It's been said that "actions speak louder than words". We've all heard these words a time or two in our life. I can think of countless examples of this. We tell people we love them all the time, but if the actions don't back it up, then we are a liar. Ouch.......ok, this isn't usually the intention, we don't intend to be a liar, but if we are honest, it's the truth.
I have had numerous people in my life tell me they loved me. I am a person who gives people the benefit of the doubt and tend to trust what they say. It's been said that I am too trusting of people at times. However, I've grown a lot, and realize things about people that I didn't want to admit before. That maybe when they tell you words like "I love you", they may really love you in their own way, but their actions say different. I could go into lots of details about this, but I'm going to let it go as we all have had people portray one thing and act another.
In my family we would all get together on Christmas Day. About 20 or so would gather In a little living room at my grandma and grandpas house. We would all eat and of course have presents. When we would leave....everybody would hug and kiss each other on thr cheek. My family said the reason for doing this was because we didn't all get together that often, so when we did it may have been the last time we saw one another. We needed to make the goodbye special and share love cause you didn't know if you would see them again. This action among all of us showed love more than words could have. I still hug and kiss my parents when we leave one another. No words need to be spoken as the actions speak for themselves. I'm not saying we should never tell anyone we love them, I'm saying if actions don't back it up, there may be a problem.
Yesterday my pastor gave an amazing message from 1 Corinthians 5. He had a good line in his sermon. "Every action has social implications in a faith community". This line got me thinking. "Every action".......so every thing we say, do, act, has an effect on others in our life. Our words and actions can either encourage or destruct. They can build unity or divide.
For example.....I am active in my church and people know me pretty well. If I show up on a Sunday morning and go to each person and tell them I love them, but later go and spread horrible rumors about a few to everyone else......that's bad actions. I am now a liar. My words don't match my actions. I've hurt people and have made Jesus look bad. I've destroyed my character as a Christian. I would hope someone would love me enough to point this mess out to me. If not, this action will divide the whole.
Another example.....I love to be with people. I love to write notes and cards of encouragement. What my goal is is to be loving with my words and show it through my actions. Do I always succeed in
this? No, but I try. This can have a positive affect on those in our church family. This type of love will
unify and hold us together.
My pastor is very wise in his knowledge of the Bible and lets us know what the truth of the Word is.....even if it hurts. This is how he shows love to us. This is how he wants us to learn and grow in our God. We all have different gifts and talents to use for our God within the church. Just remember
though that actions always speak louder and words not spoken can sometimes speak volumes. We need to make sure our words and actions build up and not tear down.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Cassettes
Back in the day I had quite a collection of cassette tapes. Heavy metal was my favorite. 😊 Right out of high school I got an amazing job. You must know that once I graduated I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I had a seasonal job that lasted 3 months.....then I got a job for 1 month and quit cause it was not a good fit for me. My mom was upset. She thought I was going to not work....so one day I went out and didn't come home until I found a job.
This job was a dream! It was In a music store. With my love of songs and music at the time, it was ideal for me. I loved that job so much that it never felt like work. I got along well with my coworkers too. We all hung out outside of work and my boss and I looked so much alike that people thought we were sisters. Every paycheck I got I let myself buy a few tapes for my collection with a discount! (Even better when you can save money getting your favorite things....right?)
Remembering back to 1991.....I worked with a guy who loved heavy metal music more than me. Ozzy Osborne was his favorite. In the evenings, after the boss left for the day, he would put Ozzy CDs on for us as background music in the store. I found out he went to Christian school all his life. I remember asking him about religion. I asked how Christianity is right and all other religions were wrong. His answer had me perplexed......he said.."Christians are right, just because they are". He had no reason....no explaination for my wondering mind. And I found it strange that he knew about Jesus yet had a love for Ozzy. This was confusing to me.....but then I thought if Christians can still listen to heavy metal, maybe it's worth checking in to. I needed more information. It wasn't this coworker's fault he didn't know the answer to my question. Maybe he wasn't sure himself and didn't know how to respond to me.
Truth be told.....I worked that fun job for 3 years. I learned a lot of music, genres, and lyrics. I have knowledge of these things still today. Music and songs are locked in my mind. I can put a song with an event or a memory. That's fun, but it can be painful too. Some songs are not so good in my memory. They are associated with a painful time or a bad memory. I try to stay away from them, but
if I'm in a store and it plays overhead......I'm stuck. On the flip side.....many, many songs have a good effect on my memory. Pleasant things come to mind as I hear the familiar tune. It's all a matter of
perspective, I guess.
Some of the cassettes I bought way back then are still in my possession. They weren't replaced by CDs....and they may not even work anymore. They are still there in my basement reminding me of a life I once knew. A life of youth and parties and friends. A time of fun and no responsibility. One thing I've come to realize.....the songs of that time can remind me of times in my life that I didn't know Jesus. This makes me smile now because Even though I'm not where I need to be, I'm not where I once was either. Our God saw fit to pursue me and draw me to himself. This fact alone still boggles my mind.....but it's God and who can argue with Him or His ways?
A question was raised.....can we still be a Christian and love music that doesn't have godly lyrics? I feel this is a question of individual conviction. For me....I don't listen to much of it anymore. For me, the songs don't have the emotional effects or cause me to stumble as they once did. However, this decision is after much prayer, study, and personal conviction. What I stumble on isn't the same as other people stumble on.
Also.....for my coworker who didn't know how to answer my curiosity......it's ok. I found what I needed to know. I feel God used him in my life. He used him to teach me that in order to find answers about God we have to keep searching and asking. For that lesson, I'll forever be grateful to him.
This job was a dream! It was In a music store. With my love of songs and music at the time, it was ideal for me. I loved that job so much that it never felt like work. I got along well with my coworkers too. We all hung out outside of work and my boss and I looked so much alike that people thought we were sisters. Every paycheck I got I let myself buy a few tapes for my collection with a discount! (Even better when you can save money getting your favorite things....right?)
Remembering back to 1991.....I worked with a guy who loved heavy metal music more than me. Ozzy Osborne was his favorite. In the evenings, after the boss left for the day, he would put Ozzy CDs on for us as background music in the store. I found out he went to Christian school all his life. I remember asking him about religion. I asked how Christianity is right and all other religions were wrong. His answer had me perplexed......he said.."Christians are right, just because they are". He had no reason....no explaination for my wondering mind. And I found it strange that he knew about Jesus yet had a love for Ozzy. This was confusing to me.....but then I thought if Christians can still listen to heavy metal, maybe it's worth checking in to. I needed more information. It wasn't this coworker's fault he didn't know the answer to my question. Maybe he wasn't sure himself and didn't know how to respond to me.
Truth be told.....I worked that fun job for 3 years. I learned a lot of music, genres, and lyrics. I have knowledge of these things still today. Music and songs are locked in my mind. I can put a song with an event or a memory. That's fun, but it can be painful too. Some songs are not so good in my memory. They are associated with a painful time or a bad memory. I try to stay away from them, but
if I'm in a store and it plays overhead......I'm stuck. On the flip side.....many, many songs have a good effect on my memory. Pleasant things come to mind as I hear the familiar tune. It's all a matter of
perspective, I guess.
Some of the cassettes I bought way back then are still in my possession. They weren't replaced by CDs....and they may not even work anymore. They are still there in my basement reminding me of a life I once knew. A life of youth and parties and friends. A time of fun and no responsibility. One thing I've come to realize.....the songs of that time can remind me of times in my life that I didn't know Jesus. This makes me smile now because Even though I'm not where I need to be, I'm not where I once was either. Our God saw fit to pursue me and draw me to himself. This fact alone still boggles my mind.....but it's God and who can argue with Him or His ways?
A question was raised.....can we still be a Christian and love music that doesn't have godly lyrics? I feel this is a question of individual conviction. For me....I don't listen to much of it anymore. For me, the songs don't have the emotional effects or cause me to stumble as they once did. However, this decision is after much prayer, study, and personal conviction. What I stumble on isn't the same as other people stumble on.
Also.....for my coworker who didn't know how to answer my curiosity......it's ok. I found what I needed to know. I feel God used him in my life. He used him to teach me that in order to find answers about God we have to keep searching and asking. For that lesson, I'll forever be grateful to him.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Cook
I got to talking today about Thanksgiving and how I cook the meal for my whole family. Some years we have 9 people .....some years we had more. I have to work this year on the holiday so we will celebrate together a few days later. This is not a big deal as everyone was flexible in changing the day. I feel honored that they all still wanted me to cook it and host the meal at our house. I told everyone they could just do their own things with each other, but they said they would wait for me. Wow.....they must love me a whole bunch. Haha.
Tradition in our house before we eat is for each of us to say what we are thankful for this past year. My husband started this tradition years ago and it stuck. After we say our thanks, we all gather hands in our circle, and my husband prays and thanks God for everything. One year we decided to try a new thing. This took quite some time so we waited until after we ate to do it. Each of us got a notecard and put our own name on the top. We passed the card so everyone could write one thing we are thankful for the person for in their life. We kept passing until we all wrote on everyone's card. Like I said it was timely, but the memory and the keepsake we all have was well worth it. I still have mine and at the time we wrote them, some of my kids were in elementary school. It's such a treasure to see how they have grown and to have the card is so beautiful. My family wrote such nice messages to me.....like I said they must love me a whole bunch. Haha. It truly is a keepsake for years to come.
We tend to focus on "things" at thanksgiving. Thanking God for what we have. I've learned we just need to thank Him for who He is. He doesn't owe us anything. Yes, he loves us and gives us blessings, but he wouldn't have to. We shouldn't expect him to just give us things because we feel entitled somehow, but praise Him though all things and all circumstances. The Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Thanks in ALL circumstances......this is not easy, but it will prove our trust of our Father if we thank Him for it all.
When my daughter was about 7-8.....my husband called me at work stating he was taking her to the doctor as she may have broke her wrist. She and her brother were wrestling or whatever and she injured her wrist. Our doc said to bring her in.....so I left work and met him at the doctor. He sent us to thr hospital for the X-ray and found out she did fracture it. We got a temporary splint and went home for the night. That night as she lay in her bed.....I walked past her room. She was praying and thanking God for the accident and the pain in her wrist. I almost fell on the floor. What kid is thankful for pain? But I heard it with my own ears. She knows I tell this story often to show her humbleness and trust of a good God. That night will forever ring in my ears as a blessing from our God. That night was proof that our God is good and we need to thank Him in all circumstances.
This year I'm not sure how our meal will turn out.....I'm trying some new recipes and I'll admit I'm not the best cook known around town.....but I have a family who appreciates it and I'll do it for them. The fellowship and love is worth all the time it takes to prepare it all. This year we will all give thanks to our good God who loves us more than we could ever imagine. We will thank Our God who saved us from ourself and our sin as He hung on that cross. We will thank Our God who chose us out of the world to be His children since before creation ever began. This is what we should do everyday......not just on Thanksguving, but always. After all praising God will be a full time affair in heaven.....we might as well get used to it here! ❤️
Tradition in our house before we eat is for each of us to say what we are thankful for this past year. My husband started this tradition years ago and it stuck. After we say our thanks, we all gather hands in our circle, and my husband prays and thanks God for everything. One year we decided to try a new thing. This took quite some time so we waited until after we ate to do it. Each of us got a notecard and put our own name on the top. We passed the card so everyone could write one thing we are thankful for the person for in their life. We kept passing until we all wrote on everyone's card. Like I said it was timely, but the memory and the keepsake we all have was well worth it. I still have mine and at the time we wrote them, some of my kids were in elementary school. It's such a treasure to see how they have grown and to have the card is so beautiful. My family wrote such nice messages to me.....like I said they must love me a whole bunch. Haha. It truly is a keepsake for years to come.
We tend to focus on "things" at thanksgiving. Thanking God for what we have. I've learned we just need to thank Him for who He is. He doesn't owe us anything. Yes, he loves us and gives us blessings, but he wouldn't have to. We shouldn't expect him to just give us things because we feel entitled somehow, but praise Him though all things and all circumstances. The Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Thanks in ALL circumstances......this is not easy, but it will prove our trust of our Father if we thank Him for it all.
When my daughter was about 7-8.....my husband called me at work stating he was taking her to the doctor as she may have broke her wrist. She and her brother were wrestling or whatever and she injured her wrist. Our doc said to bring her in.....so I left work and met him at the doctor. He sent us to thr hospital for the X-ray and found out she did fracture it. We got a temporary splint and went home for the night. That night as she lay in her bed.....I walked past her room. She was praying and thanking God for the accident and the pain in her wrist. I almost fell on the floor. What kid is thankful for pain? But I heard it with my own ears. She knows I tell this story often to show her humbleness and trust of a good God. That night will forever ring in my ears as a blessing from our God. That night was proof that our God is good and we need to thank Him in all circumstances.
This year I'm not sure how our meal will turn out.....I'm trying some new recipes and I'll admit I'm not the best cook known around town.....but I have a family who appreciates it and I'll do it for them. The fellowship and love is worth all the time it takes to prepare it all. This year we will all give thanks to our good God who loves us more than we could ever imagine. We will thank Our God who saved us from ourself and our sin as He hung on that cross. We will thank Our God who chose us out of the world to be His children since before creation ever began. This is what we should do everyday......not just on Thanksguving, but always. After all praising God will be a full time affair in heaven.....we might as well get used to it here! ❤️
Monday, November 21, 2016
Right Truth
We are all born with a "knowing" of right and wrong. When I was a kid we had a long staircase leading to the second floor. It was a typical house of living space on the first floor and bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor. When I was about 4 years old and my brother about 2 years old, he stood at the top of the staircase and I pushed him down all the steps. Why I did this terrible thing I can't remember....other than I had a moment of delirium or something. What I do remember is running to hide after I pushed him. I knew I did wrong. Did I realize I could have hurt him permanently, I doubt it.....I was real small. My mom rushed to pick him up after the fall, but she never knew I did that until years later. I ended up confessing my terrible secret.
When we know right from wrong we can make good choices. As we grow we get more sneaky. We always have a bent to do the wrong thing and have to fight not to do it. I've done a lot of sneaky things in my time. I have struggles like anyone else.....but the Bible tells us that Paul did what he didn't want to do instead of what he knew was right. Even the Apostle Paul had struggles like me? That's good to know.
One way we can do more right than wrong things is to spend time in the Word. When we study doctrine we are studying about God Himself. (Doctrine = right truths about God). We study about Him so we can love Him. However our love for God is limited to our knowledge of Him. We can only love God as we know Him...... And if we don't know much about him we can't love him deeply.
When I first met my husband.....I didn't love him on the first date. We had to date more and spend time together before a love would grow. We would talk and learn about each other and as we did...my love for him grew. Getting to know people through relationships makes us love them even more. Tomorrow I'll go to work and meet a brand new person....or several. I will show them love and kindness but to love them deeply won't happen until I spend more time with them. Loving someone in a deep way isn't instant.....it takes time and effort. It is the same with our God. We can say we love Him, but If we don't know much about Him, how can we love Him deeply? How could I love my husband deeply of I didn't know much about him? It is wrong of us not to know more about our Creator. Just as we are born with an instinct of right and wrong......we can know what's right and wrong about our view of God, by what we learn of Him, through His Word.
As our knowledge of God grows so does our love for others. This knowledge will change how you think and feel about God and people in general. We will be able to love people better as a result. Doctrine has truths that will lead us to deep love and fellowship with our God. If we are breathing,
we should desire to learn more about God......as we learn we will grow......as we grow, our love for
God will get deeper......and our love for people will be better and more Christlike.
Right doctrine leads to Right living.
1 John 4:8......whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
When we know right from wrong we can make good choices. As we grow we get more sneaky. We always have a bent to do the wrong thing and have to fight not to do it. I've done a lot of sneaky things in my time. I have struggles like anyone else.....but the Bible tells us that Paul did what he didn't want to do instead of what he knew was right. Even the Apostle Paul had struggles like me? That's good to know.
One way we can do more right than wrong things is to spend time in the Word. When we study doctrine we are studying about God Himself. (Doctrine = right truths about God). We study about Him so we can love Him. However our love for God is limited to our knowledge of Him. We can only love God as we know Him...... And if we don't know much about him we can't love him deeply.
When I first met my husband.....I didn't love him on the first date. We had to date more and spend time together before a love would grow. We would talk and learn about each other and as we did...my love for him grew. Getting to know people through relationships makes us love them even more. Tomorrow I'll go to work and meet a brand new person....or several. I will show them love and kindness but to love them deeply won't happen until I spend more time with them. Loving someone in a deep way isn't instant.....it takes time and effort. It is the same with our God. We can say we love Him, but If we don't know much about Him, how can we love Him deeply? How could I love my husband deeply of I didn't know much about him? It is wrong of us not to know more about our Creator. Just as we are born with an instinct of right and wrong......we can know what's right and wrong about our view of God, by what we learn of Him, through His Word.
As our knowledge of God grows so does our love for others. This knowledge will change how you think and feel about God and people in general. We will be able to love people better as a result. Doctrine has truths that will lead us to deep love and fellowship with our God. If we are breathing,
we should desire to learn more about God......as we learn we will grow......as we grow, our love for
God will get deeper......and our love for people will be better and more Christlike.
Right doctrine leads to Right living.
1 John 4:8......whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Growth
Yesterday in our morning worship service we had our annual Thanksgiving sharing time. This is an opportunity for people to let everyone know what they are thankful for over the past year. I had been thinking of what to say for over a week. I have a lot to be thankful for, but this year I am especially thankful for my growth in God. Let me explain.......
Our former Pastor Ben would challenge us as a congregation now and then. He would say...."if you are the same person spiritually today that you were a year ago, something is wrong". This statement made me think of myself. If we aren't any different spiritually from one year to the next, we aren't growing. We are stagnant. We can't be stagnant when we call ourselves Christians. We need to be constantly growing and learning in our God. So yesterday I stood up front and told everyone that this year I can say "no", I'm not the same person spiritually that I was a year ago, and for that I am truly thankful.
I have come to realize over this past year that I don't know as much as I thought I did. To remedy this, I read....and read some more.....and study....and take notes....and ask questions when I don't understand. I have people that I go to for help. Yesterday I made a joke that I have one particular person on speed dial......but that's me. I want to understand God better. I want to love Him and people better than I used to. I made mention that we have wonderful teachers within our church and I intend to take full advantage of that. To have teachers readily available is only a gift from God. I had a new friend tell me a few weeks ago that when God creates a hunger in us For Himself, he won't leave us out in the cold. He will provide people and ways to learn about Him. He's definitely doing that in my life. I look for opportunities to learn and I look for people to teach me truths. I find that even if people don't know Jesus I can still learn from them. I can listen and offer compassion.....I can be comforting if they need it.....I can listen and help them toward God......I can learn how things work in their life and understand them better as a person and how they live day to day. All these things take time to master. We don't wake up one day with all Gods qualities......it takes time and discipline. I am in the
process of learning all these things.
I finished up my little speech with telling my church family how much I love to read. I told them I read a real good book recently entitled, "Knowledge of the Holy". One line in the book spoke to me.
"Answers about God do not lie on the surface. The answers must be sought by long meditation on thr Word, prayer, and well disciplined labor. The brightly shone light of God can only be seen by those spiritually prepared to receive it." (Matthew 5:8; Proverbs 4:23)
For this....I am truly grateful. I've got a long way to go, but I can now be spiritually prepared to receive Gods light and understanding through His Word. That I can ask and get answers because He made me ready to receive it. To God be the glory!!
Our former Pastor Ben would challenge us as a congregation now and then. He would say...."if you are the same person spiritually today that you were a year ago, something is wrong". This statement made me think of myself. If we aren't any different spiritually from one year to the next, we aren't growing. We are stagnant. We can't be stagnant when we call ourselves Christians. We need to be constantly growing and learning in our God. So yesterday I stood up front and told everyone that this year I can say "no", I'm not the same person spiritually that I was a year ago, and for that I am truly thankful.
I have come to realize over this past year that I don't know as much as I thought I did. To remedy this, I read....and read some more.....and study....and take notes....and ask questions when I don't understand. I have people that I go to for help. Yesterday I made a joke that I have one particular person on speed dial......but that's me. I want to understand God better. I want to love Him and people better than I used to. I made mention that we have wonderful teachers within our church and I intend to take full advantage of that. To have teachers readily available is only a gift from God. I had a new friend tell me a few weeks ago that when God creates a hunger in us For Himself, he won't leave us out in the cold. He will provide people and ways to learn about Him. He's definitely doing that in my life. I look for opportunities to learn and I look for people to teach me truths. I find that even if people don't know Jesus I can still learn from them. I can listen and offer compassion.....I can be comforting if they need it.....I can listen and help them toward God......I can learn how things work in their life and understand them better as a person and how they live day to day. All these things take time to master. We don't wake up one day with all Gods qualities......it takes time and discipline. I am in the
process of learning all these things.
I finished up my little speech with telling my church family how much I love to read. I told them I read a real good book recently entitled, "Knowledge of the Holy". One line in the book spoke to me.
"Answers about God do not lie on the surface. The answers must be sought by long meditation on thr Word, prayer, and well disciplined labor. The brightly shone light of God can only be seen by those spiritually prepared to receive it." (Matthew 5:8; Proverbs 4:23)
For this....I am truly grateful. I've got a long way to go, but I can now be spiritually prepared to receive Gods light and understanding through His Word. That I can ask and get answers because He made me ready to receive it. To God be the glory!!
Monday, November 14, 2016
Hear
I went to the Christian bookstore a few days ago. I tried to get a job there once, but God knows that would be a mistake for me to be there......I would spend my paycheck on books. A few months ago I got one on sale called "Visual Theology" by Tim Challies. I don't know much about the author, other than I love his articles on his blogs. Also,with me being a visual learner and really loving theology.....it was a perfect mesh for me. There are a lot of pictures and charts.....it's a great book so far.
I'm only about 1/3 the way through. There was this line that struck me......
"A healthy Christian loves to hear from God through the Bible. He is constantly taking in God's word - Reading it alone, reading it with friends, reading it with family, reading it as it is woven into good books, hearing it read aloud and worship services, pondering it as he remembers it - consuming it in anyway he can."
This made me stop in my tracks. Notice the word "healthy"? This isn't something we always think of when we think of a Christian. When I hear someone call themself or someone else a Christian, the word healthy isn't in my thought. But......this line makes me think. It makes me think of what a healthy Christian should be desiring to do. It makes me think of what I should be doing and aren't.
My son laughed at me once. I told him I take my Bible to work, but I'm scared someone will steal it. He said..." Mom, who would want to steal a Bible?" See....my Bible has notes and all kinds of things in it I would never be able to replace. If I lost it I wouldn't know what to do. It's my most prized possession. However....hearing this word "healthy" makes me realize I've got a lot more work to do if I want to please my God better.
The amazing thing about God is that he's patient. He knows my desire is to be healthy. Not only with my physical life, but my spiritual one as well. So.....he will let me continue on and learn at my pace. He will continue to put people in my path to help me grow.....he will continue to provide books.....he will continue to have people pray for my healthiness.......he will continue to guide me as I study from His Word......he will continue to protect me from what I don't need to know.
I had someone a few years that wanted me to read Something other than the Bible to expand my knowledge......I said "no I can't do that because I have to watch what I put in my little mind. I can't fill it up with nonsense." He wasn't understanding me at the time, but now he realizes I did the right thing. He has gotten back to being a healthy Christian and now reads and attends his church a few days a week. He's a leader in his church and even preaches now and then. Our God is amazing!!
I ask myself......do I long to hear from God through His word and His people through a worship service? Do I hear from him in books and in family settings? Do I long for that intimacy that's only found in Him.? I would love to answer "yes" to all these things, all of the time, but the reality is I get selfish. I get me focused and being healthy is thrown out the window. Then repentance is needed and I can get back on track.....back to desiring to hear from a holy God once again. All I can say is AMEN! What an amazing God we have!
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Laugh
Last night I was able to spend time with my parents. I called my mom and said..."can I come over"? She said..."of course, did you eat"? Naturally, I hadn't eaten yet. This was part of the plan for my visit, meatloaf, Mac and cheese, corn, and good company.
They have this little cute dog that goes wild when people visit. She is so cute but she rolls and jumps and runs around. It's funny because she is so little yet so full of energy. My dad tries to yell at her...."Ellie Mae....come here, calm down, knock it off". Its hilarious cause she don't listen. The more he tells her to quit, the more wound up she gets. I was laughing at my dad and the dog most of the night.
It never fails that when we get together as a family, the laughs come out. Last night we got to talking about when my dad brought my brother and I a kitten home after work one night. My dad hates cats, yet thought we would like one. I would have liked it had it been "normal". It was wild. He found it on his job site and said it looked pitiful, so he brought it home. The night he got it, we had to go for food and a litter box and all the stuff you need for a cat. My mom was not to thrilled about going out for cat supplies after she was all cozy in the house for the night....but she had to. This little nightmare needed stuff. And a nightmare this cat was. It destroyed curtains, it hissed a lot, bit me, scratched me, bit my dad when he tried to give it a flea bath, it was crazy. We only had it 3 months before it died. Something was wrong with it the vet had told my mom.....I was 11 so I don't know the technical term for it. Anyway, the cat scratched me and I got real sick. I had to go to the doctor and he said I had cat scratch disease. The symptoms were bad, so I won't go into detail, but who would have thought cat scratch disease was a legit thing? But I had it.....and it wasn't pleasant. The doctor who diagnosed me was about 85 years old as my doctor wasn't in the office. My family never went to the ER so we got a grand pappy doctor in my doctor's place. What a mess. But....retelling this story last night had all of us laughing so hard my belly hurt and I was crying. Each of us kept adding to it. My grandma was there and never knew any of this, so she laughed just as hard as we did. As we grow.....so do the details of stories at times. Our family is good at telling stories and we can laugh good together.
We talked of other things that were more serious.....but the crazy cat story came up out of nowhere. I guess God knew we needed a good laugh together. I guess God uses things in our life over and over to remind us we are human and need to live through craziness so we can get a chuckle from it later in life. I don't know if this is why we had that cat at all, but last night was a good reminder of how laughing is good for us. I am thankful my family is fun and we can joke and pick and be there to laugh at each other.....without fear of being offended. That's a blessing today and that's something I don't ever want to take for granted.
They have this little cute dog that goes wild when people visit. She is so cute but she rolls and jumps and runs around. It's funny because she is so little yet so full of energy. My dad tries to yell at her...."Ellie Mae....come here, calm down, knock it off". Its hilarious cause she don't listen. The more he tells her to quit, the more wound up she gets. I was laughing at my dad and the dog most of the night.
It never fails that when we get together as a family, the laughs come out. Last night we got to talking about when my dad brought my brother and I a kitten home after work one night. My dad hates cats, yet thought we would like one. I would have liked it had it been "normal". It was wild. He found it on his job site and said it looked pitiful, so he brought it home. The night he got it, we had to go for food and a litter box and all the stuff you need for a cat. My mom was not to thrilled about going out for cat supplies after she was all cozy in the house for the night....but she had to. This little nightmare needed stuff. And a nightmare this cat was. It destroyed curtains, it hissed a lot, bit me, scratched me, bit my dad when he tried to give it a flea bath, it was crazy. We only had it 3 months before it died. Something was wrong with it the vet had told my mom.....I was 11 so I don't know the technical term for it. Anyway, the cat scratched me and I got real sick. I had to go to the doctor and he said I had cat scratch disease. The symptoms were bad, so I won't go into detail, but who would have thought cat scratch disease was a legit thing? But I had it.....and it wasn't pleasant. The doctor who diagnosed me was about 85 years old as my doctor wasn't in the office. My family never went to the ER so we got a grand pappy doctor in my doctor's place. What a mess. But....retelling this story last night had all of us laughing so hard my belly hurt and I was crying. Each of us kept adding to it. My grandma was there and never knew any of this, so she laughed just as hard as we did. As we grow.....so do the details of stories at times. Our family is good at telling stories and we can laugh good together.
We talked of other things that were more serious.....but the crazy cat story came up out of nowhere. I guess God knew we needed a good laugh together. I guess God uses things in our life over and over to remind us we are human and need to live through craziness so we can get a chuckle from it later in life. I don't know if this is why we had that cat at all, but last night was a good reminder of how laughing is good for us. I am thankful my family is fun and we can joke and pick and be there to laugh at each other.....without fear of being offended. That's a blessing today and that's something I don't ever want to take for granted.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Message
I find that I need to write things down to remember. All things. Dates and notes take up a lot of space on my desk. I wonder if one day I'll have writers cramp from all the note taking I do? Haha. I crack myself up.
So yesterday I'm sitting in church.....trying to pay attention. I helped tend to a situation and came back in the middle of the sermon. I try to take notes when I hear sermons......but I was behind in the message already. Then I was distracted some more with nail polish. Oh my....I had a sweet little girl paint my nails and it was flaking off. I couldn't take it. I had to pick it and pick it some more. The girl next to me whispered "what are you doing Tammy"? I told her since I clean the church it'll be my mess to clean up anyway. I had a nice amount of flaked, pink polish on the floor. Ok, back to the point.
Once I got back to reality and could pay attention better, I made some notes. The biggest thing I pulled out of the great message I heard is this.....
There are 3 things required to be a complete Christian.
1. Christians need doctrinal truths. We have to know God through His Word and have right truths about Him. We need right theology (which I am loving the more I study) about God.
2. Christians need a character that matches what we know about God. We can't claim to know God and live in ways that are opposite to Scripture.
3. We are motivated by God to DO for Him what we learn about Him. Our character matches the doing. For example.....we are to pray for those who offended us and treat us not so nice. The Word tells us we need to do this and if our character matches what we know about God we will do what we are supposed to whether we feel like it or not. (That was a mouthful....haha...but truth)
We can not read the Bible all we want but in the end how can we be called Christians if we don't know what the Word says? And if our whole character and being rests on the knowledge of what's in the Word, how can we not want to know all we can? I am just as guilty as the next person. I read And study but never feel like it's enough. Like some of my time is spent doing stupid things rather than important things for God. Ive got a lot to learn.
All this came at the end of the message from 1 Corinthians 4:14-21
Verse 20 tells us that the kingdom of God does not consist of talk but of power. My pastor told us that real power of God is found in human weakness. That we cannot do anything of our own accord, but only through God, and we find strength when we are weak. This should make us find humility in Gods power.
Once I could not focus on nail polish or my sons eating or how often I heard talk of Timothy and wondering if he liked to be called Tim instead.....I could pick out good points. I am thankful for good teaching and right truths for our growth as a body of believers. God is good......always good. ❤️
So yesterday I'm sitting in church.....trying to pay attention. I helped tend to a situation and came back in the middle of the sermon. I try to take notes when I hear sermons......but I was behind in the message already. Then I was distracted some more with nail polish. Oh my....I had a sweet little girl paint my nails and it was flaking off. I couldn't take it. I had to pick it and pick it some more. The girl next to me whispered "what are you doing Tammy"? I told her since I clean the church it'll be my mess to clean up anyway. I had a nice amount of flaked, pink polish on the floor. Ok, back to the point.
Once I got back to reality and could pay attention better, I made some notes. The biggest thing I pulled out of the great message I heard is this.....
There are 3 things required to be a complete Christian.
1. Christians need doctrinal truths. We have to know God through His Word and have right truths about Him. We need right theology (which I am loving the more I study) about God.
2. Christians need a character that matches what we know about God. We can't claim to know God and live in ways that are opposite to Scripture.
3. We are motivated by God to DO for Him what we learn about Him. Our character matches the doing. For example.....we are to pray for those who offended us and treat us not so nice. The Word tells us we need to do this and if our character matches what we know about God we will do what we are supposed to whether we feel like it or not. (That was a mouthful....haha...but truth)
We can not read the Bible all we want but in the end how can we be called Christians if we don't know what the Word says? And if our whole character and being rests on the knowledge of what's in the Word, how can we not want to know all we can? I am just as guilty as the next person. I read And study but never feel like it's enough. Like some of my time is spent doing stupid things rather than important things for God. Ive got a lot to learn.
All this came at the end of the message from 1 Corinthians 4:14-21
Verse 20 tells us that the kingdom of God does not consist of talk but of power. My pastor told us that real power of God is found in human weakness. That we cannot do anything of our own accord, but only through God, and we find strength when we are weak. This should make us find humility in Gods power.
Once I could not focus on nail polish or my sons eating or how often I heard talk of Timothy and wondering if he liked to be called Tim instead.....I could pick out good points. I am thankful for good teaching and right truths for our growth as a body of believers. God is good......always good. ❤️
Saturday, November 5, 2016
One day
You ever wish you could go one day and not say the wrong thing? That everything you said in a days time was in the right tone and with encouragement? That the words were thought of through and through before they came to the end of your tongue? To not be sarsactic or rude or yell about what you are trying to get across? I have days like that.......
The reality is that no matter how you try to address something or a situation the person on the receiving end may take it all wrong. Communication is so hard. This is why we need relationships with people. We can learn their quirks and how they react to words and tones. We can learn how to avoid conflictive conversations once you know where they stand on an issue that's not that important. We can learn their personality. Different personalities require different things and people are not all wired the same.
So what happens when you are questioning someone and they take offense to your words? When all you were trying to do is figure out what they are thinking or feeling? I met a man once that told me he wishes he was a mute. That way he would never hurt anyone with his words again. Apparently he had a harsh way of speaking and realized this. He felt instead of controlling his mouth, being a mute would be a better option. This is nonsense......we are all called to watch how we speak and what we say to others. We need our voices but we need to choose our words wisely before we speak them.
What about when we pray? I believe prayer should be real and not sugarcoated. God knows what's in our heart and if our prayers aren't reflecting what's in your heart we are fooling ourselves with Him. He knows the difference. Same as your best friend knows when something is wrong. I had a BFF once that when one of us was sick the other one felt it too. We were inseparable. We knew the other ones thoughts and how each of us would react to life. We knew each other that well.......and our God knows us better than that. He made us. He knows us better than anyone so we can talk to Him freely about anything and he will know where we are coming from.
A few weeks ago I was struggling. I laid it all on the table for God. I knew he already knew my struggle but I told him anyway. He likes that. He wants us to confide in Him and let Him work our the details of how to help us. After my conversation......I felt better. Like a weight came off and I didn't have to struggle at that moment with my issues. That I could rest and let my DAD take care of it all. What an amazing God we have. He's personal.....relational.....for our community......and loves
us all unconditionally. One day we will be at His feet and talk with our Savior all we want in person! One day....wow....Makes me smile just to know that. 😀
The reality is that no matter how you try to address something or a situation the person on the receiving end may take it all wrong. Communication is so hard. This is why we need relationships with people. We can learn their quirks and how they react to words and tones. We can learn how to avoid conflictive conversations once you know where they stand on an issue that's not that important. We can learn their personality. Different personalities require different things and people are not all wired the same.
So what happens when you are questioning someone and they take offense to your words? When all you were trying to do is figure out what they are thinking or feeling? I met a man once that told me he wishes he was a mute. That way he would never hurt anyone with his words again. Apparently he had a harsh way of speaking and realized this. He felt instead of controlling his mouth, being a mute would be a better option. This is nonsense......we are all called to watch how we speak and what we say to others. We need our voices but we need to choose our words wisely before we speak them.
What about when we pray? I believe prayer should be real and not sugarcoated. God knows what's in our heart and if our prayers aren't reflecting what's in your heart we are fooling ourselves with Him. He knows the difference. Same as your best friend knows when something is wrong. I had a BFF once that when one of us was sick the other one felt it too. We were inseparable. We knew the other ones thoughts and how each of us would react to life. We knew each other that well.......and our God knows us better than that. He made us. He knows us better than anyone so we can talk to Him freely about anything and he will know where we are coming from.
A few weeks ago I was struggling. I laid it all on the table for God. I knew he already knew my struggle but I told him anyway. He likes that. He wants us to confide in Him and let Him work our the details of how to help us. After my conversation......I felt better. Like a weight came off and I didn't have to struggle at that moment with my issues. That I could rest and let my DAD take care of it all. What an amazing God we have. He's personal.....relational.....for our community......and loves
us all unconditionally. One day we will be at His feet and talk with our Savior all we want in person! One day....wow....Makes me smile just to know that. 😀
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Memories
My memory isn't the best at times......other times it's great. But I had a thought. What if God allows memories in our minds to help us remember good times? What if he allows memories for us to remember the bad times, so we can reflect and know he was there even when we didn't think He was?
I'm learning that sometimes the memories we have are all we can hold onto for the time being. Maybe a struggle is going on and all you can focus on is what used to be.....until things get back to normal. What if things never get back to normal? I'm told things happen in seasons. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes that everything has a time and a season. This was a song also made popular back in the day too...... my point is we all go through seasons and have to endure things. We have to presevere.
I think of the most happiest times in my life......
meeting my husband,
getting married,
giving birth to 3 healthy babies,
going to Disney world with my whole family
But the most joyous time is when I sat with my mentor in 1999, at my kitchen table and asked my Savior to be Lord of my life .....only after I asked Him to forgive my sins and wayward ways. Repentance is wonderful. Repentance restores....and my God will work out all the details whether we remember it all or not.
I'm not going to go over the "bad" memeories of my life as I don't like to dwell on the negative, but one thing I do know. Our God allowed me to experience these things too...so I would be pointed to His perfectness and love for me for His own glory. Had he not allowed me to go through what I did, I wouldn't be where I am today. All those things were weaved into what I am working toward now as an adult.....a Jesus lover.....haha.
Memeories are good in that they allow is ways of staying connected with out past. We can learn a lot from them and use them to guide our future. That's how I see it. ☺️☺️
I'm learning that sometimes the memories we have are all we can hold onto for the time being. Maybe a struggle is going on and all you can focus on is what used to be.....until things get back to normal. What if things never get back to normal? I'm told things happen in seasons. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes that everything has a time and a season. This was a song also made popular back in the day too...... my point is we all go through seasons and have to endure things. We have to presevere.
I think of the most happiest times in my life......
meeting my husband,
getting married,
giving birth to 3 healthy babies,
going to Disney world with my whole family
But the most joyous time is when I sat with my mentor in 1999, at my kitchen table and asked my Savior to be Lord of my life .....only after I asked Him to forgive my sins and wayward ways. Repentance is wonderful. Repentance restores....and my God will work out all the details whether we remember it all or not.
I'm not going to go over the "bad" memeories of my life as I don't like to dwell on the negative, but one thing I do know. Our God allowed me to experience these things too...so I would be pointed to His perfectness and love for me for His own glory. Had he not allowed me to go through what I did, I wouldn't be where I am today. All those things were weaved into what I am working toward now as an adult.....a Jesus lover.....haha.
Memeories are good in that they allow is ways of staying connected with out past. We can learn a lot from them and use them to guide our future. That's how I see it. ☺️☺️
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Box
I had some interaction with a fascinating lady today who was speaking of her husband. She spoke of him like he was right with her. When I didn't see him, I asked, "where is he?" She said, "he's right here". Turns out he was in a chair below my view. Something was blocking my view of this man she loved. I felt like I was in a box and I wasn't looking outside of it. By staying in my box I missed out on interacting with a wonderful man.....but once I looked around, I had the opportunity. Move the box and thinks look very different.
How many times do we get stuck in our view of things and get into our "box"? It's real hard to think outside the box when you are accustomed to things a certain way. Our boxes grow as big as we need them to.
I feel at times....when I study about God....I tend to think way outside the box. One time in ladies group we were talking about God parting the Red Sea. I asked the group if the Israelite people got thirsty walking through onto the dry land? And if they did, could they put their hand into the water that was stacked beside them, as they walked, and get a drink? Well...this was a funny question and we all had to laugh at it. Imagining the Israelites getting thirsty and grabbing a drink on the long journey seemed silly.....but that's how my crazy mind seems to work.
If we are Christians called to be like Jesus....we can't stay in our box. We can't keep all that we know of him and His saving grace all to ourself in our own little box. That's just not how it goes when we love God. We have to keep pressing forward and continually look outside our comfy box for new opportunities to show others what our Savior is like.
We can't put God in a box either. I've heard people say this over the years. I think what they mean is that God cannot be trapped or looked at in a certain small way. He's BIG and he's bigger than our little minds can ever fathom. The God of all creation is nothing like we could imagine or ever fully
know. Putting him in a box is unacceptable. By keeping Him out of a box and when we think outside the box, we will then be able to spread His love and make more and more disciples.
Mathew 28:16-20
How many times do we get stuck in our view of things and get into our "box"? It's real hard to think outside the box when you are accustomed to things a certain way. Our boxes grow as big as we need them to.
I feel at times....when I study about God....I tend to think way outside the box. One time in ladies group we were talking about God parting the Red Sea. I asked the group if the Israelite people got thirsty walking through onto the dry land? And if they did, could they put their hand into the water that was stacked beside them, as they walked, and get a drink? Well...this was a funny question and we all had to laugh at it. Imagining the Israelites getting thirsty and grabbing a drink on the long journey seemed silly.....but that's how my crazy mind seems to work.
If we are Christians called to be like Jesus....we can't stay in our box. We can't keep all that we know of him and His saving grace all to ourself in our own little box. That's just not how it goes when we love God. We have to keep pressing forward and continually look outside our comfy box for new opportunities to show others what our Savior is like.
We can't put God in a box either. I've heard people say this over the years. I think what they mean is that God cannot be trapped or looked at in a certain small way. He's BIG and he's bigger than our little minds can ever fathom. The God of all creation is nothing like we could imagine or ever fully
know. Putting him in a box is unacceptable. By keeping Him out of a box and when we think outside the box, we will then be able to spread His love and make more and more disciples.
Mathew 28:16-20
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