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...

Putting Ourselves Our There....With OUR Story

As I sat in the beautiful stained glass sanctuary looking around and listening to the pipe organ being played, people began to file in and before long, the sanctuary was full.  There was a great mixture of people gathered; from babies to the aging, men and women, clean cut to tatted out...the mixture was pleasing to my eyes.  We gathered to celebrated the life of an amazing man who, as one speaker put, "always put himself out there".

And I've thought about that statement a lot over the last 18 hours...always put yourself out there.  That's where we change people's lives like Larry Stephens did.  The "what you see is what you get" mentality touches more people than the facade we try and put on for the world.  

I don't care how holy you act; how many devotions you do with your family; how many committees or councils you are on at your church or if you're there every time the doors are opened...we all have a story.  But some of us, now that we've survived the ugly, hell-bent lifestyle we lived, don't mind sharing OUR story because just maybe, it will touch someone's life and help them through the hell they are living in.  We can take off our mask and be real.  

Not only was Larry a "put yourself out there" man, he was a fantastic storyteller.  Yesterday, person after person spoke of the many stories he had shared and how his stories always changed their lives.  And you know what...we have the same ability to change others lives if we will share OUR stories.  

If we will take off our "masks", let the walls down, and "put ourselves out there", we can have a huge impact on the kingdom of God.  But you know why we don't?  Because we are afraid of being judged and talked about because we all know there's PLENTY of people to talk about somebody!  

But what if we put that fear aside and "put it all out there"?  How many lives would we touch?  I can tell you...hundreds.  Because once we open up & help someone else through their mess, God will use them to help someone else through the same mess.  Bad things happen...that is just part of life....but if we will "put ourselves out there" and "tell our story", like Larry so often did, we will build the kingdom of God. 

And let me say one more thing before I sign off...don't just go blab your story or worse, SOMEONE ELSE'S story, to the entire world.  Pray for God to place people in your path that will be helped by your story...and if you do pray this, He will place them there.  There are many people out there in the world who are dying inside who think they are the only one who has faced the storm they are in but I assure you, they aren't because you and I have faced the same type storm and we made it through.  Will YOU be the one to let them know, they will make it out too?

Until next time......

Sometimes, People Just Don't Get It

Have you ever tried over & over to explain something to someone and they just won't "get it"?  We argue back and forth and oftentimes, we just give up and go on about our merry way and consider it "their loss".  Well, I'd say Paul often felt the same way while he was proclaiming the gospel to those who didn't buy in to this whole "Jesus thing".  He never gave up SPREADING the good news or DOING good.  

From morning to evening Paul explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.  Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, ‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to meand let me heal them.’ ...Acts 28:23-27. 

I remember when I first began a closer walk with Christ, I sat under more "seasoned" Christ followers & was mentored by them.  They would DO & SAY things & although I didn't completely understand what they were talking about or doing, I didn't close my mind off to what they were teaching.  Matter of fact, it made me want to find out more of what the power of God really consisted of!  But I also realize, that there will be some that will always look at you weird and treat you differently when you speak of the freedom of Christ and the power of God.  Even Paul encountered some who "would not believe" and that is okay.  The gospel was presented to them. 

But Paul never threw his hands up and walked away.  No, he continues his course...he continued to run with perseverance the race that was set before him (Hebrews 12:1) and so should we.  We will face opposition when it comes to sharing and living out our faith...but we have to endure just as Paul did!

Until next time...

Storm Warnings...Take Cover

Have you ever had a season of uncertainty?  It seems like your life has seen one storm after another?  Matter of fact, you don't hardly recover from one storm before another blows in?  

I think all of us can answer yes to those questions at some point in our lives!

This morning, I was continuing to read in Acts and was reminded that sometimes, those storms serve a purpose because we wouldn't normally place ourselves in tough situations to be used by God.  I am reminded some storms are short and others seem to never end, but God never leaves us. 

In Acts 27, Paul, along with 275 others, set sail for Rome.  On this ship, Paul is being guarded a hardened Roman centurion named Julius because he has been jailed for his faith. They sailed for a couple days without much difficulty but starting in verse 7, the storm begins brewing.  They made slow headway for many days and has difficulty arriving where they were headed. The wind did not allow them to hold their course and sailing became dangerous. 

A gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they anchored down.  Before very long, a wind of hurricane force came & they ended up giving way to the storm and were driven along. They took a violent battering from the storm and finally gave up all hope of being saved. Once the storm finally passed and they were safely on shore at Malta, the  islanders showed them unusual kindness even they didn't really realize who they were. While on the island, a man named Publius, who owned a rather large estate, welcomed them into his home.  His father was sick in the bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.  When this happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured (Acts 28:1-9). 

The story goes on but this is where I stopped and conversed with God.  

In the beginning of the story, a phrase caught my attention that hasn't before: "they thought they had obtained what they wanted".  Have you ever been there...where you thought you WANTED to be only to find out it's not the place you NEED to be?  I'd say before the storm was over, Paul had wished he had landed somewhere else.  And I'm pretty sure Paul didn't see how God was going to use him when he was on that ship in the middle of a violent storm.  I feel certain Paul wouldn't have willingly went if he knew the storms he would have to face because we don't place ourselves in the middle of a storm.  Matter of fact, when we get a storm warning on the television, radio or any other electronic device, we run for cover.  But I am reminded that there are times when God uses us in the middle of the storms to bless someone else.  I have seen it first hand when the tornado ripped across Alabama on April 27, 2011.  People turned out in droves to be the hands and feet of Christ.  

And if Paul hadn't endured the storm and jumped overboard, Publius father and all the islanders who were sick wouldn't have been healed.  So storms, while unpleasant to be in the middle of, can serve a purpose.  We may not willingly head out into the storm, but the winds may shift and we may find ourselves in the middle of it, but God can use us there and He will direct us through it.  So go ahead and praise Him through the storm as Paul did...maybe He has you there to show Him off!

Until 

I, Me, Mine...Mine and Paul's Thoughts

One word, heck, one letter can change the way we perceive things.  Last week, when we were "flocking" pink flamingoes on someone's yard, I noticed a letter missing on the sign we placed in the yard with the birds.  Instead of reading "We just flew in to say God loves you" like it normally read, it read "We just....God love you".  God loves you verses God love you...just that one "s" changes the whole message!

I tell you that because this morning during my quiet time, one letter (which also serves as one word) grabbed my attention...the letter/word I.   Read on and I will explain...

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent...1 Timothy 2:11. This verse has been a very hot topic and debated often among denominations.  But as I was reading it this morning, God brought my attention to something I had not really paid attention to before.  The writer...Paul, the "I" in this verse. 

It was Paul that made the statement "I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man....she must be silent", not God.  And upon further study, I found out the situation Paul was dealing with which provoked him to write this.  In first century Jewish culture, women were not allowed to study.  When Paul said women were to learn in quietness and full-submission, he was offering them an amazing NEW OPPORTUNITY.  Paul didn't want the women to teach because they didn't yet have enough knowledge or experience.  The Ephesian church had a particular problem with false teachers. Evidentially the women were especially susceptible because they did not yet have enough Biblical knowledge to discern the truth. 

And as I was reading this passage this morning, my mind went back to a Bible study with the youth about 4 years ago.  We were talking about God "calling" someone into ministry who had a "past"...maybe divorce, maybe homosexuality, maybe a criminal or felon, maybe a drunkard or whore...the list could go on forever.  But one youth said this and I sat there with my mouth open in amazement at the knowledge of this 7th grader: "Who are WE, mere humans, to speak on God's behalf and say God has not called someone to ministry whether it be a woman, a divorced man or someone who has had a shady past?  Has God given us male or female for that matter,  the authority to judge who HE calls?"  WOW.

As I sit here and think about this statement made by a youth, I think of Noah.  Noah, the greatest hero of faith, got drunk (Genesis 9:21) yet God still used him. And then I think of David.  David, a shepherd, poet and giant-killer but also a betrayer, liar, adulterer and murderer yet God refers to him as "a man after my own heart" (Acts 13:22).  And what about Miriam?  Exodus 15:20 talks of Miriam, the sister of Aaron, who was a prophetess and one of the triad of leaders of Israel during the Exodus from Egypt.  

If we could have been there thousands of years ago when God was calling and using Noah, David and Miriam, would we have argued they weren't "worthy" because of their past or gender?  Would we have went and got the scrolls to "make our point"?  I don't know...maybe...but it wouldn't have mattered because it is up to God who He calls and uses, not us.  

Until next time...

Identity Theft...Sign Me Up

Titles...I HATE THEM!  

I never fill out the blank where I am suppose to put a suffix or prefix for my name...it just bugs the snot out of me.  Does it really matter if I am a Miss, Mrs., Ms., Dr. or whatever else there is?  I just want to be Dana.

I want to be known as a humble follower of Christ and that is all.  I don't care if I have a degree in politics, theology or psychology...I just want to be Dana.  I realize it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of hours but the minute you put a title beside my name, I feel like I am identified by it and I don't want that identity.

I want to be identified for being real.  I want to be identified for loving people.  I want to be identified for humbleness.  I want to identified for being non-judgemental.  I want to be identified as a lover of God.  

The title I want..."Child of the Most High".  I want my identity to come from Christ...not something the world or some accomplishment has given me.  I just want to be Dana.  

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light..1 Peter 2:9 .

Plant Cemetaries and Spiritual Cemetaries

 I fixed my coffee this morning and found my way to the front porch for a little time with God.  I sat on the top step for a bit just looking out across the front yard and neighboring pasture while listening to the birds chatter and a rooster crow in the distance.  In less than 5 minutes, God and I had a good little conversation about one of my ferns. 

While it is now beautiful and green with tons of new growth today, not long ago, the leaves were parched and hanging down...almost dead.  I don't have the greenest thumb on the planet when it comes to plants and remembering to water them isn't very high on my to do list.  Thankfully, my husband came to the rescue and took over "fern maintenance" and today, they are full, green and bushy and I couldn't be more proud!

But it didn't happen overnight and it wasn't always smooth sailing bringing these ferns back to a "living state".  When they became an eye sore on the front porch, I took them to the back porch.  After Wayne had been watering them DAILY for about a week, they began looking healthy again.  But one afternoon, a thunderstorm popped up and the wind picked began blowing strong.  One fern was in the path of a gust of wind and it tumbled to the ground.  After the rain stopped, I went out to pick up the fern and found the plastic pot broken. I knew if I didn't figure out a way for the fern to absorb the water with the broken pot, then it would surely die. So I sat it in a pie plate so when watered, the water would catch in the plate and it would soak up the extra water.  Today, they are lush and green and are gracing my front porch steps. 

So the Holy Spirit led me to this: We "Christians" are the same way.  We can be green and lush and on display but if we don't get "Living Water" DAILY, then we begin to wither.  And if we go more than a week or so without "water" (God), then our "leaves" (lives) become brown around the edges. Our soil (soul) becomes so dry that the first "drink" of water just goes right through us. Our soil may get wet but it isn't moist. And with wet soil, it dries out much faster than moist soil. 

Now once we get our soil moist by watering our souls with God's Word, we begin to see our leaves become green again. But then there's things that happen in life that blows us off the bannister we're sitting on and we end up with a cracked or broken container.  That's when a friend may come along and set us back upright and place something under us so we can absorb the water again with our broken container.  And before long, we are back to the plush, green plant God created us to be. 

And as I sat there and looked at my surroundings, I could see God in a lot of them.  So it is true that when we seek Him, we will find Him...even in a revitalized fern!

Until next time.....

Slinging A Little Snot

I'm strolling down memory lane early this morning.  What sent me there?  The home-going of one of my favorite preachers ever, Larry H. Stephens.  

As I read the post on Caring Bridge, tears began rolling down my cheeks.  I haven't seen Larry and Margaret in person since he preached my grandfathers funeral in 1999 but thanks to social media, we have kept in touch. 

Oftentimes, we put preachers up on a pedestal and think they are above others but Larry didn't like pedestals.  He was the real deal. He was human...he hunted, fished, hung out with kids, played rook, sat and shared stories with the "old timers" at the country store...the list could go on forever.  Larry lived life but not only that, he lived Jesus out in his everyday life...he made Jesus real for a bunch of us kids.  

One memory that is always at the forefront of my mind is the night I told this to "the preacher", as I watched Adam and Joy while Larry, Margaret, Jerry, Terre and my parents played rook: 'If I ever get the hankering to have kids, I'm just gonna come visit y'all and that will cure it'.  Yep, I said it and I'm pretty sure my parents wanted to find the nearest crack to crawl into because if MY kids were to belt out something like that now, ESPECIALLY to a preacher, I would feel the same way.  But you know what Larry's response was...he belted out in laughter.  You see, I was just a bratty pre-teen wanting the kids to sit quietly so I wouldn't have to follow after them. Instead of taking offense to a smart-mouth kid, Larry laughed and blew it off and loved me anyway.  Needless to say, I obviously didn't go visit them enough because my girls are now 11 and almost 13  but that memory of me saying that to "the preacher" will never fade.  

That is one of many memories I have pulled up this morning from my memory bank of Larry.  But you know what all the memories of him have in common???  Love. Unconditional, agape love.  He loved people and people loved him. And that's what Jesus is all about.  The way he lived his life makes me want to strive harder to "live like that"...to love people unconditionally; to be transparent and not seek a pedestal; to be the "real deal"... and maybe one day, I can have an impact on people's lives the way Larry did. 

So last night around 10:45, I imagine God had a pretty big smile on His face as He caught a glimpse of  Larry heading down the home stretch coming home for Psalm 116:15 reads: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.  Larry was just that...His faithful servant. 

Until next time...

Bomp Bomp, Bomp Bomp Goes the Heart

Thankfully I have never had to have a heart cath but I know several people who have. Because of some abnormality that appeared on a test, a check of the heart is usually performed by running a light up through the main artery so doctors can check the condition and see if there is any damage to the heart. I have heard it is not very pleasant and after the test, a patient has to lie flat on his back while waiting for the blood to clot in the area where the "scope" entered the body. 

This test reveals the physical part of our heart and how it looks but think about this: what does the spiritual part of our heart look like and is there a test out there that can determine the damage and if in fact there is damage, what measure do we take to have it repaired?  I thought of this as I read this scripture this morning:

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites--everyone whose heart God had moved--prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem...Ezra 1:5. 

I've honed in to one phrase in this scripture...everyone whose heart God has moved.  When was the last time you felt like your heart was moved?  What does it take for God to move our heart?  Inside, our heart may be pumping...but is it MOVING? I've found the more I seek God and the closer I get to Him, the more He moves my heart. 

But I haven't always been that way.  Life happened and my heart became calloused.  I was angry and hurt and bitter and it took a miraculous work from God to get my heart moving but you know what, He did it. 

The first step we have to make in getting our heart moving again recognizing the condition of our heart. Maybe we've been hurt or angry or bitter for so long that we think our calloused heart is "normal".  It's easy for others to recognize our hardened heart but because we've become accustomed to it, we don't see it. Have we felt compassion toward anyone or anything lately or does our heart feel like a brood of vipers have taken over or worse yet, we feel absolutely nothing? What about the words we speak to and/or about others? Do we have ANYTHING nice to say because the Bible does say out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks?!

Once we recognize we have this hardened heart problem, we have to ask the Great Physician for some help. Cry out to Him to soften our heart; to break the chains around it and let us "feel" again; to mend the hurt and take away the bitterness and anger. We may have to lie flat on our back for a while, as if we've had an arteriogram, and let God work on our heart. As with any heart surgery, it takes time to heal a calloused and hardened heart but God is more than willing to "fix" our condition...He's just waiting on us to realize we need a little help. 

Until next time......

Break Out the Wine, Well, Maybe the Punch

I want to be the REASON for the party, I just don't necessarily want to BE at the party!!!  After reading that statement, you may think I've been drinking or I've lost my mind but hear me out because I haven't done either (well, except for the mind part maybe but it's not completely gone yet)!  I'm ready for heaven but I don't think heaven is ready for me just yet!  I think I have some more work to do here on Earth.  Anyway, read on and see what my time with God this morning consisted of:

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent...Luke 15:7.  If we want heaven to throw a party in our honor, we just have to take a close look at our life and evaluate a sin we NEED to stop doing and then with God's help, stop doing it...then, THE PARTY IS ON! But that is easier said than done. Repentance takes guts; it takes wiping the smudge off our OWN glasses and looking in the mirror at ourselves. 

What, in our life, do we need to change so that our life resembles that of Christ? Do we need to take off our judgmental hat? Break the chain of gossip? Forgive the person who's hurt us so badly with their backbiting? Stop going to the websites to view porn? Lay the bottle of pills or alcohol to the side and decide today is the day to stop? Be kind and considerate instead of snippy and hateful? Pay what we owe instead of going and buying more and more? Stop lying?  Stop over-indulging in food? The list could go on and on and on. 

It is hard to stop what we become accustomed to doing when it comes to sin because if it weren't, everyone would do it.  But the first step is to recognize the wrong and when we do that; when we say "God, I KNOW it's wrong and I need Your help to overcome this in my life," He alerts the angels to begin getting the party supplies.  And with His strength and help, we begin to stop our destructive habit...that's when the party breaks out!  

So let's be the one they honor today with a party in heaven.  Let's look closely and ask God to reveal one thing in our life that needs to be done away with so heaven can break out the cookie cake and balloons and celebrate! 

Fruit Salad and a Fork

I'm back to the basics this morning. Back to the beginning...Genesis that is. It's neat to me how we can read the same verse several times in our life and God sheds something new each time we read it! Well, He's done it again and I want to share it with you. 

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God REALLY say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"...Genesis 3:1. First of all, take note that Satan has disguised himself as a serpent at the beginning of this verse. He is the master of disguise. He makes things APPEAR different because of his evil craftiness. He was there to tempt Eve and she took his bait hook, line and sinker!  He wasn't some little red devil looking thing with horns and a pitchfork, in this story, he was a serpent. In our stories, he is sometimes a friend, a man, a woman, a co-worker...the list could go on forever. He disguises himself as "good" when he is really out for evil. 

 And He is great at adding and taking away words to a story: He said to the woman, "Did God REALLY say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?...when in fact God said in Genesis 2:16-17 "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."  Satan wanted to make it APPEAR that they couldn't eat from ANY tree in the garden with his crafty words. Because of the words Satan planted in her mind, Eve fell for the bait. 

So how many times have WE fell for the bait or even worse, have WE played the role of the serpent by adding to or taking away words from a story as to entice someone to view another person or situation in a negative light?  We may tell a story and put a little spin on it that manipulates the person we are talking to believing something about a fellow brother or sister in Christ that is not entirely true. 

We all know how this story ends because we live in that fallen world but we certainly don't have to add to the misery of it. Temptation is Satan's invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God's kind of life but we can RSVP to Satan's invitation with a N.O. We have to resist the urge to travel the path with him with lies and schemes and stories. 

And that was just the beginning of sin. Eve had no idea her one little sin would or could have such an impact on the world today and I don't think we do either. One little twisted story can bring down a family, a church, a town or a nation. Let's not fall for the bait from the evil one...let's build up others instead of tearing them down. Let's live for God and H

Hot Coffee and a Hot Topic

More often than not, God gets me out of my comfort zone. He leads me to a "hot topic" in His Word and I don't always share it because it can become controversial and I'm not a big fan of controversy.  I'm certain some will not agree with what the Holy Spirit and I discussed this morning but I am to share it nonetheless.  God led me to Acts 9 this morning. I read on past verse 2 but the first two verses is the focus of discussion earlier. 

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way (followers of Christ who taught love and forgiveness), both men and women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem...Acts 9:1-2. 

Saul was very religious. He learned from the finest "seminary" around his parts. He was a good Pharisee. He knew all the Old Testament laws backwards and forwards; heck, he could probably quote them in his sleep! He sincerely believed the Christian movement was dangerous to the Jews thus Saul hated the Christian faith and persecuted those who believed in the forgiveness of sin through Christ without mercy. 

You know, I believe churches are full of Saul's today. Just take a look around.  We may PROFESS to be a follower of Christ yet we still are quick to condemn those who sin (like the Pharisees)  instead of offering forgiveness (like Christ). And then if we do act on forgiveness and acceptance of others, even in their pit of sin, then the Saul mentality "Christ followers" say we don't hold others accountable and we are too "open minded and accepting."  

So do you have the Saul mentality? Are you the "Christ follower" who warms the pew every time the doors are open, who knows the laws yet are quick to point out which "law" SOMEONE ELSE is breaking? 

You know, Saul ended up having a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit not many verses down and it changed his life and his way of thinking. No person, apart from Jesus himself, shaped the history of Christianity like the apostle Paul (his name changed from Saul to Paul after his encounter with the Holy Spirit). 

Have you had a name change yet?  Have you had an encounter with the Holy Spirit that rocked the way you "see things" the way Saul/Paul did?

Until next time...

Craving Peach Torte and God

Have you ever "longed" for something? I mean it's like you want it so bad you can't seem to get your mind off of it! Webster's defines longing as having a strong desire for something. I guess it is almost like an addict that longs for another high or maybe a teenager that longs for wifi or cell service in remote locations but what would our lives be like if we longed for the LORD rather than drugs or material things the world has to offer?

I thought about these things this morning as I read Isaiah 33:2: O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in times of distress.

How different would our lives be if we centered it around God and longed to see, hear or feel Him? What if we grabbed our Bibles every morning instead of our phones to check Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? What if we found out what was going on with God FIRST instead of finding out what's going on with the "news feed"?  God is there for us every morning...waiting to "chat"...waiting to give us strength to get through the day but we don't make time for Him because we "long" for other things more. 

I certainly don't mean for this to be a "shame on you" post because truthfully, I am the same way at times. I am really asking MYSELF these questions. But where is our priority when it comes to God? Is He at the top, close to the top, or completely at the bottom of our "to do list"?  If we will move Him on "up", He will radically change our lives AND the lives of the people around us...He's just 

"Yo Momma"...No, My Daddy

"Ooooh, in yo face"...a term I've heard used many times when someone is trying to "cut down" someone else. But this week, I've been praying for a little "in yo face" from God.  

Now you may be thinking, WHAT?!?... but I'm not using it in a negative manner AT ALL (especially TOWARD God)!!!  You see, one sentence in last week's sermon has been stuck in my mind this week and it is this: "What if we got so close to God that we were so up "in His face" that we could FEEL His breath?"  Now if your close enough to someone to FEEL their breath, well, you're pretty stinking close!  And that's what I've been trying hard to do this week. I've made it more of a priority to read my Bible (I did that anyway but this week I've taken a little more time to think about what I've read rather than just search for a quick thought on what the verse meant to me); made it a priority to listen to sermons online or on TV from people I think are truly anointed; made it a priority to really pray a lot more and to branch out in my prayer life.  And I have to tell you, I have FELT the breath of God and seen God move more this week than I have in a while!

You see, when the Holy Spirit is breathes ON and INTO us, things supernaturally happen that might not have ever happened otherwise (thank you Steve for this nugget from God).  And I will tell you this also...when God gets all up in your business and starts moving in you, other people can sense that. Others are drawn to you because their spirit senses the Holy Spirit working in and through you!  

I have cried more this week than I have in months because I see that so many people in this world are hurting and yearning for something more. They are searching for satisfaction in things (which I will admit, I did too and for a rather LONG time) and THINGS will never fill that desire.  The only "thing" that will fill that desire is God.  That's the way He created us.  Our lives are like a puzzle; every piece fits into place but so often we lose or misplace the piece that is God. 

So, "in yo face" I say. May God get so up in YOUR face that you can hardly breathe...may your heart flutter at His presence...may others see Him move in your life so much so that they can't stand another minute without knowing Him like you do!

Chasing Rabbits and God

Have you ever watched or heard a beagle chase a rabbit?  Growing up, my pawpaw was a beagle nut and I remember at one point, he had probably 30 beagles if not more. He would rotate his dogs and take them rabbit hunting or if it wasn't rabbit season, he would just "turn" several loose & we would sit and listen to them run. Before long, you would hear them start barking and if they got on a "hot trail", you could sit for an hour or more listening to them trail that rabbit.  They were persistent once they found a "hot trail". 

These memories came flooding back into my mind as I read Matthew 7:7 this morning:" Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." 

We find three different tasks in this one sentence: asking, seeking, and knocking.  Think about each one for a bit. 

Ask- those beagles couldn't speak and ask to go run a rabbit but that's what they were created to do.  Every time we would go to the dog pen, they would be at the gate with their paws up "asking" to get out and find a rabbit. We are the same. We should pray and ask God for things. But have you really thought about what you're asking for? If you ask God for more patience, you may find yourself in some pretty frustrating situations which will DEVELOP your patience because God doesn't just dole out patience from His "patient bucket".  Or have you thought about what you're going to do when God gives you what you've asked for?  Several years ago, I prayed the prayer of Jabez for one month straight...for God to increase my boundaries because I didn't want to just "do enough", I wanted to serve Him "more than enough".  Well, it didn't come right away but He definitely increased my boundaries so much so that I found myself telling Him, "Okay God, I'm good..You've given me more than enough".  We'd best be careful what we ASK for because we just might get it!

Seek - those beagles I spoke of earlier were seekers.  Once they got a whiff of a scent of a rabbit, with their nose to the ground,  off they'd be seeking to find the rabbit.  We are the same way.  God puts a desire in our heart for Him and until we really seek Him, we aren't satisfied.  We want a closeness with God but it takes effort on our part. We have to make time to READ HIS WORD because He lives in it.  We have to make it a priority in our life because if we don't, we won't read it.  How do I know this?  Because I been there, done that, and even bought the t-shirt!  And it takes persistence. Those beagles would run hour on end barking and barking and sometimes they would find the rabbit and sometimes they wouldn't. But you know what, God isn't like those rabbits. He CAN be found...matter of fact, He WANTS to be found! We have to be persistent instead of giving up after a few half-hearted efforts and conclude that God cannot be found. A real relationship with Him isn't found in a "drive-thru" window...we have to pull up, park, and go inside!

Knock- I will admit, I never went rabbit hunting so I wasn't there to seek how they "got" the rabbit; I only sat and listened to them run. But I remember seeing my pawpaw bring in a mess of rabbits for my granny to cook (side note-I never acquired the taste for rabbit or rabbit gravy). But the "door" was opened and the rabbits were found.  Something that struck me this morning as I thought about the words "the door will be opened TO you". The door isn't opened FOR you, but TO you. You see, WE are the ones who have to walk up TO the door so it can be opened TO us; we have to be AT the door for it to be opened TO us.  But we have to get out of our habits of "driving through the drive-thru window" expecting to get our gourmet meal (the good, meaty stuff from God that comes from spending time one on one with Him) when we only put forth the effort for a cheeseburger and fries (maybe just a worship service on Sunday morning or Wednesday night)!  Again, a real relationship with Him isn't found in a "drive-thru" window...we have to pull up, park, go inside and sit down!

Now all this talk of food has me hungry so I'm off to fix some breakfast and munch on the "food" God has laid before me this morning!

Until next time........

Making Sure Your Tennis Shoes Are Tied Tight

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you & kept you from obeying the truth?...Galatians 5:7. I will just be honest with you, the only race I've ever ran in my life was a 3-legged race back in Elementary school during Field Day.  And during those 3-legged races, I not once was ever "cut in" on. But I have watched marathons, Olympics, and horse races (just to name a few) and when someone comes up from behind, ESPECIALLY when caught off-guard, the runner or rider is tripped up when the other person cut-in on them. The same stuff goes on in our spiritual lives. Maybe we are trucking right along with God at a good pace and BAM, someone has cut in on us and tripped us up by reeling us in to something we really don't want to be a part of (you know, Satan "cut in" on Judas and tripped him up by using him to betray Jesus and once Judas realized what he had done, he was plagued with guilt but during the moment, Judas apparently didn't see anything wrong with it because he was tangled up in the "web" Satan had woven). 

It's interesting to read on to verse 8 "That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you". The word persuasion in this verse is peismonē in the Greek and it means treacherous or deceptive persuasion.     Ever encountered someone like that?  I have! And before I knew it, I was knee deep in a mess I wish I had never been part of.  I was "tripped up" and ended up spiritually "scraping my hands and knees" once I hit the pavement. If you've ever physically done that, it causes ALOT of pain!

Now that your mind is moving on this passage, I will leave you with this last verse...A little yeast (sin) works through the whole batch of dough...verse 9. My commentary at the bottom of this page in my Bible says this about this verse "a little yeast causes a whole lump of dough to rise...it only takes one wrong person to infect all others". Just something to ponder. 

Until next time.......

Freedom, Freedom, Freedom (in my best Aretha Franklin voice)

I'm such a slacker when it comes to blogging. I really am. I mean it's been six months since the last entry and truth be known, you may not see another one for another six months after today. 

I don't MEAN to be this way...I really WANT to be more consistent but I tend to have multiple squirrelly moments a day but that is the way God made me so I deal with it!

Okay...this is one of those squirrel moments...why in the world does the first paragraph look like I had bold on when I haven't touched a frazzling thing?  Okay, back to our regularly scheduled blog for the day. 

Often, I just share my thoughts on Facebook but there are times when my thoughts are too long and it takes up four screens of an iPhone.  This morning is one of those mornings so I had the bright idea of "blogging it" instead of "Facebooking it"!  So, without further delay, here it is:

(and by the way, I have no idea what format it will look like because I typed it first on my little yellow notebook on my phone)

Now without further delay:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery...Galatians 5:1. Freedom...we have spoken a lot about it lately since the Fourth of July was just last week. But what is true freedom ? My mind first goes to the opposite of freedom: bondage. I don't get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I say or even hear that word. Webster's defines bondage as a state of being bound usually by compulsion; servitude or subjugation to a controlling person or force.  I was once a slave to lying & gossip. And if I didn't seek Christ so diligently now, I would probably go back to being slave to those sins and would probably add a few more to the mix. I know this about myself because God revealed it to me. But as long as I prioritize my time and keep God an active part of it, I will continue living in freedom. But there have been times that I lose my focus due to various reasons (some other "problem" snags my attention and instead of honing in on God, I hone in on the problem) and my spiritual life gets out of whack. Before long, I am bound to the "problem" and out of God's peace then God will get my attention and like any good parent, will tell me to "get back over here and stand by me". At that point, I again feel the freedom that He so graciously doles out to sinners like me! So here's a couple questions to ponder now:

How is life going for you right now?

Are you experiencing God's peace or are you in the midst of bondage and/or turmoil to some THING or some ONE that inhibits you from experiencing the freedom that Christ paid to set you free?

Maybe it's time to take inventory of who/what is keeping us in bondage and remove ourselves from the picture. Instead of fretting over it anymore, tell God about it instead of friends or family because really, He is the ONLY One that has the power to change the situation and SET US FREE!