Ant and Squirrel vrs. seasons

Credit to James Shove for this one 

Have you ever heard that verse " Go to the ant thou sluggard..." ? When I was little, I thought for sure that the word 'sluggard' had some connection to the slang term ' to slug someone'. Therefore, I believed that we had to go to every ant we killed and make sure that we consider how precious their little life was.
As I got a little older, I began to wonder how someone was supposed to go to every ant that they kill- considering that you probably step on at least one ant every time you walk outside.
I got to thinking about this when teaching the lesson of the ant in Sunday school this week.
You never see a lazy ant. They are always busy working at something.

Another one of God's amazing creatures is the squirrel. The little guys in the picture above were born and raised in the tree next to our house. They have been interesting to watch grow up. As the weather grows colder, they have been busy burying nuts. It seems like they never rest.

Today, I was sitting on the back porch doing some school work :/ when one of those little guys came running up behind me and jumped on a bucket that was sitting next to me. The bucket was full of water with a basketball sitting on top. When the squirrel tried to reach the water, the basketball squashed him. Then he decided to attack the basketball which was more comical than productive , because he was literally running on the ball. For a few moments you could see the fear in his bulging eyes. He never gave up though, and he finally reached water successfully.

Of course, we had squirrels with that much determination last year, but they ended up drowning in the pool. However, that story will have to wait for another time. :)

I love watching how these creatures adapt and survive in the changing seasons. God gave them the ability, and they use those abilities to the fullest. We have abilities as well, but so many times we cannot be credited with wisdom with the use of our abilities.
As my dad says, " use your head for something more than growing hair!". There are seasons for everything in our life. We will go through bountiful, happy times, and we will experience sad and difficult times. However, God enables us to move forward and meet each season with his grace.

He's in each step ... just rest

My mind has been going 90 mph with different blog ideas, but this song settled in my mind what I should write about today.

Over the past few weeks, I have begun to feel the pressures of life. Decisions began to overwhelm me and I began to became consumed with fear and worry. What if I make the wrong choice? what if this or that person does not approve?

Then as soon as I would make a choice, I would  go back and question if I should have made a different choice. The emotional roller coaster soon became too much for me to handle any more. Among other things, during these few weeks I have quit the job I have been at since graduating high school. It was my first and only job outside of babysitting. I also started a new job with fewer hours but it seemed much more rewarding. Even today, I found myself falling into that cycle of worry and fear.

From the very moment I woke up, everyone and everything around me seemed to be shouting out to me that God was there if I would just go to Him. Have you noticed how unhappy you are when you are too busy looking at yourself that you forget to look to the one who has all things in control? I was reminded of the need to set aside time to communicate and listen to God.

Security in this life does not come from jobs, possession, or people. If you rely on these things you will be disappointed. Security comes from the one who is always there, who knows all things, and who is waiting to guide us if we just follow. Yes, we have the ability to make it through on our own, but we can get through it so much easier when we rely upon the strength of the one who made, knows, and owns all things. When you have a secure relationship with God, you are in a better position to be a secure friend for those around you who are struggling.

So when that whirlwind comes at you here in the next day, week, or month ... STOP! Get off by yourself , away from all the electronic and every-day distractions, tell God what you are feeling, and wait for his peace to fill your heart. It may take more than a quick prayer, but the time spent will be worth it. 

Is your relationship based on a flower?

How would you define a perfect relationship?
Do you think a secure relationship is one that has a minimum of problems?

 I used to fathom a perfect relationship in an almost fairytale way. If it did not go perfectly than it was not the perfect relationship. However, over the past few years I have discovered that the best relationships are not those that are free of problems, but those with an open door to work through those problems.
I remember when I was little I would pick up a flower and pick the peddles off  one by one saying " he loves me, he loves me not." That never made sense to me because the answer was never the same. How many times do we base the health of a relationship on something so unstable as a flower or a disagreement?
Life happens guys! Relationships that are healthy are those that each individual can express their emotions and feelings without feeling like their honesty will drive a wedge in the relationship.
I have heard preachers get up in the pulpit and tell parents to keep all disagreements to themselves and not let their children see. From the first time I heard this I thought " how stupid! " We are all going to be in relationships all our lives and if we cannot see how our parents handle such situations then how are we going to know what to do?

My parents would keep most disagreements away from us, but they also let us see how they worked through things. Because neither one is afraid to express their feelings, they have a secure base for their relationship. Communication and honesty are two  of the biggest components to a secure relationship. 

Take a moment to look at each of different relationships you are in right now: marriage, friendship, dating, or family. Do you have the freedom to speak your feelings?
Do you give others the same feeling?

In a secure relationships you can stop playing the old "flower game" of they love me, they love me not. You don't have to wonder because you know that even in the anger of an argument or in the stress of any situation, you can express your feelings and communicate effectively with the other person.

Grow like an apple

sometimes all God wants us to do is wait for his plan to come to pass. Sometimes his plan seems to make no sense. Sometimes we just need to wait, grow, and trust.  I just got through studying about the book of Esther. I always imagined that the book covered a short time; but I learned that the events covered a 10 year period. This made my respect for Esther grow so much more. She was not aware of her purpose for a long time, and then she had to have the strength to wait for the right moment to fulfill her purpose. While studying for Sunday school I also ran across this story that I had to share. Hope you enjoy!! The little apple clung tightly to the branch as a gentle breeze blew by. An older apple, noticing the younger apple’s despair chuckled and said, “Looks like your holding on to that branch for dear life little buddy.” The little apple glanced up at the older apple and said, “I am! I don’t want to fall to the ground. Don’t you know it’s hard and dusty down there? The ground is filled with worms and creepy crawling bugs. Why just take a look for yourself, can’t you see all the rotten apples down there?” The older apple thought for a moment, and then replied, “I know you’re concerned about falling from the tree, but some good things have come from the ground.”   “That’s not the life for me,” retorted the little apple,  “I plan on being hand picked by a special family, taken to their home and placed into a beautiful fruit bowl. With my shiny red skin, I shall be the most delicious looking piece of fruit in the entire bowl!” The older apple gently replied, “There is much more to being an apple than just having shiny red skin.” “Yes, I know!” the little apple quickly interrupted. “One of the children will probably take me to school for lunch or perhaps have me for a snack after school. He or she will know that I was more than just a beautiful apple with a shiny red peel. He or she will find out that my fruit is great tasting and healthy for him or her.” “Yes, yes, you could be all those things for a season,” the older apple tried to reply. But once again the little apple broke in, “Why, after he or she has finished eating the fruit, and all that is left is my core he or she will… will...“ The little apple's voice dropped, “will probably throw my core in the trash.” “Yes,” replied the older apple, “That is what your life could be like, if you decide to live for the moment and choose to reap the quick rewards.” “Whatever do you mean?” asked the little apple, “What other life is there?” The older apple spoke, “I have been trying to tell you, if you’d just slow down for a moment and listen.” “Well please hurry, as it appears that the wind is picking up again,” the little apple said nervously. Soothingly the older apple explained, “When the winds come you may be shaken from the tree and fall to the ground. It is then that your shiny red skin will keep you from splitting apart and becoming applesauce. Once on the ground a hungry bird or squirrel may find you and carry you away from the base of the tree. Once you’ve met its needs and filled its stomach, it shall leave your core and a little fruit behind. Then, your real work begins.” “That doesn’t sound a bit better," the little apple screeched. "In fact it sounds worse!” “Please allow me to finish,” the older apple said sternly. ”Once you are left on the ground, the rest of your fruit shall slowly rot and blend into the soil. It is at this point that your seeds shall be buried into the earth. For a period of time the seeds will remain in the earth, but then ever so slowly something wonderful begins to happen. The seeds begin to sprout, breaking through the dirt. The sunlight and the rain help the sprout to grow into a small tree. Within a few seasons the tree shall grow big enough to start producing apples of its own. From that season on, the tree shall produce hundreds of apples each season. So you see, little apple, there is so much more you can be.” All the little apple could say was, “Wow!” As the winds picked up you could see both the apples swinging in the breeze hoping beyond hope to fall to the ground and begin their life’s work.  http://www.kidssundayschool.com/Gradeschool/Stories/1story07.php  http://www.kidssundayschool.com/Gradeschool/Stories/1story07.php

God and the GPS!

      Recently I heard someone say that we need to stop calling God our co- pilot and start giving him the drivers seat... 

The statement sounded amazing at first but then I got to thinking about it a little more. If God has the drivers seat than we have no free will of where we are going. I believe that God has given man a free choice from the very beginning of creation; he has given us the choice to choose him.

Now for the big question! How do we know that we are choosing God's will for our lives? 

we have all heard the term " with freedom comes great responsibility". We have gained a freedom in Christ, and a freedom to choose how we will live our life. Listen to the words of A. W. Tozer( Friesen, G., 2004): 

The Real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for one whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible , hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge. 

Does our Christian life sound confusing or what??? Faith is an invisible thing that helps us to believe in the invisible. So with all the confusion how do we decide what God's will is? 

I am going to give you three points , because most people say every good outline has three points. :) 

1. Is it against what God has explicitly laid out in his word? 

     

      Take a moment to think about that... Just because God is letting us take the driver's seat does not mean that he has left us with no GPS! But once again you have a choice. My Philip GPS likes to point me to go one direction, but sometimes we have a disagreement. " Turn around when possible. Take a left and turn around." As I continue on my path, I can almost hear him yelling at me " TURN AROUND NOW!!". Usually I win out in that argument and Philip reconfigures for me. 

       I think many times God is up there directing us one path to our destination. Many times we decide to go our own way and ignore all the warning signs , but God redirects the original path so that we can still get to the place where he wants us to go even if we detour for our own will. 

2. For simple minds like me, God organized all the laws in the Bible under two categories.  If you can follow these two laws you will be on God's path. 

           a. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart , with all the soul, and with all thy mind (Matthew 22: 37). 

            b. Love they neighbor as thyself ( Matthew 222: 39). 

Now stop and think. Remember all the commandments in the Bible? They all fall under these two categories. 

Before making a decision ask yourself Does this please God? Does this offend my brother or sister? Consider more than yourself when making decisions! 

3. Consider these six principles: " God wants us to be saved, spirit filled, sanctified, submissive, suffering, and Do whatever you want! ( MacArthur, J., 1977)." 

        Wait... what????? Yep! I couldn't believe it when I read that. But if you have the first five principles down then your heart will be tender to what God is directing you to do, and I believe God puts desires in our hearts that will lead us to his will. Listen to this story from John MacArthur( pp. 55-56): 

People say to me, " Why did you go into your present ministry when you had such an enjoyable ministry before in another area?" 

I always answer, " Because I wanted to". 

" AHA. Self-will." 

I had a friend come to me and say, "John, I don't know where the Lord wants me to serve." 

I said to him, " Marty , if you had your choice of any service in the world, what would you want?" 

He said, " Oh, I have such a burden for my people Israel. I speak French fluently, and Paris is just loaded with Jewish people who don't know Jesus. I personally would like to go to Paris as a missionary to the Jews." 

I checked him on the five principles... He replied he was committed to Christ in these areas. 

I said " Marty, good-bye, have a nice trip." 

He said " But it is only my desire." 

" Then trust that it is God who planted it. Get our of here."   

         The story continues with how God blessed the man who took a step forward to follow the desire that he felt God had given Him. 

People, I know desires are hard to discern  and decisions are hard to make, but we are not left alone. Get the vehicle of serving God moving and let Him be your GPS!! 

References: 

Friesen, G. ( 2004). Decision making and the will of God ,25th ed.  New York: Multnomah Books

MacArthur, J. ( 1977).  Found: God's will. Colorado: David Cook

 

Would you Die for it ?

Take a Stand:

What would you die for? What will you stand for? What will you believe in? 

 I want you to take a moment to make a mental list of four things that you would die for. These are things you feel so strongly about that you would deny all who are against you and would go to war to protect. 
Back on July 4, 1776 the colonies decided that their freedom was worth dying for. Our nation was born because a group of people decided to stand up and fight for what they believed was right. 
 Throughout history we have reveled in these liberties because of the stand that each generation has taken for freedom.  

Similarly, Christians have had to fight for the freedom of having a public relationship with God. Many can remember the Columbine High school massacre of 1999. One particular student, Cassie Bernall, had only seconds to decide what she was going to stand for. "Do you believe in God?" Denial or death were her options, and she chose death. Is God real enough to you that you would lay down your life. 


Now I want you to turn your attention back to your mental list. Do you still believe that you will die for each of those things? This is where we have to draw the line between conviction and preference/ standards. For example, I had a sunday school teacher who once told the class that she would rather die than put on a pair of pants. I was very little at this time but it did not settle well in my mind. I have now come to realize that this is because this is a standard and not a conviction for me. If someone placed a gun to my head and told me to put on a pair of pants or die, I would be in those pants within seconds. 


Christians need to get back to the foundation. We fight so much over who is right and who is wrong. What I see happening is that we are preaching religion and not Christ. My dad has always told me that "you must stand for something, or you will fall for anything". I agree with this statement but believe that we should each take the time to sort through and challenge our own "beliefs". There is nothing wrong with searching for truth, but there is everything wrong with being a lazy, lukewarm Christian who swallows everything we hear. 

  

In God's Time

           The topic of the week has been the idea of time. I find myself at the point in my life where I feel an urge to move to the next step but I am not sure what the next step might be. You know what I mean? That moment when you want to hold onto the past and move to the future all in the same step.
           I look around and see so many of my friends having to sit and wait for God's answer to their prayer. We are all ready to see our prayers answered, our dreams fulfilled, our lives happy but why does it seem to take forever?
           Last week the preacher told me  that " God is never in a hurry but he always shows up on time". - Bro. Boyd.
          The past several years have revealed to me that I hate waiting. I once thought I was the most patient person I knew but soon found out that I was very mistaken! :) I am learning to lean on God for the strength to quietly wait and enjoy the present. I want to encourage each of you who are waiting for something to happen to:

1. Write down one blessing or funny event for the day. This may be hard at first but you will soon see that there are many positives even in the most negative situation. 

 

2. Whenever you feel overwhelmed take a moment to get in a quiet place, take a deep breath, and tell God exactly how you are feeling. 

 

3. Make a goal, even a simple one, and stick to it. If you are busy you have less time to worry and feel sorry for yourself. 

 

4. Look around you! Find someone to be a blessing to or bring a smile to each day. Smiling is contagious!

Well, I didn't plan to make this an entire sermon but couldn't help but share my thoughts!

I am going to share a song that a friend shared with me this week. Listen and remember that OUR time is not always GOD'S time.

Out with the old?

How many times have you sat in yet another church service singing yet another hymn? Do you ever find your mind drifting?
Did I remember to put the chicken in the crock pot for lunch....
How am I going to get everything done today I need to get done...
Do we really have to sing this song again!!
I have to work 40 hours this week....
I wonder if that guy or girl is watching me sing... I better do my best..
I am guilty!! I am usually playing the piano but find my mind running in all different directions.

When I heard the story behind this song several years ago, it changed the entire meaning of the song for me; it  came alive. When you look into the hymn book and see Fanny Crosby who wrote about seeing Jesus one day because she was blind on earth, and John Newton who pinned the words of Amazing Grace to a tune he heard on one of his slave ships, you can't help but see these songs in a different light. God does care about people and even in the darkest of times he can give you a song. Next time you sing take a moment to think about the  words and the heart behind the words!

Should we really get rid of the old songs? I don't think so! Does it mean that we have to sing them so high that only the women can reach the notes and so slow that everyone is falling asleep? Of course not! :) Just don't toss out all the old while trying to bring in the new. 

Are you giving your gift?

I just finished watching a lecture in my counseling class and had to share this idea with y'all. 

Did you know that we each have a gift? 

Did you know that your gift is there so that you can use it to help others? 

My teacher used several examples of how different gifts come together to help out an individual in need. 

Imagine that you are at a thanksgiving meal where all have gathered in a solemn but thankful spirit. People get to messing around and someone suddenly pushes the turkey right off the table. What happens? 

 

Preacher/ Prophet : "I told you to stop messing around.  That could have been enough food to feed a bunch of people in China. What a waste of food!" 

Servant: "It's ok, I will clean it up. I will make another turkey." 

The teacher: " The reason the turkey fell of the table was because it was perpendicular to the weight of gravity. It became over balanced and life can become over balanced. There is a lesson to be learned here." 

Exhorter: " The turkey's not that bad. We can cut the bottom off and everything will be fine."

Giver: " Let's go to a restaurant and I will buy."

Ruler: " wait a minute! In fifteen minutes we can have a turkey on the table if so and so does this and so and so does that." 

Mercy shower: " I know exactly how you feel. I have toppled many turkeys on the floor." 

I laughed at this story just thinking of the different people I know who would fit each character. However, do we really use our gift to help others? God DID NOT make us to be the same or react the same way but he did make us to use our different gifts to do the same thing: Help others!

Do you know why we are different members in the body of Christ? We can't be all things but

Jesus was the ultimate gift! He was a :

Preacher: To the pharisees
Servant: washed his disciples feet 
Teacher: Kept audiences amazed with what he had to say
Exhorter:   Woman at the well
Giver: He gave his life
Ruler:  King of Kings!
Mercy: Wept when Lazarus died.

Christians... are you a joke???

 

The music war continues as to what would be the proper sound, the proper performance, the most honoring to God. I have written about music in the past but tonight as I was listening to this recording I couldn't help but to cry. My heart has a special place for orphans around the world and the love that they desire and long for. God has blessed me with a home of love and affection and I have always wanted to share that with others. When I see Christians fighting over little things like which toilet paper to buy or what hymn books to use, I want to stand up and point to Heaven and say " God did not share his love for you to fight with each other! " God did not give his son for us to sit in our newly padded pews and bicker over such ridiculous things... We need to get our eyes off "us" and get our eyes back on " Him" and " Others"!!!! We serve a powerful God who wants to use us as vessels to love others.  Missionary Tillman ,  to the lepers, told a story that he was walking down the road and offered a leper a dollar. The man threw it down and said he didn't want his money because Christians were hypocrites. The missionary asked him what he would have to do to show him that he really did care to which the leper replied. " I want to see this love that Christians talk about. No one has ever touched me, hugged me, or staid the night in my home." The missionary went home with him that night and sat down to dinner. The leper used the nubs of his shriveled hands to dish a pile of rice from his plate and place it on the missionary's plate. The missionary froze up and could not eat but he prayed and found the strength to take the first bite. The leper dropped to his knees at that point and began weeping and said that now he was ready to hear about Jesus because he could now see the love. Now to close this post I want to share one more song and before you judge the music please listen to the words and ask yourself if you are doing everything that God wants you to do? Are you being a vessel that God can use to show his love to others? 

 

Easter TIME

Time As I woke up this Easter morning I began to think about time. Many of us will go to church as we always do on Easter, some almost out of duty. Jesus isn’t the Easter bunny or Santa Clause to be spoken about or worshipped on one day of the year. He is someone who loved us so much to give up his time on this earth for each of us. How do I use my time that God has given me on this earth? Jesus approximately had thirty years to live on this earth and he was constantly using his time wisely. His purpose was clear, his heart was pure, and he fought through the battles with the strength of his father. Many of us are close to the 30 year mark while others are looking back to those years. I want to ask you if you feel you have used your time as wisely as Jesus did. We all know that life gets hard as we travel up and down the mountains, but do you take the time to help others climb that mountain? Do you take time to call on Jesus who has already climbed that mountain and walked that valley? Or are you just trying to run up that mountain as fast as you can, running out of breath, pushing people down, and forgetting about the one who gave his life for you? Time is precious and we only have so much to use while on this earth. Let’s not waist it!!!! “Redeeming the TIME, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16)”. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in TIME of need (Hebrews 4:16)”. Just remember that you are not in this alone. Look around; there are people everywhere who could use a kind smile, a helping hand, an introduction to Jesus. Look to the one who has gone before to live and die for us. His time was our time!

Can you be a writer

Want to be a good writer?
1. Make sure you write all the time
2. Write anything down that pops into your mind.
3. Be yourself
4. Find an environment that you know will awake your imagination.
5. Share your thoughts with others
6. write for yourself even if no one ever reads it
7. Don't get stuck on the editing. You don't have to play teacher until you are ready to publish something.
8. Never down play your ideas... God has given you a special mind!
9. Read books that increase your vocabulary and imagination
10. And finally, Have a blast writing!! :)

Writing is not something that you are born with but it is something you learn. Successful authors are those you are faithful to write. My granny always tells me to keep my original work no matter how bad I think it is because each part is important to the person I am and will be. No thought, word, or manuscript is worthless.

Picture retrieved from : http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Reading_and_Writing_g344.html

Important information !

As I put finger to keyboard, I would like to share that I have learned something new about myself through school!!
You know how some people go walking  by in the store and you just know that they are talking on a blue tooth but then you soon discover that they are not... a little spooky right? :)
Well, I am one who talks to myself quite often and I have to stop myself. In one of my lectures last night, the teacher informed us that this is something that auditory ( someone who speaks to learn) learners do. I knew that I was a visual learner because big pictures and charts always answer the questions for me, but now I also know why I talk to myself ... it is so that I will remember later.
What a great relief!!!! :)

Phenomena of Music !!

ManyStyles

I have been thinking all day about how amazing this thing is!!!

Think about it…

Dolphins, birds, frogs and some insects have the ability to make a musical sound and communicate this way; however, they can neither communicate at the same magnitude as humans can in music nor can they harmonize!  

These are two unique qualities to us Homo sapiens (a fancy way of saying a bunch of dirt God breathed into).

Let’s take a moment for a brief overview of how music can communicate a message to people.

1.       Touches the heart and brings forth joy, sorrow, tears, and smiles.

2.       Unites people of different beliefs and disagreements.

3.       Communicates a message so powerful that it could drive the audience to action.

There have been many times when I have had one song change my entire outlook on the day. I will also be the first to tell you that there needs to be a healthy balance of style, theme, and sound. Also, as a Christian it can be very dangerous to remove songs of praise from your collection of music because God is the one who has blessed us with this amazing gift!

I remember when I first realized that I could sing half way decently that I told God that if I EVER stopped singing for him that I prayed he would take my gift away. A couple years back I met with a major music transformation and suddenly found myself drifting further from music that praised and spoke of God until I almost had none of it in my life. One day I woke up and realized that I was losing my ability to retain words to songs old or new and I could not harmonize to save my life!

THAT was very scary because I remembered my request from when I was younger!!  Now does that mean that I abandoned all other music but hymns??? Well, of course not!! But it does mean that I began to praise my God more and felt nearer to Him because of it.

Now if y’all think I am nuts… you are probably right! However, I know what happened to me and was just thinking about it a lot today.  Well, on that note I am going to bed! Goodnight all!!!