So Help You God?

This week, news headlines tell of lawmakers proposing to remove the words "so help you God" from the oath that witnesses are required to take before providing testimony at the House Committee.    We all act shocked.  But are we really?  This isn't the first time and it won't be the last that someone has tried to remove the name of God from public utterances or displays.  Maybe you're outraged by this.  You feel helpless as the name of God slowly disappears from society.  

It is possible that we may live to see a world that is void of references to God.  But if I'm sworn in under oath and I don't have to say the words "so help me God" does that mean that the words of my mouth are no longer a testimony before my God?   

If my money or my license plate no longer says "In God We Trust" does that mean that I will no longer trust in God? 

If the Ten Commandments aren't hanging in my courthouse does that mean I don't have to follow them anymore?  

If I cannot pray out loud in school does that mean I can no longer pray in silence?  

NO!  

"They" may remove references to God from our money, from our courthouses, from our schools, and from our government.  But, they can not remove Him from ME or YOU.  And therefore, they cannot remove Him from this nation.  He will continue to influence the world around us IF we continue to be His hands and feet.  He will continue to be made known, IF we continue to make Him known.   So whatever may come,  do not feel helpless, my friend.  You are not.   You have a mission.  A mission to make Him known.  The opposition is strong.  The battle is raging.  But rest assured, you are on the winning team. 

"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.  Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint and the world listens to them. " 1 John 4:4-5 (NLT)

High Schoolers Moving to the Sanctuary

Our High Schoolers will be moving to the sanctuary for Sunday morning services beginning tomorrow morning and I know there are a lot of mixed feelings out there.  So, I want you to hear my heart on this.

Let me start out by saying that I began leading the youth ministry at Grace in February of 2002.  Sam and Sarah joined me in ministry shortly after that.   In those 14 years of ministry, 100's of kids have passed through those doors.  I can honestly say that we gave 100% to our calling as Youth Leaders.

I loved those kids like they were my own.  I laughed with them, cried with them... they were my babies.  My time with those kids make up some of the best memories of my life.

BUT... there's the problem- they're memories.  Out of all those kids that have come through our youth group over the years, do you know how many still attend Grace?

Eight!!! EIGHT.  That's heartbreaking.  Truly.

WHY?  Where did I go wrong?  Where did we go wrong?  We put our hearts and souls into ministering to these young people and they just walk away?  What happened?

So, I've done a little investigating.  After talking to several of my former youth members I found that that they all had one thing in common-  they LOVED youth group.  And that's great.... right?  Sorta.

Here's the problem- Youth Group was their church.  Not Grace.  When they graduated from Youth Group it was like their church closed.  And many of them just quit.  What's even worse is that many, if not most, didn't just quit coming to Grace, they quit church altogether.   Parents, I think we can agree- that's not good!

So in discussing this with Pastor Dennis and our new Youth Leaders, Jeff and Jessica, WE came to the conclusion that our youth need to be in the sanctuary more.  They need to become a real part of Grace Community Church.

BTW:  Out of the eight that still attend Grace how many do you think serve in ministry?  That's right- EIGHT.  Coincidence?  I think not.

We believe that our High Schoolers are mature enough to serve in ministry on Sunday mornings.  We believe that our High Schoolers are experiencing things in life that make the "big church" messages incredibly applicable to them.  And most importantly, we believe that their future relationship with God is worth making this possibly unpopular decision.

Is it the right decision?  We don't know.  Is it permanent?  We don't know that either.

What we do know is that we love these young people and we have prayerfully made this decision.

We now pray that you parents will support it.  Support us.  How?  By taking your High Schoolers to church on Sunday mornings.  By sitting together and worshipping God together.  By making them a part of your church, of our church.

If you still have your doubts, I invite you to do a couple of things:
-  Talk to me or Jeff or Jessica about it.
-  If you know any of our former youth members who stopped attending Grace after graduation, talk to them about it.

Finally, ask yourself this question:
Do I want my child to attend church in those critical, vulnerable,  young adult years after High School?
As a mom with an 8th grade youth member, my answer is YES!  I believe yours is too.

All for Him,
Teresa

Victory in Pain

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.  But, I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.   And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."  Luke 22:31-32

My friends, Satan is active.  If you are going through hard times, let this verse be an encouragement to you. 

Some of you are going through unimaginably hard things in your lives.  You are grieving seemingly unbearable losses.  You've lost children, parents, friends.  You're suffering through the effects of broken relationships and divorce.  You've lost jobs, finances, homes.  Life threatening diseases threaten the lives of you or someone you love.  Indeed Satan is hard at work.

But, just like Jesus prayed for Simon, I pray for you today that "your faith may not fail".  And that "WHEN you have

turned back" you will "strengthen your brothers".   That you will use what you've been through to help others that are going through the same things.  Not because you're "over it" or have "conquered it" but because you've been where they are at and you are just a little farther along on the journey.  

Believe me, you can find purpose in your pain.  You can glorify God in your pain.  Hold steady to the course.  The victory is yours.  

The Facebook Prayer Challenge

On June 24th, I was sitting at my father-in-law's bedside at the nursing home.  It was 10:13 pm, I had been there for hours waiting for answers.  His temperature was 103.  He was lethargic.  His breathing was labored.  He wasn't himself.  The x-rays and lab work results should have been back hours ago.  He was sleeping.  The nurses were distant and disconnected.  They didn't share my concerns.  I felt worried and alone. 

My computer beeped that I had a message.  It was my friend Barbie.  She said that she felt very strongly that I needed her prayers that night and she wanted me to know that she was praying for me.  

I hadn't told her where I was or what was going on.  She had no idea.  For all she knew, I was in bed asleep and wouldn't even get her message.  

But in fact, I wasn't.  And I did get her message.  And oh how I needed it.  This was my response to her: "Oh Barbie, bless you!  You made me cry!  I need your prayer right this minute!  I am with Harold.  He is not doing well.  Temp of 103.  Thank you so much!  You are the voice of God, saying He is with me!"   

As I was praying for my father-in-law, my friend was praying for 
ME.  

I am so thankful to know that my friends lift MY name up to the Lord.  That they take ME to Him in prayer.  What a blessing. What an honor.  

Today as I was praying for someone in particular, I felt led to share my prayer with them, just like Barbie did with me.   I felt like God wanted me to let them know that they were on my mind and that I was lifting them up to the One Who holds all the answers. 

So, I decided to send them a message on facebook.  That's when I realized that a lot of the people that I had just been praying for were my facebook friends.  Maybe I should let each of them know that I'm praying for them....   then I began to think of other facebook friends that needed prayer and.... well you see where this is going.  

So, to make a long story a little shorter.... Don't be surprised if you, my friend, receive a message from me this week saying that I'm praying for YOU.  

You see, I have 613 facebook "friends".  Some I know well.  Others... not so much.But, either way, we are connected somehow.  So, this week,  I am going to make a point to pause during my prayer time and allow God to direct my thoughts to my friends who need prayer.  And then I'm going to send them a little note to let them know- not really that I'M thinking of them, but that GOD IS.  

I'm pretty excited to see what God's going to do with this! Will you join me?   We'll call it the "Facebook Prayer Challenge".  We'll start today and end on Saturday or.... maybe we'll just keep going.  Who knows?  

Leave me a comment below if you take the Challenge and please feel free to share how God uses this in your life.  

Day 7- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS- Alphabet Prayers

This was a fun one!   I started by listing the alphabet down the left side of my paper like this:

Then I got my markers out because I have loved the idea of making things colorful since Day 4- "Doodle Prayers".  

I had intended to go through the alphabet and pray for someone whose name started with each letter.  But, once I started I realized that a lot of my loved ones have the same 1st initial.  I also realized I don't know anyone whose name starts with Q or Z.  So I decided to adjust a little bit on some of them.  For example on 'X' I put "AleXandra".  

I didn't go in order.  I just filled them in as I thought of them and prayed as I went.  When I began, I was going through my usual prayer list and putting them in the right spot.  In the end, I was trying to think of people for my remaining letters and I ended up coming up with people that I would not normally think to pray for.    I like that.  

I plan to use this new prayer method again next week without repeating any of the names from this week.  That should be challenging.... and interesting.  Wonder who I'll pray for?  It might be YOU!

Day 6- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS

Prayer Driving

I'm sure you've heard of prayer walks- where you walk through a neighborhood and pray for each family in each home along the way.  

Well, I did this a little differently.  Mine was a prayer drive.   I prayed:

• At red lights- for the person in the car beside me and/or across from me.
• At stop signs- for the homes, people, or businesses around me. Or if none, I prayed for the people in the cars passing by.
• At each stop- if a home- I prayed for the people who live there.  If a business- I prayed for the business, the owners, and the employees. 
• While driving- I prayed for people or businesses that caught my eye.
• In School Zones- I prayed for the teachers, faculty, students and our overall education system.

I used this prayer method on my way to work this morning.   The funny thing is that when I got back in the car this afternoon and started driving, without realizing it, I found myself praying again.

"Lord, please protect that guy on the bicycle"....  

"Lord, please be with the employees at CVS and keep their feet from hurting today."  ??? What?  

"Lord, help that young man in the red truck to avoid temptation tonight."  huh?  Where did THAT come from?  

I don't know.  But, suddenly I'm becoming very aware of the people around me and what their needs could be.  That can't be a bad thing.  Right?

You try it.  See what happens and leave me a comment.  I'd be interested to hear about your experience.  Was it like mine?  

(Note/Disclaimer- DO NOT PRAY WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED WHILE DRIVING.  Just sayin'.)

Day 5- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS

Photo Prayers

If you've ever spent very much time with me- I probably have a picture of you!  No, I'm not a photographer but I take tons of pictures. Seriously.  My children will never have to wonder what their childhood was like.   I can show them a picture of  just about everything they've ever done!  

Today, Brianna and I were reminiscing over photos in an album from 2009.  She didn't remember much of it, but I sure did.  There were pictures from vacation, Valentines Day, Birthdays, Easter, Summer camping trips.... so many good times!  All with family and friends.  

What a blessing to have such great memories with the people we love!  That thought turned into a quick prayer thanking God for surrounding us with such love.  Then I saw a picture of my dad and remembered that his shoulder has been hurting and said a quick prayer for him.  Then I saw a picture of Roger's dad and said a quick prayer for him... and then... well... you see where this is going... our reminiscing time turned into prayer time.  Brianna and I took turns praying for the people we saw in the pictures.  

We started out saying a one sentence prayer for each person in each picture (not including ourselves).  But, we found ourselves praying for Roger and Rio A LOT!  After about 20 pictures we decided to only pray for new people.  lol  (It was a completely full 500 picture album- and I've gotta work tomorrow!)

Now granted, most of the photos were people very close to me that I usually pray for anyway.  But, there were some random people in there that got a prayer sent up for them tonight.  Maybe they needed it.  I hope so. 

All in all, we enjoyed our reminiscing/prayer time.  It was a fun way to mix things up.  

Day 4- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS

Doodle Prayers

I read a blog not too long ago about a book called Praying in Color.  It sounded pretty interesting so I decided to try this prayer method today.  (You can read that blog here:  Praying In Color )

If you struggle with staying focused during your prayer time- you'll definitely want to try this.  

To get started you will need: 

• paper
• markers/colored pencils/crayons etc.
• and possibly your Bible 

I'm all set!

You can start and finish any way you want to.  But, if it's your first time and you need a little direction like me- start by writing your name for God in the center of the page.  I wrote "Heavenly Father".  Then doodle around it as you ask Him to focus your mind and guide your prayer time.  

To pray for a person, write their name and draw or doodle around it as you pray for them and focus on them.  

Today I chose to focus my prayer time mostly on my family so I placed each of their names on my prayer page and focused on that individual for a few moments as I doodled.  

This was my final result:

Beautiful isn't it?  ;)  Ok, so I'm no artist.  Obviously.  But, I really enjoyed this prayer time.  So often, my prayers are limited to specific requests or my knowledge of a particular need.  This allowed me to really turn my attention to each person and think about how I could lift them up to God.  

For example, my nephew Justin (bottom center red).  I hate to admit it but I don't pray for him very often.  He's a healthy successful young man and I haven't heard about anything going wrong in his life lately so... he doesn't make the list very often.  I know that sounds terrible but I'm sure you can relate.  But, through this prayer exercise I was able to focus on Justin for a moment and ask "How can I pray for Justin today?"  So, I prayed for him to stay healthy, to make good decisions in his career and his daily life, and that God would place a good Christian woman in his path. :) 

After using this prayer method, I started thinking about what an honor it is to know that someone is lifting my name up to the Lord.  And I hope that I have people praying for me all the time (I know my Momma is!) not just when things are going wrong.  

I will definitely use this prayer method again.  Next time, I plan to pick a different group of people, like maybe my youth group.  I think that focusing on them and praying for them each individually will also make me more attentive to them and improve our relationships as well.  

If you decide to try this- leave me a comment.   I'd love to hear about your experience!

Day 3- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS

Praying with Music

The rain finally tapered off for a little while this evening and Rog took the girls on a 4-wheeler ride so I took advantage of the opportunity to have some uninterrupted prayer time.  
(See, I did learn!)

Praying with music is something I do on occasion but it had been a while.  The idea is that you turn on some music and pray until the music ends.  You choose the song(s) or playlist and therefore, the amount of time.  It's best to choose music without lyrics so that you don't end up singing along instead of praying (another lesson learned).

I chose a beautiful instrumental on youtube, turned the lights down low (candlelight would be awesome here too), and closed my eyes.  I let my breathing slow to the rhythm of the music and began by praying my usual prayers.  

The song I chose was about 10 minutes long.  I finished going over the usual prayer list and opened one eye to check the time ;)  2 minutes 16 seconds had passed.  Really?  That's my normal prayer time?  Hmmm... 

I returned to my prayer and prayed for each of my family members and friends that I hadn't prayed for in the prior 2 minutes.  I prayed for each of them by name and prayed for each of their specific needs.  Again, one eye opened- 5 minutes 39 seconds.  
Hmmm....

I closed my eyes once again and said, "Ok God what do You want to talk about now?"  lol  I sat silently for a few minutes and began to relax and think.  And the more I thought, the more I talked to God about what I was thinking.  And I began to have unusual thoughts.  By unusual, I mean thoughts that were.... not my own.  I began to look at a situation in my life from a different perspective. An unexpected scripture came to mind... a verse that caught me a little off guard but in retrospect made perfect sense.  (That's another story for another day, but suffice it to say that I feel much more at peace with the situation.)

When the music stopped, I was actually surprised that the rest of the time had seemed to pass so quickly.  

If you try this method of timed prayer, you may find that 10 minutes is a long time in comparison to your normal prayer time.  But as you relax into it, you will find yourself connecting to God on a deeper level. It is in that depth that you will discover a greater perspective and sense of clarity.

Can you spare 10 minutes for your Creator today?

Day 2- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS

Praying by Candlelight

I got a blanket and some pillows, chose a quiet corner and a good smelling candle (pear mmmm....) and sat down to talk to God.    And then I got a text.  Oops... forgot to turn the phone off.  Ok, now I'm ready.  

Again today, I struggle with shutting out the worries of the day so I...
"Mom!  The TV won't rewind!"  
"Ok be there in a minute."      
.... where was I?  Oh yeah, blocking out the worries of the day... so I take a few deep breaths and... and.... what IS Lugnut barking at?  

Ok.  Ok.  Inhale....exhale.... "Dear Lord..."
"Mommy, my tummy hurts.  I think I'm hungry."  
"Did you finish your supper?"  
"No, it's cold.  Will you heat it back up for me?"

15 minutes later.... inhale....exhale....   
"Lord I just..."  

"Mommy, my tummy still hurts, can I sit with you?"  
"Yes."
She lays down on the floor and stares at me.  
"What are you doing?  Is it somebody's birthday?  Can I blow the candle out?" 
"I'm praying."
"Oh ok."  She slowly sits up, bows her head, positions her hands in prayer and waits.... 15 seconds pass... she opens one eye and says "Well go ahead- PRAY!!!"

<sigh>

So, I proceed to say my normal bedtime prayers.  She then says her bedtime prayers and with a grand "Amen!" excitedly blows the candle out.

And that's how Day 2 went.  If I'm going to share this journey, I might as well be real about it.  

In this season of my life, quiet, alone time is a rarity.  If I want to really spend time with God, I've got to make time AND plan better.   Lesson learned.  

Day 1- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS

This week I am exploring new ways to pray.  

My view... and my prayer partner for the day.
Good ol' Lugnut.

Today, I prayed outside.  Now, maybe that doesn't sound that unusual to you, but it's different for me.  I mean sure, last week, I prayed while mowing the yard.  And I pray from time to time while taking an occasional walk.  I've even prayed while riding the 4-wheeler.  But this time was different.  This time, I was ONLY praying.  

So, I found a nice quiet spot and sat down to talk to God.  Now admittedly, at first, I was distracted by my "to do list" of the day.  I felt a little rushed.  I felt a little bit like I should be multi-tasking rather than sitting there "wasting time".  

Did I just say that?  Yes, I did.  Terrible, I know.  But, God knows my thoughts so why try to hide it?  

It was a beautiful day.  As I watched the wind on the water, felt the sun on my skin, and watched my shadow shift ever so slightly, a peaceful calm came over me.  I found myself relaxing.  The worries and "to do's" of the day seeming less and less important.  

I went through my usual prayer list of people and things.  But this time, I didn't stop there.   I began to really talk to God about things that were on my mind.  Things that I had repeated many times in my daily prayer ritual- ending with an abrupt "Amen".  Things that I had asked God over and over to help me with but never gave Him time to answer.  But this time, I found myself talking AND LISTENING.  

No, I didn't hear His voice.   

I felt His whisper.  

An hour passed.  

It seemed like a minute. 

I walked back into the house with a weight lifted off my shoulders.  I felt like I'd been to counseling.  

I had.  
"...and His name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

I hope you'll join me on this journey and make time to truly connect with your Wonderful Counselor.   Trust me, you don't have time not to. 

PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS

Today is the National Day of Prayer.  The idea is that people will join together in prayer for our nation today.  

This has led me to take a look at my prayer life in general.  I pray fairly often throughout each day, but, I have to admit, it's gotten a little... stale... a little habitual I guess.   Not that habitual prayer is a bad thing.  Or is it?  

My daily prayers typically happen like this:

• I pray every morning in the shower.  No, God doesn't mind that I'm naked!  He made me that way!   lol  Besides, when my daughter was smaller, it was the only real alone time I had. (If you don't count all the, "Mommy!  Mommy! Mommy!" outside the bathroom door.)  But, I do, I pray in the shower.  I ask God to bless my day and help me to be good.  ;)  

• I pray with my daughter when I drop her off at school each morning.  "Dear God, please help Brianna Jo to have a good day at school, and to be loving and kind and learn a lot.  In Jesus' Name, Amen."

• I say short prayers here and there throughout the day when I need strength or wisdom or when I'm given a prayer request. 

• I pray at night before I go to sleep- the typical summary of major prayer requests, thanks for this or that,  forgive me for that and this, bless my family.... amen.

Stale. Typical. Dry. Boring.  It's true.  

So this week- I'm gonna shake things up a bit.  I'm gonna connect with God in new ways.  For 7 days, I'm gonna pray in 7 new ways.  Would you like to join me?

If so, meet me back here tomorrow for Day 1!

Crossroads Winter Conference 2013

It’s finally here!  The weekend we look forward to all year long-  Crossroads Winter Conference 2013!  This Friday, 7 of Grace’s youth leaders and 39 of our youth members will be headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for an incredible weekend of worship and fellowship in the Great Smoky Mountains.  We will sing praises with Carl Cartee and hear powerful messages by Clayton King, Matt Orth, Charie King and Brian Burgess.  We will open our hearts and our minds to God and to each other.  There will be laughter and there will be tears.  There will be salvation and there will be renewal.  No doubt, the 46 people leaving here on Friday will not be the same 46 people that return on Monday.  And we wouldn’t have it any other way.  Praise be to God!  

Please join us in prayer:

"Heavenly Father, please keep Your protective hand over our youth and our leaders as they travel this weekend.  Lord, as they attend this conference, clear their minds of all distractions that they may hear You clearly.  Draw near to them Lord.  Speak to their hearts.  Renew their spirits.  Strengthen their will to serve You.  In Jesus' precious name we pray.  Amen."

I was created for Him.

"...Everything was created through Him and for Him."  Colossians 1:16

Let's look at that again... EVERYTHING (everyone) was created through Him (He wanted ME, He planned ME, He designed ME, He created ME) FOR Him (with a plan, for a purpose).  

Let's look at that one more time...on a more personal level... TERESA BREEDING was created THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM.  Now put your name in there- __________ was created THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM.  Powerful isn't it?

So the question becomes: What are we doing to live out the purpose He created us for?  Are we just surviving?  Are we just getting up, going to work, running the kids here and there, cleaning house, and fixing dinner....  Are we just getting through each day?  Or are we living our lives on PURPOSE?  Not that we shouldn't do these things, but are we doing them FOR Him?  

Are we seeking real life opportunities to teach our children about the Lord?  Are we striving to be godly examples to our husbands and our children?  

Are we looking for ways to serve Him at work?  Maybe by reaching out to a co-worker....or by being mindful of working in such a way that honors Him as Paul advises in Colossians 3:23: "Whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men." 

My Prayer Today:
Lord, help me to be more mindful of You today, that I may bring glory and honor to You through my words and actions.  That I will find ways to honor and serve You even in the seemingly mundane tasks of my day.

The Source of All Wisdom

So here's the story-  King Saul is the King of Israel.  He wants to kill David because the Lord has declared that David will become the King of Israel although David is not a member of Saul's family.  So, instead of following God and leading his people, Saul's life goal is to kill David.  


Well, that never happens and Saul ends up killing himself.  His grandson, Ishbosheth is declared King of Israel. But, David knew that God had promised the kingdom to him (David), and he knew that God would fulfill His promise in His own time.  


One day, two of David's men, Recab and Baanah, took it upon themselves to sneak into Ishbosheth's home and kill him during his afternoon nap.  They cut off his head and took it to David.  They told David, "Look!  Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you.  Today the Lord has given my lord the king revenge on Saul and his entire family!" (2 Samuel 4:8)


These men were on David's side.  They did this for him.  They told David that GOD had given them this  opportunity for revenge....that this was God's plan.  But it WASN'T.  And David was so connected with God that he knew it wasn't.  And so instead of going along with them and accepting this as God's will, he had them killed for murdering an innocent man.


This is a rather extreme story.  But, the point is, how often do we listen to what others tell us is God's will instead of trusting what God tells us Himself?  Many times we look to others for answers when we should be looking to God.  We often accept the advice and OPINIONS of Christian people as God's will.   


Yes, God can guide us through Christian friends but they are human and should never be relied on more than God.  If we are looking to God for guidance and direction we will find it through connecting with HIM through prayer and reading His Word.  Don't skip this essential connection to the Source of all wisdom.  

The Lord Looks at the Heart

The beginning of the book of 1 Samuel follows the reign of King Saul.  Geez, does this guy have his ups and downs with the Lord!  He continually tends to....shall we say..."modify" the Lord's instructions  to suit his desires and the desires of his people.  God is continually sending Samuel to get Saul back on track.  


Finally, enough was enough and Samuel told Saul "Since you have rejected the Lord's command, He has rejected you as king of Israel."   (1 Samuel 15:26)  He then informed Saul that God had chosen someone else to be king and that He would not change His mind.


And do you know what Saul's response was? It was this:
"Then Saul pleaded again, 'I know I have sinned.  But please, at least HONOR ME before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God.'"             (1 Samuel 15:30)


WHAT???  Saul was more concerned about public opinion of him than he was about his personal relationship with God.  He wanted to make sure that the people still thought highly of HIM and that they still thought Samuel supported HIM and that they saw HIM publicly worship God. 


Terrible huh?  But....do I do that?  Do you?


I'd like to think not.  But, I do find this passage as a good reminder to evaluate my heart and my actions.  I don't just want to APPEAR close to God, I want to BE close to God.  Yeah, admittedly, everyone has a "behind the scenes" where we definitely aren't perfect.  But, in reality, if our actions and behaviors "behind the scenes" are oftentimes different from our actions and behaviors in public.... then we need to examine our hearts and our motives.  We need to be less concerned with who people THINK we are and more concerned with who we actually ARE.  Remember- "People judge by the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  (1 Samuel 16:7)


My prayer today:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  (Psalm 139:23)

Tomorrow....tomorrow....

James 4:13-15 " Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'"


It's true.  We don't know the Lord's will.  We don't know what tomorrow brings or even if tomorrow will come for us or for our loved ones. 


When I was 22 years old, I married my best friend.  We both worked more than full time Monday through Friday.  He got up at 4 am every morning and was in bed by 9. He did odd jobs for people several nights a week for extra income- mowing...painting...even scrubbing bricks one time.  I had a full time job from 8:30 to 5 and a part time job typing deeds in a law office from 5:15 to 8 or 9 most nights.  But we were both off on the weekends.  Saturdays were spent doing chores.  I worked inside.  He worked outside.  Sundays we went to church, spent the afternoon with family and got to bed early because Monday was coming.  


We spent the next 4 years of our lives working and dreaming about what we were gonna do when we had enough money to do something.  But that day never came.  His life ended abruptly in the wee hours of a Sunday morning in May of 2001 and I found myself widowed at the age of 26 wishing we had done a little less work and a lot more play. 


I am reminded of the story of Mary and Martha.  While Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, Martha busied herself with preparing the meal.  She likely spent the day cleaning and cooking and trying to make everything perfect.  She was so tired and busy that she couldn't even enjoy her guests.  But, JESUS reminded Martha that RELATIONSHIP is more important.  Relationship with Him but also, I believe, relationship with His people.  


There was a time in my life that if my house wasn't perfect, I wouldn't have guests over.  I'm still self conscious about that, but I am working on it because I learned the hard way that relationships...time....memories.... are what matter.  A little dirt never hurt nobody.  lol  


There was also a time in my life when I felt like it was wrong to leave a messy house and go do something fun.  That I was shirking responsibility and being irresponsible.  Not anymore.  Life is short.  Enjoy it.  Enjoy the PEOPLE in it.


Just so ya know, the Lord has blessed me with TWO GREAT MEN in my life.   I married again- to a man who doesn't care if the floor is mopped and the dishes are done.  He just wants to BE WITH ME.  I kinda like that.     

Inner vs. Outer Beauty

"Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. 

The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

“Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels."                                       Genesis 24:15-20 
  

Good looks AND a servant's heart?  Wow!

Have you ever met someone who was beautiful on the outside but not so pretty on the inside?  I have.  And usually, I end up looking at their outward appearance and thinking-  "Ya know, they really don't even look all that great!"

But, I've also met people who were mediocre on the outside and after getting to know them and seeing how wonderful they were on the inside, I would begin to find them more attractive on the outside....

Rebekah apparently had it all, but it is clear in this scripture that outer beauty was not enough.  More importanly, Abraham's servant was looking for a woman who had a servant's heart....an inner beauty.  He found that in Rebekah as well.

I know we all have those moments when we compare ourselves to others and feel like we don't measure up.  It's a shame that we don't live in a "Shallow Hal" kind of world.  But, the truth is, inner beauty can do more for your appearance than makeup or hair spray could ever do.

What traits do you think add to a person's inner beauty?

I have Super Powers!!!

"Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Ephesians 6:16

I'm smiling as I read this verse because I am actually picturing myself as a superhero. I'm wearing a cute little leotard and a headband.... a brown eyed Wonder Woman if you will.... lol And I have this big shield attached to my arm and I swing around effortlessly deflecting flaming arrows coming at me from all directions.

It's a funny visual but it's so much better than the other visual....me.... haggard and worn.... barely even raising the shield at my side as I'm being plastered with arrow after arrow.....after arrow.....

....arrows of temptation.....arrows of heartache and loss..... arrows of busyness.... arrows of irritations....

.... arrows that say "Just do it".... "See you FAILED AGAIN!".... "You're not good enough"..... "God can't love you"..... " "If He loved you, you wouldn't be going through this"....."Just give up"....

The really sad thing is that a lot of the time, I am that 2nd person. Exhausted and beat down. But WHY???? When I can be a SUPERHERO! I can raise up my shield and boldly declare

"I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME"!!!!!! (Phil. 4:13)

and

"IF GOD IS FOR [ME] WHO CAN BE AGAINST [ME]"???? (Romans 8:31)

because

"GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN [ME] THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD"!!! (1 John 4:4)

I'm tired of feeling tired and defeated. I have a SUPERHERO living inside of me and through His POWER I can have VICTORY in my life!

You can too!

My kids love this song:

Jesus You're My Superhero (click to watch it on youtube)

Wives submit to your husbands...

"And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means to submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything." Ephesians 5:21-24

Definition:

SUBMIT- verb "To defer to another's judgment, opinion, decision, etc."

I don't know about you, but the word "submit" tends to make me...uh....uncomfortable. I tend to translate it as "hand over control". Which is not an easy thing for me to do. And I think about my friends with unbelieving husbands and I think- YIKES! Does this scripture apply to them? So, in reading this, this morning my mind was screaming....BUT....BUT....WHAT IF?

WHAT IF the husband is not a Christian?

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives." 1 Peter 3:1

Ok....BUT.... BUT....

WHAT IF the husband is making a decision that the wife knows is against God?

"We must obey God rather than any human authority." Acts 5:29

Ok so, we must submit to the authority of our husbands, BUT NOT if it leads us into sin.

So, being submissive to our husbands does NOT mean that we are to blindly obey his every whim without ever offering an opinion ourselves. But, it DOES mean that we must be respectful of our husbands REGARDLESS of their Christian walk (or lack thereof). We should allow our husbands to be the heads of our households.

John MacArthur sums it up well:

"You have a husband who is a trial to you, either because he's unsaved or he's a disobedient believer, he fails to fulfill all of your hopes and expectations for what you would want as a husband. He comes short for what you hope for and maybe what you thought he was. And you are gravely disappointed. You chafe under his authoritarianism. He cares little for how you feel, it seems. All the more reason to be submissive, all the more reason to demonstrate to him a meekness, a purity, a respectful kind of behavior, all the more reason not only to adorn the outside and please do that, we all appreciate it, but do more than that, more than putting on a pretty dress or wearing gold jewelry or doing your hair, adorn your heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in the sight of God. And I might say every man's dream.

It doesn't mean you have to kill your personality. It doesn't mean you have to become a robot. It doesn't mean you have to become boring. It doesn't mean you never give your opinion. But there needs to be deep down in your heart gentleness, quietness, that hidden part is precious in the sight of God."

"Lord, help me to be more submissive to my husband. May I walk in your light in every instance so that I may influence and encourage his walk with You as well. Amen.