Another Nail

Here we go again.  Have you ever had one of those relationships with someone, where you wonder, "What next?"

We were wondering that last week.

We had tried once more to give this person a break...and were disappointed and hurt.  I told Steve, "It's like another nail (in the relationship)."

Another nail.  Quickly, another nail came to my mind.  Three of them, actually.  They were hammered into a beam of wood...for me.  They were driven through Flesh...for me.  So that I may have forgiveness for the times that I choose to do what I want to do, instead of what God wants me to do.

Jesus made the choice to take those nails for me.  So what do I do in return?  I choose to make MORE selfish decisions, over and over.

 I wonder what He's thinking.

"AGAIN???" "It's like another nail!!"  "Will she EVER learn?!"

And yet, He loves me.  He knows that I mess up....and He loves me.  He hates the sin...but loves the sinner.

I have no choice but to do the same.

In A Moment

We tend to think of a lifetime in a large span.  Or we think of it in smaller increments such as years, months, days or even hours and minutes.  In reality, our lives are made up of moments.  We never know what the next moment will bring.

This past Tuesday morning, was a prime example.  In a moment, life was forever changed for a family.  One moment things were normal....the next...things would never be the same.

Rachel was a vibrant young 25 year old woman. She was blessed with a loving Christian family and had just delivered a beautiful baby boy, in April.  Throughout her son's young life, she battled a rare blood disorder that hospitalized her numerous times.  It seemed all was going well, when in an instant, she was gone.

Indeed, we never know what the next moment will bring

Can we ever prepare for these heartaches?  What do we do when these unexpected tragedies befall us?  How do we, as friends, help others in a devastating situation?

Although there is no real way to ever be ready for such times, we can strengthen our hearts by being grateful for each moment that we are given.  We are not promised another.  Instead of living our lives complaining about the things we do not have...embrace the things we do.  It's all in your perspective.  Do we live as Pollyanna...in a made up world of sunshine and rainbows?  No...but we can live with an attitude of gratitude and look at our circumstances with a  more positive viewpoint. We can be thankful for the people in our lives and let them know how much we care about them and love them...for we are not promised tomorrow.  But, the most important way to equip ourselves, is to look at our own lives before a crisis hits.  What do we see in our future?  If a moment would take you from this world, where would you go?  If you know for sure, that you would go to heaven, that's wonderful.  If you are not sure, please check out this link:

What can we do when a crisis occurs in our own lives?  I can only look on this from the perspective of a Christian. I believe that God has an ultimate Plan for our lives.  He alone knows the number of days that any of us are given.  Our job is to make the most of those days.  As a Christian, I know that my God will always love me more than anyone ever could.  He created me, and has promised never to leave me...that includes times of sadness and pain.  He is here for me to lean on and trust.  I can feel His Presence through His Word, prayer, and the love and compassion of fellow Christians.

Which leads me to the third point.  How to we help our loved ones through these times?  What can we do...or say??  Since, as Christians, we all have the same Spirit of God within us, we can literally become the Hands and Feet of Christ to our friends and family who are grieving.  Not so much with our words...as there are no words to say that will truly comfort...but by our presence, prayers, and thoughtful acts.  We can help them feel the Presence of God and His Love, by....simply loving.

Our thoughts and prayers go with Rachel's family.  We pray that they do know the Peace of God which goes beyond all understanding, and they feel the warmth of His Love.....moment by moment.

A Surprising Purpose

So this morning I wake up at 5 a m....on a Saturday!  Ugh.  I get up and make coffee and throw out the grounds in the trash, as usual... then I get on Pinterest.

I'm reading up on gardening items, and find out that used coffee grounds are good for plants that love acidic soils.  Keep in mind that I am a VERY amateur gardener!  It seems to me that I've heard something about coffee grounds a long time ago...but it didn't stick.  "Rats", I thought.  I had just thrown those grounds away.  Yes...I did go and look.  Too far down in the trash.  Next pot of coffee..they're mine. I'll probably have most of this pot drank by the time Steve gets up, anyway!  But, I digress.  I'm actually kind of excited about re-using those grounds for my hibiscus and   bougainvillea plants.  Who would have thought that used coffee grounds had a purpose?

What is our purpose?  So many Christians wonder what it is that they are supposed to do.

In John, Chapter 17, Jesus was about to go through His torture and crucifixion.  What did He do while He was waiting?  He prayed.  What did He pray for?  For strength, and for God's Will to be done, certainly.  But He also had another thing on His mind.  Us.  Us?  Yes, us.  He prayed for His disciples, and He also prayed for those believers that "would come after".  I love The Message's translation:

I'm praying not only for them (the disciples) but also for those who will believe in me.  Because of them and their witness about me.  The goal is, for all of them to become one heart and mind-- Just as you, Father are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us.  Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.  The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they'll be as united and together as we are--  I in them and you in me.  Then they'll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you've sent me and loved them in the same way you've loved me. (vs. 20-25)                                                   

In other words, Jesus is praying for all of us that will be His followers.  He wants us to share the same heart and mind that He and the Father share.  He wants us to be mature in this oneness and show the world that is without God, that He exists and did send Jesus.  And let them know that He (the Father) loves us exactly the same as He loved Jesus, Himself.  What an amazing thought!

That is our purpose as Christians.  To give the world evidence that God loves them so much. So much that He sent Jesus to save them from an empty life here on earth and to give us an eternity with Him in Heaven.

How do we give them evidence?  How can we show them that God loves them?  We give them proof, by our lives.  How we live...or rather...how we love.  When the world turns away, we love with our acceptance. When all they hear is negativity and ugliness...we love with our kind words.  When they are in despair, we love with our hope.  Will they all see and believe right away?  Probably not...but we show them that there is a difference.  That Christ has made a difference in our lives and that He can make a difference in theirs.  Wondering what your purpose is?  Go and love.  Love in the name of Jesus!!

In case you are reading this, and you have questions about becoming a Christian, feel free to check out another post:  Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  It just may have the answers you are looking for! :)

Now...I have to find a container for those coffee grounds....

What Was I Thinking??

I have been going through "purging" sessions lately.  Sorting through things and getting rid of "stuff".  Oh my.  WHY I have kept some of this junk is beyond me!  I'm sure that at the time, I was convinced that I really needed it.  Like for instance, those handy kitchen gadgets that have been sitting in a drawer for years...rarely used.  Or 592 picture frames of photos.  What was I thinking??

Speaking of photos...  My choice in clothes through the years actually makes me cringe.  I saw a family picture taken less than 10 years ago.  Shoulder pads?  Really?  What was I thinking???

Occasionally, we shake our head and wonder if the discerning center of our brain is fully functional, and we smile.  Other times, we are filled with self-reproach.  We truly wonder what was the reasoning behind our decisions.  WHAT were we thinking?

At times, I find myself wondering the same thing about God.  I ask Him, "WHY?  Why did this situation have to occur?  Why did You allow that to happen?  What were You Thinking, Father?!"

And then, eventually He answers.  

My thoughts are not your thoughts, says the LORD.  And My ways are not your ways.   As far as the heavens are from the earth so far are My ways from your ways and My thoughts from your thoughts.
      Isaiah 55: 6-9

When dreadful events occur, God is very often the first One blamed.  Instead, many times, it is the result of a person's bad decision...sometimes it is us...sometimes it is another person. Other times, it is no one's fault..it is just the result of nature.  Is God in control of all things?  Of course He is.  Yet, He does allow bad things to happen. Whether we understand it or not, there is a reason behind it and God will use it for our good, if we love Him, and are called according to His purpose.  (Romans 8: 28)  We can know that when the bad times come, we are not alone.  He is with us.  He has promised it, and He cannot lie.  We live in an imperfect world. Sin is here...but, hallelujah, so is God!!   

God's thinking patterns can be very different from mine.  In this sinful world, my basic choices can be a sharp contrast to what God would choose for me.  My job is to try and keep my mind as close to God's as I can.  The only way to do that is to keep close to His Word, stay connected to other believers, and try to make the decisions that He would have me make.

So although my choices are definitely flawed...His are not. There is a reason for everything He allows to happen..  We may not see it today...or this week...or this year.  Perhaps we may not understand this side of heaven, but we can know one thing.  He loves us, wants the best for us and will never leave us alone.

Trimming Time

About every six weeks, I see that it's that time again. I try to look the other way, but there's no getting around it.  Despite my putting it off, I eventually have to succumb to it.  Out come the scissors.  It's dog trimming time.

I'm not the only one that dreads the day.  The dogs aren't thrilled either.  Would you be, having a legally blind lady come at you with a pair of shears?

I begin to round them up to take them outside to carry out the deed.  Marley comes willingly, oblivious to what is about to happen to him.  Chloe is much more aware.  Her self-preservation senses are up.  I'm standing by the door with the leash, and call her.  "Chloe, come here!!"  After calling three times and no dog, I find her in Steve's chair, watching tv and completely ignoring me, as if she had no idea her name was Chloe.

I hook her up, and lead them outside.  I do this outside, because there is SO much hair that comes off of them.  On occasion I've done it inside, but then I'm finding baby fine dog hair two rooms over.  It's much better to do it outside.  So far the neighbors haven't complained of tufts of fur growing out of their hybiscus bushes.  Their hair grows almost as fast as our lawn..and I promise you I use no fertilizer!

I start with Chloe, because even though she has selective hearing, she doesn't mind it as much as Marley.  I have to be more careful with her, though.  She is half Yorkie and half Silky Terrier.  The front half of her is Silky, and the back half Yorkie...I'm not kidding! Her front half is long and flowing straight, and the back is curlier...like her bottom has a perm.  With this type of hair, you can really tell if you mess it up, so I have to be more precise.  She'll sit/stand there and let me trim away and takes it like a...dog.  Then it's Marley's turn.

Marley is a Maltipoo and has more Poodle than malt...uh...Maltese.  His hair is really curly, so you can have a little more leeway with him.  Good thing, because giving him a trim is like trying to give a grasshopper a haircut!  He HATES getting a trim.  He will wiggle and try so hard to get away from the scissors.  If I put him on my lap and he's facing away from me, he doesn't mind as much, but as soon as he gets a glimpse of the shears, he tries to get outta there!  I constantly try to talk to him to calm him down and show him it's not painful, but he's so focused on the fact that I'm removing something from him, he doesn't comprehend.

As I was wrestling my four legged garter snake, I began to think about how we are like Marley, in the Hands of the Master Beautician.  He sees how scraggly and unkempt our souls are and knows that it's Trimming Time.

He gets our attention.  Some of us answer willingly, some of us ignore Him, hoping He'll go away. He begins to shear away our pride and stubbornness, our self absorption and denial.  We may choose to submit readily or like most of us....put up a fight.  We don't LIKE to be trimmed.  We don't WANT to be different from how we are.  We kind of enjoy being comfortable and don't mind having a hairy spirit.  But God loves us too much to leave us that way.  So He works away, trimming a little here and there until we are more presentable...more like His Image.  We would do much better if we would just quit fighting Him and go along with the situations and the changes.  Sometimes sitting in His Lap to make us feel more secure.  He tries to calm us and let us know it might not be as awful as we think it's going to be.  At times, if we get a different perspective and not focus on the shears, it's not so bad.  If we don't focus on the fact that the LORD is removing something from us, we can begin to comprehend why the trimming is necessary.

Eventually, we are beautiful and the ordeal is over.  And we go on....until it's Trimming Time again.

Hebrews 12:1 Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up.

Chloe

Marley

In The Face of Evil

It was supposed to be a fun evening. Costumes and film marathons.  For one town, it ended up anything but fun.


This past week, we couldn't believe what we were hearing.  A crazed man in Aurora, Colorado had opened fire in a crowded movie theater, killing and wounding many people.  He apparently had plans to do more, setting up explosives and booby traps in his car and apartment.  How scary.  What is this world coming to?  It's enough to make a person afraid to go anyplace.


It seems like every time we turn around there is another psychotic person that is hurting or killing innocent victims.  We can  easily get depressed and cynical about life.


And yet...this is what life, here on earth, includes.  Pain.  Suffering.  Senseless death.  We wonder "Why?"  There is no answer.  We don't know...and we may never know, this side of heaven.  We do know that in the midst of the suffering there is also something else.  Hope.  Hope that can take away all of our fears.


Over two thousand years ago the same things were going on.  There were insane and barbaric men in those days also.  They got some maniacal thought in their head and acted upon it.


One man was so jealous of a completely innocent person, that he couldn't stand it.  The more that he thought about another person taking away his power, he became more and more obsessed with keeping what he had.  He would stop at nothing to make sure that he didn't lose what was rightfully his.


This man was a king.  He had heard that a baby was born that was also a King.  He stewed and thought about it...for about two years...and finally snapped.  He ordered all young male babies two years of age and younger to be killed.  Soldiers obeyed.  They went from town to town, slaughtering innocent little boys.  How horrible.  Can you imagine their poor families?  I'm sure they were thinking, "What is this world coming to?  It's enough to make a person afraid to go any place."


Yet, unbeknownst to King Herod...and those poor families....there was Someone waiting, A tiny Boy that would hold the answer to those questions in His outstretched Arms.  He was safe and protected in Egypt, waiting for the time when He would come and save His people.  Save them by dying on the cross to take their place.


So when we look at television news, or read the newspaper and see the tragedies that are out there, we can know.  Perhaps the tragedies are in our own families.  Maybe we are living in the aftermath of a death, or sickness.  Yet, we can know.  We can know that Jesus is waiting for the time when He will come again and bring us all to Him.  At that point, we will have no more sorrows...no more pain to endure, for He will have all of the answers to all of our questions. And you know what?  The questions probably won't even matter anymore.  

Reflections In The Storm

Please watch this video and be blessed.
http://vimeo.com/16404771

Isn't she PRECIOUS??  Her name is Mary Margaret, and she is six years old.  What a great teacher she is!!

Although this story is not word for word from the book of Jonah, in the Bible, it covers all of the main points and is a great rendition.  Here are my thoughts on the story.

Jonah thought of himself as a true man of God.  But as soon as God gave him a command, what did he do?  He began to overthink things.  He thought about them so much that it affected his sleep.  In his thinking, he began to shift the focus on God's request.  Instead of thinking of the Ninevites, he began to  think about himself....  "They'll laugh at me." ?It's so far!" "They'll hurt me!"  Instead of it being about God and His command...it became about Jonah.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.  He became so scared that the only way "out" he could think of, was to run away.  He was willing to give all that he had to get on that ship.
Once in the ship, Jonah thought he was off scott free!  Now I can have a new life for myself...I can do what I want!!  I don't have to do anything I don't want to do!  After a time, the ship was far from shore.  Then the wind began to blow.  God sent a storm to shake Jonah up.  At first, Jonah slept through the storm.  He was unaware of the chaos that he was in.  When he finally realized what was going on...he recognized the Hand of God.  He saw how his decision had not only affected him...it affected those around him.  The sailors had lost precious cargo, because of him.  They were in danger of losing their lives.

He knew he had a decision to make.  He admitted out loud to the sailors that the catastrophe was his fault.  He told them to throw him overboard in order to save themselves.  It wasn't them that God was angry with..it was him.  So they did as he asked.  Immediately, the sea became quiet.

Down, down, down he went..as far down as he had ever been.  Then, just when he thought he couldn't get much lower, a sudden whoosh took him up and he found himself in a quiet, dark place. It stank like the inside of a...big fish!! Jonah hadn't quite learned yet.  Still focused on himself, he began to think, "It's so dark in here!" "What will become of me?" "Maybe God will still hear me!"  He began to slowly look away from himself and look..up.

He turned to the LORD.

He thanked God for saving him.  He began with an attitude of gratitude. He repented of his sin. And then what happened?  Nothing.  Jonah prayed and did not see any difference in his situation.  Jonah kept praying. For three days he prayed.  Finally God saw that Jonah had changed, and He had the big fish spit Jonah out on dry land.  Right away, without a glance at himself, Jonah thanked God and obeyed Him when He was told to go to Nineveh.

Jonah was bold as he told the Ninivites to repent and turn to the LORD.  Can you imagine the reaction of the Ninevites?  Here was this smelly and dirty stranger telling THEM how to live their lives!  He definitely got their attention.  Maybe what he said was right. They looked at their lives and knew they were doing wrong.  They repented, and God was pleased.

Back to ole' Jonah.  He had climbed on a hill and waited.  While he sat there, he probably began thinking of his visit to Ninivah.  Wow!  How bold he had been!  He wasn't scared at all!  He had put his life on the line!  He sure was a brave guy!  Whoo Hoo!  God was gonna give it to those Ninivites!  He was going to punish those horrible, sinning people!  He waited...and waited...and waited.  And then what happened?  Nothing. God didn't punish them at all!  By this time, Jonah was all focused on himself once more and began to complain. "I feel like a fool!" "All MY work was wasted!" "God isn't going to destroy Nineveh!

Then God reminded Jonah.  "Jonah, will you never learn My Love?  My Love is great.  It is greater than My anger..and it is for all My creatures.  God is a god of second chances, and third...ad infinitum.  God tells Jonah to love as He Loves.  Then he will be a true man of God.

How we are like Jonah!  How often do we think we are good Christians.  Our relationship with God is "fine"!  Sure, we aren't perfect, but God doesn't care...He knows that!  Has He put something on our heart that we should do? Maybe we don't want to do it.  When the feeling won't go away, perhaps we take off in the opposite direction, trying to ignore that persistent "nagging" Voice.  Maybe we can drown it out with other things.  Maybe if we party enough we can make it go away.  Maybe if we find the right person, they can silence the knocking on our heart's door.

We may find ourselves in a low place.  Lower than we have ever been.  Our actions have caused us pain..and perhaps others, too.

We turn to God, thinking maybe He will still hear us.  And then what happens?  Perhaps nothing.  Is God listening?  Yes He is.  He is always listening.  He is waiting.  Maybe He is waiting for us to quit looking at ourselves and look up...to Him.  The more we focus on ourselves, the more frightened we become...the worse our imaginations can make situations become.

Our brokenness can be a great witness.  Sure, we might have scars and look like we've spend 3 days in the belly of a big fish, but we can get people's attention!  We can show them by the change in us, that God is the god of second chances..and third..ad inifinitum....

We have to be careful not to change our focus back on ourselves and get upset at God for not punishing others.  Just because we think they ought to suffer the wraith of God, doesn't mean He thinks it should be done.  Will we ever learn His Love?  His Love is greater than His Anger.  We must obey the LORD and love as He Loves.  Leave the outcome to Him...and be grateful for His second chances.