought in regards to trying to put the beauty we saw into words and all I can say is if this is in a fallen world, then how much more beautiful will Heaven be? How much more will it be worth everything we face, even the valleys of life, when we see and experience what God is preparing for us! If you find yourself in one of those valleys, don't forget that God has something greater and higher than any mountain we could ever conquer!
I Corinthians 2:9 (NLT) ". . . No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." Hang onto Him, because it's hard but oh, it is so worth it!
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Don't Forget!
Today as I open up my Bible Ap and read God's Word to me I read in Dueteronnomy about God's children the Israelites. God is giving them instructions on how they are to seek God and to follow His commands. They are instructed to not forget that God is the One Who allowed them the privilege and blessing of living in a land flowing with milk and honey.
“The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NLT)
Eight years ago we moved here, to North Canton, OH., from Buffalo, NY. That phase of life while we were living in Buffalo,was a period of difficult days, work schedules, infertility and the death of my Mother. I don't mean to paint a picture without hope, but it was definitely a trying time, when it was difficult to look up! But God saw our needs and even our wants and He had mercy on us!
God brought us to this phase that I like to compare to the promised land experience that the Israleites went through. As I got the mail this morning and contemplated my day set aside for writing and being creative, I couldn't help but think if God had not brought us to this place, I would not be able to afford the luxury to be able to plan my day in such a way. My heart was filled with gratitude that I get to do these things that I love to do and to look forward to celebrating our 19th Anniversary tonight on a date with Steve!
Were it not for God's blessings and goodness in our life, these days would be quite different! This blog post today though short compared to my others is to encourage you to be faithful. God's plans for us are beyond what we could plan. The road takes many twists and turns, but be faithful!! Even in the small things, God sees and He rewards. Some of those rewards are in this life, but I believe there is so much more to look forward to in eternity! And if your path at this point is in the Valley of the shadow of death, lean into God. Give Him your broken heart. He is the healer and He will give you hope and healing that nothing or no one else could begin to do on this earth!
Simply and Honestly I don't want to forget my God's goodness to me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I Don't Deserve His Goodness! There is nothing in me good enough to earn His love, and yet He loves!
“The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NLT)
Eight years ago we moved here, to North Canton, OH., from Buffalo, NY. That phase of life while we were living in Buffalo,was a period of difficult days, work schedules, infertility and the death of my Mother. I don't mean to paint a picture without hope, but it was definitely a trying time, when it was difficult to look up! But God saw our needs and even our wants and He had mercy on us!
God brought us to this phase that I like to compare to the promised land experience that the Israleites went through. As I got the mail this morning and contemplated my day set aside for writing and being creative, I couldn't help but think if God had not brought us to this place, I would not be able to afford the luxury to be able to plan my day in such a way. My heart was filled with gratitude that I get to do these things that I love to do and to look forward to celebrating our 19th Anniversary tonight on a date with Steve!
Were it not for God's blessings and goodness in our life, these days would be quite different! This blog post today though short compared to my others is to encourage you to be faithful. God's plans for us are beyond what we could plan. The road takes many twists and turns, but be faithful!! Even in the small things, God sees and He rewards. Some of those rewards are in this life, but I believe there is so much more to look forward to in eternity! And if your path at this point is in the Valley of the shadow of death, lean into God. Give Him your broken heart. He is the healer and He will give you hope and healing that nothing or no one else could begin to do on this earth!
Simply and Honestly I don't want to forget my God's goodness to me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I Don't Deserve His Goodness! There is nothing in me good enough to earn His love, and yet He loves!
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
The Same, Yesterday, Today and Forever
Time likes to change things. The rocks that were placed on our property by the previous owners are starting to chip and crumble. These are good sized stones. The harsh winter snow and hot summer sun, have eaten away at the the mineral components that hold it together. I step on the stones and they start to chip and crumble. Even after my first manicure, I'm noticing scratches and chips and growth in the nails and it's only been 3 days!
Likewise I returned to my home area to meet up with my cousins. We grew up together. We went to the same Christian schools, camp meetings same church services. Then we grew up and life took us all in different directions. Melissa and Michele, now live in Maryland where we grew up. Paula lives in Fl. and I live in Ohio. Our lifestyles range from contractor to housewife, beautician and Pastor's wife. Not necessarily in that order.
As I drove through the areas I grew up in, so many things have changed! Empty fields are now housing developments. Some businesses gone belly up and some prosper and grow. Some old buildings are renovated and some are decaying. Some places, like the hospital where my Mom took her last breath on this earth has grown so large, I'd not recognize it, if I didn't know any better! And little Friendship airport now known as BWI is a booming airport with airplanes lined up to land and take off.
Even the church I grew up in has changed. The faces of the people I knew have either, moved away, attend another church, passed away or no longer attend church period. There are new faces there for the most part. My cousin- in Law, Ken Clendaniel the Pastor of the church has overseen many changes that have set some people off, because it's not to their liking. I am not taking sides on this issue. People have their preferences, and God gave us all different tastes- for good reason, if we were all the same, life would be boring or total chaos depending on whose likes were "in charge". I do know the Bible says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18
The new faces in the church though do represent new life. With that I say we need the "old timers" to help the new life to become mature life. I wonder what will happen to the babes in Christ if they are not invested in? Who will disciple them? I am being remiss here because I have not mentioned my own Dad as well as Howard and Juanita Thomas who have stuck it out through thick and thin and are still attending Oakwood Wesleyan Church after all these years. I know they serve and invest in the work at the church and I know they are an example of faithfulness, which is indeed commendable! My Dad and I have talked and he has advised me in working in the church. There may be times that we may not agree with everything, but if we are all serving the same God, my Dad advises me to put aside the differences and work alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ! That advice has served me well!! I love you Dad!
Ok, so I did not sit down to blog about all of this. I honestly had no agenda, other than to have some outlet to sift through my thoughts and emotions of going "home" over the weekend. As for the four of us cousins, we've all changed too. We've been through life long enough to learn from either the hard knocks or just hands on experience. We've all become mothers since we were last together as a foursome. I pray that we as cousins will continue to seek God, not to get sidetracked by this life.
Monday was Memorial Day, my last day with my family. Dad and Gloria took me by to the graveside where Mom's empty shell was laid to rest. This change even after 9 years, is something I'm still not accustomed to. I look at the burial site and realize that this life is short in comparison to eternity. Simply and honestly the longer I live the more I see this life as a short phase of preparation for eternity. We have things happen in our lives, those things that happen are just a small percentage of life, our reactions and choices to those events are the Big things that will place us in eternity. We can choose to invest the abilities, skills and talents God gives us, or we can bury them and keep them for ourselves or just preserve them. Either way, those are our choices. But the difference will play a big part in eternity. I believe Jesus referred to this in His parable about the 3 servants the master left with money to invest. Two of them invested and had more to give their master when He returned. One buried it and did nothing with it. The outcome for the investors is more responsibility for their reward because they were faithful with a few things, the master put them in charge of many things. The one that buried the money and had nothing extra to give the master had that money taken away.
When I stand before the judgement seat of God, I want to hear Him say well done good and faithful servant. I do not want to hear, "What have you done with the things I gave you?". Simply and Honestly things change, but may I remain faithful where God puts me, faithful with the things God's given me. Regardless of the changes may I emulate my Heavenly Father with whom there is no shadow of turning, Who is faithful through the ages, Who is the same, yesterday, today and forever!
Likewise I returned to my home area to meet up with my cousins. We grew up together. We went to the same Christian schools, camp meetings same church services. Then we grew up and life took us all in different directions. Melissa and Michele, now live in Maryland where we grew up. Paula lives in Fl. and I live in Ohio. Our lifestyles range from contractor to housewife, beautician and Pastor's wife. Not necessarily in that order.
As I drove through the areas I grew up in, so many things have changed! Empty fields are now housing developments. Some businesses gone belly up and some prosper and grow. Some old buildings are renovated and some are decaying. Some places, like the hospital where my Mom took her last breath on this earth has grown so large, I'd not recognize it, if I didn't know any better! And little Friendship airport now known as BWI is a booming airport with airplanes lined up to land and take off.
Even the church I grew up in has changed. The faces of the people I knew have either, moved away, attend another church, passed away or no longer attend church period. There are new faces there for the most part. My cousin- in Law, Ken Clendaniel the Pastor of the church has overseen many changes that have set some people off, because it's not to their liking. I am not taking sides on this issue. People have their preferences, and God gave us all different tastes- for good reason, if we were all the same, life would be boring or total chaos depending on whose likes were "in charge". I do know the Bible says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18
The new faces in the church though do represent new life. With that I say we need the "old timers" to help the new life to become mature life. I wonder what will happen to the babes in Christ if they are not invested in? Who will disciple them? I am being remiss here because I have not mentioned my own Dad as well as Howard and Juanita Thomas who have stuck it out through thick and thin and are still attending Oakwood Wesleyan Church after all these years. I know they serve and invest in the work at the church and I know they are an example of faithfulness, which is indeed commendable! My Dad and I have talked and he has advised me in working in the church. There may be times that we may not agree with everything, but if we are all serving the same God, my Dad advises me to put aside the differences and work alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ! That advice has served me well!! I love you Dad!
Ok, so I did not sit down to blog about all of this. I honestly had no agenda, other than to have some outlet to sift through my thoughts and emotions of going "home" over the weekend. As for the four of us cousins, we've all changed too. We've been through life long enough to learn from either the hard knocks or just hands on experience. We've all become mothers since we were last together as a foursome. I pray that we as cousins will continue to seek God, not to get sidetracked by this life.
Monday was Memorial Day, my last day with my family. Dad and Gloria took me by to the graveside where Mom's empty shell was laid to rest. This change even after 9 years, is something I'm still not accustomed to. I look at the burial site and realize that this life is short in comparison to eternity. Simply and honestly the longer I live the more I see this life as a short phase of preparation for eternity. We have things happen in our lives, those things that happen are just a small percentage of life, our reactions and choices to those events are the Big things that will place us in eternity. We can choose to invest the abilities, skills and talents God gives us, or we can bury them and keep them for ourselves or just preserve them. Either way, those are our choices. But the difference will play a big part in eternity. I believe Jesus referred to this in His parable about the 3 servants the master left with money to invest. Two of them invested and had more to give their master when He returned. One buried it and did nothing with it. The outcome for the investors is more responsibility for their reward because they were faithful with a few things, the master put them in charge of many things. The one that buried the money and had nothing extra to give the master had that money taken away.
When I stand before the judgement seat of God, I want to hear Him say well done good and faithful servant. I do not want to hear, "What have you done with the things I gave you?". Simply and Honestly things change, but may I remain faithful where God puts me, faithful with the things God's given me. Regardless of the changes may I emulate my Heavenly Father with whom there is no shadow of turning, Who is faithful through the ages, Who is the same, yesterday, today and forever!
Monday, April 6, 2015
Fill the Void
A conclusion I came to in my teen years and have become a firm believer in is this, inside of every one of us is a God shaped gaping hole that if it's not filled with God a person will seek everything from self worship to drugs, sex, alcohol, thrill seeking, extreme work, or possibly just trying to find a spouse or someone to fill that spot that rightfully belongs solely to God alone.
Satan knows our weaknesses and he will try to get us to exchange God Almighty the great Creator for any number of things. If he can sidetrack us, and we choose to seek anything or anyone more than God, than we have chosen a counterfeit that cannot even begin to compare with God!
Let me put it this way, most of my life, I've lived as a follower of Christ. Mom and Dad brought my brother and I up in the church. Early on in life I realized my need to be forgiven for the wrong that I'd done in order to have a clear conscience and most importantly a right relationship with my God, my Heavenly Father! I remember especially at 14 yrs. old falling in love with God and wanting to please Him in how I lived and in the choices I made. There was and still is something that pulled me toward God like an attraction that nothing else could even compare to!
And here's where I've had my own counterfeit experience. In my life comes something new that feeds my ego, it starts out as little by little, it stokes the desire in me to be accepted by my peers, through this I can see what everyone that I am friends with think about the stupidest things like if I had tacos for supper to measuring my sons growth in a given years time. If you haven't already guessed, it's that social media thing called Facebook. Never have I ever been more aware of my desire to seek approval for the things that happen in my life!
These are the things that are a cheap imitation of God's approval in my life! Or if I look to my
husband to fill that void, or a friendship. These are all good things and even Facebook is an incredible tool, when used with the right motives. I've had to set boundaries to keep from seeking these things before I seek God. And to think God, Who made me, knows me more intimately than I even know myself, seeks to have a relationship with me is humbling! I fall so short of being Holy as He is holy, but in my most earnest and desperate way that I know how, I want to seek Him first and with all my heart! I think that is what Jesus was getting at in John 4 :23-24 when He was talking to the Samaratin woman at the well. He told her that God is Spirit and that those who worship Him must worship him in Spirit and in truth. I remember reading this in several translations trying to understand the meaning of these words that Jesus spoke. It finally clicked when I read it in The Message.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit
in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who
worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” (John
4:23-24 MSG)
Back to that First Love that I had as a young Christian, my deepest desire was to please God, to seek Him by taking time to read His Love letter to me, the Bible and by talking to Him as I would my closest friend! God is ALL of that and more! I'm so glad He drew me to Him and has continued to draw me to Him! Sometimes taking time to read my Bible and praying feels more like an item on a checklist, but when I'm really seeking God, I put aside the distractions. I set boundaries saying if I can't control my time in the Faebook world and if that's what I'm thinking about when I firstget up in the morning, then I am doing something so far off base it could Damn my soul! I am letting something besides God to fill that void that ONLY He can fill!
That is why I must catch what I'm doing and redirect my course or as 2 Corinthians 10:5 says,
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Simply and Honestly my verse for the day as I logged into my reading plan for my devotions this morning came up as Psalm 27:4 (NIV).
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
If I were to find another definition of how I am to seek God, I think David pretty well describes seeking God Simply and Honestly! Incidently John 4:23-24 is where I got the title for my blog!
That's my hearts desire from the bottom of my heart to fill that void with a relationship with God! He's the only One to fill the void!
Satan knows our weaknesses and he will try to get us to exchange God Almighty the great Creator for any number of things. If he can sidetrack us, and we choose to seek anything or anyone more than God, than we have chosen a counterfeit that cannot even begin to compare with God!
Let me put it this way, most of my life, I've lived as a follower of Christ. Mom and Dad brought my brother and I up in the church. Early on in life I realized my need to be forgiven for the wrong that I'd done in order to have a clear conscience and most importantly a right relationship with my God, my Heavenly Father! I remember especially at 14 yrs. old falling in love with God and wanting to please Him in how I lived and in the choices I made. There was and still is something that pulled me toward God like an attraction that nothing else could even compare to!
And here's where I've had my own counterfeit experience. In my life comes something new that feeds my ego, it starts out as little by little, it stokes the desire in me to be accepted by my peers, through this I can see what everyone that I am friends with think about the stupidest things like if I had tacos for supper to measuring my sons growth in a given years time. If you haven't already guessed, it's that social media thing called Facebook. Never have I ever been more aware of my desire to seek approval for the things that happen in my life!
These are the things that are a cheap imitation of God's approval in my life! Or if I look to my
husband to fill that void, or a friendship. These are all good things and even Facebook is an incredible tool, when used with the right motives. I've had to set boundaries to keep from seeking these things before I seek God. And to think God, Who made me, knows me more intimately than I even know myself, seeks to have a relationship with me is humbling! I fall so short of being Holy as He is holy, but in my most earnest and desperate way that I know how, I want to seek Him first and with all my heart! I think that is what Jesus was getting at in John 4 :23-24 when He was talking to the Samaratin woman at the well. He told her that God is Spirit and that those who worship Him must worship him in Spirit and in truth. I remember reading this in several translations trying to understand the meaning of these words that Jesus spoke. It finally clicked when I read it in The Message.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit
in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who
worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” (John
4:23-24 MSG)
Back to that First Love that I had as a young Christian, my deepest desire was to please God, to seek Him by taking time to read His Love letter to me, the Bible and by talking to Him as I would my closest friend! God is ALL of that and more! I'm so glad He drew me to Him and has continued to draw me to Him! Sometimes taking time to read my Bible and praying feels more like an item on a checklist, but when I'm really seeking God, I put aside the distractions. I set boundaries saying if I can't control my time in the Faebook world and if that's what I'm thinking about when I firstget up in the morning, then I am doing something so far off base it could Damn my soul! I am letting something besides God to fill that void that ONLY He can fill!
That is why I must catch what I'm doing and redirect my course or as 2 Corinthians 10:5 says,
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Simply and Honestly my verse for the day as I logged into my reading plan for my devotions this morning came up as Psalm 27:4 (NIV).
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
If I were to find another definition of how I am to seek God, I think David pretty well describes seeking God Simply and Honestly! Incidently John 4:23-24 is where I got the title for my blog!
That's my hearts desire from the bottom of my heart to fill that void with a relationship with God! He's the only One to fill the void!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
God Knows What You Need
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:10-12 KJV)
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;). II Corinthians 10:4 (KJV)
I memorized the above scriptures when I was growing up, in the King James Version. At the time that was pretty much the only version of choice. And these particular passages are fairly cut and dried and easy to understand in the old English version. I honestly struggle reading scripture or anything for that matter, in old English. I struggle to fully comprehend what it's saying, let alone apply it to my life!
So here's what I get from the passages I shared. 1. That God gives us what we need to fight the enemy of our souls. The things needed are found in God and in His Word. 2. That when life seems like an uphill struggle and it feels like everything is against you, that in reality we are fighting in a spiritual battle against the devil and his demons. But God gives us the weapons and the power to fight against the dark side and it's not something we can drum up on our own. It comes from Him.
To apply that truth, here's what it means when the rubber meets the road:
One week ago today, early in the morning I recieved one of those phone calls that are forever etched in your memory. On the other end was my Mother in law, Helen. She was sobbing and she said that Scott ( Steve's brother) had died in the night! What do you even say when someone you love is so broken hearted they cannot be comforted with words? All I could think to do was to run to her side
and be with her. As soon as Michael boarded the bus, I was throwing things together and in my car on my way, to try and be a comfort to her.
It has been a turbulent week. Being there for Helen. Changing big plans Steve and I had for getting away, dealing with raw emotions, and in the grieving process, old wounds of my own grief revisited me. Not to mention trying to function as a single parent while Steve was out of town.
All of this weighed on me. Some days I was fine and other days, not so much! I know there is power in prayer and I have felt that power and that peace. But can I be really honest with you? It has been a struggle, the uphill kind, if you know what I mean. And yesterday I gave in to the feelings of wanting to escape the grief. I was so tired, all I wanted to do was sleep and sleep. I didn't want to see anyone, talk to anyone or deal with anything. I just wanted to sleep! And so I did! Finally, as I was coming to, I began to feel a tugging on my heart to rise up! Take one foot and put it in front of the other. To
at least function enough to be able to meet the most basic of needs for my family. I struggled for a bit
and prayed for God to give me the will and the strength to get up and face the day.
God did answer that prayer. Little by little, one foot in front of the other, throwing feelings aside, I got up and got things done. Kitchen cleaned, laundry washed, dried and hung in time for Steve to take with him on his business trip. It honestly wasn't a stellar day of completing a huge to do list! The victory was in getting out of the pit and finding a way to give to my family. I could not have done this had God not tugged at my heart and given me the grace to do this small thing.
After we had an early supper, I dropped Steve off at the airport and I ran to a couple of stores to pick up some grocery items we needed. As I was entering Wal-Mart (yes, I am unashamedly a regular Wal-Mart customer - don't judge me - you get more bang for your buck there). :). I saw a friend of mine from church, Karen Morrish. Interestingly enough, Karen and I have a lot in common with our families, our husbands travel, work schedules etc. Her son (an only- like my Michael) is in college, my son is in middle school, so she and her family have a few years on us. And Karen with her more
mature wisdom reached out to me. What can I say, I was a bag full of mixed emotions. She said she could see it in my eyes.
I basically told her about my brother in law passing away and she was totally sympathetic and caring, almost as if she were being Gods compassion, reaching out to me! We talked about our sons and I was able to ask her for guidance on things I'm dealing with as a mother of a teenage son whose spreading his wings. She reassured me that the teaching we are putting into him, will come back. That gave me hope! This dear sweet lady comforted me another time when I'd had a miscarriage, God seems to allow our paths to intersect, though unplanned from a human standpoint, but an appointment arranged none the less by an all knowing God, Who cares and showers His love through people with servant hearts, like Karen! She reassured me that she'd be praying for us as we attend the memorial service this Sat. and that she'd be praying especially for Michael! Simply and honestly God really does know what we need, and not just sometimes! He is so good. He showers His live in the prayers of people who care, he brings people across our path at just the right time and so much more!
The following passage of Scripture just kind of describes this past year of my life. Yet through it all, by Gods grace we can walk with our heads held high... Well you'll see what I mean.
I memorized the above scriptures when I was growing up, in the King James Version. At the time that was pretty much the only version of choice. And these particular passages are fairly cut and dried and easy to understand in the old English version. I honestly struggle reading scripture or anything for that matter, in old English. I struggle to fully comprehend what it's saying, let alone apply it to my life!
So here's what I get from the passages I shared. 1. That God gives us what we need to fight the enemy of our souls. The things needed are found in God and in His Word. 2. That when life seems like an uphill struggle and it feels like everything is against you, that in reality we are fighting in a spiritual battle against the devil and his demons. But God gives us the weapons and the power to fight against the dark side and it's not something we can drum up on our own. It comes from Him.
To apply that truth, here's what it means when the rubber meets the road:
One week ago today, early in the morning I recieved one of those phone calls that are forever etched in your memory. On the other end was my Mother in law, Helen. She was sobbing and she said that Scott ( Steve's brother) had died in the night! What do you even say when someone you love is so broken hearted they cannot be comforted with words? All I could think to do was to run to her side
and be with her. As soon as Michael boarded the bus, I was throwing things together and in my car on my way, to try and be a comfort to her.
It has been a turbulent week. Being there for Helen. Changing big plans Steve and I had for getting away, dealing with raw emotions, and in the grieving process, old wounds of my own grief revisited me. Not to mention trying to function as a single parent while Steve was out of town.
All of this weighed on me. Some days I was fine and other days, not so much! I know there is power in prayer and I have felt that power and that peace. But can I be really honest with you? It has been a struggle, the uphill kind, if you know what I mean. And yesterday I gave in to the feelings of wanting to escape the grief. I was so tired, all I wanted to do was sleep and sleep. I didn't want to see anyone, talk to anyone or deal with anything. I just wanted to sleep! And so I did! Finally, as I was coming to, I began to feel a tugging on my heart to rise up! Take one foot and put it in front of the other. To
at least function enough to be able to meet the most basic of needs for my family. I struggled for a bit
and prayed for God to give me the will and the strength to get up and face the day.
God did answer that prayer. Little by little, one foot in front of the other, throwing feelings aside, I got up and got things done. Kitchen cleaned, laundry washed, dried and hung in time for Steve to take with him on his business trip. It honestly wasn't a stellar day of completing a huge to do list! The victory was in getting out of the pit and finding a way to give to my family. I could not have done this had God not tugged at my heart and given me the grace to do this small thing.
After we had an early supper, I dropped Steve off at the airport and I ran to a couple of stores to pick up some grocery items we needed. As I was entering Wal-Mart (yes, I am unashamedly a regular Wal-Mart customer - don't judge me - you get more bang for your buck there). :). I saw a friend of mine from church, Karen Morrish. Interestingly enough, Karen and I have a lot in common with our families, our husbands travel, work schedules etc. Her son (an only- like my Michael) is in college, my son is in middle school, so she and her family have a few years on us. And Karen with her more
mature wisdom reached out to me. What can I say, I was a bag full of mixed emotions. She said she could see it in my eyes.
I basically told her about my brother in law passing away and she was totally sympathetic and caring, almost as if she were being Gods compassion, reaching out to me! We talked about our sons and I was able to ask her for guidance on things I'm dealing with as a mother of a teenage son whose spreading his wings. She reassured me that the teaching we are putting into him, will come back. That gave me hope! This dear sweet lady comforted me another time when I'd had a miscarriage, God seems to allow our paths to intersect, though unplanned from a human standpoint, but an appointment arranged none the less by an all knowing God, Who cares and showers His love through people with servant hearts, like Karen! She reassured me that she'd be praying for us as we attend the memorial service this Sat. and that she'd be praying especially for Michael! Simply and honestly God really does know what we need, and not just sometimes! He is so good. He showers His live in the prayers of people who care, he brings people across our path at just the right time and so much more!
The following passage of Scripture just kind of describes this past year of my life. Yet through it all, by Gods grace we can walk with our heads held high... Well you'll see what I mean.
"We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.
Now that the worst is over, we’re pleased we can report that we’ve come out of this with conscience and faith intact, and can face the world—and even more importantly, face you with our heads held high. But it wasn’t by any fancy footwork on our part. It was God who kept us focused on him, uncompromised. Don’t try to read between the lines or look for hidden meanings in this letter. We’re writing plain, unembellished truth, hoping that you’ll now see the whole picture as well as you’ve seen some of the details. We want you to be as proud of us as we are of you when we stand together before our Master Jesus.
(2 Corinthians 1:8-14 MSG)
Monday, March 9, 2015
An Offering From the Heart
Saturday, March 7, 2015, as the Children I teach on Wednesday nights were getting ready to take a competitive quiz known in the Church of the Nazarene as Children's Bible Quizzing, I shared some motivational words with them. "Failure isn't when you make a mistake. It's when you give up after you've made a mistake. So, if you do make a mistake, don't give up! Don't even think about the mistake, just keep on trying and do your best! God is with you, you've studied hard to get to this point, now rest in the fact that you are well prepared!"
Four years ago as I was teaching 4-6 yr. olds on Wednesday nights, it felt like the time, energy and effort I'd put into teaching was so behind the scenes. No one except the kids in my immediate care and two other workers were aware that I loved these children and wanted to, was passionate, to pass onto the next generation God's Word. It was a hidden work, but I knew it was an eternal investment! (I realize, these were just feelings and feelings are often, not an accurate picture of reality.) from time to time God would bless me with feedback from parents letting me know their child remembered the things I'd taught. If you attend Canton First Church of the Nazarene just ask any 8-10 year old that was attending during that time about The Fruit of the Spirit! We had 9 months of school and there are 9 Fruit of the Spirit so it worked out perfectly! We had a lot of fun singing our Fruit if the Spirit song and learning about Love, joy, peace. . .
During that time the leaders of our Children's Bible Quizzing had stepped down and somehow my husband and I were approached about leading CBQ. I turned it down initially. Steve on the other hand, was like if we don't step in, this ministry will die. For the sake of our son neither of us wanted to see this program come to an end in our church. For the sake of your own flesh and blood it is amazing the great lengths you will go to as a parent! I was not teaching my own son on Wed. Nights, but wanted him to be grounded in the Word of God, none the less! So for the sake of our own next generation, Steve roped me into teaching CBQ with him on Sunday afternoons!
Now I confess, if what I was doing on Wed nights felt behind the scenes, this was an even greater step behind the scenes. And I do want to say, the service I do, is my offering to God. I'm not in it for any recognition, but it is nice to know from time to time that what you're doing is sinking in! Steve had either 2 or 3 Blue level quizzers and I had 2 Red level quizzers. I'm just thankful for those two Red Level quizzers because they were a part of keeping CBQ alive in our church! Honestly, I let the numbers get to me, only two! And it was all new to me. I'd never taken part in anything like this or taught it, so it was all new territory really, for both of us! Today, looking back, I feel that I didn't give 100% (I'm sad to admit that). The first two years were like that!
But then something happened in the 3rd year. Andee Hanson, took over as the Children's director at CFNaz. She was meticulous in doing what was needed to help this ministry blossom. Things like placing people where they could best serve and countless of details that I as a teacher miss! As she and I talked we compared notes and felt some changes were needed for CBQ. We changed the time slot to Wed. nights and began a campaigning process to get more children involved. That Fall we had 9 kids sign up for Quizzing! That was exciting to go from 2 to 9! We also recruited some more workers and that year we had 3 of us workers and one parent. All of them were an immediate blessing and a help in leading and sharing responsibilities! Then she was able to get us into a room that was equipped so that we could use a large screen TV that I could hook my laptop up to and incorporate power point! That was a game changer for me as a teacher! Andee I can't THANK you enough for how you've helped to craft this ministry into what it is today!!
At the time our church was seeking to find a new pastor. By Jan of 2014 Pastor Chad Current became our Pastor at CFNaz. As a side note, we as a church have been blessed to have a pastor whose heart and passion is to seek the Lord and lead our church through some changes to help us be more effective to reach out of the four walls of the church and answer the call of the Great Commission that Jesus gave! Thank You Pastor Chad for being obedient!! To my amazement both Chad and his wife Kimberly, were passionate about CBQ. So much so, that their own daughter, Anna, finished up the quizzing year with us, though she competed with her original church that she'd spent the majority of time studying with. (I think that was a wise decision on the part of her parents!) And Kimberly immediately stepped in and offered to help in any way she could! Wow, talk about feeling appreciated! That was HUGE, to have that kind of support! Thank you Kimberly for being my right hand and a dear friend!!
This past year of Word Warriors - a name change that Andee helped to put in place, has been the best year yet, and is the beginning of something new and wonderful! Something that had almost died has been revived and new life has come! On Saturday our Word Warriors went to the zone quiz meet, our first quiz meet for the year. We had 20 children attend and 15 of them will be moving on to the District Quiz meet at the end of March! It's honestly not about the numbers and how many move on ect. It is all about seeing a group of kids and their parents as well as a team of 9 of us leaders join together and teach the next generation that God is a compassionate and gracious God, (loving and kind- sounds an awful lot like the Fruit of the Spirit)! It is all about being faithful and not giving up. It is about seeing prayers answered and it is about passing on, to the next generation the Word of God which will equip them to face a world that is turning away from God. It is also about being united as the body of Christ and that unity is something that God can flow through and use beyond our wildest dreams!
Simply and Honestly I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be used for such a time as this! I marvel that He can use someone like me, but if He's willing to use me, then here I am Lord send me. Whether behind the scenes or known to all, what matters most is that God sees and He remembers the things we've given to Him! He in turn blesses and multiplies our efforts. Pretty amazing what God can do with a cracked vessel! This past year I have been blessed personally with the 8 workers that I believe God handpicked to be here! Each of them brings their gifts to the table and gives to these precious children and in turn it is being given to God! One tid bit from this years study of the book of Exodus, when Moses was following God's directions on how to build the wilderness Tabernacle, each person who felt compelled were to give an offering from their heart. That is how I feel this tremendous group of workers have given to these children and to God. God is doing great things in the hearts of these children and in our hearts as His servants! What an honor to be a part of this ministry!
Exodus 25:1-2 "The LORD said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.'" The commentary offered in the leaders manual has this to say: "The Lord wanted His people to do certain things, but He wanted them to act willingly too. He welcomes the unique responses of individuals. Willing obedience forms godly character."
Four years ago as I was teaching 4-6 yr. olds on Wednesday nights, it felt like the time, energy and effort I'd put into teaching was so behind the scenes. No one except the kids in my immediate care and two other workers were aware that I loved these children and wanted to, was passionate, to pass onto the next generation God's Word. It was a hidden work, but I knew it was an eternal investment! (I realize, these were just feelings and feelings are often, not an accurate picture of reality.) from time to time God would bless me with feedback from parents letting me know their child remembered the things I'd taught. If you attend Canton First Church of the Nazarene just ask any 8-10 year old that was attending during that time about The Fruit of the Spirit! We had 9 months of school and there are 9 Fruit of the Spirit so it worked out perfectly! We had a lot of fun singing our Fruit if the Spirit song and learning about Love, joy, peace. . .
During that time the leaders of our Children's Bible Quizzing had stepped down and somehow my husband and I were approached about leading CBQ. I turned it down initially. Steve on the other hand, was like if we don't step in, this ministry will die. For the sake of our son neither of us wanted to see this program come to an end in our church. For the sake of your own flesh and blood it is amazing the great lengths you will go to as a parent! I was not teaching my own son on Wed. Nights, but wanted him to be grounded in the Word of God, none the less! So for the sake of our own next generation, Steve roped me into teaching CBQ with him on Sunday afternoons!
Now I confess, if what I was doing on Wed nights felt behind the scenes, this was an even greater step behind the scenes. And I do want to say, the service I do, is my offering to God. I'm not in it for any recognition, but it is nice to know from time to time that what you're doing is sinking in! Steve had either 2 or 3 Blue level quizzers and I had 2 Red level quizzers. I'm just thankful for those two Red Level quizzers because they were a part of keeping CBQ alive in our church! Honestly, I let the numbers get to me, only two! And it was all new to me. I'd never taken part in anything like this or taught it, so it was all new territory really, for both of us! Today, looking back, I feel that I didn't give 100% (I'm sad to admit that). The first two years were like that!
But then something happened in the 3rd year. Andee Hanson, took over as the Children's director at CFNaz. She was meticulous in doing what was needed to help this ministry blossom. Things like placing people where they could best serve and countless of details that I as a teacher miss! As she and I talked we compared notes and felt some changes were needed for CBQ. We changed the time slot to Wed. nights and began a campaigning process to get more children involved. That Fall we had 9 kids sign up for Quizzing! That was exciting to go from 2 to 9! We also recruited some more workers and that year we had 3 of us workers and one parent. All of them were an immediate blessing and a help in leading and sharing responsibilities! Then she was able to get us into a room that was equipped so that we could use a large screen TV that I could hook my laptop up to and incorporate power point! That was a game changer for me as a teacher! Andee I can't THANK you enough for how you've helped to craft this ministry into what it is today!!
At the time our church was seeking to find a new pastor. By Jan of 2014 Pastor Chad Current became our Pastor at CFNaz. As a side note, we as a church have been blessed to have a pastor whose heart and passion is to seek the Lord and lead our church through some changes to help us be more effective to reach out of the four walls of the church and answer the call of the Great Commission that Jesus gave! Thank You Pastor Chad for being obedient!! To my amazement both Chad and his wife Kimberly, were passionate about CBQ. So much so, that their own daughter, Anna, finished up the quizzing year with us, though she competed with her original church that she'd spent the majority of time studying with. (I think that was a wise decision on the part of her parents!) And Kimberly immediately stepped in and offered to help in any way she could! Wow, talk about feeling appreciated! That was HUGE, to have that kind of support! Thank you Kimberly for being my right hand and a dear friend!!
This past year of Word Warriors - a name change that Andee helped to put in place, has been the best year yet, and is the beginning of something new and wonderful! Something that had almost died has been revived and new life has come! On Saturday our Word Warriors went to the zone quiz meet, our first quiz meet for the year. We had 20 children attend and 15 of them will be moving on to the District Quiz meet at the end of March! It's honestly not about the numbers and how many move on ect. It is all about seeing a group of kids and their parents as well as a team of 9 of us leaders join together and teach the next generation that God is a compassionate and gracious God, (loving and kind- sounds an awful lot like the Fruit of the Spirit)! It is all about being faithful and not giving up. It is about seeing prayers answered and it is about passing on, to the next generation the Word of God which will equip them to face a world that is turning away from God. It is also about being united as the body of Christ and that unity is something that God can flow through and use beyond our wildest dreams!
Simply and Honestly I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be used for such a time as this! I marvel that He can use someone like me, but if He's willing to use me, then here I am Lord send me. Whether behind the scenes or known to all, what matters most is that God sees and He remembers the things we've given to Him! He in turn blesses and multiplies our efforts. Pretty amazing what God can do with a cracked vessel! This past year I have been blessed personally with the 8 workers that I believe God handpicked to be here! Each of them brings their gifts to the table and gives to these precious children and in turn it is being given to God! One tid bit from this years study of the book of Exodus, when Moses was following God's directions on how to build the wilderness Tabernacle, each person who felt compelled were to give an offering from their heart. That is how I feel this tremendous group of workers have given to these children and to God. God is doing great things in the hearts of these children and in our hearts as His servants! What an honor to be a part of this ministry!
Exodus 25:1-2 "The LORD said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.'" The commentary offered in the leaders manual has this to say: "The Lord wanted His people to do certain things, but He wanted them to act willingly too. He welcomes the unique responses of individuals. Willing obedience forms godly character."
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