It's So Beeeeautiful

Have you ever sat outside near one of those bug zappers on a warm summer night? The warm air is teeming with bugs. The light from the bug zapper attracts the bugs but it isn't the light that kills them. No, the transformer that is hooked to the wire grids is what kills the bugs upon contact.

It's funny how cartoons portray the trance these bugs get in when they "see the light" and can't take their eyes off it!

Check this out before you read any more: http://youtu.be/TTUQyEr-sg0

 I thought of this video clip this morning as I was reading John 1:4: "In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

Are we not the same way bugs are when we see someone with the light of Christ in them? It's like their life draws us in (actually it's the genuine love of Christ working inside them that draws us in). It's like we have been refreshed spiritually by being around them.

And then there's life...the "wire mesh" hooked up to that transformer (our enemy) that has the purpose of killing, stealing and destroying (John 10:10) us.  We have to maneuver through the wire mesh on our way to the permanent light when we get to see Jesus face to face!

But think about YOUR light; the light that shines within you. Some bright and bold, some with "low wattage", some barely flickering and some completely snuffed out.

Our lights shine brightest when we are closely connected to the power source (God). There's those retreats where we get a power surge and shine brighter than ever but the longer we stay away and don't tap back in to the power source, the less likely our light shines brightly.  And that's a fact Jack!

People can spot a bright light a mile away and that's when you know someone's been close to Jesus, by the "light" you radiate from your daily life...and people, like bugs, are drawn to it!

So maybe it's time to sit and stare at The Light.  Maybe it's time to get in His Word.  Maybe it's time for a fresh encounter with God so our light can be recharged.  Then, He will set us on a lamp-stand so He can use us to attract others to His marvelous light!

"Shine your light, and let the whole world see, the glory of the newborn King"

Easy As 1, 2, 3....NOT!

I'm an instructions/recipe follower because I know if I don't follow the instructions/recipes, whatever I'm trying to accomplish will probably fail.

I start with step 1 and venture on instead of starting with step 2 or 3. I mean that's how it's written, right?

I know this example seems silly but what if we first put our dirty clothes in the dryer and when the buzzer goes off, we then stick them in the washer. After the washer stops, we get them out, wet and soggy, and put them on to wear them for the day. Not only does it feel gross, but chances are it's going to put us completely out of our peace because we are either going to be too hot and musty, or too cold and stuff.

James 4:7-8 gives us step by step instructions too but oftentimes, we get them out of order: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.

First, we have to submit ourselves to God. Give in to God's ways. I can tell you from life experience, His ways are so much better for me; mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. People think that a Christ-followers life is dull and boring but I have found it to be the complete opposite of that! I've had more adventures in the last 10 years that far exceeded my first 30 years on planet Earth!

Second, resist the devil. Now here's the hard part...resist our own desire to do the wrong thing!  To lie, cheat, steal, murder (with our tongues when we say bad things about others), gossip, drink in excess, etc. It's our human nature to do those things but we have to make a conscience effort to NOT do them!

Lastly, come near to God. Easy to say, not as easy to DO! We come near to God by praying, reading His Word, worshipping and praising Him, serving others when we really have better things to do with our time. Make time for Him...instead of getting on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram first thing when our eyes pop open, how about crack open our Bibles and spend a little QT with the One who created you, gave you the breath that fills your lungs, and woke you up this morning.

Three steps that will change our life. And we are instructed to follow them step-by-step so we will have the abundant life He created us to have! I'm all in...let's do this thing!

A Little Holiday Rambling

As I sit quietly on this Thanksgiving morning while my family sleeps, I begin thinking about this holiday season.  This is the first Thanksgiving in 16 years that we haven't spent in Kentucky with my in-laws.  Between Wayne's work and the messy road conditions of travel yesterday, we opted to stay in Alabama and have thanksgiving with my family.

My mind now forwards to tomorrow and all the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping that begins for many, or at least it has been that way for me the last 16 years.  Many of those day after Thanksgiving mornings, my sister in law and I would scurry out the door well before dawn in order to get those fabulous "door busters" the commercials advertise "we don't want to miss".

But as you can tell, this year is going to be a little different.  Not just in the fact that we aren't in Kentucky, but in the fact that I'm not heading out in the frigid morning air to collect on the biggest deal.  I want Christmas to be a little more simplified beginning this year.

We often run ourselves in the ground shopping for our kids and loved ones exactly what they want...a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre, a laptop, a pair of Uggs, a composite bat, a gymnastics mat, an iPad, to name a few.  It would be easy to drop $1000 on each child in about 2 hours but is that the message I want to send to them?

As I was talking to a friend yesterday about all of this, she shared a story with me that "stuck".  She said she remembers always getting chocolate covered cherries and a new pack of underwear from her grandfather and at the time, she wasn't all that appreciative mainly because she hated chocolate covered cherries!  But that memory stuck out in her mind more than any other gift she was given every Christmas.  "It was simple but I knew it was all he could do so I always thanked him," she said.

So why is it we feel as if we need to go take out a loan to give our kids the best of the best?  Have you ever thought we might be the ones who are setting them up for failure in their adulthood?  Am I teaching my girls to expect their future husbands to give them the best of the best when they get married because their parents tried to?  Do they think they will have to have top of the line name brand things when they enter the working world on entry-level salaries?

I've heard, and I've even said, "I want better for my kids than I had" but what was wrong with what I had?  Looking back, I had a pretty amazing childhood and turned out to be okay as an adult.

Maybe it's time to scale back on all the spending this Christmas.  Maybe it's time to consider the homeless man that will spend his Christmas on the street struggling to keep warm with no blood relative around.  Maybe it's time to be content with what little we do get instead of being disappointed in what we don't!

I think Jesus would drop His head and weep at the sight of what we've turned Christmas in to...a "wish list" where we expect most of what we've "wished" for.

By all means, please don't think I've turned in to Scrooge, because this is my favorite holiday season of all but I think we've lost perspective of what Christmas is all about!

Peace.

A Little Bit of This and That

1.  I wish there were more fonts available other than the seven given on this blog.

2.  I have joy in my heart again this morning...I've been feeling beaten down lately.

3.  I am thankful for close friends who don't mind letting their walls down and who I can let my walls down and be real with...those friends are few and far between.

4.  I hate days when I don't like what I am wearing...they make me feel blah and I don't like feeling blah (I don't feel blah today)!

5.  I am going to eat lunch at the school today with my youngest because I missed parent lunch earlier in the week!

6.  Apparently God is working on my sweet child because I received this text from my youngest this morning in a group text:

7.  Life isn't fair but what Jesus went through wasn't fair either so we just have to deal with it and thank God for His grace!

8.  I am jamming out on Pandora while typing this blog!  I love Hillsong Live!

9.  I have given up Facebook for a little while because it was consuming too much of my time...therefore I am blogging because I can't "be quiet"!

10.  I am going to Mooreville, Mississippi tomorrow morning.

11.  I just decided I was only going to do 10 random facts so I'm out of here!

Hope you all have a super blessed day!

Raising Girls 101

I think if you hold the title of "Dad" or "Mom", you can agree with me that raising kids is H.A.R.D.  It can be a whole lot of fun but it can get real messy too sometimes.  I am blessed with 3 wonderful girls (one who a "step" but I feel like she is my very own).  And I've been at this "parenting" business for the better part of 14 years and one would think the more you do it, the better you would be but that has not been the case with me!  

In my "profession" as a youth minister, I am constantly checking Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and the like to see what not only MY personal kids are up to, but I like to keep tabs on what my spiritual kids are up to as well!  So yesterday as I was lurking on Facebook, I ran across a blog that was addressed to "teenage girls" here http://givenbreath.com/2013/09/03/fyi-if-youre-a-teenage-girl/  and quite frankly, I agreed with most of what Mrs. Hall said.  Yesterday afternoon, I even read the blog to both my girls (ages 11 and 12) because it addressed something I have been talking to them about a lot here lately...their attire.  I will not allow "booty shorts" and low cut tops because as they have heard me say over and over, "it is very unbecoming" and often sends the wrong message to boys.

I shared a story with them last week as we were talking about what we were all going to wear to the Casting Crowns concert and I want to share it with you out there in "blogland".  I would like to claim I came up with this story on my own but I didn't.  I heard Justin Lookadoo tell this story at a youth retreat a couple years ago and it was one of those stories you never forget.

There was a guy that always wanted to be a cop.  He had dreamed of being a cop since childhood.  So before he pursued his lifelong dream, he thought he might "try it out" first to see what it felt like to wear a police uniform.  So out he went and bought a police uniform at a local costume store.  Once home, he tried the uniform on and it fit perfectly.  He decided he would go out and walk the streets just to see how it would feel if he were really a cop.  So he made his way down the busy street and after only one block, he witnessed a lady being mugged and upon seeing him, she yelled, "Officer, officer, please help!"  Caught up in the scene and forgetting he was dressed as a cop, he stood there stunned not realizing the lady was speaking to him.  Finally, he realized she was addressing him to which he replied, "Lady, I'm not a cop, I'm just DRESSED that way."  While he APPEARED to be a cop, he was just a young man who at the time, was a clerk in a department store.

Now you may be wondering what in the world that story has to do with raising kids but just hang tight for a couple more minutes.  

You see, our girls are dressing in "booty shorts" and low cut shirts which they think looks "cute" or "hot" because they are wanting to attract boys or be "popular" because that is what society has bombarded them with.  Think about it...when was the last time you thumbed through a magazine or flicked through the channels on your television and didn't see some scantily clad person advertising the latest "trend"?  But what message are our girls sending out to the boys when they put these clothes on themselves?  

Before too much longer, my girls will be dating age and I do not want them setting themselves up for something they could of possibly avoided.  I don't want them dressing in hopes to grab the attention of the opposite sex and portraying something they are not.  Just like the guy that dressed as a cop; if their attire is skimpy, then they will probably portray themselves as skimpy and be placed in situations that they are not ready for.  There are some guys out there that go for "skimpy", but that is not what I have prayed for for my girls.  And I can tell you from experience, once you make a name for yourself, it is not easily erased with people. 

Now with that said, God can redeem ANYONE, ANYTIME.  So in rebuttal to the first blog by "Mrs. Hall", a mother addressed her with this response here http://putdowntheurinalcake.com/2013/09/dear-mrs-hall-regarding-your-fyi-if-youre-a-teenage-girl/.  

I agree with both moms, but it is MY job, as a mother, to parent my children and use the judgement God has given ME to tell them what is acceptable attire and what is not.  And far too often, parents give their children too much freedom in selecting their own attire.  But not only that, there is little to no parental involvement in their "online shenanigans" as to what they post and what they text.  It takes a little extra digging sometimes, but isn't it worth it to protect them from some of the same mistakes WE have made?  We, as parents, can not let society tell us it is okay to allow our kids to post or text things because "everyone else does it".    

Until next time.....

Picking Back Up Where I Left Off

You know, a blog can be a dangerous thing, especially when we are angry.  But it can also be a good thing too, after we've calmed down, had time to process a volatile situation and share what we have learned through the grace of God. 

Two weeks ago I ordered Mark Batterson’s, The Circle Maker, and was more than excited about reading it.  UPS delivered it last Tuesday and as soon as I got home, I began devouring the pages.  I wouldn't finish many pages without stopping and applying what I had read to prayer.  I walked circles inside and outside my house praying.  The Holy Spirit even prompted me to go to another friend’s house and pray circles around her and I obeyed.  While at her house, we began talking about what was going on in her life and I shared with her what the Holy Spirit had revealed to me while praying for her.  She said everything I said was confirmation for her because God had already spoke to her about the things I shared.  It was a short but great visit and I was on fire for my new prayer life.

I came home, fixed dinner for my family and read more of the book.  It was smooth sailing Tuesday night.  Wow, I thought.  I felt more “holy confidence” that I had in a long time…I guess the same way the Israelites felt as they crossed the Jordan River on dry ground and crossed on over into the Promised Land.  But little did I know, that was the calm before the storm.   I will not go in to detail about the rest of the story but I will tell you this.  I fought Satan the next day.  It was a sucker punch to the gut and the wind was knocked out of my sails.  I found myself flat on my face in the Sanctuary of the church sobbing (sorry Altar Guild…I think I left some mascara on the carpet in front of the altar rail) asking God why?  How could something get so twisted and turned and hurtful toward someone who tried so hard to follow Him?  And as I lay there trying to catch my breath, I heard God whisper ‘I will bless them when people mock them, persecute them and lie about them and say all sorts of evil things against them because they are my followers’.  I had heard that verse many times but Tuesday morning, I saw the verse come to life.  By the way, that is Matthew 5:11 (I had to look it up).

And that is only one of many verses God spoke to me over the next several days concerning this event.  In my flesh, I wanted so bad to lash out and hurt them for hurting me but in my spirit, I knew I was to keep my mouth shut.  Vengeance is God’s, not mine.  And normally when something like that happens to someone I know, I don’t react in such a way but you know what else God revealed to me in all this?  He is giving me a heart to see people the way He sees them because I had asked Him to break my heart for what breaks His heart…and He did.  You see, those weren't MY tears being shed, those were God’s tears being shed because one of his children were being made out to be something they aren't.  And isn't that just like our enemy?  His main purpose in life is to kill, steal and destroy and boy was he all over this.  God spoke to me and shed light on several different things during this ordeal (another one being the purity of my heart needing some more work) and I have been journaling and meditating on things.

So you may be wondering what I did after all this happened?  I will tell you one thing I DIDN'T do……pick up that book!  Nope.  If I had encountered such opposition from Satan for 40 something pages I had read, then I certainly wasn't going to continue on because that’s just asking for it, right?  So for the next 5 days, I just read my Bible and another book about youth ministry.  I wasn't about to pick that book back up and start again because I wasn't sure I could withstand another attack by the enemy.  I mean just the thought of it brought tears to my eyes.  So yesterday, my pastor asked me how far I had gotten in the book because I was so excited about reading it last week.  I was real honest with him and told him I wasn't sure just when I would get back to it because since reading those first 40+ pages, I had been under attack.  He said, “You can’t let a little opposition from the enemy stop you Dana.  Pick it back up.” 

I guess I needed a little “spurring” on because I rustled the book out of the bottom of my bag and opened it to where I had stopped.  And the words lept off the page and into my spirit.  If I hadn't picked it back up, then I wouldn't have read this next nugget of gold:

In order to experience a miracle, you have to take a risk.  And one of the most difficult types of risks to take is risking your reputation.  The greatest chapters in history always begin with risk, and the same is true with the chapters of your life.  If you’re unwilling to risk your reputation, you’ll never build the boat like Noah or get out of the boat like Peter.  You cannot build God’s reputation if you aren't willing to risk yours.

My reputation isn't perfect.  I have screwed up some major things in my life and I guess that is why I try not to be as judgmental of others.  God loved me in spite of my mistakes and has thankfully used those mistakes to make me wiser.  He has used my past messes and turned them into messages to help others who are traveling the same road I traveled.  And you know what, He will you those people to help others who haven’t traveled that road yet but will in the future.  God has a way of humbling us so we ought not think too highly of ourselves and too lowly of others struggles…because our (or our kids or grand-kid) reputations may be on the line!  But God changes our reputations when He changes our life.  As I share some of my struggles with people, they are amazed because I seem to “have it all together”…well, I don’t.  I’m travelling the same road as many of you except I now choose to walk beside Jesus instead of doing it my way.

Until next time…….

Pack Your Bags and Get Out of Here

I was talking to a friend yesterday about a recent trial she had encountered.  We talked about how there is so much guilt when we fall but as they say in Celebrate Recovery, the failure isn't in falling, the failure is staying there instead of picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and getting back on the right road.  

When we do fall, if we are lucky, we will feel remorse.  We know it is something we shouldn't have done but we did.  And it is after the fall that we are so fragile.  It is during those fragile times that our enemy sees an opening for attack because our minds are so vulnerable.  But don't think that's the only time the ol nasty devil will attack, he is a master at constant bombardment of our minds with our past mistakes.  

"Remember when you ....... (you fill in the blank with something you regret)?  I just want to remind you not to do it again," we "hear" in our minds.   Has that ever happened to you?  It has me, TONS of times.  A couple years ago,  God led me to a scripture so I would recognize where the "voice" in my head was coming from.  

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more...Hebrews 8:12.

The "I" in this scripture is referring to God.   God forgives us of our wickedness AND REMEMBERS OUR SINS NO MORE!  For years and years, I thought that "voice" in my head was God reminding me of something I did so I wouldn't do it again but let me point out something: you can't remind someone of something if you don't remember it!  God isn't a liar and when He says he doesn't remember it no more, well, He doesn't remember it no more!  That's a fact Jack!  Let me say that again: how can someone remind you of something when THEY DON'T REMEMBER IT?!?  They can't!  

It is our enemy, the slimy little serpent; the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy, that wants to remind us of our past mistakes.  It is his nasty ol self that plants regret, sorrow and negative thoughts in our minds so we will stay in bondage to our past.  But let me share another little nugget of gold with you: John 8:36 reads "So if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, YOU ARE FREE INDEED!  Those chains of regret that have been bound around your neck (and in your MIND), well, those heavy suckers are GONE!  You don't have to live in your past IN YOUR MIND because you, my friend, are a NEW CREATION (2 Corinthians 5:17).  

So when those dirty old memories begin creeping in, speak the word of God to the devil and remind him that you've been forgiven and if God remembers it no more, then neither do you!  So tell the devil to pack his bags and get out of your mind because no longer are you bound to your past because you are FREE!  This takes hard work and discipline to overcome what I call "stinking thinking" but YOU CAN DO IT!  How do I know?  Because I did and if I can do it, ANYBODY can!!!  Let today be the first day in which you evict the devil from your thoughts and live in the freedom and victory Christ died for!

Until next time...

Lamenting for the Homeless

This morning, as I sat down with my Bible at the kitchen table with my freshly brewed cup of coffee, my Bible opened at Lamentations. I mean the very front of Lamentations before the verses even start (I have a Life Application Study Bible and it gives a little synopsis of what the book is about).  

My eyes scanned the page and stopped on these words: "What makes a person cry says a lot about that person - whether he or she is self-centered or God-centered.  What causes your tears?  Do you weep because your selfish pride has been wounded, or because the people around you sin and reject God who loves them dearly?  Do you weep because you have lost something that gives you pleasure, or because people all around you suffer for their sinfulness?  Our world is filled with injustice, poverty, war and rebellion against God, all of which should move us to tears and to action."  

Our youth group at Fayette First took a little trip over to Atlanta a couple weeks ago.  It was a fun trip...a day at Six Flags Whitewater, a night at the Atlanta Braves game and another day at Six Flags over Georgia.  All in all, a great time was had by all.  But even in all the fun, God pricked some hearts and they lamented.  

As we watched the Braves conquer the Rockies, we had lots of smiles and laughter.  But soon after the final bat had swung, we began our trek to the bus parked down the street.  We made our way under the overpass of I-75 and there they were, four of them.  One sat on a five gallon bucket and with drum sticks in hand, played on two other five gallon buckets; one played the cymbals; another played a snare drum and the fourth man clapped and danced.  You could see the tattered clothing and smell of body odor and know these men were homeless.  With smiles plastered across their faces, they played and danced for the crowds walking by.  A guitar case was opened in front of their make-shift band and people would drop money in as they passed (interesting thing was there was no guitar to be found...just the case). 

As our group traipsed by, some pulled out what change they had and dropped it into the guitar case.  We didn't really stop and take in the scene because there were several hundred people behind us and we didn't want to get trampled. Corralling the kids on, I told them we would talk when we got on the bus. 

As we got situated in our seats on the bus, I began seeing tears from some of the youth.  They realized the situation of the homeless men and their heart broke; they were lamenting.  Those gentlemen were doing the best they could considering their situations and although they had a smile on each if their faces, we had tears running down ours.  God had pricked their hearts.  We decided to collect a little more money and willingly, our wonderful pastor/bus driver pulled us up to the corner so we could "deposit" our collection into their guitar case.  If you could have seen the smile on the faces of those men as I dropped the money we had collected, your spirit would be soaring for months.  

On the ride back to the hotel, we passed several churches in downtown Atlanta and witnessed homeless people sleeping on the steps.  Again, the youth were touched.   They see the need and they want to meet the need.  

I am excited to share with them that we have tentatively planned to go serve in a homeless shelter in Nashville that serve between 700-800 men, women and children nightly this winter.  Their tears have moved us to action.  They are learning the blessing of serving instead of being served.  I can't wait to see God work in their lives!

Until next time....

Can You Not Just Let Me Be Mad God?!?

Do you ever get up in a "mood" some mornings?  I mean, things seem to just not go the way YOU had planned?  Well, that was me Sunday morning.  But it really started Saturday night.  

My sweet, hardworking husband has to get up and leave pretty early because he has over an hour drive to work so normally, we are in the bed pretty early Sunday through Thursday nights unless the girls have extracurricular activities (which the older they get, the more activities they seem to be a part of).  Anyway, so during the week, we are "early to bed, early to rise".  Although I am only  considered "part-time" (can anyone do ministry part-time?!?...not me), Sundays are my "busy" work day.  I am in the bed kind of early on Saturday nights most of the time (except for football season because who can sleep when there's an SEC team to watch, right?).  

As I'm laying there trying to dose off, the TV is still on and my man is watching some western and I promise you, the cowboy has to have a machine gun because I have never heard so much rapid shooting on a western in my life!  I lay there, becoming irritated.  The more gunfire I hear, the more angry I get.  By this time, it's after 10 and I'm just wanting to drift off but no, I've already got myself worked up. So I sit up in bed and ask my man to pass the Advil PM. I pop two of those suckers and think about heading for the couch but know I really don't need to do that so I lay my head back down on my pillow.  Thankfully, the western winds down and the TV is off in 10 minutes and I'm off to la-la-land!

I am usually an early riser so I can spend some quiet time with God before I get busy with my day but because I had taken two PM's so late, I didn't wake up early enough and you can guess where that sent me...on my little pity party mad spree again.  First I got mad because I am ALWAYS up on Sundays before my family but lo and behold not only did my man have to wake me up, my youngest was already up and in the shower!

Fuming, I went to the kitchen, made my coffee and went to the front porch to drink it and try to "chill".  After finishing my coffee, I came back inside to find my oldest child in the shower and that just about sent me over the edge!  Why in the WORLD were they showering on Sunday morning when they had both showered Saturday night because they know I have to shower on Sunday mornings and if we all shower, there's not enough hot water (do you understand why I'm so irritated)?!?  So I go get in the shower (already KNOWING there's not going to be enough hot water) and guess what, there's ENOUGH hot water and then some.  Already mad and irritated, I'm CERTAIN I'm going to be late to church because my schedule has been compromised so I have the "I don't care" mood going on with a little sarcasm thrown in there too.  As I'm getting ready, I decide to play a podcast of one of Joyce Meyer's teachings and you'll never guess what it was on..."Getting Your Day Started Right". Really God?!?  I mean REALLY?!?  

So apparently God has "my number" because with all the turmoil and anger and smart remarks I had thought and said, I am ready for church with 15 minutes to spare...only God can make that happen.  

I exit the bathroom and head to my jewelry box and hear, "you sure do look nice" from my man who is watching television.  "Thank you," I reply.  Then it was like God "cleared His throat" and in my mind, I'm like 'what now God?'  'Don't you think you need to apologize for being a little rude and hateful?' God said.  So I went to my man, put my arms around his neck and gave him a big ol hug and apologized for being a butt.  As my kids made their way into the kitchen, I apologized to them too because it was ME causing the turmoil and discord.  

Sometimes we act in ways we KNOW better than to act don't we? And as bad as I wanted to be mad, God wouldn't let it overcome me.  I don't know if someone was praying for me or what, but yesterday morning, God won and for that, I'm thankful!

Until next time...

 

Making Wedding Plans

So the Gilliam household has been preparing for a wedding over the last several months.  Charity's wedding is next month and it seems like the crunch is on now.  So during my quiet time this morning, God led me to a passage in Revelation that made me think about all the time and preparation it takes for a bride to pull off her "perfect" wedding.  

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready...Revelation 19:7. 

The key words in this verse that grabbed my attention: made herself ready. 

You see, we are all (men and women alike), the bride of Christ.  Now that may wig some men out but don't let it...it isn't exclusively a female thing in the Bible...it is "the other part" to the unity with a spouse here except we are finally unified with Christ. 

So my thoughts went like this: women work tirelessly making plans and calls for the perfect ceremony; picking out their dress and flowers and food and all the other details.  They may take more than a year to plan and work toward their big day.  But what are WE doing to prepare for "our big day" with Christ?  What plans have we made or are there changes we need to make today in order to be ready to "traipse down the aisle" to meet Christ?  Do we get as giddy about the plans we make with Him as we do/did our own ceremonies?  

I'm in no way trying to thwart a girls "big day", I'm just trying to put it into perspective for myself.  I love the excitement of a wedding and the love you feel in the air at the ceremony and you know what, I feel the same way about Christ!!!

Until next time...

The Gift (Or Curse) of Gab

In case you don't know me very well, I am a talker.  I talk to people I know, people I don't know, animals, myself and God.  I may or may not have talked to a stop sign before...you get my drift.  My husband dreads going to Wal-Mart with me because he knows I will stop numerous times to talk with people because I love people!

But I have learned over the years, my talking can get me into a world of trouble if I'm not careful with my words.  When I was younger and less wise, I would blab anything but now that I'm more intentionally walking closer with Jesus, I'm more cautious with the words I speak.  There's a couple scriptures that come to mind before I speak and they are: 

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences...Proverbs 18:21 

and

So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say...Numbers 14:28. 

Let me share a little story with you that changed the way I talk.  It was my 35th or 36th birthday and my youngest child had made me a birthday card (I LOVE homemade cards).  Anyway, on the front of the card she had drawn a birthday cake with candles and written "Happy Birthday Momma".  Inside the card, she had traced her hand and written "This little hand loves you and says happy birthday".  It was colorful, beautiful and made my heart swell.  I hugged and kissed her and was so proud of her artwork and thoughtfulness.  And then "the other shoe fell".  She said, "you didn't look on the back" in her sweet little voice.  So I quickly turn the card over to see her final artwork and bam, there it was:

"YOU'RE GETTING OLD" written in all caps.  And if that wasn't enough to take the wind out of my sails, the picture was the "nail in the coffin".  She had drawn a little stick figure kind of bent over with a walking cane in one hand and the other hand positioned on the stick figures back. The caption above the stick figure read "Oh my back"!

You see, for at least a good month, my lower back had been hurting and she was constantly hearing me say, "Oh my back" or "Man my back is killing me". That little birthday card was a wake up call to me.  I mean who wants to read "you're getting old" from your 6 year old and before you even hit 40!!!

So that day, God grabbed my attention about what I had been repeating over and over for a month.  It was at that moment that I began making it a point NOT to say "oh my back" or "my back is killing me" anymore.  It might have been hurting but if it was, I didn't speak it...instead, I began saying, "you know what, I think my back is getting better" when someone would ask and before long, my pain was fading and eventually gone.

Now you may be thinking that's a bunch of fooey and that's fine but I have learned over the years that my life is a result of what I SPEAK because that's what Proverbs 18:21 says.  The power of life (good) and death (bad) is in our tongue (what we speak) and if you have a not so good life right now, you may want to pay closer attention about what YOU are SAYING about yourself, your family, your friends and your circumstances.  And if you hang around me for any length of time, you just may hear me say "don't speak that crap" if I hear something negative coming from your sweet little mouth because Numbers 14:28 says "The Lord will give us the very things He HEARS us speak!"

So with that said, I hope God's favor will follow you throughout your day and you will be more mindful of what blessing you speak over not only your own life, but all those you encounter today!

Until next time..

Thumbing Through the Pages

I love it when I start reading a passage and before I know it, God is leading me to other parts of His Word so He can "enlighten" me on things.

I began reading in 1 Timothy this morning where Paul is writing this letter to Timothy who is "pastoring" the Ephesus:

Even though I (Paul) was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted out of ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me ABUNDANTLY, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus...1 Timothy 1:13-14. 

Quick reminder on Paul: before his encounter with Jesus through the Holy Spirit, he was very "religious" yet was a blasphemer.  So this word (blasphemer) led me to Mark 3:28-29 because I thought blasphemy was the unpardonable sin.  The passage reads: I tell you the truth, ALL the sins and blasphemies OF MEN will be forgiven them.  But whoever blasphemies the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."  

So what's the difference between blasphemies of men and blasphemy the Holy Spirit?  Well, I looked up the Greek word for blasphemy and it is blasphēmos which means speaking evil, slanderous, reproachful, railing, abusive.  We may blasphemy others by speaking ill of them like Paul did and we read here ALL other sins will be forgiven.  But if we speak ill of the Holy Spirit, well, that's a whole different message in itself.  

The point I got was this: no matter what we've done in our life; no matter how "bad" we've sinned, we can still be used by God.  We can feel so guilt-ridden by our past that we think God can't forgive and accept us.  But look at Paul's past. He had scoffed the teachings of Jesus ("a blasphemer") and hunted down and murdered God's people ("a persecutor and a violent man") before coming to faith in Christ. God forgave Paul and used him mightily for his kingdom.  No matter how shameful our past has been, God also forgives and uses us! May we have an encounter with the Holy Spirit like Paul did and begin today being used mightily by God!

Until next time.....

Hand Me the Remote and No One Gets Hurt

I love to encourage people and also to be encouraged by others!  I think that's one reason God placed me on this earth.  And there's tons of places in the Bible to find encouragement but what about the other stuff that's in there too?  It's not something that makes us feel good to read but if God didn't mean for us to read it and live by it, then He probably would have left it out, right?  Those are the parts I want to grab the remote and fast forward through so I can get to the parts I love.  This mornings scripture wasn't that encouraging Word that I just love but rather something to make me think about do a little self evaluation.   So, here it is:

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.' Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath."...Zephaniah 1:12, 18.  

What if The Lord searched our nation?  What would He find?  Better yet, what would He find if He searched our very own homes?  A house adorned with the best decor, closets filled to capacity with the latest trends and top name brands and garages with the nicest vehicles around?  Now think about our spiritual life?   How's that working out for us?  Have we become complacent or worse yet, we haven't even really thought about Him or even considered putting forth the effort to grow closer to Him? Maybe we are more concerned with who and when we get to hang out with some of our friends rather than hanging out with God.  Do we give no thought to God...or maybe a morning or nightly prayer is all He gets of our precious time?  Are we of the mentality that it doesn't really matter because 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.' (verse 18)?

Matthew 7:21 says "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  So maybe it's time we think about what we've "done for Him lately".  Maybe it's time to see if we are the complacent one the Bible speaks of in this passage because if we are alive to  read this, then The Lord has granted us more time to live for Him instead of living for this world. 

Until next time...

Falling Asleep and Waking Up at Home

After attending two memorial services this week, I've come to view "death" a little differently.  Before now, I haven't really thought of death as a bad thing but just the word itself takes a little air out of my spirit.  But last Sunday, during Larry Stephens celebration of life service, I heard a story that comforted me and have been thinking of it since.  

Larry tells the story of his childhood and being at his "Big Mama's" (his grandmother) house.  He said he remembers laying on the porch swing gently swinging with his head laying in Big Momma's lap while the adults talked.  After a while, he drifted off to sleep and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in his own bed at home.  His Daddy had picked him up, carried him to the vehicle, drive home and put him in his bed without him ever knowing it.  And that's the same thing that happened when Larry departed this earth to go home to his Heavenly Father.  According to 1 Corinthians 15:55, death has lost its sting.  In John 11:11, Jesus speaks of Lazarus "falling asleep" but the disciples say no, he's dead.  Verse 13 reads "Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep". 

So this week, I began to look at death differently.  We simply go to sleep here on earth, maybe at our earthly house, and our Heavenly Father scoops us up and carries us home where we belong.  Instead of death being the end to life, it is really the beginning of the life we've longed for if we are a follower of Christ. 

And this is possible now because of the sacrifice His son made...He took the sting of death away so we can be swooped up and carried home. 

Until next time....

God and Instagram

How is it that you "view" God?  I know we can't physically SEE Him, but how do you "see" Him in your mind?

A couple weeks ago during a Wednesday night Bible study, Pastor Steve asked us that same question.   He said we would probably view God the same way we view our earthly fathers in that if our earthly fathers were the "military type", then we might view God as more of the "walk the line or you're gonna get it" God.  And I will have to say, I agree with Pastor Steve.  But the thing that changes our perception of God is how well we truly know Him and how we experience Him.  

But there was a scripture I read this morning that pretty much summed up how I see God now and it is this...

Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?...Romans 2:4. 

For a long time, I saw God as someone who sits upon a throne waiting for me to mess up so He could shake His finger at me and tell me where I was messing up my life.  But now that I have studied His characteristics and qualities more than ever, I see Him as a loving being that is sitting back with His legs crossed, slowly swinging His glorious foot waiting on me to come chat with Him (I know that is crazy but it's like He's so patient and kind and ready to talk) when I mess up.  

Let me share a story with you that God constantly reminds me of how He patiently corrects us:

A couple years ago, my phone rang in my office and on the other end I hear my youngest child in tears.  "Momma, I deleted my Instagram app on my iPod," she said.  With a puzzled sound in my voice, I asked why?  "Because I was looking at pictures I didn't need to be looking at," she said.  Now my normal fleshly reaction would be to grill her and ask her why she did it and exactly what kind of pictures she observed but that's when God took over.  Instead, I said, "Hanna, you didn't have to delete the app, you just have to resist the urge to look at them.  Satan tempts us all the time with stuff and we have to resist them."  "Really?", Hanna replied.  "Yes baby.  I have looked at pictures before that I didn't need to look at and so have many other people.  The good thing is you recognized it wasn't right and you did something about it.  You just need to ask God to forgive you and ask Him to help you try your hardest not to do it again."  By this time, her tears had dried up and we talked about how God wasn't mad at her or hadn't left her but He wanted her to recognize the wrong and turn from it and He would forgive her.  

As I placed the phone in the cradle, I sat and pondered what had just taken place and began "talking" to God about it and it went something like this:

Me: Wow God, You handled that great. 

God: Dana, you need to treat her mess-ups like I treat your mess-ups. 

Me: What do you mean God?

God: I don't holler and scream and tell you, yes, you have done wrong and point out all the messes you've made.  I give you time to realize where you messed up and patiently wait on you to come back to me.  

Me: I've never though about it like that God. 

God: Well, maybe it's time you think start thinking about it more...I'm kind, tolerant, and patient with you and give you time to realize you've done wrong.  I don't "call you out" or embarrass you.....

And you know what...He doesn't.  Instead of making Hanna feel worse than she already did, I talked her through it just like God does me.  And that lesson from God has stuck with me from that day forward when it comes not only to my children, but to everyone I come in contact with. 

Until next time........

A Good Ol Smacking of Truth

Sometimes scripture just smacks us upside the head doesn't it?!  Well, it did me this morning anyway...

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness...Romans 1:18. 

Men (and women for that matter) who suppress the truth...suppress means to put down by authority or force; to restrain from a usual course or action.  You know, the truth is in us whether we want to recognize it or not.  Why?  Because God created us and He IS The Truth but not just that, we are born WITH a conscience (the sense of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good).  We KNOW we shouldn't do something but we suppress the truth and so it anyway.  For example, the kids on the youth trip that have the desire to sneak out of their room KNOW they shouldn't but they suppress the truth and follow along with "the crowd" (that didn't happen but it is a great example); or what about the girl that wears the booty shorts and reveals all the good Lord has blessed her with KNOWS deep down it is a little inappropriate to wear but follows along with the "trend" the world has set and wears them anyway; or maybe the provocative picture a girl sends to a guy thinking "if he just saw what I had he would like me more" all the time knowing if she got caught, she would be so embarrassed because she KNOWS it's wrong. 

I could go on and on with examples but the truth is, the truth is IN us but often we push it down to the bottom of our spirit so we can go on with our sinning.  But you know what the problem with that is?  We sin over and over and over without repenting and before long we become "calloused" to sin; it becomes easier and easier to sin without the "nagging" in our conscience.  And then we accumulate so much sin in our life, we don't hear, see or feel God.   Now God still loves and cares about us, but He doesn't hang around darkness because there is no darkness in Him. 

As I wrote this, I began thinking about my very own life and how, for many years, I suppressed the truth.  Not because I necessarily WANTED to, but because I thought a life living for Christ was dull and boring because of all the "rules and regulations" I was suppose to follow ("The Big 10"...you know, thou shalt nots).  I mean who can realistically do ALL those right ALL the time?!?  But then I finally got it through my thick skull, if I would just do the two greatest commandment Jesus said to do (love God with all our heart, mind and soul and then love our neighbors as ourselves), that would cover "The Big 10".  If I will TRULY love God with all that I am, I won't want to lie or covet or steal or give false testimony, etc.  And let's be honest, it's easier to do 2 "Do's" than 10 "Do Not's". 

Until next time...