Category Archives: Christian growth

How To Get Committed!

How To Get Committed!

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How To Get Committed

As long as I have been in ministry, which has pretty much been all my life
since I was raised in a preacher’s home, I have heard people say “This is my
church” or “I go to that church.” Yet, in some cases these people rarely,
if ever darken the door of the church building.

I have a friend who lives in the small Southeast Kansas town of about 1,300
people and she had the same issue happen the other day. See, the church she
has attended forever is struggling and is considering closing the doors.
When the officials that would help make that decision held a meeting with
the church body to consider what to do, lo and behold guess who showed
up?

Yep, it was people that hadn’t been to that church in years! During the
meeting they stated their reasons why the church should be kept open, and
vocalized their objection to even consider closing it!

See, for years I have watched (through my friend’s eyes) this church
struggle and flounder, barely hanging on. For most of those years it has
been her family that has held it together. The church was struggling to pay the bills and
praying for lost souls to come to church yet never able to reach the
full potential God had called this church to be. They were limited to what they could accomplish with a congregation of three or so people. Now my friend has felt the release to leave and go to another church and if her church dies, it dies.
You know the funny thing she told me about all those people who showed up
for the meeting to proclaim that this church needed to stay open, she told
me they didn’t show up for service the very next Sunday. These people
wanted to complain and wanted a service provided for them to call “theirs”
but they were unwilling to participate in making it happen.

This got me thinking………..
What if Christ was as faithful to us as we are to church?

The Bible talks to us about attending church, it says “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.” And you know what else the verse says before that? “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good
works”. Hebrews 10:24-25

You know, in small towns I think I have noticed this more than ever, people
say, “this church” or “that church” is my church. Yet, in some cases they
don’t attend regularly nor do they go to another church. Calling a church “my church” is more than just the fact you have been there a few times, or that grandma attended there or your family helped build the church. No, to say “That is MY church” is saying you have made a commitment to that church. A true commitment to a church requires four things.

1. Commit to Your Church with Your Time. Commit that you are going to give your time each week to attend services, not just when you feel like it or on the days when the weather isn’t good for fishing. But commit you will be there when the doors are open.
Because what if God was only available to you as often as you felt like
going to church? Don’t you hate friends that only show up when they
want something? Imagine how frustrating it is for God who wants to give us
His best but yet we are unwilling to have a relationship with Him on an
everyday basis or go to His house as He’s asked us to do. Remember it is a fact that kids who grow up in homes that don’t attend church regularly grow up to be adults who don’t attend church regularly. This thing called living for Christ is more about a relationship and any relationship starts out by spending time with the one you want to build that relationship with, and I know you can spend time with God other then at church But you know what else you do in relationships? To keep any relationship going and strong you with someone you love you soon learn what they love and you desire to please them. Committing your time church pleases God.

2. Commit to Your Church with Your Talent.
Commit that you will give of your talents whether that is, cleaning toilets or baking in the bake sale. I know a lady who’s ministry was baking cinnamon rolls and going around town and sharing the love of Jesus by giving them away. I bet if you have lived in Kiowa County very long or knew a volunteer that helped rebuild Greensburg you know her too.
She simply looked around and saw what she had to give and gave her talent away to
others. What do you have? What can you do?

3.Commit to Your Church with Your Ministry Gifts.
Commit to use the gifts God has given you for His Glory. There are many gifts God has given us, the Bible talks about preaching and teaching, evangelism, etc…and don’t get me wrong we need all of those and the others that Eph 4:11 mentions too. You can volunteer to serve somewhere in the church even if it is only handing out the bulletin or coming in during the week and assuring there are tithing envelopes, pens, and pencils in the pews. Volunteer with the children’s ministry or rock a baby in the nursery. Just ask your pastor where you can serve, and after you pick him or her up off the floor because
someone volunteered without being asked, I am sure he can find something
that fits your gifts.

4. Commit to Your Church with Your Tithe.
God says that you are to take care of His bride and the church is His bride. When you say “this is my church” or ” I go to that church,” it means you are responsible for taking care of that church. In the Bible, tithe is defined as 1/10 of what we earn. See, when we realize that everything we have is God’s and all He has asked us to do is give back to His bride 10% of what He has given us it’s not so bad. It is like your neighbor going away and asking you to look after his wife, and he tells you “I will send you $1,000.00 a month if you will look after my wife by just giving her $100.00 of it each month I am gone.”What would you do? That whole $1,000.00 is your neighbor’s but yet he has
just said, give my bride 10% of that each month and I will keep sending you
the $1,000.00.

Tithing is simply acknowledging everything we have is His
and giving back what He has asked for, so His bride (the church) will be
taken care of. Well, perhaps you say “I don’t like that preacher” or “someone at that church didn’t wave at me when I waved at them so I am not giving that church
another dime.” Well let me first remind you that you aren’t giving the money
to the church or even the people in the church. The Bible says “Everything
we do should be as unto the Lord” Col 3:23. So when you tithe, you are giving to God not to man and the worst part about holding it back is that you are blatantly
defining what God has said in His word to do.

See it is unfortunate that as our smaller communities grow smaller, we are
losing more and more businesses, jobs, hospitals,schools and yes even
churches because I believe we have forgotten what it means to really belong
to something.

Let me encourage you today, either get behind and REALLY commit to the
church to which you claim to belong, or go find one to which you can commit. But don’t say “this is my church” or ” I go to that church” if you aren’t willing to be
committed. Just think what could have happened if the people who were
doing all the talking at my friend’s church put some real commitment with
all the “lip service” they were giving.

If you don’t have a church home let me encourage you to find one. I have to
say I have never seen a more faithful group of people than the church my
husband pastors. They have truly learned what “My Church” means. Those that
attend faithfully have adopted this commitment and truly know what it means
to belong.

I think all too often we forget that Christ gave himself for us. He was
beaten in front of the whole town and hung on a cross, naked in front of
all to see and some of us are not willing to lift a finger to help support
the local church, Because it “might not” be good enough or we are worried we will
be embarrassed. Many are trying to live down, or live up to the reputations we had as teenagers. In small towns we are all too often slow to forget and move on from the past. Whether it be our own reputations or someone else’s the fact that people can’t get past the past sometimes hinders many from moving on and growing in just what God has in store for them. I am so thankful God says, that when we ask forgiveness, our sins are cast as far as the east is from the west. Let’s not let the past hold us back from being and doing all that God wants us to be. Let us remember what Hebrews10:25 says “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”

So what church are you going to be committed to this next Sunday? Wherever it is, don’t forget what real commitment is.

By
Alesa Lewis Miller
Pastor’s wife of Lighthouse Worship Center, Blogger and Mom of 3
Just do it!!

Just do it!!

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Conversations at my house today…….. I was giving my daughter some directions of how I thought she should handle a certain situation, to which she responded “Don’t you think I know that Mom?”  To which I responded  “Well if you knew that, then I assumed you would have done it already but you haven’t done it yet,  So, No! I don’t!

See, I believe when you know something to do, you should do it, In fact, I believe that is what God thinks too since He tells us in James “17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17 (NKJV) “

Since when did we become a generation of people who know to do good but don’t do it ? Since when did we become a generation that knows to do right but doesn’t do it?  Why is it that all the sudden it has become okay to be complacent, with just a wait and see kind of attitude? If we want to be true followers of Christ we have to stop being governed by our appetites, feelings and or our wants.  We must be governed by God’s word. And God’s word says”  23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. Colossians 3:23 (NKJV)” 

I understand there are times that we have to be patient and wait but there other times and more often than not, we should just simply need to do. Do what we know is right, do what is expected of us and in most cases go above and beyond what is expected of us. Just as we would, if God Himself, was sitting there watching us. Because you know what? He is!!! If we are suppose to be at work at 7am, be there 5 min early. If we have a report due don’t wait till the last minute to write it. If we know someone is ill, don’t wait for someone else to call on them. But all to often, it is too easy for us to sit around and wait for “someone else to do it” or when we get “comfortable enough” or when we “feel like it”.

I sure am glad God didn’t wait till He felt like it, to go to the cross.  I believe that’s what the Bible talks about when He says to take up the cross and follow me.  Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do and I’m not talking super spiritual things either, I’m talking day-to-day life things that make us responsible. Things that make us respectable. Those are the kind of things we need to be considering in our everyday lives. Those are the kind of things that make our witness reputable. So what are you going to do today? Are you going to do what you know is right to do or you just going to wait around until you feel like it?

And by the way…. My daughter did what she knew was right! I love that Girl!!

 

So close we can’t see

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You know being raised in a ministers home and now being married to a minister, I have lived all over the country and each place my husband and I have lived, we have always made a point to get out and learn about the community. We always go see the sights. Sometimes we will just get in the car and drive, then stop in at the first little place we come up on and check it out,  we have been known to spend  the whole day just walking through a town and visiting every business. One of our favorite things to do is check out the local restaurants so we can experience the local cuisine, we may all be american’s, but there is definitely a difference in how and what we eat. From the seafood and down home cooking of the south to the fresh beef, sandwich spread and sauerkraut of the mid-west. One of our favorite things to do is go to those little, as some would say “hole in the wall” restaurants and experience the atmosphere of the community. Another fun thing that we feel helps us learn about our new community is check out the local museums and tourist locations in the area just to help us experience what others who have lived here for years or maybe even all their lives, already know.

We are always excited to share what we have learned with our present congregation where we are living.  Excitedly and almost proudly we share our recently new found knowledge and more often than not we are met with a “deer in headlights” kind of looks, even from prominent people in the community who should be aware of what is going on in their town and surrounding areas.  It seems to us more often then not, people who have lived in the same town for a long-time tend not to really actually know about the area they live. They are content to be in their own little world, mainly their home and work, without ever experiencing all that is available to them. They are so close they don’t even see what they have at their disposal.

This got me thinking……….

It seems to me that most people fall into the trap of just living their life, unconcerned about everything around them and all that it has to offer, or better yet, what they could offer to it. They have what some would call tunnel vision and I am not just talking about restaurants and museums I am talking about. The needs of others, or the very need in our own soul to grown deeper in a relationship with Christ. Perhaps we were raised in church and it is “just what you do” instead of it “being who you are” perhaps people know you go to church but they don’t see the loving, forgiving spirit that God gives us everyday,  in you. Often, we are so consumed with our daily to-do lists just to survive, we are forgetting what God has really called us to do. Oh! I have heard all my life, excuses like “Well, it’s just not in my nature to talk to people about God, I am not as out going as you” or “Its not my personality to raise my hands or clap in church” and you know I have really thought about this, and it was like the Lord said to me one day “They are right” “It is not their nature to do those things, because sin is the root of our nature.” It is only when we follow Christ we learn to die to our self and in the same way we turn away from sin, we also have to choose to turn and do the right thing. Even if that means we have to step outside our comfort zone. Because truth is our comfort zone is probably more on the selfish side then it is on the Godly side.

See God cares enough that He not only knows all the good places to eat in town, but He also knows your favorite food. 🙂 Seriously though, He does knows every hair on your head and knew every time you would say or do something to hurt Him and yet He still gave His life for you. He wasn’t inward focused but He was outward driven, driven so much that even though He did not want to hang on a cross where nails would be hammered into his feet and hands, where He would be stripped naked and beaten for you and me, even though He didn’t “feel” like going through all that, He did it anyway for you and me. (see Matt 26:39 & Luke 22:42 ) He loved us enough! He cared for us enough! That He left the comforts and home of heaven above and gave His life for you and me. So don’t you think you and I can step out of our comfort zone, can’t we look beyond ourselves, get involved in our community, reach out to our neighbors that live around us and most importantly, give Him ALL the praise and glory He deserves?Let’s not be so close, that we can’t see what is right in front of us.

The Ananais Complex

The Ananais Complex

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You are in ministry. You have given your life for the call of God. That means doing things like staying up late at night with strangers because they need to talk; maybe missing a meal with the family because a parishioner is in need. It means getting a late night call and running out to be with the family of someone who was just in an accident. It means surprise guests for dinner; driving someone to the next town because they have no other way there. It means sometimes spending your family’s budget more on the ministry then on your family. It means you probably drive a used car and live in a house where you have no say as to what color it is or where it is located.
Well, that is ministry in the “traditional sense.” You know, the one where it is just understood that the Pastor is the only one who can tell someone about Jesus because, after all, he has the degree and gets the pay check.
Often times in ministry, whether in the “traditional sense” or not, those of us who tell others about Jesus have felt like, “Why should I even keep doing this? I am not appreciated; and I am not doing any good?” We are the unmentioned in the Bible; you know, the kind who do what they are supposed to do but never really see great things happen in their ministry, like thousands coming to hear them speak! No, we are that rural pastor in the town of two hundred, faithfully serving His community and church of twenty souls.  We are the faithful turtle in the Tortoise and the Hare story; just plugging along, maybe working a secular job simply to make ends meet. Why? – Because of our passion for Christ and desire to serve Him. We wait and listen for that still small voice so we can do what God has called us to do, to be some instrument of His will.
Recently, I was reading the story of Saul’s conversion and something jumped out at me I had never noticed before and it got me thinking…..
Acts 9:10-16 New International Version (NIV)
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”  “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

When people read this story, their focus usually is on Saul, but today let’s looks at the other main character in this story:  Ananias. Not much is said about Ananias. In fact only this and one other verse comments on him in the whole biblethe-story-tortoise-and-hare-clip-art-1788881.
Acts 22:12-16 New King James Version (NKJV)
12 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, 13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

It says he was “a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews” . . .
That’s it!  A devout man . . . having a good testimony! That’s all the Bible says about him. Nowhere else in the Bible is this man mentioned.

Perhaps Ananias was a faithful pastor or maybe just an ordinary follower of Christ, giving his best to God every day. Probably feeling like he wasn’t making a huge difference in his community. Possibly feeling some days, like “What’s the use? I am not making a difference.” It is very possible he never really knew, in this life, the impact his obedience to God had when he went and prayed for Saul. Little did he realize what Saul would go on to do and the tremendous impact Saul would have on the world. I seriously doubt that Ananias ever thought Saul would write almost two thirds of the New Testament when he spoke the words, “The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know . . . For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard . . .” I am pretty sure Ananias was only considering the healing that had just taken place in Saul’s body and had no idea of the magnitude of what this guy, who was later called Paul, would do for God.  Little did he know that the Bible, which Paul was a huge part of writing, would still be being sold over 2000 years later. WOW! Talk about IMPACT! So many times we get focused on the “here and now” and forget that God’s vision is so much bigger than the “here and now!”  His thoughts are eternal!
I don’t know what you are feeling today, but you need to know that, as long as you are following what God has called you to do, you are not a failure and you have no idea of what impact you are making on those around you. We don’t know who the “Paul” may be, in your life. So don’t be disheartened; don’t give up; never quit! Just trust in God. Continue to do what He has called you to do. You may feel like the tortoise in this race of life, but remember: in the end, the tortoise wins!

ROYALS REJECTED BY MAN CONSIDERED PRECIOUS BY GOD

ROYALS REJECTED BY MAN CONSIDERED PRECIOUS BY GOD

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baseball-994717_1920I just read this article – http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2015/story/_/page/playoffs15_StarkGame5/kansas-city-royals-crowned-kings-improbability-mlb

To save you time from having to read it all…. let me sum it up for you.. the writer repeatedly quotes unbelievable statistics concerning the Royals win in the world series. But what I found unique was…. he basically ends each statement with…. OF COURSE HE’s A ROYAL…. OF COURSE HE’s A ROYAL….OF COURSE THEY’RE THE ROYAL’s

As if each and every event that led to their win could not be accomplished by anyone else but a ROYAL and simply because they are the ROYALS it was possible. Because they are the ROYALS they are overcomes and when everyone else would of given up. They were just getting started!

This got me thinking…… of 1 Peter 2. Where the bible talks about be a Royal…… A Royal Priesthood that is… in verse 9 it says “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Then, in the passage up in verses 1-5 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

See verse, 9 and 10 tell us who we are, but 1-5 tells us how to get there. Just as the Royals had a never give up attitude in the game, even when they were down and out and most had already turned off their TV’s and went to bed in the 8th inning, because no one comes back like that.

We in the same way we need to be the comeback kids the ROYAL PRIESTHOOD… THE HOLY NATION!! We need to remember, we are chosen by God. We may have been rejected by men but as we follow what verses 1-5 says, God is on our side and we are considered precious to Him.

So whatever your going through…. Remember the creator of the universe loves you and considers you His precious gift. So follow Him, stand close to Him and follow the directions He has given you and there is nothing you can’t do…. OF COURSE….YOU’RE A ROYAL.

AUCTION!

AUCTION!

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auctionI love to go to auctions! Why? Because I can usually get some great deals there – like, a dresser for $5, a couch for $10, a box of miscellaneous items for $1! I love going! It is like being on a treasure hunt! So imagine my excitement when I heard the Christian College in the little town next to us was having an auction. I put the date on my calendar, made plans to attend, and, with all the excitement and buzz about it in the community, I just knew it was going to be a good one! I anticipated the deals I might find: the antiques and the donated craft items! Being new to the area, I had been told this was going to be the best one around. It was the talk of the whole community. People were coming in from all over the area; alumni were coming back in from out of town, just for this event. In this little community of about 700 people the anticipation was overwhelming!

When I walked into the gym where the auction was being held, the auctioneer had already started his spiel, “Who will give me a hundred? A hundred and a quarter?” And so on. I didn’t have to be there long before I realized this was no normal auction. There were not going to be any “great deals!” A piece of cheesecake went for $110.00; a quilt was being bid up in the thousands of dollars!

It was obvious that the people attending this auction did not come for a deal. NO, they came to spend! Why? Because they love this small town college and they want to see that it continues to operate. They are dedicated to its mission and are willing to do whatever it takes keep it going. That got me thinking . . . How dedicated are WE to the mission of God? Are we in it only for the “good deal” of getting into heaven? Is that the only reason we follow God?  Have we seriously considered what God has called us to do? Mark 16:15 says that God has called us to  . . .”Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation,” and Matthew 5:16 tells us to “Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Have we considered the sacrifice that it is going to take on our part to serve Christ? Because, let me tell you, there was no doubt that the people at this auction had considered the sacrifices! They were going to do whatever they needed to do; they were willing to give everything they had, because they love this college so much. None of these people drove up in Rolls-Royces or Ferrari’s. No, these were simple farmers, pastors, and everyday people who look just like you and me. Some even wore straw hats and overalls. They had obviously saved up since the last auction so they could come back and give, all over again!

I wonder: Are WE that willing to see the cause of Christ go forward? These people sure were! It made me evaluate my own life and dedication! I am certain that these people had sacrificed things they desired for themselves, in order to give to this college. It reminds me of the last moments before Christ was taken into custody, giving His life for ours. He asked His dad (GOD!) if there was any other way to do this and then, knowing there wasn’t, He laid down His life for us!  And now, we think if we have to give up our Starbucks coffee for a week, or do without a manicure, we think we are just about living on the edge of disaster.

When we seriously consider the amazing act of love that was shown to us through Christ Jesus – the sacrifice He made by giving His life – or just the sheer act of not striking us down dead some days for our own stupidity . . . ! But, you know, He loves us so much! We are valued, and uniquely designed, by the Creator of the universe. When we consider just how much love He has shown us, should we not desire to reciprocate that love back to Him?

I don’t know about you, but when someone shows me kindness, especially undeserved kindness, I am often overwhelmed by the blessing that has been given to me.

Today, I wonder if you will consider just how good God has been to you; if you will remember the price He paid for you to have eternal life, and just what that means to you in the realm of eternity. The Bible says He loved us BEFORE we loved Him (1 John 4:19). Just like these individuals were willing to give their all to insure that this college continues on, we have a Savior who was willing to give His all for us. How can we give Him any less?

You see, our relationship with Christ should never be looked at as a bargain, but as a priceless gift of which we are undeserving. It is then and only then, that we will realize just exactly how much we have been forgiven. And she, who has been forgiven much, loves much! (Luke 7:47)

Won’t you love today?

REALITY CHECK!

REALITY CHECK!

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Thursday Thoughts - Reality Check
Thursday Thoughts – Reality Check!

Recently, I was having a conversation with my daughter and it hit me . . . I said “You know, your dad and I probably only have about 25-30 years left on this earth . . .”

Wow! What a reality check! 3/4 of my life is over, and what have I done with it? What will I do with what is left? Have I made a difference?

The idea of dying doesn’t bother me. I feel confident in where I am going. In fact, being where I plan on going (Heaven) is the easy part and, frankly, something I look forward to a lot. It’s like when you plan an amazing vacation and you are just days away from leaving.

What worries me is the thought of the dying process: being bed ridden, memory loss, unable to take care of myself, etc.  Yeah. That, and what it will do to those around me, is what bothers me.

Now, I can choose to focus on that – which don’t get me wrong, I AM trying to live a healthier life style (probably 40 years too late, but anyway, I am trying, right?) so that I won’t encounter some of those things – but let’s face it: death is inevitable unless the Lord comes back first.

See, I have worked in the healthcare field for the elderly and in all my experience I have never seen one person, as they got older, get healthier, younger, or more active as they aged. No! That just doesn’t happen. God’s word even tells us, “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that, the judgment.” God also reminds us that, “To everything there is a season . . .”

So I want to live well! I want to live like I am dying! See, if we were given notice from the doctor that we were going to die in 30 days – 6 months – or even a year, how would we live our lives?  What would we do differently?  Would we be nicer to people? Would we be more concerned with pleasure – and maybe go to Disney World? Or, would we get the perspective we need and follow after the real purpose of what God has called us to do?

He told us to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Now, does that mean we all need to run to the seminary and get a degree? NO! What that means is; we need to testify about God’s love every day to those around us. We need to let them know He first and foremost wants to be our best friend and He wants us to share the relationship we have with Him with others.

I can just imagine . . . if I was given my dream vacation for free and was allowed to take as many of my friends and family members as I could with me . . . who would I choose?  See, this is kind of like planning our trip to heaven: who do we want to go with us? We need to be sharing our lives with these people. Because, there is something else I have realized: the only thing in this life you can take with you to heaven is not money, fame, or gold; it is the people around us that we love and want to share His love with.

So what are you doing today? Who is on your invitation list? Who will you be giving that special invitation to today?  Because, one thing is for certain: this life isn’t heaven, but we can be sure we are going there if we give our life to Him. So, who is coming with me???

Let’s Pray:

Lord you know the life I have lived. You know that my ways have not always been your ways. God I ask you now to come into my heart. Forgive me of my sins. Help me be a new creature in you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen!

If you prayed that prayer then you are signed up for heaven and God is looking forward to growing His relationship with you. Get into a Bible-believing church where you can learn more and grow in Him.

Maybe you already have your ticket for heaven but you realize by reading this that you need to share with others about the reservation you have made. Know that I will be praying for you and I am here for you in the comment section if you need any advice or encouragement.

God has great things planned for those that believe! So, even if you and I never meet here on this earth, I’ll see ya in heaven! Be sure to stop in at my place and say, “Hi!” I’ll be the one with the fixer-upper mansion and an unlimited budget, since God knows how much I like to decorate, and an unlimited budget would be heaven to me! LOL!! 🙂  Oh, and if you get there before me, tell my family members who have gone on before me I said, “Hi, & see ya soon!”
Until then,
Alesa

What’s in your Garden?

What’s in your Garden?

Posted on by • Posted in Christian growth, encouragement, Friends • Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , • Leave a comment
Everything we do, Every word we say, is a seed we plant

What’s In Your Garden?

I hate gardening! Oh, don’t get me wrong; I love the harvest, and I love cooking up, canning, and freezing the harvest from the garden! I am more than happy to spend hours in the kitchen, steaming over a pot of hot boiling water as jars are sterilizing, just so we can get the harvest canned before it goes bad, even if that means hours on my feet to make it happen. Shoot, I don’t even mind getting out and planting the seeds at the beginning of the season (even if it does get dirt under my fingernails) and I have actually been known to go out and water the garden a time or two in my life!

 
But you know what I hate about gardening?? The WEEDS!! They are the worst, especially for an amateur gardener like myself. Sometimes I can’t even tell the weeds from the plants!  To avoid having to spend hours in the hot Kansas sun pulling weeds, I have even been known to wait till it rained, and then gone out in my bare feet with the mud squishing between my toes to pull them up while the roots are loose in the soil from the rain. Weeds are the worst, and there is nothing worse than going away for maybe a week on vacation and coming back home and finding that the weeds have taken over your garden!

 
This got me thinking………….
Gardening is a lot like life, you see. It’s like the words we say, the relationships we build, because with each word we speak, every action we take toward someone, whether they live in the same house as we do or it is a casual meeting in the grocery store, it’s like planting a seed and sometimes, when our brains seem to take a vacation from our mouths, it can cause a lot of weeds to grow in our relationship gardens.

 
See…..
We have the power to CAUSE peace in the storms of lives around us, or, we have the power to BE the storm of life in our families and in every relationship we come across. Because everything we do, every word we say is a seed we plant.

 

 Everything We Do, Every Word We Say Is A Seed We Plant!

 
If those words are bitter, then a bitter plant will grow up, like a weed growing in that relationship.

 
Sometimes those words can grow almost instantly! Maybe it’s the sharp words we said to our husband when we were surprised by something he said that caused the spirit of fear to rise up in us simply because he presented an idea that wasn’t in our plan.

 
And other times, it takes a while for those bitter words to grow; like when we repeatedly are short in our response to the child that we have such a hard time relating to. Over time, their constant questions just get on our nerves. When ignored and not dealt with, any of these seeds can grow into weeds and soon take over all the good fruit that is in the garden.

 
But, in the same way, when kind words are spoken and kind actions taken, good things grow in our relationship gardens. The question is; what are you growing in your garden today?
Have you ever noticed how a weed seems to grow twice as fast as the good stuff in the garden? I have a neighbor who lives across the street from me who I have told, more than once; they make the rest of us look bad because they are out in their garden and yard almost daily, weeding it, mowing it, and whatever else you can do to a garden and yard! It never fails; when I look out my front door, one of them (if not both) is on their knees, maintaining what they have.

 
We have to realize that every day is an opportunity for us to make a difference in someone’s life. It is our chance to speak life into someone, especially those closest to us. It might be those who God has called us to do life with and who live under the same roof with us, or maybe it is the people under whose roof we grew up. But God has called us to speak life into those around us and I believe He expects us to not allow any bitter seeds to come out of our mouths. If we are truly followers of Christ, we will love those who live in our own homes. How can the world outside believe that we love them when we don’t even live out that love in our own homes?

 

I want to challenge you today to consider what seeds you are planting in the lives around you. Maybe you have a long history of planting bitter seeds into your relationships, and the weeds have kinda taken over your relationship garden. I want to encourage you to get on your knees and start maintaining your garden with prayer. You need to ask God to let the water of life that flows from Him to come and rain down on your relationship gardens till the soil is so wet, the mud squishes between your toes! Because, I am here to tell you that the rain God wants to pour down on your relationship gardens can restore everything the weeds have tried to come in and destroy.

 
Let’s Pray!
God I thank You that You are the great gardener, and You have a perfect plan for my life. God I just ask today, that You would allow the living water that lives inside of You, to pour down on my relationship garden, restore what the weeds have overtaken and help me to never speak those words of bitterness or anger again in my life. Please help me to see that my self-centeredness and need for control are characteristics that are NOT like You!
Lord, let Your living water flow through my life, so that everywhere I go I bring life, and my life is always pointed toward You.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

Let them all Die and Go to Hell, I Don’t Care!! (but I should)

Let them all Die and Go to Hell, I Don’t Care!! (but I should)

Posted on by • Posted in Christian growth, dying/living, encouragement, fear • Tagged , , , , , , , • Leave a comment

girl-864392_1280Most people would never guess this about me, but I am shy. Oh, you don’t see it when I am in a crowd laughing, smiling, and cutting up with others!  But I am. No one feels the heart palpitations I feel before walking into a group of people. No one else knows the anxiety that rises up when I know I have to meet people. And, no one else but me can sense the fear I feel when I have to talk to someone. It often seems like the smaller the crowd the more anxiety! And, it has really risen since I have moved to a smaller town.  As soon as I walk out my front door, I feel all eyes are on me. No one, except for my immediate family, knows it takes everything within me to get out of my house and simply go shopping in this small town where I live.

 

Very few people know that the reason I have such big parties and invite so many people is not that I am such an amazing hostess; it is because my husband’s job calls for us to be sociable. However, it literally terrifies me to talk one-on-one to most people. So by entertaining several couples or large crowds, I just become the hostess; serving, while the group holds a conversation.

 

I have literally “gone blank” so many times, trying to think of what to ask people or say to someone in order to start a conversation, that, before I go to an event, I have begun to look questions up on the internet, so that I can be a good conversationalist. I have even gone to therapy for this problem!

 

I know most of you who know me will not believe a word of the above statements, but it is honestly something that I deal with on a regular basis and it happened again this weekend. You see, I am adopted and I have known my birth mother and siblings for only about 15 years now. In that time, I have had the opportunity – and pleasure – to attend about three reunions. Yesterday was one of these occasions, and as always my mind went whizzing with the same fears that hit me before any group event. What will I say? What will they think of me? How do I look? Will they like me? What if we have nothing to say to each other? On and on my mind will roll if I let it. There is no reason for this; I have NEVER felt anything but welcomed with open arms by this family that I was separated from for so many years, yet my fears continue.

 

When we look in the Bible, we find that God tells us fear is not from Him but is from the evil one, satan.  And, when I have looked back over my life, the biggest mistakes I have made have been when I was in fear. I have learned that if I allow myself to fear, if I allow fear to be the ruler of my heart, I can sabotage anything. But this isn’t news to God.  He knew this would be a number one tactic satan would use against believers! So God gave us a plan, a way out, and in His Word He tells us that we are to take every thought captive.

 

2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV “ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

 

See, I have learned in this life, it is NOT about me. God has commissioned all of us to; first of all, “GO into all the world” . . . and, later on in His book, He says that people will know us by the love we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  So I am faced every day with the decision, “do I go…. do I show love”?? And every day I have to choose to either listen to the monkeys in my head and retreat into my own place, or to follow the commands that God has given us and do what I don’t want to do.

 

Christ’s crucifixion on the cross is a perfect example of what true sacrifice is. We read in the Bible that Jesus said, “If it be Your will , let this cup pass from me.”  See, Jesus didn’t want to have to do something His Father told Him to do either, but He did it. He gave the ultimate sacrifice, which was His life.

 

As for me, I know I have never been asked to give my life, in the literal sense, for anyone! But daily, in the spiritual sense of what I am to do, I AM asked to give up my life – my wants, my desires – especially when it comes to interacting with others. When I look back and see how Jesus was willing to be beaten and abused for me before He even knew me – the Bible says He died for me! – then how simple is it that I could give 20 minutes or an hour of my time to show the life that was given for me to others?

 

I hope you will accept my challenge today: step out of your comfort zone, your anxiety ridden situation, and fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. In Him and only Him is where we find perfect peace.

I like knowing where I am going!

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Recently our family was visiting our hometown and, in trying to get from one location to another in K.C., we found ourselves in the middle of road construction. A sign appeared in the middle of the road stating, “NO THROUGH TRAFFIC.”  Jeff turns to me and says, “Can we get through here?” and my immediate response was “Sure we can! We just have to cut through this subdivision,” as I pointed to the street to my right.road construction sign

So we turned and began to maneuver our way around the subdivision. What might have been complicated to someone who was unfamiliar with the area (like Jeff), was easy for me because I had been here before. Taking this short cut saved us several minutes, which was important because we were already late for an appointment. As we arrived on the other side of the subdivision I commented with a sigh of relief, “I love knowing where I am going!”

Which got me to thinking…………

Am I that assured I am going to heaven? My response is, “Yes!” See, I can have that assurance because I have surrendered my life to Christ; I live daily trying to please Him. Am I perfect? NO! But is my attitude such that I am seeking to please Him every day? Yes.

See, God isn’t looking for perfection. In fact, just the opposite is true. He says, “In your weakness I am strong.” Did you get that?  “OUR Weakness – HIS Strength.” So many times we have that backwards.

God is looking for someone who is willing to die to themselves and surrender their will to Him. Just like Jeff, as we drove through the subdivision, was following my directions until he realized where he was. The sooner we begin following Him, and surrender our will, the more time it will save us, as well as the heartache and pain of trying to live life our own way. Too often, we go down a detoured path God never intended us to be on. It is then that we soon realize following Christ is the only way.

Jesus is looking for His children, who will follow Him. Will YOU follow Him today?

Let’s Pray:

God, for too long I have tried to do things my own way, I want to surrender myself to you today. Guide me down the path you would have me go and lead me in the direction you have for my life. Lord, I give my all to you!
In Jesus name Amen!

If you believe what you prayed above, please email me, at: behindtheparsonagewalls@gmail.com and let me know your life has been changed today. Then find a church where you can go and learn the truth of God’s word so you can grow in Him.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!