Sloshing love or bitterness

Sorry I haven't blogged in over a week.  My Granny always told me if I didn't have anything nice to say then to keep my mouth (or in this case my fingers) shut!  I have been drawing close to God this past week seeking answers and healing and love.  I have been "released" by Him to blog again so I'm baaaack!

I am so thankful for Godly friends.  Friends that lend an ear.  Friends that pray for you even when you don’t know it!  Friends who stick with you even through the hard times.  Friends who love you no matter what.  You know, the same kind of love that God has for us!  Agape love.

Agape love is hard to find these days.  People love you as long as you agree with them.  People love you as long as you don’t cross them.  People love you if you do stuff for them.  People love you….well, you get my point. 

I remember reading in a book about the agape love of God.  It was a fiction book but one part really stuck in my mind.  The story goes something like this:

This man, we will call Charles, murdered this little girl, we will call June.  June’s dad was bound and determined to find Charles and get revenge.  After all, Charles murdered his little girl.  Well, June’s dad had an “encounter” with God.  God explained to June’s dad that although Charles had murdered June, He still loved Charles.  God didn’t agree with the actions of Charles but He loved him anyway.  After all, Charles was formed by God.  God explained it like this to June’s dad: You have 4 children whom you love dearly.  I want you to choose 2 of them to go to heaven and 2 of them to go to hell.  Of course, June’s dad couldn’t choose between them.  He wanted ALL of them to go to heaven, as would we.  June’s dad didn’t want ANY of his children to perish and neither does God! 

God loves us all the same.  He may not LIKE our actions, but He LOVES us always.  And there’s not one person on this earth that He loves more than another.  We are all equal in His eyes.  We shouldn’t look down our noses at others because they aren’t the same color as we are; nor should we shun others because our opinions differ.  We SHOULD love each other unconditionally with AGAPE love, not the fake stuff that is so transparent!

Now, you know as well as I do that this is easier SAID than DONE.  We have to draw the agape love FROM God and extend it to others.  How do we do that?  Spend time with Him; talking to Him, reading His Word, letting Him love on us. 

Lamentations 3:22-24 from The Message reads God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.  They're created new every morning.  How great your faithfulness!  I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).  He's all I've got left.

Will you take a little time each morning and let God just love on you?  Will you take just five minutes out of your schedule and allow Him to pour His grace into you?  If you will allow Him to fill your cup (your soul) with His goodness, when others “bump” into you throughout the day, you can slosh some of His grace out on them!  What a difference that would make in the lives of those who come in contact with us.  We can slosh a little love out on them!  Are you up for the challenge?  I am!

Timely Words

God is so timely.  He knows EXACTLY what we need to hear EXACTLY when we need to hear it.  But sometimes, we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we don’t hear Him.  This week has been a hustle and bustle for me.  Crazy schedule.  Unplanned occurrences.  I just needed a little down time. 

The girls and I went to the Mexican restaurant after church to eat and then came straight home.  They have changed clothes and went outside to play on this beautiful Sunday afternoon and I grabbed a blanket and crawled into Wayne’s recliner.  I kicked back and before I knew it I was waking up from a nap.  I am still tired but that little power nap did a lot of good! 

When I woke up, I thought about a book I had read a couple years ago, When the Enemy Strikes by Charles Stanley.  I went to my bookshelf to get it and look over some passages I had underlined.  It wasn’t there.  I guess I have it on my bookshelf in my office at the church.  As I was standing there looking at the other books on the shelf, God spoke to me.  “Pick up that book,” He said as I was looking at “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore” by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman.  I had completely forgot about this book.  I had read it a couple years ago and somehow it had got moved to the side.  Being obedient, I picked up the book and thumbed through it.  Like many of my books, I had underlined sentences that really spoke to me when I was reading them.  Here are the first 6 underlined sentences I read:

1. I’d never seen a group of people treat one another with such hostility and deceit while working so hard to appear sweet and innocent.
2. We give our affection only to those who serve our interests and withhold it from those who do not.
3. That’s why institutions can only reflect God’s love as long as those in it agree on what they’re doing. 
4. Every difference of opinion becomes a contest for power.
5. Rather than become an authentic demonstration of God’s life and love in the world, it ends up being a group of people who have to protect their turf.
6. This road is rarely easy, but you will find the joy of living in His life will far outweigh any pain in the process.

Talk about a timely Word.  And then as I turned the computer on to blog, a file I had worked on a month or so ago popped up and you want to know the name of the document: Stand Alone.  The youth have just completed a Bible study by Francis Chan entitled Courage and one of the studies was on having the courage to stand alone even when you are the only one standing. 

I believe God gives us what we need because He knows the road ahead.  He knows the darts the enemy will fire but He also gives us the strength to stand, and not just alone, but with Him.  Now the choice is ours.  Will we allow the darts to penetrate and consume us or will we look to Him for strength, guidance and peace?  Will we allow our minds to venture off to the dark land that Satan inhabits or will we take captive those thoughts and think on the good things of the Lord?  Ultimately, the choice is ours.  God isn’t a pushy god.  He allows us our own free will.  He allows us to think for ourselves.  What will we think?  How will we act or react?  Will we allow the enemy the victory?  The choice is ours.

Crazy Day-sies

So I guess you've noticed I've been on a hiatus with life in the last couple of days so I haven't had time to blog!  Life is crazy sometimes isn't it!?!  I can't believe I missed the opportunity to blog on Valentine's Day but life just gets cranked up some times! 

Anyway, I have a couple minutes this afternoon before Praise Team Practice so I thought I would drop a couple lines (and of course you know it's gonna be more than a COUPLE lines because I can't do anything in a couple of lines)!

Have you ever had that feeling that God is up to something in your life but you aren't sure what it is?  It's exciting and scary at the same time and that's precisely where I am right now.  I am excited to see what opportunity He is going to provide me but at the same time I am a little scared that it will be out of my comfort zone.  But this I do know; if He calls me to it, He will see me through it.  And who knows, it can be a minute little thing but I am trusting Him.  I just don't want to miss it!  I'm pretty good at discerning God's voice but there's times that I wish He would just take a frying pan and whop me upside my ever-loving head!

Speaking of discerning, our ladies group at church will be starting a new Bible study Monday night, February 28th, beginning at 6:15 in the fellowship hall.  We will be doing Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God and would LOVE for you to join us.  Study books are $11.00 and if you are interested, call the church office at 205.932.5544 and let Sherrie know!  We have a great group of ladies that love the Word and have so much fun studying together!

On to other ramblings...Monday night was basketball practice for the girls and the devotion during their break was great.  Joe Cotton, from Southside Baptist Church, talked to the kids about David and Goliath.  I love that story and I get enamoured every time I hear it.  Joe talked to the kids about the single stone that David used to kill the giant and how it hit him in the perfect spot.  Immediately, Goliath was taken down.  It reminded me that with God on our side, we need not be scared of the battles we face because we KNOW God "has our back". 

Gotta run for now.....got to go spread a little Jesus around to some folks! 

Much love to you all!   

Excitement, Secrets and Stars

I am happy to report that my new Parallel Bible came in Friday so I have been as happy as a pig in the sunshine.  It is so cool!  There are four translations in it and it is much easier to look at the pages and read the difference in the wording rather than flipping back and forth on a computer screen or having four different Bibles piled across my table! 

I am also pretty crunk about getting tickets to Secret Church!  If you haven't read the book Radical by David Platt, it is a MUST!  David is the pastor at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL.  He is younger than me but totally souled out to Jesus and his passion for our Savior is over the top.  A couple times a year, he has Secret Church.  If you are interested in learning about this, visit the website at http://www.brookhills.org/secretchurch/.  I have read Radical and am now reading in again because it was so good I kinda rushed through it the first time.  This time, with a pencil in hand, I am going slower, savoring the words and ideas.

As I was pulling in our driveway tonight after an afternoon in Tuscaloosa getting things for the youth's coffee and doughnuts fundraiser tomorrow morning at church, I noticed the stars shining so bright.  After a closer look, I saw the Big Dipper directly over the top of my house.  "That looks so cool" I thought.  And no more did that thought pop into my mind that God spoke to my spirit.  "If you will obey me, I will use that scoop to scoop blessings from heaven and pour them out on you, " He said.  "Seriously?" I asked.  "Yes child, seriously," He answered.  Then He reminded me of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 which reads like this:

 ¹ If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ² All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
 ³ You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
 ⁴ The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
 ⁵ Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
 ⁶ You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
 ⁷ The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
 ⁸ The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
 ⁹ The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
 ¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

I want to be set high above all the nations of the earth.  I want to blessings to come ON me and accompany me, not just come TO me and then leave.  I want to be blessed in the city AND in the country.  I want the fruit of my womb, my children, to be blessed.  I don't have any livestock or crops right now but if I ever get any, I want them to be blessed too!  I want to be blessed when I come in and when I go out from my home.  I want my enemies to be defeated before they ever even get to me and flee from me.  I want blessings on everything I do for the Lord.  I want ABUNDANT PROSPERITY.  I want to be able to lend to many but borrow from none.  I want to be the head and never the tail; I want to be at the top and never at the bottom.  I want all these things but most of all I want to be obedient!  Is it easy?  Heavens no; if it was, everyone would be doing it!  But there is one thing I do know, IT IS WORTH IT!

LORD, help me be an obedient, open vessel for You to use.  Let others see not me LORD, but You.  More of You in my life, and less of me!  AMEN!

Giddiness with Heart Conditions

Don't you love the excitement and giddiness of something that you've ordered being delivered?  Whether it's something for a tackle box or new outfit that is adorable, we kinda get excited about the delivery don't we?  Well, I had someone order me a parallel Bible last week and I have been anxiously waiting for it to be delivered.  Every morning as I leave my house I think, "I bet it's coming today" and my stomach does a little flip!  Isn't that crazy!  A 38 year old woman getting butterflies because she THINKS a Bible might be delivered that day.  And then at night, a little disappointed, I go to bed and think maybe tomorrow.  Wake up, giddy, go to bed, disappointed.  I wish I could tell you my Bible came today and my routine would stop tonight but it still hasn't so I guess I will crawl in bed in a bit and think, "maybe tomorrow".

I have fallen in love with the Word of God.  I have used the NIV Life Application Study Bible for over 10 years now.  I have actually worn one Bible out and and to have it rebound.  I had to be away from it for almost 2 weeks while they were fixing the the cover and spine so I went and bought another one that had large print!  I didn't mean to be cheating on my old Bible but while it was at the Bible hospital, I fell in love with the large print.  So now I have two NIV Bibles that have tons of notes in them!

Last August, I bought my man a New King James Version Bible.  I would get his out and read a section of verses and then compare the words in his to the words in my NIV.  Doing that has really sparked my interest in other translations.  I also love The Message although it clumps scriptures together.  I have a Bible app on my iPhone called Blue Letter Bible and I LOVE IT!  You can highlight a verse and then tap "version comparison" and it lists about 15 different versions to that one scripture.  The app is FREE so if you are interested in a Bible app, I recommend it highly.  Not only does it compare the different versions, it has a concordance and lexicon, dictionary and even commentaries.  It totally rocks for me!

So this morning God had led me to Genesis 3 and I began reading in verse 1.  It reads like this:  Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?" and that is the NLT version.  I stopped and thought about that for a minute.  Isn't that just like Satan to make us second guess things.  Did God REALLY say...  You know the devil knows scripture better than some of us do and he knows how to twist and turn it into a trap for us.  And people that are not very familiar with The Word are an easy target for him.  Anyway, skip on to verse 4.   "You won't die!" the serpent hissed.  Hissed.  That word makes you wrinkle up your face doesn't it.  I don't like that word.  I do however, like how the NLT version replaced "said" with "hissed".  It kinda gives us a feeling of how Satan really is.  He hisses at people doesn't he?  The Hebrew word for said is 'amar and it means to say, speak, utter, to say in one's heart, to think.  WOWZERS.  Satan doesn't audibly SPEAK to us, he puts things in our minds and in our hearts.  Yes, even in our hearts.

We are told by many to follow our hearts but let me tell you, our hearts can get us in a world of trouble, especially when the devil has put something in there.  Jeremiah 17:9 reads, " The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "  I don't know about you, but when I've "listened to and followed" my heart, I ended up in a M-E-S-S!  Now God can take a mess and make good come out of it but if we will seek out the Holy Spirit instead of our heart, we will be sitting pretty!  So just beware, you can't always take what your feeling because the devil can mess with those feelings.  He can dangle something that looks good in front of us but if our gut is telling us it's not the real thing, then chances are it's not.

I want to encourage you to stop trusting in your heart, yourself, and things of this world and trust in Him. Your heart and its desires will allow you to do and think all sorts of things that do not line up with the Scriptures. You will be amazed at the things He will bring into your life when you continually surrender everything to Him.

I am.

When Donkeys Talk

You know, this is probably the most random blog ever.  No rhyme or consistency whatsoever.  But that is exactly how my mind works!  To be honest, I began blogging about something and it just didn't "feel" right so I deleted it all and started over!

I just finished saying bedtime prayers with Anna Kate and Hanna.  They sometimes ask me to say the prayers and unless I know they are really sick, I refuse.  I tell them that is THEIR prayers to God, not mine.  I am taken aback some nights at their prayers.  Just a couple nights ago, Hanna asked God to help her love her enemies because it was next to impossible to love someone who is mean to you.  Then a week or so ago, Anna Kate said, "God, will you please help me to be a better person".  Anna Kate always prays for those who don't have enough food to eat.  Can I just tell you it sends my soul soaring when I hear them pray things like that without being prompted. 

Anyway, as I was laying there with Anna Kate for a bit after we said prayers, my mind went to Balaam and his talking donkey (I told you this was a totally random blog).  God can do some crazy stuff to get our attention can't He?  In Numbers 22:28, the LORD caused Balaam's donkey to speak. "What have I done to you that deserves your beating me these three times?" it asked Balaam. 

See, God had already told Balaam once not to go with the officials of Midian and Moab when they came and asked him to go curse the Israelites who were camped east of the Jordan River.  So Balaam, after sleeping on it and "visiting with God", told them no, even though they were offering him a nice little sum of money.  Balaam obeyed God and told them to  "Go on home! The LORD will not let me go with you."   So the officials went back to the king and told them Balaam said no.  Well Mr. Hotty Toddy King Balak wouldn't take no for an answer so he "sent a larger number of more distinguished officials" to Balaam.  The officials relayed the message that Balak would do ANYTHING, I MEAN ANYTHING HE WANTED, if Balaam would just curse the Israelites.  Not making any impulsive decisions, Balaam once again sleeps on it and I am sure the Lord wants to ring his ever loving neck because He's already told him ONCE not to go and here Balaam is nagging the mess out of Him again.  You know it irritates you when you tell someone no and then they just keep on and on and finally you tell them to go ahead and do it but you are totally ticked about it?!?  Well, God is feeling the same way.  So the LORD tells Balaam, "Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But be sure to do only what I tell you to do."  So off Balaam goes to saddle his donkey are ready himself for the journey.  Well, well, well, what do ya know...God is still pretty ticked at the whole thing so He sends an angel to accompany Balaam on his journey. 

Balaam's mind is probably occupied about this journey and what he's gonna do when he gets there when all of a sudden, his donkey bolts off the road and into a field when he sees the angel standing in the road with a sword.  Furious, Balaam starts beating the mess out of the donkey and gets him back on the road.  God, not letting up, places the angel where the road was narrow.  The donkey crushed Balaams foot against the wall trying to squeeze by the angel and again, madder than fire, Balaam beats his donkey. 

Third times a charm I've heard.  The donkey comes to another narrow place in the road, so narrow the donkey knew he couldn't get by so he just laid down!  Talk about the straw that broke the donkey's back (I couldn't help it), Balaam flipped out and started beating him for a third time.  And now is my FAVORITE part: the LORD caused Balaam's donkey to speak. "What have I done to you that deserves your beating me these three times?" it asked Balaam.  Are you kidding me?  A talking donkey?  And you thought that only happened in Shrek?!?

You see, God WILL get our attention, even if He has to make a donkey talk!  How many times does He tell us to do something and we ignore Him?  I can tell you I certainly have!!!  We want to do things OUR WAY but we don't always have the most pleasant outcome when we do that do we?  We feel like our lives have bolted off the road into the field; or maybe we have been "banged up" from some dumb decisions WE have made when we didn't listen to what God was telling us to do.  Maybe we feel like life is at a standstill and we are waiting for our donkey to stand back up so we can continue our journey.  You see, God never abandoned Balaam.  He was there with him on every occasion just like He is with us.  He's just waiting on us to give up OUR way and travel HIS way.  Maybe it's time to look around and see if we have some "talking donkeys" we might need to listen to!

Staying forever green

I don't know about you but I am tired of cold, dreary weather.  I am ready for the Lord to send Spring so I can see a little life around these parts of Alabama.  I believe this is the coldest Winter that we have had since I was a small child.  And snow, are you kidding me?  We don't see snow in Alabama and we've already seen it on at least two other occasions and it is forecasted for this week!

The only sign of life around our house is a holly tree and a cedar tree in our yard.  They thrive all winter long no matter what the conditions!  You know, the Bible speaks of cedar trees, actually it speaks of the cedars of Lebanon.  Psalm 104:16 reads, "The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon he planted". 

Cedar trees are large evergreens that are common in the forest areas that have a good deal of annual rainfall.  They often live a long time because of the moist habitat around them keep them relatively free of fire.  Cedar trees make a great addition to any landscape for their beautiful year around color and nice fragrance.  They have also been used as an excellent source of fuel.

Do you see the significance of the "trees" the LORD has planted?  If WE will sink our roots into His Word and drink from the stream that runs from His Word, we will become as tall and hardy as an evergreen.  When hardships come, and believe me they will, our leaves will remain green instead of withering up and falling off like other trees at the first cold snap.  If we will KEEP the "soil" around us moist by "drinking" often from His Word, when fire comes, and it will, we will survive!  If we are truly a cedar, we should be adding beauty to the lives of others we come in contact with by displaying the love of God to them.  We should emit a pleasant fragrance as we go about our everyday life by mimicking the holiness of God.  We should be an excellent source of "fuel" when we feed the word of God into the lives of the brokenhearted, depressed, etc.  Others should draw from our strength in the Lord.

Bottom line, if we will make it a point to keep our roots deep into God's Word and drink from the Living Water that flows from His Word, He will make our soil fertile.  We will stand strong and tall and not be moved when a storm blows into our life.  Are you up for the challenge?  Will you put forth the effort and allow your roots to grow deeper? 

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers...Psalm 1:3        

Stuff + URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

I put a smile on my face and a spring in my step this morning because I was thankful God had given me another day with my family and friends.  Although it was Sunday, we weren't in our "Sunday routine".  Our family usually attends the early service at Fayette First but I was playing a duet with Karon Renfroe today in the traditional service so we went to the late service.  By doing that, we had an extra hour of "get-ready" time and with three females under one roof, we need all the extra time we can get!  My man was working (he is winding down his "7 on") so it was just us girls.  Anna Kate had asked my mother to roll her hair this morning so she was styling a new "doo" and she was adoreable.  We went to Sunday school and then on to worship.  Once we were in the sanctuary, I was abandoned.  Hanna's best friend, Gracie Sullivan, served as an acolyte today so Hanna sat directly behind Gracie with Gracie's mom.  Anna Kate's friend, Lindy Hindman, was the other acolyte and Anna Kate sat directly behind Lindy.  I was two pews back so I could keep an eye on them.  I am so proud of them.  They sat quietly, for the most part, and appeared to be listening.  Makes me think I am doing something right!

The sermon today was on the rich fool from Luke 12:13-21.  Bryan spoke of a little girl that had witnessed her neighbors’ house burn to the ground.  Her neighbor happened to be one of her friends.  Her friend had lost everything.  Clothes, pictures, stuffed animals, furniture.  Everything.  That weighed heavily on the little girl so every night for a couple of weeks following the fire, she would find the things in her room that were "near and dear" to her and stuff them into a duffle bag that she kept right beside her bed in case her house caught on fire.  If she had to make a quick escape, she could grab her duffle bag and be out of the house in no time.

As I sat there and listened to the sermon, I began thinking what I would put in my "duffle bag" that was near and dear to me.  Maybe I wasn't thinking deep enough, but there wasn't a thing I could think of that I had in my house that I couldn't live without.  I would make sure my family was out safe but everything else can be replaced.  I would like to save some pictures and maybe some jewelry and clothes, but the one thing I would cry over would be my Bible.  I have so many notes and comments in it that I would probably fret more over losing that than any piece of furniture or article of clothing I own.

Now I haven't always been this way.  No, I use to think I had to have the best of the best.  The nicest purse and shoes (of course that match), not to mention that wallet and key chain were important to me.  Name mattered to me.  Houses mattered to me.  My vehicle mattered to me.

You see, I was living IN the world.  I was going along with what the world told me I needed to be happy and let me tell you something; it is HARD keeping up with the Jones'!  I would get something new and as soon as the new wore off, I wanted something else new.  I was looking for the "new" to satisfy me.  And it would satisfy me for a week, month or maybe even a year, but when the "new" wore off; I was in search of satisfaction in something else.

God has a way of bringing us to our knees when our "stuff" becomes our God...and my stuff had become my god.  I was more interested in my "stuff" than I was getting to know God.  To be honest, I am surprised He didn't bring me down a long time before He did.  And I can HONESTLY say, I NEVER WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT WAY OF LIVING...NEVER! 

God doesn't mind us having "stuff", as long as our "stuff" doesn't have us!  When we concentrate more on what we drive or where we live or what we wear than we do on getting to know Him that stuff becomes our god.  My man and I are in the planning stages of building a house.  We have our land and house plans and we are about to begin clearing the place where the house is going to be.  But before we did one thing, we prayed for discernment about our house.  You see, we don't want this house to become our god.  If it will take our focus off Jesus, we had rather stay where we are.  We have lived that life of "stuff" and while we THOUGHT we were happy, looking back we were really miserable.  We want what God wants for us.  If it's a bigger house fine, if it's not, fine too.  We want His will, not ours.

Now I am going to switch subjects really quickly because I just got a phone call from a dear friend that is in need of prayer.  Her mother has been on the liver transplant list for quite some time now and she has just received THE CALL from UAB that they have her liver.  She has to be in Birmingham within 3 hours and it is almost a 2 hour drive.  They will prep her and she is tentatively set to begin surgery at 4 am so I am asking you to please, please, please lift this woman up in prayer.  I am not at liberty to give any names but God knows who it is.  I need to run and get face down for this family.  Thank you in advance for joining me in prayer!  Love you all!

Seven On/Seven Off + a little "energy drink"

My man has recently went to the 7 days on, 7 days off shifts at work.  The 7 off are the best!  I am very thankful for the 7 on but those days seem long for me and I know they do for him!  Yesterday was our youngest child's birthday so after her piano lesson, we took her out to eat at our local Mexican restaurant.  As we were sitting there waiting on our food, a local pastor came in with his family and sat at the next booth.  Not long after they sat down, a man approached their table and made small talk with him and then asked if he had received the email the man had sent.  The pastor told the man he had but he hadn't taken the time to get the information he had requested but would get it to him soon. 

As I sat there in the booth, I began to think of those in the "ministry" profession.  Do they every REALLY get a "day off"? There's always someone to pray for, a question to answer, the sick to visit, word of encouragement to speak. 

The thing is, we, as people who follow Christ, are ALL in the ministry business.  We may not hold a title or have a desk in the church building, but we are ALWAYS "on the clock".  There's always someone we can show love to.  Always someone who needs a "fresh Word".  Always someone to pray for.  Always someone to....you fill in the blank. 

You see, God doesn't get a 7 days off (thank goodness) and if we are to be imitators of Him, we don't get a 7 days off either.  We might not be writing, planning, mentoring, etc., but we are always on the "Christ following" clock! 

Good thing is, God renews our strength every day (Isaiah 40:31 says "but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.")  Every hour.  Every minute.  Every second.  He is always up and always attentive to our needs...we just need to rely on His strength for our non-stop schedule!  Look to, lean on, and draw to Him....He is THE BEST Energy "Drink" out there!

Spiritual Anorexia

We all do it.  We pray for guidance in hopes that it will bring a continual blessings.  We pick out a few select Bible verses to recite when someone needs a "Word" from God.  We bust the church doors open in hopes to be fed, motivated and fired up so we will go out and make a difference in this crazy world.  And as soon as we walk out of the church doors, life hits us smack dab in the face with sickness, death, worry, stress, financial hardships...the list could go on and on but you get the point. 

We can't expect to unleash the power of God in our lives by "eating" just on Sundays.  We are too spiritually weak to sustain ourselves because we lack spiritual nutrition.  God created us to need more than Sunday dinners.  There will always be a void in our lives until we learn to seek Him continually.  Daily.  Hourly.  Minute by minute.

Think about this.  Imagine a relationship with your spouse where you only spend time together once a week for 1 hour.  During this hour, you act like a couple but after the hour was up, you went on about your life as if you were single until your next appointed time to be together.  There is no way for the relationship to work without the commitment of time, energy and investment to each other.

Now imagine a relationship with a parent and child.  You meet with your child on Sunday afternoon for an hour and attempt to provide everything they need for the upcoming week.  Clothing, food, help with homework, instructions, hygiene, advice.  None of this can be accomplished in advance.  The journey is constant and the needs are fresh every day.

The same is true for our relationship with God.  We can't get everything we need just on Sunday mornings.  We are big boys and girls and we are old enough to feed ourselves but we don't! 

We would never consider going a week without food would we?  We train ourselves to eat at certain times: breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Sometimes we even eat in between times because we have become accustomed to eating, no matter what!

The same should be for our spiritual journey with God.  He has a new message for us EVERY DAY but we don't always check our spiritual email account (our Bibles) and read the message.  If we will check our "inbox", He will give us enough meat to chew on for that day.  He is always there to listen to us when we need Him but we don't always return the favor do we?

God intended for us to eat daily.  Not once a week, once a month, once a year or only on special occasions.  He created our thirst and hunger, spiritually and physically.  We will never be completely satisfied until we recognize that hunger and fill it with His perfect love.  In Numbers 11:9, we are told when the dew settled on the camp EACH NIGHT, manna (food) fell with it.  The manna was only good for that day.  If the Israelites tried to save it for later, other than on the day of Sabbath, it would rot and turn disgusting.  We need some fresh food from Him each day!

God desires us to feed ourselves daily, both physically and spiritually but let me just tell you, Satan will do everything in his power to keep our Bibles closed.  See, he loves it when we starve ourselves.  Our Bibles are one amazing way to be spiritually nourished.  Blow the dust off those babies and get into His Word.  If you don't understand the wording in the Bible you have, let me know and I will try to get one that you can understand better.  I began my journey with the NIV Bible because the KJV wording was too complicated.  Don't let the words be a distraction for you.  There are too many versions of the Bible out there for you to throw your hands up because you don't understand.  Please, please, please...get into His Word...it will radically change your life for the best...I PROMISE!  If you have any questions or need any help, please shoot me an email at danagilliam@centurytel.net!  I would be delighted to help find the "perfect fit"! 

Luke 11:3...Give us each day the food we need. (New Living Translation)

Nibbling and feasting

As I was taking the girls to school this morning, I began thinking of my life; where I had been, where I am now and where I want to be.  I thought of my younger years when I was active at Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church and participated in VBS, both as a student and a teacher.  I thought of my old youth group and the fun but crazy adventures we got into to.  I thought of my high school and college years.  I thought of my jobs and relationships.  I thought of my marriage and the birth of my kids.  I thought of my spiritual journey.  I stopped on that thought and pondered it for a while. 

I will never forget the night I received Christ as my Savior.  I was almost 10 and we were having a revival at Mt. Vernon.  While I don't remember the exact night, I can recall the pew I sat on and the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life.  It was almost like I floated to the altar.  I also remember my baptism.  It wasn't a "sprinkling" that some Methodists get.  No, I wanted a full fledged "dunk".  I was one of several kids who received Christ that week and so we all got baptized together.  Seems like it was in the fall because the water was so cold.  Of course the water in the Luxapalila is subarctic in the middle of July.  Yep, I got "dunked" in the river.  I remember the preacher covering my nose with his hand and going under.  It was amazing to me.

My mind fast forwarded to from age 10 to my late teens and early 20's.  By this time, I had got into the habit of NOT going to church.  It wasn't that I didn't love God, I just had other priorities.  I had also witnessed other "church goers" that went to church on Sunday and Wednesdays but as soon as they left the church premises, they would go back to gossiping, lying and just being plain ol' mean...talking the talk but not walking the walk.  I remember thinking, "If this is what Christianity is about, I'm not so sure I want a part of that".  It wasn't that I didn't believe in God, I was just so confused about what a Christian life was to look like.  I remember thinking the Ten Commandments were just a bunch of rules and regulations that I could never live up to so why try?  I thought the Bible was boring because I didn't speak the King James language and sure didn't understand it! 

And as I drove down the road this morning, I wondered how many other people feel or have felt that same way?  It would probably be more than I realized because if it happened to me, it can happen to anyone.

After having kids, I realized I needed to be back in church because I wanted to raise my kids in church.  I would go an average of 2 Sundays a month.  I was dressing in mu "uniform" and standing on the sidelines.  I happened to sign up for a Beth Moore Bible study for the women of our church.  I had no clue what I was getting myself into.  I really signed up so I could have some adult conversation because I had 2 little girls under the age of 2 that I stayed home with all day and I could leave them with my mom and go to Bible study without feeling guilty.  The hour Bible study and fellowship sounded like a good thing to me!  Little did I know it would spark my interest in the Word of God and totally change my life.

Spring forward 10 years and here I am head over heels in love with Christ.  I can't get enough of Him.  Some days I get to just nibble on His Word and other days I get to sit down and feast.  I can't imagine my life without Him now.  He has strengthened my marriage, healed my heart to love what seems like the unlovable, blotted out those memories when the devil ruled my life...the list could go on and on.  Can I just tell you He has rocked my world.  He has become my habit.  He is my drug of choice because there ain't no high like the Most High!  I don't EVER want to lose my zeal and love for Him.  I don't EVER want to go back to the days of just "getting by" without Him.  He is the lover of my soul.  I don't want to ever let Him go.  He has brought me from the mud and mire of a pit of sin and placed my feet upon a rock.  His Rock.  My soul yearns for more of Him and I don't ever want that to change.  Ever.

I am not where I need to be, but I thank God I am not where I was!  I think I'll go spend a little time thanking Him for what He has done in my life and let Him know how AWESOME I think He is!  Catch you all later!  

I've tried depression and I didn't like it so I think I'll just stay happy!

My mind is raring to go in 10 different directions today!  I know this is somewhat typical for me but I wish sometimes I could just sit a couple hours and focus on one thing, without medication.  Maybe I should start praying for that!  Some days are more squirrely (I don't think that's a word but you know what I mean) than others but today hasn't been so bad!  I have actually had an hour or so of some focus time today.  Karon Renfroe and I are playing a duet Sunday in the traditional service so we practiced about an hour and a half this morning.  I didn't realize we had been practicing that long until we stopped...the time flew by because we were really enjoying it!

This afternoon, once things calmed down in the office and it got quiet, I was able to pour over some scripture and God opened my mind and I was able to understand in depth what He was telling me.  He led me to Hosea and 2 Kings.  He didn't give me an enormous amount of scripture but what He gave me was so rich.  I am still pondering things in my mind and will post later about it.  It was very refreshing to have this time with Him with no distractions.

On another note, I was thinking about Philippians 4:8 earlier in the day.  I attended a funeral last week and the pastor said this particular family had that scripture hanging in the kitchen so they could SEE and READ it EVERY day.  I spoke on this passage last year and my research has stuck with me on this topic.  You see, our minds are the devil's playground.  He thinks he is welcome to come and play on the merry go round and slide down the slide and if we aren't careful, we will just allow him to play.  So many times, we allow our minds to "wander" into the negativity of life.  So much sickness, so much death, so much hate, so much financial problems, so much...you fill in the blank.  If we focus on the negative long enough, we will find ourselves in a pit of depression.  I say this because I've been there!  But when I finally caught onto this scripture, I've not been back since.  We are to think on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on such things.  If we have a thought that IS NOT one of the aforementioned, we are to CAPTURE that thought and cast it OUT of our minds!  It's not easy.  It's hard as everything to do but once we get in the HABIT of doing that, we will live a joyful life.  People ask me all the time...are you always happy?  Yep, pretty much.  I tried the depression route and was miserable so decided I would just stay happy?  Key words: I DECIDED!  We may not have control over many things in our lives but we DO have control over our minds and thoughts.  I'm not gonna stay miserable, nope, not gonna do it!

Now I have to take my happy tail back to church for an awesome hour with the youth (thank You Lord)!  Gotta go spread a little Jesus!  Catch y'all later!

Terrific Tuesday

It's been a terrific Tuesday for me!  First, I had a little one on one time with God a little earlier than normal so that set my day =)!  I actually had the kids up and out the door by a couple minutes after 7 this morning.  We zipped by Jack's to get 1 regular gravy biscuit and 1 biscuit with gravy on the side.  Yes, same thing but two different ways!  It's kinda like a Sunday morning sermon.  It's the same scripture that is preached on but I may have it served to me one way and someone else will have it served to them another way!  Gotta get what we need!  Anyway, I was in the car line at 7:22 patiently waiting on 7:30 so the kids could be on their way to their classrooms and I could be on my way to Tuscaloosa!  I made a quick run to pick up my new glasses, which I love, and then swap an iHome for Hanna at Sam's.  After my business was taken care of at Sam's, I breezed on over to Lifeway to pick up a copy of Radical by David Platt.  I have been reading the library copy at the church and have been tempted many a time to get my pencil out and underline and make notes.  I dare not do that or Lane may have my head!  So I decided I needed my own handy dandy copy of the book.  Can I just tell you it definitely has be thinking OUTSIDE the box!

After my Lifeway stint, I rushed back to Fayette to get quick trim before heading into work.  I had a ton to do in a short time.  I was a woman on a mission....except I got sidetracked a few times...imagine that!!!  Hush Beth...I hear you giggling!!!  Anyway, Sherrie and I went to Ricky G's for lunch and ran into our previous Music Minister Chris Gordon!  What a delight it was to catch up with him!  He and his family have been through the mill with his precious daughters battle with leukemia.  She is presently leukemia free and is awaiting news about her second bone marrow transplant.  Yes, you read that right, her SECOND.  That is more than anyone should have to deal with and to see pictures of she and her family with that gorgeous smile on her face is amazing.  I think the whole stinking family tee totally ROCKS!

Back to my day...see, I told you I ramble.  Anyway, I worked till 3 and then grabbed the kids from school and shot home.  Stayed there for a whopping 15 minutes and then back to the church to meet my Emmaus crew for Cluster in Tuscaloosa.  Now let me tell you about my God moment...so we are waiting for the last chicka to show up and we are just chatting away.  We tried calling to check on her but didn't get an answer.  After about 10 minutes, someone asked if I checked my email to see if she had sent an email.  Well, sure enough, she had sent an email that she was going to be working late and she would meet us there maybe.  This has put us about 20 minutes later than what we had planned but it was no big deal because we had allowed plenty of travel time due to the nasty weather conditions.  So off to Tuscaloosa we head.  About 10 miles out of town, we happen upon a wreck.  A tree had fallen across the road and a car had hit it.  I don't know who the person was but they were taken to the hospital by ambulance and the tree was removed from the road.  You see, if we had left when WE were planning, we could have possibly been that person to "happen upon" the tree in the road but God delayed us and protected us.  He has really been speaking to me in the last day or two about His protection. 

We make it to Cluster in plenty of time and have a wonderful time of fellowship and worship.  And Woody definitely brought us a Word.  We just need Jesus.  We add all these extra activities in our churches to attract people and we lose focus of Jesus.  We build big buildings and add additions to accommodate this "extra stuff" but we lose sight of the main reason we are there because we are too taken by the "bright lights"....and it's the wrong bright light....we need The Bright Light.  I think it's time to get back to the basics.  Jesus.  Jesus in the morning.  Jesus in the evening.  And Jesus in the afternoon.  Do others see Jesus in us?  Do we see it in our fellow church members?  Time to sit back and think a while on that one!

Needless to say we got home fine and now I gotta run...time for a little rest...got a staff meeting at 8:00...gotta go spread some Jesus around!