Is Satan Working In Your Life?

     I received the following email from a friend when I wrote on busyness this week. I think it is great points to ponder and do some self reflecting. Read the following words with an open heart. Let God speak to you!


Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
     In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth.... We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with Their SAVIOR. Once they gain that connection with JESUS, our power over them is broken. So, let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with JESUS CHRIST."
     "This is what I want you to do, said the devil: Distract them from gaining hold of their SAVIOR and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day! How shall we do this?” his demons shouted. “Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds. Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children."
     "As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work! Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or I-Pod whenever they drive...to keep the TV, DVDs, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music ...constantly. Before they know it, they will have memorized the words to songs that socialize things like drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and suicide. Their little children will be singing these songs with glee! They will have no idea about the damming words they are speaking into their lives!”
     “It will seer their conscience and will harden their hearts. This will sow seeds of doubt and CONFUSION. They will rebel against Christian morals and values, declaring them ‘Old Testament’ ...inappropriate ... unrelated and irrelevant for their day and age. It will jam their minds and break their union with CHRIST. Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards."
     "Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes. Ooh FALSE HOPE...that’s good! Fill their thoughts with winning millions at the Casinos or playing the Lottery instead of seeing HIM as their source. Entice them to use the money they can’t afford to spend and leave them struggling to cover essentials. This will cause strife in their families and sow seeds of bitterness and resentment!”
     "Keep beautiful well-built females and handsome muscled-up males on the magazines, movies, internet and TV so they will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their husband/wife or feel inadequate themselves. Plaster the internet with pornography so ALL can view it and be enticed at the click of their mouse.”
     "Keep them too tired to spend intimate time together with their husband/wife to nurture their marriage relationships. It will make them feel unloved, lonely and neglected and they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly!"
     “The enhanced and airbrushed images will make the young girls think they have to dress provocatively and have cosmetic surgeries. Young boys will believe they must use steroids. Both sexes will think they need suggestive and seductively placed tattoos or piercings to be appealing. They will waste their time and money, and jeopardize their health, in a futile effort to achieve an unrealistic image of perfection. This is great because they can never be satisfied with their aging human bodies! They will become increasingly self-centered and oblivious to the human needs around them.”
     “They will never achieve the REAL satisfaction that comes from loving their neighbor as they love themselves. Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about HIS resurrection and power over sin and death..."
     “Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their vacations and free-time exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on GOD'S creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
     "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. For those that do try to be selfless and help others, crowd their lives with so many good and worthy causes they have no time to seek power from JESUS. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."
"It will work!"
"It will work!"
It was quite a plan!
     The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier; more rushed, going here and there ... Having little time for their GOD or their families ... Having no time to tell others about the power of JESUS to change lives.

Let’s make this more personal!
Am I distracted from growing in my intimate relationship with the Lord?
How much time did I spend thinking of my work versus thinking of the Lord?
How much time did you spend thinking about new stuff you want to buy or do?
How much time did you spend with your children (quality time)!
Is your home a haven from the world?
How much quiet have you had today?
Did you sing more Christian songs or worldly songs this week?
Have you had thoughts of doubt in the goodness of God recently?
Do you live by what the world says or by what God says?
Where is your hope? On your job? Or with Jesus?
Do you live within your means?
Does your home, walls, bookshelves, coffee table show you are a child of God?
Is there bitterness, anger, hurt, and resentment in your homes?
Do you take every advantage to teach your children about God?
Do you lust over other people other than you spouse?
Have you spent time growing your intimacy with your spouse today?
When was the last time you reached out to someone in love?
Are you tired?
Are you busy all the time?
When was the last time you rested?
The last time you went to church, did you talk to someone about how great God is?
Are you working in your own strength?
Is Satan’s scheme working in your life?

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:12

Holding on Tight!

    Tonight at Fusion, we had our back to school concert for the local colleges. The highlight for the students was the drawing for six lap top computers. The highlight for me was hearing the ‘Historic Baptist Gospel Singers’. It always moves me to hear a gospel choir. I love the spontaneousness of their singing and worship. They sang a song that really echoed in my heart. The words were, “Sometimes we feel like giving up . . . that is when God holds on tight to me so I don’t let go!”

      It made me think about the time Dwayne and I took our small children to the State Fair! It was a place where they could get lost really easy and very quickly. I don’t even know how you would find them if they got lost. It was a place that I held on tight to them. My grip never loosened. Bryce had an elbow that if pulled just right would easily become dislocated. If he jerked away when I had a good hold of him, he would pull his arm out of socket and would not be able to use his arm until we got him to the doctor. Though I knew that holding on tight to him would cause him pain if he tried to pull away, I still did not relax my grip when we were at the fair. Hurting him temporarily was a better choice to me than letting him get away from me and experience unimaginable danger.
     Thank God that He does not relax his hold on me. Though I might try to pull away because of anger, hurt, or being preoccupied, He doesn’t let go of me. Though His grip can bring temporary discomfort, it will keep me safe until I once again wholeheartedly walk beside him hand in hand.

For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let (you) down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

Hebrews 13:5

What Are Your Plans for Tomorrow!

   Today was a really hard day! Once again I was reminded that we are not guaranteed we will have life beyond this breath! Before I went to bed last night, I checked my email and then read a message that a classmate of mine had died. I do not know the reason except she died in a nursing home. This morning I checked my email again, (something I never do) and read about another classmate that died last night. This classmate was a good friend in high school. We were Pom Pom girls together. I enjoyed seeing her at my class reunion last fall and we promised to get together soon. I looked on her Facebook page to see if I could see what happened to her and I read her last status. A few weeks ago she had said her mama heart was heavy for her youngest son. I was very busy that week with many situations that raised its head in my world and I didn’t see her post. If I had, maybe I would have responded to her and given her some encouragement. I do not know why she died but I sit here today evaluating my life. Busyness kept me from following through with the promise to get together. Busyness kept me from giving her some encouragement.

     What else am I going to let busyness steal from me? As I am getting closer to the fifty mark, I am evaluating life more. I don’t have an endless supply of time left to do the things I want to do, or to love all the people I want to love. In fact, I don’t know if I will have another day.
     This is why we have to learn to grab hold of each day and never take it for granted or waste it! If we feel the spirit lead us to minister to someone, we need to do it quickly while we still have the opportunity. We need to eliminate the junk in our life and grab hold of the ministry God brings our way.

What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears.

James 4:14

Serve With What You Got!

     Dwayne, Brittne and I went to the rodeo Saturday night. I have only been to a rodeo four times in my life. It was a great evening and actually was cooler than normal; in the low 90’s! The rodeo was free and sponsored by a local church. The church performed an intermission precision riding routine with horses and riders. They presented the second coming of Christ. They had a man riding a horse with a sword representing Christ and other riders with banners representing angels while Scripture on the rapture was read as they performed.
     What stood out to me the most is how these people took their love for horses and riding and worshipped the Lord with it. They used their ability to share the Word and salvation to a large crowd of people.
     What abilities do you have? What are your skills? What things do you love to do? How could you use those things to serve the Lord or spread His Word?

If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.

John 12:26

Are You A Hoarder?

     Have you ever watched one of those hoarding shows? I have watched them many times and always feel bewildered at why someone would choose to live as a prisoner of their home and their belongings. I have had several family members be minor hoarders but nothing that robbed them of their life. These shows show people who have lost all liveability of their home. They can’t walk through rooms or cook a meal. Many times their stuff even takes over their bathroom. Trash usually is mixed in with the items of obsession. Today’s show had a woman who only could enter her home through the back door and then had to squeeze through it. She could not use her refrigerator or her oven. Hoarders always panic when people go through their stuff and they have melt downs when they have to face getting rid of something they might need one day. The sad thing is they can’t enjoy their things because they are piled into rooms they can’t get into; so how important can they be? Their hoarding cost them their freedom to enjoy their life, their home, and their friends. Spouses usually threaten to leave and take their children with them before the hoarder begins to understand there is a problem. They are volunteer slaves to themselves.
     It makes me wonder what we would see if we could visit a person’s heart. Even worse, if Jesus knocked on the door of your heart, is there room for Him to come in? Would He find your heart in order or are you hoarding things. Do you have emotions, hurt, anger hoarded up in corners or closets of your heart? Have you taken all the things you love to the extreme and have them hoarded up in the rooms in your heart? Does Jesus have room to live or maneuver through your heart? Will you melt down if Jesus tells you to get rid of some things in your life?
      He can help you get things cleared out but you have to be willing to part with the things that are robbing you of experiencing true freedom in Christ. Things will never satisfy. Hurt and anger will never give security and comfort. You must keep your heart clean to allow it to be possessed by the One who owns it! Don’t choose things or emotions over having a relationship with Jesus!

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21

What Kind of Jesus Do You Have?

     We have never met Brittne’s boyfriend, Parker. He is serving the Lord in Haiti. He has been away from his parents now for a year and he has another year to go. They started a short-term family tradition while he is away for two years. They made a small cardboard man who they refer to as ‘flat Parker’. ‘Flat Parker’ goes to football games with them, family dinners, and hunting trips, as their way to include their son. It is as if he is with them all the time; but I am sure that their hearts know he really isn’t!
     Brittne met his parents last week and she will see them again this week. They gave her ‘flat Parker’ to bring home if she would like to take some pictures with him. We have been having so much fun posing for the “Parker Meets the Thompson’s” album. We made him work to earn our daughter. We are a biblical family and if Jacob could work for Rachel, then we feel our daughter is worth a little work! Haha He has had to do the laundry, iron, paint, cook, serve, do dishes, mow, water, shine Dwayne's shoes and exercise for Dwayne! I think I want to keep ‘flat Parker’ around!
    It is so easy and fun to include 'flat Parker' in our lives. We have to remind ourselves that it really isn’t him. There is no communication, no getting to know each other, no growing trust or love. It is just a symbol of Parker. It makes me think of how many Christians live with a ‘flat Jesus’. They treat Him as a cardboard figure. It is just a symbol they put in the events of life, but they do not really know Jesus personally. They do not communicate with Him, get to know His ways, or grow in their relationship of trust and love. Yet, they would tell you that they love Jesus! However, they never get pass a one dimensional relationship with Him!

     Today, I want you to analyze yourself. Do you just have a ‘flat Jesus’ as a symbol of trying to be religious? Is your relationship with Him one dimensional? Or do you have a two-way relationship with the real, alive, life changing Jesus Christ?

     Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:22-23

What Kind of Relationship Do You Have With Jesus?

     We have never met Brittne’s boyfriend, Parker. He is serving the Lord in Haiti. He has been away from his parents now for a year and he has another year to go. They started a short-term family tradition while he is away for the two years he is away. They made a small cardboard man who they refer to as ‘flat Parker’. ‘Flat Parker’ goes to football games with them, family dinners, and hunting trips, as their way to include their son. It is as if he is with them all the time; but I am sure that their hearts know he really isn’t!
      Brittne met his parents last week and she will see them again this week. They gave her ‘flat Parker’ to bring home if she would like to take some pictures with him. We have been having so much fun posing for the “Parker Meets the Thompson’s” album. We made him work to earn our daughter. We are a biblical family and if Jacob could work for Rachel, then we feel our daughter is worth a little work! Haha He has had to do the laundry, iron, paint, cook, serve, do dishes, mow, water, shine Dwayne's shoes and exercise for Dwayne! I think I want to keep ‘flat Parker’ around!
     It is so easy and fun to include 'flat Parker' in our lives. We have to remind ourselves that it really isn’t him. There is no communication, no getting to know each other, no growing trust or love. It is just a symbol of Parker. It makes me think of how many Christians live with a ‘flat Jesus’. They treat Him as a cardboard figure. It is just a symbol they put in the pictures of life, but they do not really know Jesus personally. They do not communicate with Him, get to know His ways, or grow in their relationship of trust and love. Yet, they would tell you that they love Jesus! They never get pass a one dimensional relationship with Him!
     Today, I want to you analyze yourself. Do you just have a ‘flat Jesus’ as a symbol of trying to be religious? Is your relationship with Him one dimensional? Or do you have a two-way relationship with the real, alive, life changing Jesus Christ?

Knowing the correct password –saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance – isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now – at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? “You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

Matthew 7:22-23

Don't Cut God!

     This world is too busy!! It affects all of us and every time I think it is going to get better, reality hits and I have to face the fact that it doesn’t! I have had every night and every day filled for weeks and the end is not in sight. Everything gets out of control when schedules get full. The home seem out of order, the relationships are strained, the ‘to do’ list gets long, and stress grows to a breaking point.
     This craziness has become the way of life for the vast majority of people. The older I get the more I want it to stop! The good news is the older I get, the more it is slowing down at times. Not enough times, but a few more breaks. For many years I have believed that Satan's tactic on Christians is to get them too busy! Too busy to serve, too busy to minister, and too busy to spend time with God. It takes time to get to know God through prayer, and study, and fellowship.
     The worse thing about busyness is that many Christians cut God out of their schedule first. Have you ever been so busy all day Saturday that you skipped church to have some time to rest? Why didn’t you cut the things on Saturday so you could protect your time to worship? May we all get to the point that when the busyness and craziness of life hits us, we cut anything and everything but God!

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10

The Picture of Marriage!

     I have not yet told you about the great day I had with my husband on Saturday. We went to Tulsa for the day to play for our anniversary. We went shopping, had a massage, went to a great dinner, and went swimming at the home of friend’s who were out of town. (No details will be provided!) It was a great day celebrating 29 years of marriage.
     Dwayne has been the man I have loved since I was 16 years old. I have grown up with him; physically, spiritually, and emotionally. He is my closest friend, my deepest love, my strong leader, my spiritual teacher, my life partner, my wise co-parent, my perfect completer, and my God given gift.
     When I step back and look at my marriage over the last 29 years, it is a very interesting and wonderful picture. It is a canvas which has been painted by us. It has many colors and textures. It shows our goodness and our ugliness. It shows the different roads our life has taken. It shows an array of feelings and experiences. It has its valleys and its mountain tops. It has accomplishments, setbacks and failures. It has heartbreaks and pure joy, love and disgust, excitement and boredom, closeness and separation, adventure and ruts, projects completed and projects unfinished, happiness and anger, passion and routine, tears and laughter. Though it has ugly spots, it is beautiful to me and I cherish every stroke. However, I never forget that the real beauty of this painting is not the part we painted. The real beauty comes from the hand of God. He has glazed the entire picture with His grace. It is His power, His love, and His mercy in our lives that will continue our ‘work of art’ until the last brush stroke is done, the masterpiece is completed, and one of us goes to the presence of God and lays our painting at the feet of Jesus!
     May we never lose sight of what picture we want to lay at the feet of Christ! Do we want it completed? Do we want it full of hatred and void of forgiveness? Do we want His hand of grace to be prevalent? It is our gift back to Him; may it be a masterpiece of the Master’s work!

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life, and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

Romans 12:1

Working For God

     Being in HR I deal with all sorts of employees. I hear, see, and evaluate whether an employee is a ‘good’ employee or a ‘bad’ employee. One thing that gets a person on the ‘bad’ list is not being able to apply knowledge. Some people learn the process, procedures, or the policies but they can’t apply it. Frustrated trainers will say things like, “you know this!”, “what did you learn?”, “we’ve gone over this many times”, “what do you not get?” . Still no progress is made. They simply do not trust themselves enough or they do not recognize the problem to remember the solution. These employees are doomed to be stuck in their position forever, demoted, or terminated. Somewhere along the way they have to ‘get it’ if they want to keep their job.
     If we applied the above to our walk with Jesus, what kind of 'employees' would we be? Jesus said that He was about His Father’s business. We should follow the lead of Jesus and be about our Father’s business as well. However, it seems there's a problem with the majority of Christians. Everything they hear in a sermon, or everything they read is just information to them. It doesn't appear that they apply it. Some don’t want to because it's too hard, some can’t recognize a problem coming, some can’t recognize Satan working, and some just don’t remember what they are taught. These Christians face a shallow life as a Christian. They will never experience the joy and love that comes from obedience and following the teachings of Christ. They won’t experience the victory of kicking Satan’s butt. They won’t experience deliverance from a trial. They won’t experience the peace of walking with Jesus down the path of blessings.
     What kind of 'employee' are you for God? There is no greater 'pay' than to work for God! Though we will never get fired from God, do we want to bring honor to him in the way we work? Think about what you have learned about God in the last month . . . how much of it did you apply to your life? Why learn about the ways of God if you are not going to apply them to your life? Don’t just be a hearer of the Word, be a doer! Apply your knowledge!

     Merely hearing God’s law is a waste of time if you don’t do what He commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.

Romans 2:13

God Answers

     Every month, Dwayne deposits his payroll check and takes out our spending cash for the month. Last March, he set my money on my dresser which is in our closet. It set there for a few days and when I went to get it, it was gone. I looked everywhere for it: in the drawers, on the shelves, and in every pocket of the clothes I had worn that week. I finally just accepted that I must have thrown it away or it would show up when I needed it more.
     Saturday, when Dwayne and I spent the day celebrating our anniversary, I decided to take a different purse. I reached up on my top shelf and grabbed the purse I wanted. As I pulled it down another purse fell off the self and hit me right on the bridge of my nose. I spent a few minutes laughing and crying and then hurried out the door.
     Brittne and I are going to take a long mother/daughter weekend trip to see my sister in New York City. I have been saving and budgeting for this trip and I keep remembering the lost money. I have been praying asking God to show me or remind me where the money is. I keep saying, “God this would be a really good time to find my money!”
     Yesterday, I was cleaning up my closet and was putting the purses that fell and hit me back on the shelf. One purse seemed to be really heavy and so I looked inside it. It was completely loaded. It had all the typical purse stuff and my billfold. I started cleaning it out and when I opened what I thought was an empty billfold, there was my money! Are you kidding me? I never remember carrying the purse the week I lost the money. I found a ticket in my purse to a show I went to in March. I must have taken that purse to the show and then forgot about it. This is why I am not one of those women who change out my purse every day!
     I am not surprised that God answered my prayer and showed me where my money was. However, I do not know if He has ever literally knocked me upside the head with it before! lol God has helped me find many missing things that would have been impossible to find without His intervention. God does care about our little every day things. My children have never hesitated to ask me to help them find things or do things. They know that as a parent, I want to help them even with the little things. God is the perfect parent. Why would our perfect Father not want to help us? He is totally capable of taking care of the world and us too!

Please listen, God, and answer my prayer!

Psalm 61:1

Which Direction Are You Going?

     Have you driven in a tunnel? I love tunnels for some unknown reason. The longer they are the better and more fascinating I think they are! That is one of the reasons I like New York City: it is full of tunnels. One thing tunnels have in common is they have lights in them so you can see where you are going!
     Can you imagine what it would be like to drive through a long tunnel with no lights anywhere? It would be a very scary and an overwhelming fear factor. Imagine with me you are traveling through a long, pitch black tunnel. At a point of panic, you see a light ahead of you directing you through the challenge. All you have to do is follow the light. That seems pretty easy until the road forks and now you are faced with a decision. You can follow the light in a direction that leads to a place you really do not want to go. However, if you continue to follow the light, you know the light will stay with you and give you comfort and security. The other choice you have is to go the direction that leads to where you really want to go. However, the light is not going with you. You will have to travel alone and when you get through the tunnel you will find yourself still in darkness. What choice will you make?
     Now imagine that tunnel as one of life’s challenges. It seems as if you are going down a long deep tunnel, and you feel scared and overwhelmed and almost to a point of panic. Then you hear the voice of Jesus gently directing you through. You are relieved to follow . . . until the fork in the road! You and your flesh want to go one way; usually the easy way which will take you somewhere you want to go. But Jesus leads us the other way; usually what we think is the harder way. We only think it is harder because we have to leave our flesh behind. However, we know that if we want to follow Jesus, and not our flesh, we have to follow Him no matter where He leads. What choice are you going to make?
     I see this decision played out in life all the time. For example: You are in a hurtful position. You have to follow your anger and your hurt which will only take to the land of bitterness, or you lay aside your flesh and follow the Lord who will lead you to forgiveness and blessing. But do we really want to forgive?
     What tunnel are you in? Which direction are you going to go? With Jesus you will have light in your tunnel as long as you follow Him. Go another direction and you will experience true blackness. The great thing about following Jesus is that we do not have to wait for the light at the end of the tunnel . . . the Light is with us all the way through!

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.

Psalm 119:105

Do You Love Jesus?

    One of life’s biggest stresses for me is when I know I need to respect someone for their position but in reality, I do not have an ounce of respect for them. It is especially hard if the lack of respect I feel for them is due to their inability to demonstrate God’s principles, God’s love, or God’s grace. I want to respond to their ungodliness with ungodliness. My tongue usually swells from biting it! My flesh wants to tell them what I think of them and how their behavior is not God pleasing. I try to tell myself and manipulate my mind by saying, “Sometimes God calls us to be His hands and sometimes He calls us to be His mouth!” Then the Spirit convicts me and I know that God does not need my mouth. I realize that I can hate their behavior but I cannot hate them. God expects me to love in all circumstances and to all people. I am sure that Jesus did not respect the Pharisees or Herod, but He submitted to their position to His death.
      Let me assure you that when I am in these situations, I cannot love within my own power. The only way I can love is to let God love through me! I can’t say that I love God and then not let Him love through me. So today there is only one question . . . Do you love God by loving others?

If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.

1John 4:20-21

Do Your Wounds Show?

     Well, my body is still recovering from my blundering fall last Saturday. My arms are so sore I can barely lift them. I have bruises on my left arm and hand and I have a scab on my right elbow and big toe. Everything is sore and aching. My knee is better than it was but it is still swollen. It seems to swell at night. My knee is very tender and now the bruising is coming with full vengeance. The bruise on the left of my knee is about the size of my hand and the right side on my knee is starting to marbleize; it is going to combine into an interesting picture. I cannot stand to wear jeans or pants over my knee, so I wear shorts each day. With the dark bruising there will be no way to hide my knee which means I have to explain to everyone what happened.
     It makes me wish I could see people’s spiritual and emotional bruises, wounds, and scares. It would be nice if the person that ticks me off with their rudeness had their wounds visual; maybe then I would be quicker to show kindness and grace. Most people that frustrate us have wounds that are causing their behavior. We tend to live by the saying out of sight, out of mind. So, if we don’t see their hurts we forget the fact that they are causing side effects for the person we are dealing with. We let our emotions blind us to needs.
     The solution is what it always is; we must surrender daily to the Holy Spirit. We do not have to see their hurts because Jesus knows all of them and if He is leading us, He is responding to them through us. We will be responding in a manner that will be ministering to them. Have you surrendered to the Holy Spirit today? Or did you surrender to your emotions?

My people are broken – shattered! – and they put on band-aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’!

Jeremiah 8:11

What Are You Doing With Today!

Good News! Today is a new day! What are you going to do with it?

     Yesterday was an emotionally hard day for me. It was one that left me numb at the end of the day. Thank God not all days are like that. Some are hard, some are happy, some are challenging, some are uneventful, some are exciting, and some are boring. We can never be for sure how they will turn out! Some days we feel we get tons done and some days we feel like we got nothing done. In the long run, I have learned it really doesn’t matter. If I look back over my years (which are adding up fast), the work I have done whether in my jobs, or the church, or my home, has passed and is forgotten. In some cases, it has been redone. All the effort, stress, time, worry, and accomplishments were in the end . . . all for nothing. The only thing that has lasted over time is the impact and the difference I have made with people.
     We can bury our heads in the events and work of the day and when we lay our head on our pillow that night, ask ourselves if we made a difference with the day God gave us. If we seek to minister and encourage someone, we will know we made a difference with the day God gave us.
     Can you remember all the things you did a month ago? Can you remember how you touched someone last month? Be a good steward of this day, find someone that is hurting and make a difference in their life. Love them for Jesus!

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’"

Matthew 25:37-40

Sacrifice or Privildge?

     Many months ago I wrote on the sacrifice of praise and since then I have continued to ponder the true meaning of sacrifice for God. If everything I have is from the Lord, how can I sacrifice something that wasn’t mine to begin with? While I was in Peru, I saw they were void of the day-to-day stuff that we call blessings. I questioned why I deserve anything when most of the world has nothing.  So, I asked myself; how can I sacrifice something that I don’t deserve to have to begin with? In addition, how can I sacrifice anything of value to the God who owns it all?  The definition for sacrifice is, ‘the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim’. There are lots of things that I have prized or desired: having a husband whom I didn’t have to share with others, being able to attend my uncles funeral, having my daughter closer for the last two years, etc. However, Jesus' call and directions for our family is a higher and more pressing claim than anything my heart could desire.         
     Now we know what sacrifice is but scripture speaks of us giving a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. When I give up something that is important to me because Jesus is more important, that is my sacrifice to Him.  When I do it not as an obligation or an act of manipulation, but with a heart of thankfulness to Him for what He does for me and with a heart of praise, then my act becomes a sacrifice of praise. As always, God wants our grateful hearts not just our sacrifice.
     Here are some examples of a sacrifice of praise: joyously giving financially to God to thank Him for all He gives to us; giving Him our time in private and corporate praise to Him showing the priority He has in our life; to give up time with those we love in order for them to serve Him and to appreciate the honor of seeing them in His will; to fix a relationship with someone because glorifying Him is more important than our rights or hurt feelings; to give Him the praise for our accomplishments because showing Him off to the world is better than showing our self off; serving others in the most inconvenient time with a loving heart because we know that when we serve others, we are serving God and everything in our lives belong to Him (including our schedules or wants, etc.).
     What is important to you: money, time, relationships? Is Jesus more important than these things? What do you sacrifice for God?  What kind of heart do you offer for your sacrifice? Brittne shared a statement Sunday made by Jerry Rankin who said, “Why do we consider anything a sacrifice when Jesus saw it a privilege to die on the cross for us."  Is your sacrifice a privilege to give?

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Hebrews 13:15

Not another one!

    A few months ago, I wrote on the falls in my life for almost three weeks. I really was concerned that I would have a great fall during those times to be my grand finale for that series. I did not fall though and was relieved. I wrote about 20 falls. Well, hold on . . . now I can share with you number twenty-one! It was a great weekend. Bryce and Kristen came into town and Brittne and Kristen were spending Saturday morning together. I was going to meet up with them for lunch at 11:30. On my way, Brittne called and said they were going to be late. I decided that I had time to get gas and wash my car that I had been teased about for being so dirty. I went through a automatic car wash next to the manual bays. It was an automatic bay with open ends. The inside of my car needed to be cleaned as well as the outside. I had a dry rag in the car and I had a great idea (so I thought). I threw my dry rag in the bay behind the sprayers before the wash began. I thought this would allow me to get my rag wet and then when the car wash was done, my rag would be wet and I could retrieve it and wash the inside of my car. The plan worked perfectly up to the retrieving part. When the wash was over, I pulled out of the bay and went in to get my rag. I was hurrying and when my flip flopped feet hit the wet, moldy, mossy cement; my body went crashing into the cement floor, cinder block walls, and big metal sprayer. The instant thought in my mind was, “I am too old for these kinds of falls, and it is not going to be pretty!” Humility inspired me up on my feet though I was dripping with water and mold. I immediately looked around to see if there was an audience to my performance. Nobody was present though a car had just pulled up to the purchase screen for the automatic car wash. I made it back to my car and wanted to sit there and cry for a while but I had to get my car moved for the person behind me. I pulled forward and used my rag on myself. I had to wash off the mold and dirt off my hands, arms, and legs. Though my complete body hurt, my hand dominated in the pain level; the area under my pinkie to my wrist, swelled up with bluish tones and pounded out the beat of my heart. I pulled it together enough to drive to lunch and by the time lunch was over, I thought I would live. When I got home I shared with Bryce and Dwayne my new episode of clumsiness and proceeded to get my lecture of how you NEVER go into an automatic car wash. I don’t want to underestimate the hand of God in his creation of me, but I did not get as much logic as I think others got! I worked in the garage with the boys trying to get it in order and when I was done I went into Brittne’s room to check on her. As I was sitting on her bed, I decided to scope out the damage to my body and look for bruises. I picked up my pant leg and went into a panic of shock! I had never seen anything look like my knee did. I could feel the uncontrolled swelling taking place but since it looked so weird, Brittne and I were cracking up. We called Bryce in to look at his mother’s injury. I thought I would win some toughness points for having had worked in the heat with a deformed knee but he did not think it was funny and immediately made me get on the couch and put my knee up so he could wrap my knee in ice. I hate ice! He made me do what I hated to do in order to stop things from getting worse.

     There are two spiritual applications that can be made with this story. First, there are many times we do not see the consequences of our spiritual falls, our sin, until a certain point down the road. The consequences can shock us because we may have thought we got by without having to pay a big price. We must remember that we never ‘get by’ God. He sees everything and we will always pay the price for our bad decisions! There is no hiding from the One who sees everything! The other lesson is that it sometimes takes someone else to see the severity of the situation. We can be laughing and seeing the fun in our behavior and God can send another person to show us that the ‘fun’ can explode on you and you will end up with a serious situation.
     Are there sins in your life that you have thought you got by God? Or are you now reaping the consequences of past sin? Are there sins in your life that you are enjoying and think are fun? The ‘fun’ of those sins will pass and you will end up with serious consequences if you do not repent and change. Has God sent someone in your life to help you see the real situation you are facing? Are they willing to help you make things better? Are you listening?

This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay.
He was quite explicit: "Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing,” and,
 “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me.

Hebrews 10:30-31

Responses

     Have you ever had to bite your tongue off to keep from responding the wrong way to someone’s hatefulness? Do you ever get jealous at some peoples freedom to act anyway they choose and everyone just say, “Oh, that is just how they are?”
     I experienced those feelings the other day. Within 30 minutes two good friends of mine decided to take out their anger and frustrations on me. One friend just snubbed me in front of another friend and the other one exploded at the person I was with but somehow directed her rage at me. I tried in both cases to make it right, but the one who snub me didn’t have her phone and the other one wasn’t going to hear of it. I have to tell you that I am not the personality type to just give people time. I want to fix it and make up as soon as possible. However, I am learning to not push and give people time to let the Lord deal with their hearts. Within the day the first friend apologized. I had to wait three long days for the second one to apologize but it was worth to know that I did not push the apology and she gave it on her own accord.
      It took a lot of prayer and trust in the Lords ability to speak to my friend’s heart. After I did not receive the apology the next day, my flesh wanted to tell her off and demand her to be sorrowful. The flesh always takes us down the wrong path, so I am very pleased that I did not listen to it. I do not always stifle my flesh but it is something I am working very hard to to habitually achieve. I would like to be more in control of my fleshly responses before I am 50 years old. It is time I have more control over it than it has over me!

Don’t be hateful to people just because they are hateful to you.

Rather, be good to each other and to everyone else.

1 Thessalonians 5:15

Do You Remember?

     I wasn't able to give you the details to my 'getting my house ready for Brittne' because it consisted of totally redoing her bedroom which was a surprise for her. She had a french theme, girlie room with dresses and heels. Somehow, after spending two years in the villages of Peru, it didn't seem to reflect her. So, I redid her room in a very South American feel. What is special about it is I was able to use all of her memorabilia from her travels in the decor. She has things from Egypt, Spain, Holland, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, and Mexico. I printed and framed the pictures that she took from her travels. Everywhere she looks in her room, she is reminded of special times and special memories. I am so happy she loves it and it brings her comfort during her transition stage back to America.

     It makes me wish I could have spiritual reminders around me. Memorabilia that would make me remember the commitments I have made, or the blessings I have received, or the special times God spoke to me in a powerful way. Maybe if I had these reminders around me constantly, I wouldn't forget about them. It always frustrates me how fast we forget the great things but hold on to the bad things in life. Many times it is music that serves as reminders to me. I was saved to "I Surrender All", I rededicated my life to "A Savior is Waiting", Dwayne's call to the ministry was confirmed to me with "God Just Needs A Few Good Men", and "All in All" represents our life in Montana. However, I don't hear these songs very often and so I forget and my focus camps out with my present situations. Maybe I should make me a CD of all the songs that represent my spiritual journey and play them continually. God tells us over and over in scripture to remember and not to forget the work He has done in our lives. Maybe He had to tell us multiple times because He knew we would forget.
     How often do you remember the milestones in your spiritual life and the work God has done in you? What memorabilia or reminders could you build in your life to help you not forget? Remember His miracles, His wonders, and His perfect and just decisions.

Remember all the wonders he performed, the miracles and judgments that came out of his mouth. 

1 Chronicles 16:12

Day of Thankfulness

    Two years ago I drove my daughter to the airport and said goodbye as she left to serve God in Peru. When I say ‘goodbye’, I don’t mean 'see you soon'. I had to put her totally in God’s hands (where she had actually been all along) and be prepared for whatever God chose. If you see some of the buses and some of the one lane, cliff side, mountain roads, you would understand why I had to be prepared for anything. A month before Brittne got to Peru, a summer missionary was killed in a car wreck. I could not assume I would see her come home. However, today the two years are up and I am going to the same airport to bring her home! It is a blessing I do not take for granted. I am thankful and humbled. I look forward to seeing where God leads her next. I know it will not be an easy transition because it is never easy to pour your heart into something and then leave it; not to mention the culture difference. I know she would appreciate your prayers!
     Do you have anybody you need to place in God’s hands and trust His will, His plan, and His love for them? Maybe it is a child. Maybe a husband. Maybe parents or grandparents. Maybe it is yourself! I cannot promise you any end result except whatever happens in their life has been filtered through the loving fingers of God!

So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be.

Psalms 62:8

Need to Rest?

     Do you need to Rest in the Lord?
     Okay, I am going to let you off the hook today! I know I have written some long devotions this last week, so today’s is going to be short. Don’t be shocked! I am in such a weird place today. I can’t seem to focus on anything. I have a list of things to do but I can’t get focused enough to get them done. My mind keeps skipping around to Brittne being home in 36 hours, Bryce and Kristen coming this weekend, work, the preparations I need to do for an upcoming church event, the unfinished projects in the house, the bladder infection that hit hard today, the flower beds that needs to be ridden of weeds (again!), and flowers screaming to be watered due to the heat! The problem is, I need to write a devotion and I can’t settle my mind enough to focus on hearing God’s voice in the midst of all the other words bouncing around in my head. Usually His voice is very clear in directing my typing fingers but today, all that I hear Him saying is to talk about the times when we are unfocused. So, I am being completely open with you and letting you know that I am unfocused. Nothing like taking your problem and making it your solution! lol
     What do we do when we can’t hear God through the noise of life or the noise in our heads? We rest in Him. We climb up in His lap, snuggle in, and let His comfort and peace calm our thinking. When our thinking calms, we can begin to hear His voice again and will be mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed.
    The longer we take to not rest in Him, the longer we will go not hearing His voice. I am learning to rest quickly when I need it because I don’t like going one day without hearing Him!

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.

Matthew 11:28

Stages of Life

     It is finally hitting me that I am going to be a grandmother! I don’t know if it is because we now know it is a girl, or because so many young adults that I care for are pregnant for the first time, or because my life has slowed down enough to soak it all in, or because I spent the whole weekend, cleaning and reordering my home to have a guest room/ baby room; but whatever the reason. . . I am getting really excited! Besides excitement, I am feeling a deep sense of reflection. Looking back over my years raising children, I wished so much of that time away and didn’t appreciate the moments of the turning calendar. During the pregnancy period (which I happen to believe is one of the most precious times of my life!) I lived with anticipation of what was to come. Anticipating a new stage in life and the journey of marriage. Anticipating a baby to love and nurture. However, soon the anticipation turned into a feeling of being totally overwhelmed. How was I going to do this? What if I do the wrong thing? I have never had another living thing so dependent on me, what if I forget to do something: so much to do, so much stuff, so much to remember and worry about! Soon, you get your feet under you and then you enter toddler time. Now you are frustrated. Will they ever shut up? Will they ever be still? Can you just have some time for yourself? Can I just go to the bathroom by myself? Soon they start growing up and doing things on their own and they enter childhood and school days. Then you are hit with busyness which produces exhaustion. There is no more chilling at home in the evenings. There are school activities, sports, birthday parties, lessons, church activities, etc. Life is a whirlwind. The cute little babies are now weird creatures living in your home beginning the process of independence. Just when you think it can’t get worse . . . it does! You enter the endurance period of teenagers! This is the time you experience complete madness! Though my children were fairly good for teenagers, these are the days that I would not live over even if I could. The best explanation for these years I have ever heard is at 13 years old they lose their brains and they get 20% back each year until they reach 18. I can’t really explain these years! If you have lived through them, you understand. If you haven’t, all that love you feel for that adorable baby that you think will explode inside you, will endure you through this time! lol You go from one extreme to another when they leave for college, or work, or the armed services. You go from madness to sadness. You miss them in your life. You feel their pulling away and their independence. You wonder how often they will fit you into their lives. They go from demanding your attention daily, to setting up boundaries around their lives. It is a transition that carries on to them living totally on their own and the empty nest years begin. Though it has been a great time with my husband and our marriage, when I think of my motherhood currently, it sometimes feels lonely. Though all of parenthood is filled with many emotions; it has been the most honorable and blessed thing I have ever experienced! I believe parenthood was a time I grew up as I was trying to grow up my children. I learned I could love unconditionally and sacrificially.  No matter how much I was stressed or felt like a failure, I never stopped loving them, caring for them, wanting all of their dreams to come true, wanting them to have happiness in life, and peace with God. I have so many wonderful memories! Even the bad events are now special memories. I just wish I would have appreciated it more at the time! I wish I hadn’t taken for granted that last time Bryce crawled up in my lap needing loving from his mother; if I hadn’t, maybe I would know when that last time was! I wish I hadn’t taken for granted the last time Brittne wanted to be totally silly with her mama; if I hadn’t, maybe I would know when that last time was! And now it starts all over with the anticipation of the birth of my first grandchild. This time through, I will not take anything for granted. I think that is what makes grandparenthood so magical. It is seeing things in a deeper, more spiritual, more grateful set of eyes because your focus isn't on the demands of the day to day life of rearing children. My definition for grandparenthood is appreciating all the things you took for granted the first time around!
    As I have pondered the characteristics of being a grandparent, I have realized that God has them all. Since He is my all in all, then He is not only my father, but my grandfather as well. God has shown me much about Himself through parenthood. Now I pray He reveals Himself to me more deeply as I experience grandparenthood. I am ready for the adventure to begin! Bring on the diapers!

Show me your truth and teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me,

 for you are God my Savior.

Psalm 25:4-5

What Would You Say?

     What people do you surround yourself with? Are they mainly Christians? Are you able to talk logically with an atheist?
     Living in the ‘Bible Belt’ and having mainly Christians in my life, I tend to be sheltered from those to whom I must defend my faith. I have recently read a book called “Unexpected Journeys”. It is a book I would HIGHLY recommend all Christians to read. It is testimonies from 13 people, all from different religions, sharing their journey to find Jesus. There are several common threads between the stories but one is that Christians don’t know their Bible and beliefs enough to share Christianity to a person of a different faith. I have really been pondering the things I learned from this book and plan on reading it several more times. Yesterday, while getting online, I saw an article on Haiti. I am very attentive to Haiti these days because Brittne’s boyfriend, Parker, serves as a missionary there. So, I read the article and for some strange reason read the comments. At first, they made me numb and sick. Then I was shocked as I was being dragged out of my sheltered world to face the reality of the beliefs of others. People are walking away from God as Christians are becoming more and more lackadaisical with our faith. We can’t change others until we mature as Christians and know why we believe what we believe. Though I realize that it will make the devotion really long today (hey, I have been really good lately with short devotions), I am including the story and some of the comments I am referring to. May it encourage you as it did me, to equip yourself to be able to love people to Jesus with knowledge and not have to rely on slanderous words.
msnbc.com updated 7/29/2010 7:01:21 AM ET LONDON — A mother broke down in tears as she was reunited with her baby girl six months after the earthquake that devastated Haiti. "I had thought Landina was dead and when I heard she was alive I was in shock," the eight-month-old infant's mother, Marie Miracle Seignon told Britain's Channel 4 News. "This is very emotional for me." Doctors said the January earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands in the Caribbean island nation actually saved Landina's life. Last December, a house fire caused by candles left Landina seriously injured and suffering burns to her skull. She was undergoing treatment at La Trinite hospital in the capital when the devastating temblor struck and was buried in the rubble for two days. When Landina was pulled from the debris, she was moved to a field hospital run by Doctors Without Borders. Her right arm was badly injured in the quake and had to be amputated.
     It was during her stay there that British surgeon David Nott realized that Landina would likely die within days if she did not receive an operation, Channel 4 News reported. Her skull had been so damaged by the house fire that it left her brain exposed to the risk of a fatal infection. Since the complex operation could not be carried out in quake-ravaged country, the doctor helped to set her up with a British charity that specializes in craniofacial reconstructive surgery. The charity, Facing the World, did not know where Landina's family was or if any of her relatives were even alive. With her medical records destroyed in the quake, they didn't even have names to work with. Facing the World brought the baby to London, paying for her travel and medical costs and acting as her temporary guardian. In March, Channel 4 News' Inigo Gilmore returned to Haiti to help the charity hunt for Landina's family. With the publicity surrounding the story, several people pretended to be family members, thinking they could benefit from the relationship. Gilmore interviewed people at the first hospital Landina had been treated at and was told that her mother was possibly living in a slum area of Port-au-Prince called Bizoton. He put out a radio announcement and located Seignon, a 26-year-old mother of four. Seignon had an admission card from the hospital bearing Landina's name, Channel 4 News said. "When the notice was put out on a radio, a friend raced to my house and said, 'Please sit down.' She said, 'This may sound like something from the movies but sometimes movies do come true. I need to tell you that Landina is alive.'" Seignon added: "I didn't believe at first, and even after the reporter came and showed me the pictures, it was still hard to believe." After a DNA test proved that Seignon was Landina's biological mother, the charity helped her travel to London to spend six weeks with the baby she hadn't seen in half a year. Visiting Landina at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in the U.K. capital, the mother told Channel 4 News: "Seeing her now in reality is a shock to me because I last saw her as a little baby with two hands, now she has only one. Even though I had seen her in pictures I didn't believe it. Now it's real."
Comments
Linda/ Stories like these confirm in my heart that there is a God, there is a reason for that little girl to live after going through so much. Truly this is a miracle. God bless the Doctors and the Organization that helped her.
Hoosier/ Great story. Wonderful picture. However, do you blame science for the hurricane and god for the miracle that the baby was alive?
Mike\ Why the hell can't we just give the credit to the hard work and efforts of the folks that made this possible without some jackass stepping in and giving the credit to God? We humans are capable of making good things happen all by ourselves you know. Save your illusions for Sunday coffee hour church chat please.
Laura/Everything comes from God.
Tiredofnegativity/ Mike why can't u shut up!!!
Thetrix/ Mike has a valid point. The rescuers, doctors and organizations did this. They should get credit. Not all people believe in fantasy and can see reality for what it is. Reality saved this child. Real people did the work
Donna/ If this does not verify the existence of a higher power, nothing will. God bless you Mom and Landina.
Joe/ What does this story have to do with a higher power? How many people died in the quake? This story is 1 in a 1,000,000... where is the higher power for the other 999,999? Where was it when the fire burnt the baby's skull? Where was it when rubble crushed the baby's arm and left her in debris for 2 days alone? It seems that if a story is happy (and don't get me wrong, this story is extremely joyous) someone claims that it is because of "god." If a story is sad, it is a learning lesson from "god." Either way you spin it, you still have nothing to base that presumption on. There is no verification of a higher power in this story... it is happenstance... as is life. I am tickled to see these two get to reunite. We have luck to thank for the fact that rubble crushed her arm, not her head. We have man's developed brain, hard work, and determination to thank for finding mom!
Joyce/ All good things come from God.
Mike/ All good things come from God. You make me want to vomit up a belly full of butterflies, puppy breath and sunshine. What ... are we humans not capable of good without God taking the credit?
Handgunner/ Mike - not to worry, I will pray for others who are more deserving. God gave man free will so you can believe what you want to believe - I will not call you names or smear you for your beliefs but why must you smear others?
Mike/ I thank you for not praying for me. That way, my good deeds will be attributable to nobody other than me, thus reinforcing the reality that humans are capable of good without the intervention of Him. If you choose to believe, then so be it and more power to you. But when you bring your ideology into a public forum, you are a target for those of us that prefer to give credit where it is due ... instead of giving it to something that is unseen, unheard and leaves no tracks of its existence.
Maria/ Mike ---So because you don't believe, nobody should? If you don't want to believe then don't, but by the same token, don't try and explain away or demean the beliefs of others just because they differ from yours.
JustAThought08/ Mike, no matter what you say or do there are always going to be people who need to have a parent figure, and need to believe in a God who is running everything and who occasionally intervenes in human lives with assorted miracles. It is not worth getting upset or arguing about it. It is like arguing with someone who is not quite sane, since their attitudes and beliefs are not predicated in reality. You may as well be speaking in Chinese. Just be happy you are not one of them...In the meantime, I, too, am blown away by the sheer persistence and dedication of the people who brought this little girl such a long way from devastating injury to health and her mother’s arms, especially since you know that for every success like this there were probably dozens of heart-breaking failed attempts. What an incredible achievement to have the heart to persist in the face of such odds!
Laura/ So... if God has love for "His" people, why put them through this? You're confusing love with cruelty, folks. Take God (and any diety) out of the equation and just be happy for the mom whose kid was found.
Mike/ This is a wonderful, feel good story. I am overjoyed for mother and child. However .... God has love for Haiti?? One good earthquake story for every 5,000 bad ones. With that kind of friend, who needs enemies? Personally, I strive to do good and be good on my own accord, and I don't need God to make it happen. However, I fully expect someone to come back with "you poor soul, I will pray for you" ... thereby attributing my future good deeds to your intervention. Excuse me while I go floss the butterflies out of my teeth.
Checkmate/ Agreed, Laura. I'm an atheist and the only thing I care about is the mother and the kid. It is awesome that she made it thanks to the paramedics.
Christina/ What an amazing story! It is so nice to see that miracles do happen! May god bless the people who helped make this happen and mother and child!
Ann/ AMEN!!! I just sat here shaking my head thinking how awesome God is to display His grace from this horrific disaster. Through this story I could "hear" HIM say "though the world has forgotten you - I have not"! May all those who love HIM be encouraged to know that in the "rubble" of life HE has not forgotten you! He has love for Haiti and He has love for you! PRAISE HIS NAME!!! HE LIVES FOREVER!!
Angelica/ For all the non-believers out there, this just shows that there is a power beyond all understanding. Seen and unseen. For all the believers out there, the Lord still lives and He's alive and working. Miracles do happen every day. What a wonderful story.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

Psalm 14:1

Where Is Your Focus Today?

What took your focus yesterday? Was it work? Was it motherhood? Was it financial problems? Was it errands and chores? If I asked you what are the two top priorities in our lives, you would probably say God and my spouse. If God and your spouse are your top priorities, then they should have had the majority of your focus yesterday. Did they?
     The greatest goal I have for my relationship with God and my husband is intimacy. (I wish we could see Dwayne’s face light up right now with a big smile because his male mind will translate those words to “Tonya wants to be ‘intimate’ with me!” Sorry Dwayne, that is not exactly what I mean.) The definition for intimacy is to thoroughly be acquainted with something or someone through study or experience, or the sharing of private matters to someone. Oh, yes, there is the definition of sexual relations, but that is another day’s devotion! (Dwayne; Thank you Jesus!) I cannot become intimate with anyone, no matter what definition we use, without focusing on them. The definition for focus is the concentration of attention or energy on something. If I want to be intimate with someone, then I need to spend time focused on them. My spiritual intimacy with God depends on the time I spend studying and experiencing Him through study which takes my focus. My marriage intimacy depends on the time I spend getting acquainted with my spouse by sharing private matters which takes focus.
     I have to admit that days can go by without me focusing on what I should. It seems the demands of life and even the ministry to others can so take my focus that it feels impossible to focus on anything else. I wish there was a big caution flag that would wave in front of me when that happens to warn me that my inattentiveness is taking me into danger territories. Every night when my head hits the pillow, I should ask myself these questions: What blessings and struggles did Dwayne experience today? Did I physically touch him today? Did I look him in the eyes today? Did I show him love and respect today? Is there anything I left undone with him today?
     Here is the hard truth of the life of marriage, no matter who you are! When I am not meeting the needs of my spouse, there is someone out there who will be willing to. My spouse's emptiness can sometimes scream louder than their inner voice of commitment and before you know it, they are letting someone else fill their needs.
     I read this story on facebook today and thought it rang out a great warning to all those who are married, or going to be married someday. Read it with focus and let God speak to you.

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request. I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her. On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly;

it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad.

On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.

--- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage! Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.

Matthew 19:6

It Has a Purpose!

     Do you have bad situations that have created hurt in your life? Have you let God heal you? Have you forgiven? Have you seen God work it out for good?

     Some of you already know that I have not had the best relationship with my birth father. My mother and my birth father were mere teenagers when I was born. My 17 year old father was not ready to be a father and my parents’ marriage only lasted months. My mother was a wonderful, single mother. She worked hard to provide for me all by herself. She remarried a few years later and her new husband adopted me and became my father; since my birth father was no longer involved in my life. He was a wonderful father to me and I love him very much, but I always felt emptiness in regards to my birth father. My birth father became a successful man and a good father to two children. I met him for the first time when I was a freshman in high school. We have since had an occasional communication but we really never got past the ‘I have done you so wrong’, ‘I forgive you’ stage; until recently. Last September, I met with him face to face for the first time in twenty years. Since then, we have communicated approximately five times and we just had normal chit chat conversations, which is a first. One thing I have always done is to try and forgive him and never let a seed of bitterness grow in me. I think many times he wishes I would just hate him so he wouldn't have to face the issue. My forgiveness of him keeps the responsibility of this relationship on him. One of the hardest things for me is to not know my half brother and sister. They do not know about me and I pray that someday that changes.
     Sometimes, this situation has been very hurtful for me and hard for me to deal with. However, God has always been faithful to help me forgive and heal. Last week in the village, I saw God take this situation and work it for good for His glory! We were asked to share our family testimonies to the Peruvian children at the school we ministered in. Brittne encouraged us to share whatever we felt comfortable sharing and what God laid on our heart. Everyone shared perfect family testimonies except me. I felt very led to share my experience with a father that is suppose to love me but whose actions say he doesn’t. I shared how I have had three fathers and how my first father left. I shared how I had to learn to forgive in order to have peace in my heart. The school teacher followed up our testimonies by encouraging the children to practice forgiveness and to count their blessings for the people God sends to fill in the gap of parents who fail. Peruvian families are in bad shape. They are where our families in America are headed. The school teacher shared with us later that several students came up to him and shared how they had thought they were alone in their situations but now they realized that others can understand their pain. Praise God! Just as he promises to do; He took something bad in my life and used it for good in the lives of others! It at least brings some purpose to the hurt! All I had to do is to trust and love Him!

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.

Romans 8:28

Judge? Then be judged!

     When we were in Montana, Dwayne and I decided that we wanted to offer a home to a child who didn't have one. We went through the process and classes to adopt a child. Part of the requirements were that we had to be foster parents to the child for 6-12 months before we could adopt them. We selected a girl that was two years younger than Brittne named Becky. Though I had to follow the requirements to adopt her, I did not put any boundaries on my heart and brought her into my home as a child of ours and loved her as such. That was a mistake and was not a good thing for Becky. Getting close to a family, and especially a mother over night, created an emotional fear for her. Her life had taught her that everyone she loved would leave her and so she would test and push the relationship to extremes to make it happen quickly and not down the road. Anytime we showed attention to Bryce or Brittne, she would go into a raging fit which would take both our attention for hours. We tried everything to help her through her fits. We even tried ignoring her and then she threatened the kids and Dwayne's safety. We got her some more counseling but it spiraled down from there. For the sake of Bryce and Brittne and for her own sake we had to let her leave our family. It was one of the most heart wrenching experiences I have ever endured. I felt guilty for being another person in her life that promised her love and yet left her. I haven't seen her in over ten years and yet I still miss her, pray for her, and love her. One of the biggest blows my heart took through this loss was from Becky's softball coach. She cornered Brittne a few days after Becky left and voiced her opinion to Brittne that all Becky needed was someone to love her. She stated that she would have taken her and loved her. I was shocked and hurt that this woman was saying that I just didn't love her enough and to top it off, tell my child her warped opinion! She had never been in our home. She didn't know me. She never saw one of Becky’s fits. She never saw the price my children were paying. She couldn't feel my heart and know how much I loved this little girl.

     It is tough enough to be judged by someone that understands your situation, but to be judged by someone who has not walked in your shoes and, even worse, not have an idea what shoes you wear, is even worse.
     I wish I could say that I have never judged someone, especially someone that I didn't understand their situation, but I can't. That fact shames me because I do what I hate done to me! How much have you let judging become a part of your life? Do you at least get to know them and their life? If people judged you like you judge them, how would you feel? I pray that I grow to never judge anybody's decisions until I take the time to get to know what I don't understand. Above all, I pray that I leave all judging to the only one qualified to judge fairly and that is God and God alone

Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults --

 unless, of course, you want the same treatment.

Matthew 7:1

Well Done

     I am home and trying to settle back in. It has been a full day and I wish I had another day to chill, but tomorrow I am back to work! I didn’t really chill out today because I am preparing for Brittne to come home in nine days! I cannot believe it. Two years has passed and now she is returning. Though I feel I have done well with the separation, it has been a sacrifice for my motherhood. I have not spent a birthday, or a Thanksgiving, or fun shopping day with my daughter in two years. I have missed her! However, I must say that I was moved and awed by my daughter during my mission trip to Peru. She has grown into a mature, spiritual woman. I watched her minister to people, wisely teach God's Word, and graciously share the gospel. She did her God assignment wonderfully and she didn’t need her mama’s help! Our mission trip with her was the last village trip Brittne will make. I watched a new believer cry because she knows she will not see Brittne again and yet she is grateful for the love and teaching Brittne has given her over her time in her village. I saw a couple who run a restaurant struggle to say goodbye to my daughter because they have grown to love her. They promise they are coming to the USA one day for her wedding. (No there are no wedding plans in the works at the time being!) As I was crying watching the people tell her goodbye, I realized that whatever sacrifice I have made as a mother to be away from my daughter was worth it! The impact she has made on people for the Lord in Peru is a blessing to them and to me. I know that the Lord is pleased with her service over the last two years and pleased with the heart in which she did it!

      Life is not always easy! Sometimes it feels like the sacrifice we are making isn’t worth it and regrettably sometimes we feel that way about our spiritual walk! At times it feels like we are sacrificing and getting nowhere. We never arrive at a point of perfection because our sin continues to trip us up. Even if we do get some control of our sin nature, when we look into the face of Jesus, we always come up short. However, if we continue to sacrifice ourselves to the control of Jesus and do so with a heart of gratitude and love, we will please the Lord!
     Think about the feeling you will feel when you stand before the Lord and He says the words, “well done my good and faithful servant”! Is there any sacrifice too big if the sacrifice brings praise from our Lord?’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Matthew 25:23

Life is in God's Hands

     Yesterday, I got to visit the 100+ woman I have shared about previously. It is heart wrenching to see a woman dying in a bed without family, friends, or medical care beside her. She can no longer get out of bed and she cannot sit in the sun because the light now hurts her eyes. She barely eats broth and her digestive system isn’t really working. She barely can see or hear. She is a native, Quechua, village woman. They have their own language; it is not Spanish. A man, who is the only male believer in the village, took us to see her. He is the one that takes food to her and looks after her. She would talk to him in Quechua, he would talk to Brittne in Spanish, and she would talk to us in English. It was an assembly line of communication. As she spoke, I took her hand and held it for the entire visit. With my other hand, I would stroke her face to comfort her and soothe her pain. My prayer for this visit was that this woman would feel loved. I know she must be lonely and feel forgotten at this needed time in her life. I just wanted her to feel love. God answered my prayer very specifically. The first words the woman spoke was how much loved she felt by these people! She also said that I was her mother, which to me tells me she felt comforted by me. I don’t know why it awes me so when God answers my prayer but it still leaves me awed, humbled, and amazed at God’s love for me. She continued to share how people would come in and steal from her while she was sleeping. She talked about all her pain and asked the questions, “What have I done so badly in my life that God would not let me die? How long do I have to live like this? Why can’t I just die? Please, bring me something to kill me!” These are haunting questions and ones that nobody but God has the answer too.

     I have known people who wanted to live and couldn’t; and I have known people like her who wanted to die and couldn’t. In my human mind and heart, I cannot understand this. I cannot find the answer anywhere. This is not an issue of knowledge but of trust.
     There are questions in this life that I will never have the answer too. Neither am I meant too. My lack of knowledge and understanding needs to lead me straight to God and rest in His character and His sovereignty. Though I do not understand why this Quechua woman has to lay in a bed, by herself, hurting and lonely, day after day begging to die, I totally trust God for His perfect timing in her life. The days of her life are in His hands and those are hands I totally trust.
     Do you have questions in this life that you are trying to figure out? Can you come to a place where you know you can accept the fact that you may never have all the answers to every question? Can you trust God for all the things you do not understand? If you cannot trust Him for the unknown, then can you really trust Him?

For the life of every living thing is in his hand and the breath of every human being.

Job 12:10