A friend of mine posted this movie on her facebook today. Although it is an hour & a half long, if you are not educated about HOW credit cards work, WHY they are so successful at making money (most Americans simply do not care to inquire about this) it is worth watching because the information is invaluable! Better to be informed AND educated about how credit effects your family, than simply ignorant or apathetic. After and hour it features the Democratic group ACORN and we all know how credible they have been. UGH! Although you do have to "eat the meat and spit out the bones" it is worth watching to get a well rounded view of how we can control our own economic health!
It is produced by a man that says he is bi-partisan and is a skeptic of typical media, but I will really appreciate his efforts once he makes a movie on how Obama was elected by the media!
Here is the desciption of the video:
In America's earliest days, there were barn-raising parties in which neighbors helped each other build up their farms. Today, in some churches, there are debt liquidation revivals in which parishioners chip in to free each other from growing credit card debts that are driving American families to bankruptcy and desperation. IN DEBT WE TRUST is the latest film from Danny Schechter, "The News Dissector," director of the internationally distributed and award-winning WMD (Weapons of Mass Deception), an expose of the media's role in the Iraq War. The Emmy-winning former ABC News and CNN producer's new hard-hitting documentary investigates why so many Americans are being strangled by debt. It is a journalistic confrontation with what former Reagan advisor Kevin Phillips calls "Financialization"--the "powerful emergence of a debt-and-credit industrial complex." While many Americans may be "maxing out" on credit cards, there is a deeper story: power is shifting into fewer hands.....with frightening consequences. IN DEBT WE TRUST shows how the mall replaced the factory as America's dominant economic engine and how big banks and credit card companies buy our Congress and drive us into what a former major bank economist calls modern serfdom. Americans and our government owe trillions in consumer debt and the national debt, a large amount of it to big banks and billions to Communist China.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9016886482738598023
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
The undivided heart
Is 43:18 "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Are you living in the past? Or are you trying to re-create the past where you are? Some times when we dwell on things of old we miss the exciting new thing God has for us to do. When we try to re-create the past, it opens our heart up to resentment, to be critical or to frustration because the past is not meant to be re-created. Take time today to ask the Lord to help you not to consider the things of old, but to clearly see the new and exciting road He has created in the wilderness so you can walk in it.
(Unknown)
Our pastor sent this out to the church body the other day and it got me to thinking about the way we grow in Christ. We grow in our faith, from infancy (brand new believer) to mature Christ-centered adulthood. We actually may never reach spiritual adulthood eventhough this is the goal. It is a life long journey, yet sometimes we tend to look back and envy our past relationship with God and forsake the new growth He wants us to take hold of.
At first, as a new believer, we are so unfamiliar with God’s ways. We are newly re-born into unfamiliar territories, however, the overwhelming peace is confirmation that God is good and He will take care of our needs. God proves this in many small and large ways, when we are first saved so that we have instantaneous proof of His provision, goodness, and faithfulness to take care of us. He protects us from some of the repercussions of the poor choices we made before we came to know Him, by covering them with His abundant grace. He also allows us to suffer some of the consequences of these choices, so we will not turn back to make the same errors again. In His effort to keep us near His feet, He continues to protect us from further poor choices by surrounding us with older believers to hold us accountable while also limiting our temptations/circumstances to only what we can bear. We can rest in the fact that God will always have an ‘escape plan’ waiting for us if we do make a ‘wrong turn’. When we realize we are ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ and the current surroundings are dangerous to our re-birth in Christ, He is faithful to provide us a way of escape. Just as infants look to their mom to keep them safe, God so desperately wants to do the same for us. He will move heaven and earth to keep us from making choices that will harm us. He will woo us in this manner to capture our heart and so we learn to hear and trust his still small voice over the booming voices of the world around us.
After we grow a bit we become even more ‘mobile’ in our walk with the Lord. We are learning and growing through every biblestudy we attend, and at every quiet time invested with the Lord. Basically, figuring out how to shed the "old man" and become the new creature created in Christ’s image. We become quite aware that there is a serious spiritual battle going on around us, and the war is waged over our eternity. While exploring the world through our new eyes, decisions become a big deal where we truly begin to desire to be in the center of God’s will. Because the battle of the flesh and the spirit is still very new, we begin asking God to protect us from ourselves. It is clear that hearing His will for us is a learning process. How God wants to do things may be at odds with how we have always done them but that desire to follow the Lord is what God sees. Therefore, He is faithful to place road blocks to protect us from stepping out of His will. It is very much like a child who is learning to crawl and explore the world around them. They are ignorant to what is out there that might hurt them. So, we as parents, provide safe places for them to play such as a playpen or we put up baby gates to keep them out of places where they might be harmed. We use barriers/boundaries because we love them and they are not yet old enough to understand the dangers that an older child understands as harmful.
As they grow a little more, become more mobile, parents begin the training process. We begin removing barriers to teach discernment of right and wrong, safe and unsafe. Coming alongside them & train them to obey because it will lead them down a path of righteous living. We begin to teach them in the bible the WHY behind discernment of right and wrong. This is very similar to God training us in our walks with Him. Just like with our children it is a life long process of teaching, reproof, encouragement and love invested with the ultimate goal of obedience and an allegiance to Christ.
In the teen years, this is usually when God ‘shakes us loose’ from this dependence on the former ways of living out God’s will. Since teenagers tend to be fickle & flakey based on how they feel in the moment, this is another indicator that we need to be putting on the mind of Christ. We seek the Lord and He may not provide an instant answer. He asks for more of our walk in order that we further die to self so that be can really LIVE for Him. We, being teens, may chose to rebel when we don’t receive our answer immediately, by maneuvering in front of the Lord and then, expect God to again protect us from ourselves. When we do this, we risk our flesh getting too wrapped up in what we are pursuing. We grasp at circumstances to justify or confirm the pursuit. Finally, in a last ditch effort to "not go outside of God’s will", we then wonder why we are SO conflicted and not able to discern His will over our own agenda/circumstances.
In our walks with the Lord growing up is a longer process for some more than others. Some people remain babies for far too long and desire spiritual milk rather than the training process of discernment, reproof & seeking the Lord diligently. It is the spiritual weaning process where we are no longer caudaled in the decision making process. God has established enough of a relationship with us where we can begin to weigh all decisions on the basis of knowing scripture and seeking His will for the direction of our lives. It is also the time where He removes many of the remaining barriers in order to grow us up and teach us to seek and trust Him more.
It is confusing to see mature Christians resort to the things of old & the former ways of God working in their life. Asking God to place barriers where we should and should not go, when instead we should be asking for direction before seeking any opportunity. It is much like grown children asking to be given a bottle again. Once we have grown past our the toddler years in Christ and are spiritually eating solid foods, there should not be this unhealthy dependence to ask for the former relationship of barriers & limitations in our path to figure out God’s will. Instead we should be so intimate in our walk with the Lord, that He has every opportunity to make His plan for us abundantly clear. We can therefore, step out in an obedient confidence, through scriptural confirmation, that we are moving forward in His will.
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
Hebrews 5: 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
God wants our loyalty to Him first……... He warns us to seek Him first, because He already knows our needs. If we don’t diligently seek and continue seeking to get an answer BEFORE following in our pursuit, God is not in it. Without God being at the forefront, we run the risk of becoming double-minded. The pursuit of God in an effort to follow His will is never the easy route, but it is the route that keeps us from have a flakey, divided heart.
James 4: 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
Matt 6: 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 7: 7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Are you living in the past? Or are you trying to re-create the past where you are? Some times when we dwell on things of old we miss the exciting new thing God has for us to do. When we try to re-create the past, it opens our heart up to resentment, to be critical or to frustration because the past is not meant to be re-created. Take time today to ask the Lord to help you not to consider the things of old, but to clearly see the new and exciting road He has created in the wilderness so you can walk in it.
(Unknown)
Our pastor sent this out to the church body the other day and it got me to thinking about the way we grow in Christ. We grow in our faith, from infancy (brand new believer) to mature Christ-centered adulthood. We actually may never reach spiritual adulthood eventhough this is the goal. It is a life long journey, yet sometimes we tend to look back and envy our past relationship with God and forsake the new growth He wants us to take hold of.
At first, as a new believer, we are so unfamiliar with God’s ways. We are newly re-born into unfamiliar territories, however, the overwhelming peace is confirmation that God is good and He will take care of our needs. God proves this in many small and large ways, when we are first saved so that we have instantaneous proof of His provision, goodness, and faithfulness to take care of us. He protects us from some of the repercussions of the poor choices we made before we came to know Him, by covering them with His abundant grace. He also allows us to suffer some of the consequences of these choices, so we will not turn back to make the same errors again. In His effort to keep us near His feet, He continues to protect us from further poor choices by surrounding us with older believers to hold us accountable while also limiting our temptations/circumstances to only what we can bear. We can rest in the fact that God will always have an ‘escape plan’ waiting for us if we do make a ‘wrong turn’. When we realize we are ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ and the current surroundings are dangerous to our re-birth in Christ, He is faithful to provide us a way of escape. Just as infants look to their mom to keep them safe, God so desperately wants to do the same for us. He will move heaven and earth to keep us from making choices that will harm us. He will woo us in this manner to capture our heart and so we learn to hear and trust his still small voice over the booming voices of the world around us.
After we grow a bit we become even more ‘mobile’ in our walk with the Lord. We are learning and growing through every biblestudy we attend, and at every quiet time invested with the Lord. Basically, figuring out how to shed the "old man" and become the new creature created in Christ’s image. We become quite aware that there is a serious spiritual battle going on around us, and the war is waged over our eternity. While exploring the world through our new eyes, decisions become a big deal where we truly begin to desire to be in the center of God’s will. Because the battle of the flesh and the spirit is still very new, we begin asking God to protect us from ourselves. It is clear that hearing His will for us is a learning process. How God wants to do things may be at odds with how we have always done them but that desire to follow the Lord is what God sees. Therefore, He is faithful to place road blocks to protect us from stepping out of His will. It is very much like a child who is learning to crawl and explore the world around them. They are ignorant to what is out there that might hurt them. So, we as parents, provide safe places for them to play such as a playpen or we put up baby gates to keep them out of places where they might be harmed. We use barriers/boundaries because we love them and they are not yet old enough to understand the dangers that an older child understands as harmful.
As they grow a little more, become more mobile, parents begin the training process. We begin removing barriers to teach discernment of right and wrong, safe and unsafe. Coming alongside them & train them to obey because it will lead them down a path of righteous living. We begin to teach them in the bible the WHY behind discernment of right and wrong. This is very similar to God training us in our walks with Him. Just like with our children it is a life long process of teaching, reproof, encouragement and love invested with the ultimate goal of obedience and an allegiance to Christ.
In the teen years, this is usually when God ‘shakes us loose’ from this dependence on the former ways of living out God’s will. Since teenagers tend to be fickle & flakey based on how they feel in the moment, this is another indicator that we need to be putting on the mind of Christ. We seek the Lord and He may not provide an instant answer. He asks for more of our walk in order that we further die to self so that be can really LIVE for Him. We, being teens, may chose to rebel when we don’t receive our answer immediately, by maneuvering in front of the Lord and then, expect God to again protect us from ourselves. When we do this, we risk our flesh getting too wrapped up in what we are pursuing. We grasp at circumstances to justify or confirm the pursuit. Finally, in a last ditch effort to "not go outside of God’s will", we then wonder why we are SO conflicted and not able to discern His will over our own agenda/circumstances.
In our walks with the Lord growing up is a longer process for some more than others. Some people remain babies for far too long and desire spiritual milk rather than the training process of discernment, reproof & seeking the Lord diligently. It is the spiritual weaning process where we are no longer caudaled in the decision making process. God has established enough of a relationship with us where we can begin to weigh all decisions on the basis of knowing scripture and seeking His will for the direction of our lives. It is also the time where He removes many of the remaining barriers in order to grow us up and teach us to seek and trust Him more.
It is confusing to see mature Christians resort to the things of old & the former ways of God working in their life. Asking God to place barriers where we should and should not go, when instead we should be asking for direction before seeking any opportunity. It is much like grown children asking to be given a bottle again. Once we have grown past our the toddler years in Christ and are spiritually eating solid foods, there should not be this unhealthy dependence to ask for the former relationship of barriers & limitations in our path to figure out God’s will. Instead we should be so intimate in our walk with the Lord, that He has every opportunity to make His plan for us abundantly clear. We can therefore, step out in an obedient confidence, through scriptural confirmation, that we are moving forward in His will.
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
Hebrews 5: 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
God wants our loyalty to Him first……... He warns us to seek Him first, because He already knows our needs. If we don’t diligently seek and continue seeking to get an answer BEFORE following in our pursuit, God is not in it. Without God being at the forefront, we run the risk of becoming double-minded. The pursuit of God in an effort to follow His will is never the easy route, but it is the route that keeps us from have a flakey, divided heart.
James 4: 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
Matt 6: 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 7: 7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A video you must watch!
A fellow blogger published a link on her blog to this amazing woman's story....... This is a video of a woman who is diagnosed with cancer...... The prognosis is not good for her, but yet she has self-lessly used this experience to minister to other women! It is an hour long presentation but I am telling you it is so worth your time to watch! I usually don't blog things like this, but felt compelled that this is definately worth sharing! If you have a blog I encourage you to pass this along as well!
http://deathisnotdying.com/eventvideo/
She refers to several things in her talk about a book list and such which can be found at her website http://www.deathisnotdyeing.com/
God Bless and did I already say WATCH THE VIDEO? ;^) HUGS!
http://deathisnotdying.com/eventvideo/
She refers to several things in her talk about a book list and such which can be found at her website http://www.deathisnotdyeing.com/
God Bless and did I already say WATCH THE VIDEO? ;^) HUGS!
Friday, June 12, 2009
HE equips the called
"God doesn’t Call on the Equipped, HE Equips the Called"
I have heard this phrase throughout my life as a Christian, but each year I am challenged to apply it further. To allow this concept to resonate deep within my personal relationship with Christ. I have been one of those many Christians where I have dictated what I CAN and absolutely CAN NOT do. There have been many occasions/situations in my life when I have shamefully informed the Lord "Anything but THAT Lord." Such a disappointment that I could tell the Lord what He can or can not do in my life when, in fact, He is the author of my existence. Reminds me of when Moses was having doubts in the wilderness of if God would keep His word:
Numbers 11: 23 The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."
I am so thankful we serve a very patient God! He lovingly proves his faithfulness over and over again to a very forgetful people, like myself.
Have you ever seen a ministry that touched your heart or heard someone speak about something that got you a little fired up? Maybe thinking there is more for God to do through you? Something greater than that of yourself, which would very well allow God to increase and you to decrease? If that initial stirring is not faithfully committed to fervent prayer, it will eventually be quenched. God is a gentleman and will not force His plan on anyone. He will also recognize when we place value on the distraction of life OVER the desire to see His plan revealed in us. Many times, the stirring dies as it is replaced with the normality of life as usual. The soothing words "I could NEVER do that," may begin to rest easily in your mind as it slowly replaces the initial stirring & desire for God to accomplish something greater.
So many times we can quench the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts by placing too much validity on our resume of self-doubt, self-pity, or just plain selfishness. Unfortunately, we place these self-centered things smack dab in the center to where we will surely, stifle the path of God’s design. God perspective is quite different on the subject of what we can and can not do.
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
We are totally correct in the "I can’t" statements. Even the bare minimum that we do on a daily basis, we can’t accomplish effectively without Christ’s strength! So, even in the small things, we are in need of His constant help! Why then do we then limit/stifle His creativity to accomplish something with greater importance & purpose. As the scripture in Philippians, clearly demonstrates, it is not about us AT ALL, but instead, the effectiveness of God doing the work through us.
Psalm 143: 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
What we fail to understand/comprehend is that those people we look up to, or who have effective ministries are not naturally gifted or equipped for the calling God has placed before them. They are supernaturally equipped, for the Plan God calls them to fulfill. God doesn’t look at our ‘resume’ and then decide if we are qualified to follow His will. In my humble opinion, this ‘world-view’ is one of the pivotal reasons why we see so much stagnancy in the modern church today. Admiring qualifications & experience OVER a heart that just wants to serve God. All we need is a yielding spirit, open to whatever He wants to do in & through us to further His kingdom. Remember, the point of everything we do is not about what we want, our comforts, our security, or our self-serving ideals. Much of our life’s direction, should have a Kingdom purpose. To allow God to have full control of our lives, so that He can make us most effective for HIS purpose. To lay down our rights and give up our ideas so that HIS plan can unfold can HE will be glorified. Romans 8:12-13 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
We as Christians have many liberties today in order to make choices for our lives. It is actually quite sad how few choices we allow Him to lead us towards. We instead, limit God by taking the ‘bull by the horns’ approach and settle for what WE think is best, rather than really relying on what God KNOWS is best by waiting for his direction! God is interested in being apart of ALL your decisions. Something we fail to realize the harsh reality of no decision is made within a vacuum! Each one can not only permeate through our own families, but also impact or fail to impact the lives of others around us. If we are not living out the example of reliance in Christ through our decisions, what makes our process set apart from the world? Praise the Lord for His redemption and for this verse here in Romans 8: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
When we do make foolish choices, and we all have, we can at least have this hope that He will use it to His Glory. It doesn’t mean we get a free pass when it comes to suffering the consequences, but that we can have hope that He will use it for a Kingdom purpose..
In Psalms 37 it says:
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
This is a very active passage and requires a lot of us dying to our flesh to fulfill the promises listed. If we would only trust, delight, commit & trust (ya think God is trying to make a point by listing trust twice?), THAT is when God can do a marvelous work in our lives! How much do we miss out on by our limited amounts of trusting, committing, & delighting? How much do we miss out on by quenching a fire he began in our hearts?
1 Corinthians 9: 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
I have heard this phrase throughout my life as a Christian, but each year I am challenged to apply it further. To allow this concept to resonate deep within my personal relationship with Christ. I have been one of those many Christians where I have dictated what I CAN and absolutely CAN NOT do. There have been many occasions/situations in my life when I have shamefully informed the Lord "Anything but THAT Lord." Such a disappointment that I could tell the Lord what He can or can not do in my life when, in fact, He is the author of my existence. Reminds me of when Moses was having doubts in the wilderness of if God would keep His word:
Numbers 11: 23 The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."
I am so thankful we serve a very patient God! He lovingly proves his faithfulness over and over again to a very forgetful people, like myself.
Have you ever seen a ministry that touched your heart or heard someone speak about something that got you a little fired up? Maybe thinking there is more for God to do through you? Something greater than that of yourself, which would very well allow God to increase and you to decrease? If that initial stirring is not faithfully committed to fervent prayer, it will eventually be quenched. God is a gentleman and will not force His plan on anyone. He will also recognize when we place value on the distraction of life OVER the desire to see His plan revealed in us. Many times, the stirring dies as it is replaced with the normality of life as usual. The soothing words "I could NEVER do that," may begin to rest easily in your mind as it slowly replaces the initial stirring & desire for God to accomplish something greater.
So many times we can quench the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts by placing too much validity on our resume of self-doubt, self-pity, or just plain selfishness. Unfortunately, we place these self-centered things smack dab in the center to where we will surely, stifle the path of God’s design. God perspective is quite different on the subject of what we can and can not do.
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
We are totally correct in the "I can’t" statements. Even the bare minimum that we do on a daily basis, we can’t accomplish effectively without Christ’s strength! So, even in the small things, we are in need of His constant help! Why then do we then limit/stifle His creativity to accomplish something with greater importance & purpose. As the scripture in Philippians, clearly demonstrates, it is not about us AT ALL, but instead, the effectiveness of God doing the work through us.
Psalm 143: 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
What we fail to understand/comprehend is that those people we look up to, or who have effective ministries are not naturally gifted or equipped for the calling God has placed before them. They are supernaturally equipped, for the Plan God calls them to fulfill. God doesn’t look at our ‘resume’ and then decide if we are qualified to follow His will. In my humble opinion, this ‘world-view’ is one of the pivotal reasons why we see so much stagnancy in the modern church today. Admiring qualifications & experience OVER a heart that just wants to serve God. All we need is a yielding spirit, open to whatever He wants to do in & through us to further His kingdom. Remember, the point of everything we do is not about what we want, our comforts, our security, or our self-serving ideals. Much of our life’s direction, should have a Kingdom purpose. To allow God to have full control of our lives, so that He can make us most effective for HIS purpose. To lay down our rights and give up our ideas so that HIS plan can unfold can HE will be glorified. Romans 8:12-13 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
We as Christians have many liberties today in order to make choices for our lives. It is actually quite sad how few choices we allow Him to lead us towards. We instead, limit God by taking the ‘bull by the horns’ approach and settle for what WE think is best, rather than really relying on what God KNOWS is best by waiting for his direction! God is interested in being apart of ALL your decisions. Something we fail to realize the harsh reality of no decision is made within a vacuum! Each one can not only permeate through our own families, but also impact or fail to impact the lives of others around us. If we are not living out the example of reliance in Christ through our decisions, what makes our process set apart from the world? Praise the Lord for His redemption and for this verse here in Romans 8: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
When we do make foolish choices, and we all have, we can at least have this hope that He will use it to His Glory. It doesn’t mean we get a free pass when it comes to suffering the consequences, but that we can have hope that He will use it for a Kingdom purpose..
In Psalms 37 it says:
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
This is a very active passage and requires a lot of us dying to our flesh to fulfill the promises listed. If we would only trust, delight, commit & trust (ya think God is trying to make a point by listing trust twice?), THAT is when God can do a marvelous work in our lives! How much do we miss out on by our limited amounts of trusting, committing, & delighting? How much do we miss out on by quenching a fire he began in our hearts?
1 Corinthians 9: 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Just a mom? I think not!
These are some of the thoughts I have been questioning lately so I hope they speak to you in some way!
The world is really turning into a crazy place? I have heard of people with 5 or more children getting harassed by total strangers. Not that I condone or think that this is acceptable either, but me? With only 3 kids in tow? Here in Florida, usually you only find 1.5 children per family, so I suppose I have ‘broken the mold’ a bit. Can’t wait till I can annoy more of the population when our family size increases!
Let me share one of these MANY experiences that I have encountered. I was at Costco and was waiting in line with my brood. A lady in her 60’s +, got behind me in the food court line. In the course of watching me instruct who was going to continue to push the cart and who was going to help me gather the food/drinks, she blurted out “Those are ALL yours?” NO, she was not talking about the groceries I had in my cart, but yet about my ENORMOUS amount of children (only 3 keep in mind). SO many things were running through my mind at that point in time but I managed to keep it simple and respectful. I bit my tongue and through the course of our conversation, felt a genuine pity for a woman who apparently never experienced children & motherhood as a blessing. She was a mother alright, but as she related, 2 was her limit. She spoke of her mothering years as if she was raising cockroaches rather than children.
I wonder if my encounter is a reason why many Christian families chose not to have more children; if possibly we have adopted this world-view of mother-hood & nurturing children are truly a “less~than” calling. That fallacy that more that the allotted 2.5 children are so much work/money/evergy/effort, that adding to our workload and draining your pocket book beyond this is not worth it? Has the Christian community been dupped into the many ‘logical/worldly/self-centered’ reasons why we should not be raising more arrows to shoot out and win souls for the Lord.
She asked many questions that I thought I would blog them so you can get an idea…….. “Do you work?” I replied that “Being a mom was my job 24/7. It was a more rewarding & productive career choice than anything I could accomplish outside the home and I wouldn’t trade that position for anything else.” She then discounted my statement by saying “Oh…….. you are one of THOSE moms” I gleefully said, “I suppose so!”
To my curiosity, to see how polite this woman could be, I couldn’t resist sharing with her that we were not done adding to our family. In the course of numbering our one boy verses 2 girls, I mentioned we were hoping to add one or 2 more. Her look was priceless. I then knew, for certain. that she had no self-restraint, nor desire to be polite as her next question, “YOU’RE PREGNANT AGAIN?” I kindly explained that NO I wasn’t pregnant but that we hope to add to our family through adoption. “Why would you want to do that?” she replied. I explained to her how fortunate my children are to have 2 parents that love them! That there are so many orphans in the world today that deserve that same kind of forever home and unconditional love! Her next rude question was expressed with a bit of a cringe on her face, “Overseas adoption?” I told her that I wasn’t sure in which manner the Lord would add to our family but I was open to HOWEVER, God wanted to bring our kids home. I think I left that woman in the most confused state of mind, but at the end of our conversation she had a smile on her face and seemed to have a curious but genuine respect for my statements. Quite honestly I could really care-less what she thought of me, but I was glad that God would not let me back down and allow her to treat the calling of motherhood as valueless.
There have been many of these conversations I have experienced here in FL. Most of them I did not handle so gracefully and it was easy to just ignore their blatant rudeness or just blow off their comments as if the inquisition didn’t deserve my attention. After all, they do come off to be quite rude and genuinely OK with being extremely unhappy or selfish people. HOWEVER, the first time I did answer someone with a genuine answer, I realized something in the reflection of my children’s faces. MY KIDS ARE LISTENING! If I say nothing to refute the claims, my children may have no idea that I disagree with those discounted ideas of motherhood and therefore, infer that they are not worthy of my efforts to train them up in the Lord. The first time I answered someone’s question about my career choice with something like “I think I have the best job in the world! I wouldn’t trade being at home with my kids for any amount of money or status because money can’t buy what I experience on a daily basis”…… My children’s (especially my eldest daughter) faces perked up with and an irreplaceable countenance of joy. Everything about their demeanor just beamed with “WOW! Mommy finds our time together as valuable and irreplaceable!” At that point they knew that I valued motherhood.
Many of my younger mothering years kinda felt like I was “Doing motherhood” much like an inmate does their time. Awaiting for that next phase where my every moment was not being occupied. So selfish to want what I wanted over the demands of nurturing my little ones. Especially on those days when being a mom isn’t immediately rewarding and our attitudes reflect this. There are days when it does feel a bit like we are ‘doing time.’ The truth is we all have those days when we are cleaning up vomit, potty training, or just a day where it has been a battle of wills and you are ready to call in sick. Since this is not an option we then have a choice where lately I have been challenged by this question. DO I feel/display this attitude of valuing my job at very moment of mundane or on the verge of exhasperation? No, I shamefully fall short of this on a daily basis because I am a sinful, selfish woman that is desperate for a constant heart change. They key that I have learned to ask God for is the ability to CHOOSE joy, regardless of circumstances. So, while none of us moms have it all together and are constant reflections of the joys of motherhood, we are usually given these little AHA moments to show our little treasures that they are worth every moment we are able to pour into their hearts! When complete strangers have the audacity to consider your quiver-full an inconvenience we are presented with a choice. To defend the fact that children ARE a valuable entity to our family OR not respond at all. Each one speaks volumes to their little hearts.
Here are some more blogs that I have been reading about the same subjects!
http://sahmissionary.blogspot.com/2009/06/mothering-and-ministry.html
http://parunak.com/pursuingtitus2/2009/06/05/adventures-in-mothering/
http://likeawarmcupofcoffee.blogspot.com/2009/06/burdens-or-blessings-dealing-with.html
http://christinnjon.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/duty-of-discipline/
The world is really turning into a crazy place? I have heard of people with 5 or more children getting harassed by total strangers. Not that I condone or think that this is acceptable either, but me? With only 3 kids in tow? Here in Florida, usually you only find 1.5 children per family, so I suppose I have ‘broken the mold’ a bit. Can’t wait till I can annoy more of the population when our family size increases!
Let me share one of these MANY experiences that I have encountered. I was at Costco and was waiting in line with my brood. A lady in her 60’s +, got behind me in the food court line. In the course of watching me instruct who was going to continue to push the cart and who was going to help me gather the food/drinks, she blurted out “Those are ALL yours?” NO, she was not talking about the groceries I had in my cart, but yet about my ENORMOUS amount of children (only 3 keep in mind). SO many things were running through my mind at that point in time but I managed to keep it simple and respectful. I bit my tongue and through the course of our conversation, felt a genuine pity for a woman who apparently never experienced children & motherhood as a blessing. She was a mother alright, but as she related, 2 was her limit. She spoke of her mothering years as if she was raising cockroaches rather than children.
I wonder if my encounter is a reason why many Christian families chose not to have more children; if possibly we have adopted this world-view of mother-hood & nurturing children are truly a “less~than” calling. That fallacy that more that the allotted 2.5 children are so much work/money/evergy/effort, that adding to our workload and draining your pocket book beyond this is not worth it? Has the Christian community been dupped into the many ‘logical/worldly/self-centered’ reasons why we should not be raising more arrows to shoot out and win souls for the Lord.
She asked many questions that I thought I would blog them so you can get an idea…….. “Do you work?” I replied that “Being a mom was my job 24/7. It was a more rewarding & productive career choice than anything I could accomplish outside the home and I wouldn’t trade that position for anything else.” She then discounted my statement by saying “Oh…….. you are one of THOSE moms” I gleefully said, “I suppose so!”
To my curiosity, to see how polite this woman could be, I couldn’t resist sharing with her that we were not done adding to our family. In the course of numbering our one boy verses 2 girls, I mentioned we were hoping to add one or 2 more. Her look was priceless. I then knew, for certain. that she had no self-restraint, nor desire to be polite as her next question, “YOU’RE PREGNANT AGAIN?” I kindly explained that NO I wasn’t pregnant but that we hope to add to our family through adoption. “Why would you want to do that?” she replied. I explained to her how fortunate my children are to have 2 parents that love them! That there are so many orphans in the world today that deserve that same kind of forever home and unconditional love! Her next rude question was expressed with a bit of a cringe on her face, “Overseas adoption?” I told her that I wasn’t sure in which manner the Lord would add to our family but I was open to HOWEVER, God wanted to bring our kids home. I think I left that woman in the most confused state of mind, but at the end of our conversation she had a smile on her face and seemed to have a curious but genuine respect for my statements. Quite honestly I could really care-less what she thought of me, but I was glad that God would not let me back down and allow her to treat the calling of motherhood as valueless.
There have been many of these conversations I have experienced here in FL. Most of them I did not handle so gracefully and it was easy to just ignore their blatant rudeness or just blow off their comments as if the inquisition didn’t deserve my attention. After all, they do come off to be quite rude and genuinely OK with being extremely unhappy or selfish people. HOWEVER, the first time I did answer someone with a genuine answer, I realized something in the reflection of my children’s faces. MY KIDS ARE LISTENING! If I say nothing to refute the claims, my children may have no idea that I disagree with those discounted ideas of motherhood and therefore, infer that they are not worthy of my efforts to train them up in the Lord. The first time I answered someone’s question about my career choice with something like “I think I have the best job in the world! I wouldn’t trade being at home with my kids for any amount of money or status because money can’t buy what I experience on a daily basis”…… My children’s (especially my eldest daughter) faces perked up with and an irreplaceable countenance of joy. Everything about their demeanor just beamed with “WOW! Mommy finds our time together as valuable and irreplaceable!” At that point they knew that I valued motherhood.
Many of my younger mothering years kinda felt like I was “Doing motherhood” much like an inmate does their time. Awaiting for that next phase where my every moment was not being occupied. So selfish to want what I wanted over the demands of nurturing my little ones. Especially on those days when being a mom isn’t immediately rewarding and our attitudes reflect this. There are days when it does feel a bit like we are ‘doing time.’ The truth is we all have those days when we are cleaning up vomit, potty training, or just a day where it has been a battle of wills and you are ready to call in sick. Since this is not an option we then have a choice where lately I have been challenged by this question. DO I feel/display this attitude of valuing my job at very moment of mundane or on the verge of exhasperation? No, I shamefully fall short of this on a daily basis because I am a sinful, selfish woman that is desperate for a constant heart change. They key that I have learned to ask God for is the ability to CHOOSE joy, regardless of circumstances. So, while none of us moms have it all together and are constant reflections of the joys of motherhood, we are usually given these little AHA moments to show our little treasures that they are worth every moment we are able to pour into their hearts! When complete strangers have the audacity to consider your quiver-full an inconvenience we are presented with a choice. To defend the fact that children ARE a valuable entity to our family OR not respond at all. Each one speaks volumes to their little hearts.
Here are some more blogs that I have been reading about the same subjects!
http://sahmissionary.blogspot.com/2009/06/mothering-and-ministry.html
http://parunak.com/pursuingtitus2/2009/06/05/adventures-in-mothering/
http://likeawarmcupofcoffee.blogspot.com/2009/06/burdens-or-blessings-dealing-with.html
http://christinnjon.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/duty-of-discipline/
Friday, June 5, 2009
My big girl turns 10
It seems the time has flown by so fast that we are now into the double digits with Michaela. She is growing and changing on a daily basis which is exciting and scarey as a parent. Not wanting her to be too big for mom and dad but yet wanting her to grow in the Lord and become the awesome young woman God is calling her to be. Instead of enjoying getting into the double digits, like most kids her age, she sees this age as one more stepping stone towards the teen years and all the things beyond her immagination at this point in time. We celebrated her special day by going to Chuck E Cheese with the family and bringing Cake to church to share with all our friends.
For her birthday, Michaela got a gift that just keeps on giving. This year we decided to give the kids all rollerblades for their birthday. Abby, the adventruous one, got them first on her birthday last month. We did this on purpose because Michaela is very afraid of anything new. We figured if we gave them to Abby first Michaela would get to watch how much fun Abby was having and would enjoy the thought of joining in the fun. Well, our plan worked and she went to the store to pick them out with Mom. Little did we know this birthday present would be the gift that keeps on giving and would make a great Mastercard commercial!
Roller blades $65
Trip to the Urgent care doctor, follow-up to the Pediatric Orthopedist approx $50 so far.
A beaming smile knowing how COOL it is to have our first fractured bone & purple cast for people to write on! PRICELESS! When her doctor told her she would get a cast her smile WAS SO HUGE! We can even decorate it with glitter so I think that might be a nice weekend craft project!
What happened? The girls were playing on their rollerblades in the driveway to get comfortable with the way the skates work, how they were different from the roller skates they had previously, practicing how to stop and also rolling into the grass as a way of getting use to them. Since our driveway is sloped this makes 'getting used to how they work' more of a challeng then just skating on a flat surface. So, I figured it might be fun to take them to a park on a level surface so they can have a more safe environment to learn. The park we went to has a cement sidewalk around the perimeter and Michaela was doing great! She took a couple laps around the park and then just started skating on the basket ball court. Her feet kind of locked up against one another and she fell backwards, putting all her weight on her left hand/wrist. She wasn't going very fast so she hardly even reacted. She was hurt a little and had a slight grimace of uncomfort but wasn't crying like I would have expected her to if anything was broken? We went home after that & iced it. She seemed to be Ok as long as she didn't twist her wrist suddenly. It was when Abby grabbed her hand (forgetting it was hurt) and Michaela cryed out that we knew for certain she would need to see someone. At the walk in clinic they gave her a temporary cast to immobilize the wrist and prevent further injury and made an appointment for the pediatric orthopedist. Come to find out he is a pretty popular Dr as many of the folks knew of him. For those of you interested in the logistics, she has a buckle fracture on one of her arm bones (sorry not sure which one) and the Growth plate in her wrist is a bit damaged. She will be in her cast till the 1st of July. Not too thrilled about HOW they will be taking it off but due to the fact that her Orthopedist is really sweet I think he may be able to alliviate her worries! She is still able to do Karate which is very neat, but is kind of a bummer when she has to sit out if the technique will not be something she can do. Anywho, this is what is going on that is pretty exciting in our corner of the world! I am working on some other blogs as well so keep your eyes peeled! Love y'all!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A sacred calling; Motherhood!
I read this in a fellow bloggers site adn thought it was well worth passing along; especially if you are in feeling as if what you are doing doesn't matter or isn't producing visable fruit. This may give you that extra encouragement to continue of the worth while journey of mothering!
"Mothers, please don't let the world rob you of the incredible joy of a life invested in your children.
~
They are your mark on the world.
~
They are your legacy, your testimony, and your contribution to mankind.
~
Don't let some other woman steal your influence.
~
Remember, 'The hand that rock the cradle is the hand that rules the world.'
~
That saying didn't just show up one day.
~
That proverb is the result of centuries of observation. A mother's influence is unmatched."-
Voddie Bauchaum, Family Driven Faith
"Mothers, please don't let the world rob you of the incredible joy of a life invested in your children.
~
They are your mark on the world.
~
They are your legacy, your testimony, and your contribution to mankind.
~
Don't let some other woman steal your influence.
~
Remember, 'The hand that rock the cradle is the hand that rules the world.'
~
That saying didn't just show up one day.
~
That proverb is the result of centuries of observation. A mother's influence is unmatched."-
Voddie Bauchaum, Family Driven Faith
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