Small Thoughts in a Big World..

We had a great time Sunday in worship. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it was an “all smiles, God wants you to smell like daisies, and have no problems” sermon. The best sermons, to me, are challenging through the Word,  force me to take an honest look at my life, and face up to God’s truth.

In Exodus 14, God is delivering His people. They had been a faceless, culture-less,  enslaved people. They were at the mercy of their masters and they were considered a lower class of society. God decided to free them using Moses. God through Moses led them out and they were being chased by all of Pharaoh’s army. They stopped and were overtaken when they camped by the sea. Now…history goes on to say God delivers them by parting the sea and then crushing the Pharaoh’s army. What a great victory!

But let’s back up a step or two. The conversation the people have with Moses is enough to bring major discouragement to any leader! You hear and see three poeple groups…

Group one is the negative and complaining group. This group counted the cost to begin with and didn’t want to move then. Now that they really can’t control the outcome without trusting God, and they definitely want out!

They said, “What, Moses, you think there weren’t enough graves in Egypt? You brought us out here to be killed in the desert?”

TRANSLATION…This is hard. This is scary. I don’t know what to expect. Look at this mess you got us into. What controlling committee am I supposed to be in charge of out here? Why should we follow one man who claims to have heard from God instead of voting and following our majority?

I am not a person who believes in a dictatorial Pastor. But it is evident that as “established” churches, we fear to the point of paralysis things that we can’t put our own hands on and control or fix. So we fear following a man with a God-given vision. God’s vision for His church ALWAYS requires faith steps that we CAN’T do on our own!

Group two is full of those who like things just the way they are. We’ve gotten this far, why push farther? Let’s just eat the daily manna and stay here.

TRANSLATION…We are at a maintaining point. If we stay like we are, we know who our friends are and who does what. If we push ahead then we may have to stretch beyond what we know already.

There is comfort in status quo. But the phrase that comes to my mind is, “If you’re not moving forward, you’re being left behind.” God is always at work around us. When we settle in to doing the same things the same way even when we see attendance fall, commitments failing, marriages ending in divorce, Godly values being set aside, dissensions not dealt with, and the like, we are headed for disaster as a church. Strong leadership doesn’t want to sit back and let life happen to them. They lead into God’s unknown and the body grows through new encounters and lessons from the Lord!

Group three are already looking around for where God is moving and they are preparing for that. In verse 15, God asks Moses an interesting question. He asks, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.” Let’s not sit back and wander. When God gives His man a vision and speaks it clearly, His man needs to speak it plain to the people and in spite of murmurings, MOVE FORWARD! God says essentially, didn’t I already tell you what to do? Stop standing there and move forward.

When God’s voice is clear, MOVE! When people speak against God’s move, listen, respond with encouragement and MOVE! When people talk of the difficulty of change and the ease of maintaining, restate God’s vision, and MOVE FORWARD!

Just as one of my blogs last week spoke of hard truths being necessary, hard leadership decisions are also necessary. We can feel ok with just getting by or we can MOVE and watch God work in tremendous ways that bring Himself much glory!

We need to be vision driven and follow through. I pray strength and wisdom for you in the ministry you are a part of. I pray the same for myself. May the world be changed by leaders who are God focused, have God-given visions, and God-strengthened efforts!

I’m watching my recently turned 5 year old make goodie bags for her birthday party. She is so excited. She is working hard on these so that her friends who choose to come will have something to take home. Don’t get me wrong, she is your typical youngster who can’t wait to play with her friends, and the idea of presents is circling in that brain too! But she wants to be with her friends even more than her concern for presents. Now later today, that could change. But right now, her friends are the best part of this party!!

I imagine that God, after sending out his invitation for us to be his children and his friend must feel some of the same things! He has already prepared our “goodie bags” but they are eternal and we get them now. They include things like His daily Presence, His guiding hand, His Word for understanding His character, a new heart, a new set of desires, and an eternal home with Him! He is definitely excited about our acceptance and commitment to Him. He shows us His love each day through His gifts to us and then has prepared a place for us that is better than anything we can imagine.

While I’m excited about seeing so many of our friends and the party that will take place, I am way more excited about the one that God has planned for His children! Thank you God for loving me enough to send your Son for me!

I firmly believe that prayer is our first, most powerful, and most heart driven action we can and should take for the needs of others. I am coming with a prayer need for you this morning.

Heather’s Uncle Donny is having a biopsy this morning on a huge mass in his abdomen. The biopsy will help determine whether it is cancerous or not. It does not look good. But the Word says that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Would you pray today? I’ll post more info as I find out more….

I am thankful that “I will never thirst again” because of the incredible Savior who provided streams of living water for me…(John 4:14, my verse for this morning)

Nothing else really spiritual today. Thought I would share my laugh with you this morning. Maybe it will make you smile…Blast from the past…

I’m sitting in my recliner today. Not because I wanted an off day, but because I have a sick little one and no other option. But she is on the mend and I’m very thankful for that. Isn’t it amazing how God created our bodies with the ability to fight off sickness? Sometimes we forget that our bodies are in constant battle for health. Just because we get sick for a few days doesn’t mean our body isn’t doing it’s job. Just ask someone with an immune system that doesn’t work right. Several days of sickness every once in a while would be a great trade for constant sickness and medication.

I think sometimes being sick is helpful for us. It reminds us to take care of ourselves. It shows us that we aren’t as invincible as we think we are. All it takes is a well-placed (or not so well-placed) tiny little virus or bacteria to take down our big strong bodies. Simply amazing…

Spiritually, it reminds us that the small things can take down our overall walk as well. It is the balance of a well-lived life that keeps us focused, growing, and healthy spiritually. Sometimes it is the things we don’t do that weaken us as much as it is the things we do that we shouldn’t. Apathy toward the things of God will lead us to inconsistency. Inconsistency will be followed by a feeling of defeatedness. And feeling defeated turns our eyes and hearts inward to a feeling of pity for ourselves and anger at God not “showing up” in our lives. How quickly this can happen!

His desire for us is restoration and repentance. He wants to restore the relationship that was broken by our sin. But repentance for our walking away is necessary. We need to confess our unwillingness to trust and love himand the sin that followed. We should then turn from that attitude and direction and run full speed into His arms. Our relationship will then be healed and He can set us back on His path for our life.

Healing is a welcome blessing. Both physically and spiritually. Today may God bring about a confidence in you for what He is doing in your life. Trust Him. He is our Healer and the hope for our days to come!

 

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

 

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2

 

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Pslam 147:3

Isn’t it awesome to know that when things get tough, or really good, or just confusing, that God is there ready to talk to us?

I love the song “Sit With You Awhile” by Mercy Me. It is so much about needing that time to stop, refocus, pray, just be relaxed and refilled by His presence. Nights like last night at church are great moments like that for me. Most of the time when we are worshiping through music at church, I am leading. It was great for me to be able to just be a participant and not the leader. Sometimes that is a welcome time. Just to relax in the giftedness of others and their praise for our Father.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing better than leading a willing group of God’s people in worship of and praise to Him!

How about you? Do you need those moments to just chill in His presence? Some people stay home from church when they get run down. That is a misplaced sense of focus…Church isn’t a job or a duty…It is worship! Let’s not place our focus in the wrong place…

All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.  Proverbs 16:2

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; Psalm 95:6

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:2

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

In all of our relationships, the hardest part is truth. It’s easy to say things to flatter. But…

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just. Psalm 37:30

When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19

A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting
vapor and a deadly snare. Proverbs 21:6

He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor
than he who has a flattering tongue. Proverbs 28:21

I am struggling through some hard issues  right now. Ministry is a difficult thing sometimes. We, those who teach and lead, should always share truth. We should always point people toward Jesus, love them as He does, and speak truth to their situation. I don’t believe in watering down God’s Word. I don’t believe that there is anything we face that God’s Word doesn’t speak to. It may not name our issue directly, but it gives us direction through applying truth taught throughout the Word.

I have always believed that even hard truth can be spoken in love. That means that in our relationships, if we have built them on a solid foundation of love, we can feel free to speak hard truth. So having said that…

We have to admit and turn from our sin. It has become so clear that hiding things doesn’t bring happiness or freedom. Whether it is sexual sin like we are dealing with in our Purity study right now or any other sin area, we can’t live like we don’t know or understand that we have to turn away. We can’t ignore the truth to fulfill sinful desires.

When we know what is right, to not do it is sin (James 4:17). It is also apathy and a lack of love for our Savior (John 14:15).

God is sanctifying us and we shouldn’t be resisting that. It isn’t a defeated feeling to me to know that I don’t measure up because I know that God doesn’t want to leave me that way! It is such a freeing thought  that God isn’t pleased with me where I am. He desires to bring me closer to Him and make me more like Him. Isn’t it AWESOME to know that our potential is beyond OUR comprehension?! But in order to change as He is leading, it takes dealing with hard truth. It takes someone loving us enough to confront us with that hard truth. It also takes us loving our friends enough to share those hard truths with them in love.

So, let’s be accountable TO each other and a source of accountability FOR each other!

Don’t ever mistake my heart! Ilove you enough to speak truth to you. I am willing to help you as you struggle with releasing these weaker areas to God. And I am willing to bear your load with you as you become stronger in the Lord. Would you do that for me? For your friends? For your family? For your church staff?

Many times we promise to pray for people.  Do we keep that promise?

There is nothing better than a praying friend. Do you realize how hard it is to pray for someone and stay mad at them?

Prayer is good for so many things. It is a lifeline to the creator of the universe. It allows us to communicate with Him, hear from Him, and maintain a close bond with our best friend!

It is a way to be help for others. We should never feel helpless in a situation when we can pray. I have heard the statement so many times that “I don’t know what I can do to help, but I can pray (or besides pray).” That is the one thing we should do even if physical help is possible.

It is a way to request healing from God. We know that He knows our situations and we know that He knows what is best, but He still is concerned for those that we are concerned for. He wants to know our heart and our hurts.

God is the answer to our prayers. The Word says the every good gift comes from the Father (James 1:17).

So remember today…as this is extremely fresh on my mind…that prayer is a great gift and first help you should give. Remain honorable in giving your word to pray!

Lord,

I thank you for those who are reading this. May we find strength in knowing that you care for every intimate area of our lives. Would you remind us today of your love toward us? Thank you for your hand of mercy, grace, and healing! May we each find strength in you today to serve you and those around us with the same unconditional love that you show us!

Amen!

I thought I might take today to honor many of my friends. I have so many that fit the description I am about to lay out…

- Worthy of my trust

- Trust me in return

- Have a love for my family

- Allow my family and I to be part of their lives

- Willing to be honest

- Protective of my feelings

- Take up the slack of my shortcomings, but challenge for improvement

- Sacrifice for others

- Challenge my decisions

- Celebrate great occurances together

- Proud for accomplishments and victories

- Helps shoulder the burden of others’ problems

- Willing to overlook bad days

- Sees the heart behind comments or actions

- Offers forgiveness with accountability

- KNOWS that different areas of life sometimes takes away friend moments

There are so many other words or phrases that describe my friends and their incredible qualities. I want to say thank you for loving my family and I. You are special.

We have lived so many places and made so many great friends. Being apart and sometimes out of touch doesn’t lessen the connection and love we have for you all!

I pray that I have been these a friend with these qualities and more for each of you. Thank you for sharing life with me!

Paul wrote in Philippians 2:19-23, about sending Timothy to the church at Philippi. He stated that he had no one else of a kindred spirit that was worthy of their trust that he could send to them.

I pray that someone today could speak of you in this way. That you are truly a kindred spirit to them and proven trustworthy! May God remind us that relationships are based on love and service to each other!

I love you, my friends! God bless you today!

Wow! Isn’t it strange – the two-faced politics that are just accepted here in the US? (Now before you go thinking Presidential, I’m not even going there. Anyone with a desire to see this country become what it was founded to be can see that this administration has no clue. There are bad policies and mishandled situations in every administration, but really…)

Anyway, I’m talking specifically about the ad that Focus on the Family is buying time during the Super Bowl to air. It is an ad that is reported to speak against abortion buy showing a different choice made by a well-known person. It features Tim Tebow and his mother, and focuses on her decision to give birth to Tim even though she was very sick and encouraged to end the pregnancy.

The thing that blows my mind is that organizations, such as the National Organization for Women and Women’s Media Center, who say they are for “CHOICE”, are the protesters. They are protesting this ad because it offers a different CHOICE than abortion. They are for CHOICE as long as it is the choice they want women to make. They are so afraid that the other choice, the better choice, will be enough to destroy their foothold.

They even take shots at CBS. They are softly threatening that airing this would put them at odds with powerful groups and advertisers. They especially take shots at Focus on the Family. Check out this quote from the story…

“By offering one of the most coveted advertising spots of the year to an anti-equality, anti-choice, homophobic organization, CBS is aligning itself with a political stance that will damage its reputation, alienate viewers, and discourage consumers from supporting its shows and advertisers,” stated a letter from the women’s group.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2010/01/26/2010-01-26_womens_groups_protest_tim_tebows_prolife_super_bowl_ad_for_focus_on_the_family.html#ixzz0djRkvi8P

I just don’t know what I expected from people who have no foundation for the “values” they support and live by. Without a firm foundation of biblical principals, this is exactly what I should expect to see. What a messed up world we live in!

We must stand up for Godly principles or we will continue down this path of losing both our humanity and our concern for others.

Check out the following scriptures…

Psalm 139:13-18

1 Cor. 3:11

1 Cor. 13:4-13