Category Archives: dying/living

Stop Scrolling and Start Living! Satellite TV & Wasting Time!

Stop Scrolling and Start Living! Satellite TV & Wasting Time!

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Because of where my family lives,  we have to have satellite TV, if we want any reception at all. There is no option for cable, or even an antenna,  it is satellite or nothing and since I would go stark raving mad if all I did was sit around listening to my own thoughts in my head everyday. We pay for satellite. Oh! We could do some of the options on the internet that are out there but I like to watch current shows, I am don’t like to watch pre-recorded shows unless I am the one recording them. (Remember my story on I don’t like Re-runs?)

 

So the satellite network we subscribe to, allows for 4 different profiles. Because although we pay for a couple hundred channels. We actually only watch a fraction of them. And me being the good mother that I am, and perhaps the only one that cares in my family. I have been gracious enough to go into our satellite account and create different profiles.

 

I have a profile for just the movie channels we watch, Hallmark is my favorite by the way.  I have a profile for sports for my husband and his western shows he so dearly loves, I have a profile for the nature and hunting channels that my son likes to watch. Then, there are the channels that I love, those are the ones that have anything to do with cooking, & decorating.

 

I do this because in our package we pay for there is multiple channels that are spanish speaking, and although I our love our mexican brothers and sisters, I can’t speak their language so it does me no good to watch those channels. Then, there is the hockey channels and baseball channels, which no one in our family watches. Oh! And we can’t forget those shopping channels that I am not for sure anyone should watch.

 

So you can see why this is such a good deed that I have done. Now my family doesn’t have to scroll over all those channels we will never watch when searching for something to watch. I have eliminated all of these things my family doesnt need.  I do this out of the kindness of my heart, because when we are scrolling through the guide, who wants to have to scroll through things they aren’t even interested in or relevant to them. When we have to do that, it take as much time to find something to watch, as it does to watch it. I mean who wants to have to dig through junk to get to what they are looking for? It is such a waste of time.

 

But for some reason occasionally, I find the TV put back on, the “All Subscribed Channels” profile.  Which is a huge frustration to me. See, I don’t see why anyone would want to look through all those channels that they aren’t even interested in, to search for something that is worthy of their time, when they have been clearly given optimal choices in the profiles section.

 

But in the same breath I don’t know why people look everywhere for peace and contentment when they have been given that gift by Christ already.  Looking for that, is like my family scrolling through the all the channels on our satellite, having to pass through all the junk that we have no interest in, could care less about and in most cases have no business watching.  It is such a waste of time.

 

People everyday are looking for that unconditional love in everything but where it comes from. They look for it in multiple sexual partners, in over drinking, overeating, drugs, they look into black magic and sometimes even in their work. We gossip about our neighbors to make us feel better about ourselves or strive in ourselves to be perfect only to be disappointed when we can’t meet that unachievable standard. We often do anything but what God has told us to do.

 

The bible says, in Deut 30:19 …….I set before life and death, blessing and cursings, now choose life…….. It is that simple, just like I have set before my family good choices on our satellite profiles and I have weeded through the junk that isn’t relevant to them. So has God set before us choices everyday. Sure there is always going to be the good and the bad, the right and the wrong for us to choose from but God’s word also promises that in 1 Cor 10:13…….God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure…. .

 

I wonder if God gets as frustrated with us as I do with my family. I have laid out the best plan. Given them good choices and laid it before them. But they don’t always choose to follow my plan. Just like we don’t always follow God’s.

 

Now my family isn’t going to die and go to hell because they choose to waste all that time finding what they are looking for, but we will die and go to hell, if we don’t choose God and even if we finally decide to choose Him we often take so long to make that choice.  We lose so much opportunity to tell others about this unconditional love that Christ gives us. The sooner we submit our will to His. The sooner we choose to make the right choice. We can share this amazing love with others and we all know someone who needs to know they are loved by the creator of the universe and He has a great plan for their life?

 

The bible tells us that he that knows to do good and doesn’t do it to him it is sin.  James 4:17

 

So the bottom line is which choice will we make? Will we waste time like some of my family chooses to do. See, the only difference is,  taking forever to find a TV show to watch isn’t as detrimental to our life as taking forever to follow Jesus.

 

The choice is yours and the right choice is always following Jesus.

So find a church home, get in a small group to learn more about God’s word. Pull out your bible, computer or phone and download sites like You Version or Bible gateway. Read God’s word and learn it!  Make the right choices today and skip the junk! It is time to stop wasting time and do what we know is right to do!

Which Girl are You?

Which Girl are You?

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This past week I did something I haven’t done since the summer of 1991. I walked out of a cabin and at the same time, a friend walked out of the cabin right next to me. My mind flashed back to the first time she and I met. We were both scared young pastor’s wives who because of the position of our husbands, (or lack thereof)  were throw into circumstances we would never chosen on our own.

We were at Junior Camp! Now Junior Camp is a camp that happens once a year just outside Wichita. It is where all Kansas Assembly of God Churches send their kids for a week of spiritual renewal or what some might refer to it as Klingon Camp. Because kids ages 9-13 away from home for the first time, just might kling on to you as a camp counselor.

She and I first met walking out of our separate cabins and frankly, we were probably more scared than the kids. I am still not for sure if I was more scared of the primitive lodging or the fact I had to not only coral 15 girls for a week, but participate in outdoor sports, and don’t even get me started about what the bathrooms looked like. See for this girl, who considers roughing it going to a hotel without room service,  you might as well have dropped me off in the middle of the forest, like one of those TV shows that gives you a week to find your way home.

But this year, my friend and I were not at Wheat State Camp outside Wichita,  we were at Woodston camp, which is known for being a much more primitive camp. When we walked out of our cabins that first time, and met each other this year, we were not staying in the non-air conditioned/bunk bed cabins, where we shared the bathrooms with probably 100 other people at the end of the building.

No! This week things were totally different than they were so many years ago when She and I first met. This year, we stayed in new cabins with private baths, with air conditioning, carpet on the floor and nice queen size beds. This year we were not scared young pastor’s wives. This year her husband is now the District Superintendent of the Kansas Assemblies of God which in layman terms means he is the Pastor the all the AG Pastors in the state of Kansas and my husband serves on the Presbyter Board or in layman’s terms he is on the Board of Directors for the state of Kansas Assemblies of God and this year both of our husbands were speaking at this camp.

I couldn’t help but think of the difference in the girl that walked out my cabin door this past week compared to the one all those years ago. She has had so much happen over the years. That girl that walked out of the cabin all those years ago would of been impressed with the woman that walked out of those cabins doors this past week,  That girl would of thought these women have it all together and their lives must be of always have been perfect and full of peace and fulfillment. That girl would of desired to be who those woman are today. But that girl didn’t know what it took for this girl to become who she is today. This girl, isn’t the same girl that hid in the corner of the tabernacle at camp and cried her eyes out because she was so scared and knew she just wasn’t as smart and pretty as all her counterparts on the other side of those walls. This was not the same girl who had panic and anxiety attacks every time she went to a state event.

My friend and I reminisce about all the water that has went under the bridge in the time we have know each other. Some of the water was smooth sailing, some was pretty rocky and felt more like white river rafting, while others were more like babbling brooks.

See not only has our husbands positions changed, but we as woman have changed. I am not the same person I was back then. Oh! The changes are more than the weight I have gained, the wrinkles on my face or the silver streaks in my hair. I have changed because of the challenges I have face.  See, all those tears I have cried has made me stronger. I have faced obstacles both personal, physically and spiritually. I have faced rejection and victories, I have seen God’s hand at work in all of it.

It is those trials and tribulations that gives me the strength to do what I do today. See because I have made it through those test and I have come out on the other side. No! Not everyone of the outcomes was what I expected, in fact most were not what I had wanted or planned, I’ve been homeless, lost loved ones, lost friends, had failed ministries, been rejected by God’s people, family and friends. I had the rug pulled out from under me. I’ve made some really stupid mistakes, and faced challenges with our kids, cared for a handicapped mother and watched her die before my eyes. My marriage has struggled, and dealt with infertility..

My successes have been few and far between, but I count the most important ones as the children I have had, and the grandchildren added to my clan. But none if it is worth anything if my children have not caught the joy of living for Christ. See because they have seen my life and the challenges I have faced they have also seen the hand of God come along side and sometime even pick me up and carry me. They have seen the miracles He has performed in our lives, the checks that came in the mail, the doors that have open for us, the gifts He has given us. Time and time again God has shown up!

See this girl who used to strive for a title now, is no longer impressed with peoples status. She is more about where people’s hearts are, she is more about being who God has called her to be.

She is thankful for all that she has went through because it has given her the ability now, to look back and say….. “Bring it on devil, Do you see where God has brought me from?”. “If He can do that, My God can do anything!”, ”You can’t mess with me satan because my daddy is the King” , “Whatever comes my way, my God will take care of me”

So this girl now refuses to hide in corners and cry her eyes out. She refuses to allow man to define her. She stopped listening to those negative voices in her head, she now knows whose she is because her daddy God has showed up time and time again to rescue her. She is not the fear driven, people pleasing, person she was all those years ago, intimidated by everyone and everything. No! This girl has experienced the unconditional irrefutable love of God, not because He gave her everything she ever wanted but because He taught her that God’s word says “ I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5. This girl knows that she can be content when things don’t happen the way she planned because it must mean that God has a better plan. (notice I didn’t say easier one?)

This girl also knows, what Deuteronomy 31:6 says,  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” See that girl knew what it said all those years ago, but until she experienced it she didn’t have to assurance that it was true.

This girl has had to learn to give up her will and follow after God. This girl has realized that He is not a God sitting up in heaven like the arcade game, whack-a-mole, with a big stick just waiting for me to mess up, so He can hit me over the head..  He is actually a loving God trying to direct my paths, because He knows the way that I need to go, He has been in the future and He knows my past, while at the same time He is my very present help in time of trouble.( See Psalms 46:1)

This girl who lived all her life in a church full of condemnation, religiosity, in fear and intrepidation. Learned that there is a loving God who is up their with arms outstretched bidding for me to come to Him, asking for me to trust Him, telling me that I am His child and He will take care of me I have nothing to fear. He reminds me I only need the approval of the audience of one and that is Him. That no matter what those around me think or do I am safe in His arms and if I will only strive to please Him, He will carry me through. He reminds me that, He is not half as hard on me as I am on myself. He tells me I am complete in Him and because of that, I now walk with my head lifted up, no longer ashamed or in fear. I have straighten my crown that He gave me and smile with confidence of whose I am. Not because of anything I have done, but because of who lives in me and loved me so much He gave His life for me.  So the question today is, Which girl are you?

 

The Whole Earth Will Sing………

The Whole Earth Will Sing………

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So this past Saturday our Church was hosting a special event where we were planning to feed about 50 people. I had done a lot of prep the 2 weeks prior and, since I volunteered to cook for the whole event; I knew I had a great group of people coming to help so I wasn’t worried, but in the same aspect I couldn’t just stay in bed all day so I was up at 6:30 am because I knew people were going to start arriving by 9:30 am and I had 35 lbs of Salisbury steak to cook and a roasting pan of green beans, as well as 20 lbs of potato’s to mash!

As the alarm went off, I got out of bed and headed to my kitchen, I put the potato’s on to boil and headed over to the church to turn the other items on to begin cooking as well. When I returned from the church, the potato’s were soft and it was time to mash them. I was super excited to use my new Kitchen Aid mixer I got for Christmas to mash them, so lifted the 2 heavy pots with  about 10 lbs of potatoes in each to drained the water off, then transferred all that would fit in my mixing bowl, I attached the beaters and added the butter and milk to them then slowly started the mixer gentle increasing the speed till the were whipped perfectly. Then I went to twist the mixing bowl off the stand, so I could pour the now perfectly mashed potatoes in another container to allow me to start another batch because lets not forget I have 20 lbs to mash here, and the bowl would not release, I twisted the bowl to the right and it wouldn’t come up, I twisted it to the left and it would still not release. So desperate times call for desperate measures, I grab measuring cup out of the cabinet and started scooping. I scooped out most all of the potatoes into the roasting pan I had waiting and ready to keep my potato’s warm till we ate at noon. I had to repeat this process several times just to finish. Although, it was aggravating I didn’t have time to complain or whine, there was to much to do.

Now mind you it isn’t uncommon for me to be awake at 6:30 am but I will admit I am not usually out of bed and I am rarely ever outside at that time of day. But on that day, as I had walked across the 1/2 acre or so between my home and the church, the sun was rising and as it was rising, it seemed the earth came alive! The birds were chirping, the earth was a buzz with all kinds of sounds from nature and the creatures God had made. I have to say it reminded me of the scripture that says “All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name…..” Psalms 66:4 NASB. I just stood  there in the middle of that wide open space for a bit and just took in the majesty of it all. It really felt as if I was listening to a heavenly choir! I could almost imagine as the sun rose the birds sitting in their nest and them raising their heads and voices in praise to the Savior that made them. See because they don’t have a choice, they have to praise Him. But God the creator of the universe, gave us a choice.

It was later in that day that I stood again in the wide open space of our church and gathered was a group of people all probably over 55 and most closer to 70. Then we began to sing the old hymns and as we did that, again the I heard “All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You: they will sing praises to Your name….”  Not only did I hear the praises for the earth but I heard my momma’s voice. Oh! it was coming out of me but I heard it! I could see here sitting at the organ as she played and worshiped the Lord so many times as people gather around and old fashion alter. Those people there knew how to grab a hold of what we use to call, “the horns of the alter” and not stop praying till they felt a release.

It is being raised in a home that “Declared the praises” Isaiah 42:12 is the reason I couldn’t give up when my mixing bowl didn’t release, I couldn’t get mad and walk away because something didn’t go my way. I knew I had people depending on me and there was a job to be done not only in the physical realm but in the spiritual one as well. I was not doing anything that day for my praise, but it was all to honor God. That day, I believe I heard not only the people, but the all the earth praise God when I walked across that yard, and He also gave me a quick peek at heaven where I am sure my momma is singing His praises as well.

The questions is, are you singing His praises today? In just a couple weeks we will be remembering the day our Savior gave His life for us, and I am pretty sure according to His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. The man side of Christ wanted to be doing something else, but He didn’t,  when times got hard He didn’t quit! He didn’t give in! He honored His father while He hung on the cross. That is what God calls us to do. He calls us to worship Him in everything we do. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” Col 3:23 NIV 

So what is your attitude today? When something goes wrong or it’s just not going the way you planned, are you ready to give up and forget it? When it comes to that point remind yourself, “Do it for God!” If it isn’t at that point still do it for God! It’s important for us to remember everything we do from our attitude to our actions need to reflect Christ. If we are truly going to call Him our father, then we need to reflect our father. We just can’t call Him our Dad, if we don’t act and look like Him.  Cause the person you see in the mirror might not be the person everyone else is seeing if we aren’t reflecting who He is!

So whatever you do this week, do it as unto the Lord. “Sing His Praises” with your attitude and actions!

 

No!!! Not the Piggy!!

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Many of us celebrated Thanksgiving last week. One of my favorite memories of Thanksgivings was in 2013, our granddaughter was 3 years old and at our house, it is a tradition to go around the table before we eat and say what we are thankful for. We always start from youngest and go to the oldest. I don’t remember what our granddaughters were thankful for, but as we sat around the table filled with Turkey, Ham, and all the fix’ins, I do remember what happened when our then, 17-year-old son shared what he was thankful for, with his shoulders held back, sitting up as straight as he could, he proudly stated  “I am thankful for the Pig that gave his life for our dinner” at that moment our 3-year-old granddaughter screamed to the top of her lungs in a high pitched tone of great despair ” NO! Not the Piggy!!!” and proceeded to get down from the table and refuse to eat the meal. We still laugh about that to this day.

This year we were blessed that our daughter came home from college and wanted to cook the majority of the meal. It isn’t her first time cooking a turkey, she has lots of experience in the kitchen and of course, it was fantastic. In the weeks before Thanksgiving Amy and I had been talking on the phone discussing what would be on the menu. We even created a spreadsheet and sent it out to the rest of the family asking if there was anything they wanted we had forgotten to list.

Each year, it seems our family talks about how we are going to cut back and not have as much food as we did the year before. You see when it comes to cooking and entertaining I am afraid my daughter is as bad as I am, we just don’t know what the word moderation means. Cooking and entertaining is our love language, it is a way we express our love to others. Setting the table is an art to us. With each plate that is set and napkin place in the napkin ring is an act of love of us. We ended up serving 13 people our Thanksgiving Day meal and I am embarrassed to say we had 23 items on our menu, that included appetizers and desserts. After the meal was all over Amy and I was discussing yet again, how next year we need to cut back. Amy made the statement ” I think when God hears us say we are going to cut back on the food we serve, He laughs at us” We both agreed that is probably true. Because by the time we make the menu then other members of the family want some of their holiday favorites and guest bring food and it just grows from there.

You know, all this got me thinking….  So many times we make plans and dream dreams only to be disappointed later when what we plan doesn’t come to past.  What we do when these disappointments happen tells a lot about who we trust.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 19:21 that “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”  My dad use to say “plan as if you are going to live forever but live as if you could die tomorrow”.  Just because God has plans for us doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. God wants us to live our lives but at the same time, we need to make daily choices in our lives that reflect what God would want us to do so when He does come back we are ready to go back to heaven with Him.  The way we make those daily choices that reflect Him is by making those choices according to what God’s word says. When we live our lives like that then when God comes back to take His children Home to Heaven, He will be happy to. See when things, don’t go the way we plan we have to trust that God has a better plan. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God knows the plans He has for us and they are for good and not to harm. Granted there are somethings we can never plan for, the lost of a loved one, the unexpected pregnancy, an illness that can’t be explained or that person that won’t call you back and you just don’t know why. But when those things happen we have to remember to trust the one who made us and know that He is in control and He loves us so much He will bring good out of what seems like it is bad if we will continue to follow what His word says, even when our plans don’t come to pass.  So God may be laughing at the idea that Amy and I  will ever cut back our menu, but that is only because He has plans to use that for His glory the key for Amy and I is to listen to what He wants to do through us as we show His love. So what will you do next time your plans don’t happen just the way you want? Who will you trust?

Ghosting… To be Ghostlike or Jesuslike that is the question?

Ghosting… To be Ghostlike or Jesuslike that is the question?

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There is a relatively new term going around called “Ghosting”.  I was listening to the radio the other day and there was an announcer, taking a poll asking “Have you ever ghosted someone? “ So I looked up what this word met because obviously from the way it was being used it was not what I thought of when I hear the term “Ghost”.  One definition given said it is

1.) The act of disappearing on your friends without notice.

2.) Cancelling plans with little or no notice.

Another said…..

“The act of suddenly ceasing all communication with someone the subject is dating, but no longer wishes to date. This is done in hopes that the ghostee will just “get the hint” and leave the subject alone, as opposed to the subject simply telling them he/she is no longer interested. Ghosting is not specific to a certain gender and is closely related to the subject’s maturity and communication skills. Many attempts to justify ghosting as a way to cease dating the ghostee without hurting their feelings, but it, in fact, proves the subject is thinking more of themselves, as ghosting often creates more confusion for the ghostee than if the subject kindly stated how he/she feels.”

One of the most popular answers on this show was, many people canceled plans at the last-minute without thinking anything about it. The commentator talked about how people commit to an event or a time to go somewhere with someone, then at the last-minute if a better offer comes up they don’t think anything about canceling the original plans and going with the new offer if it is something they would rather do than the original commitment.  

I was a little taken back by this newly found verbiage I mean, I remember when a person’s word met something and when you made a commitment you stuck with that commitment whether you had a better offer come up later or not. You weren’t just moved by the wind and whatever felt good. A person did what they said because your word was your bond.

This got me thinking about some conversations I had with my daughter over the years. I can’t tell you how many times we talked about this. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a conversation. Maybe it was more like a yelling match. I would go to her room to wake her up and she would scream “ NO! I don’t want to get up!” To which I would holler back at her, as I walk down the hall. “ I don’t really care what you want, this isn’t about you! Sometimes in this life you just have to do things you don’t want to do and getting up is one of those things” Or the conversation might go like this. “ Life isn’t about you Amy so do what you are supposed to do and get up”  I promise you if I said one of those phrases to her once I said it 10,000 times. I think our mornings started out like that at about age 5, and continued, almost until the day she moved out. But the funniest part of that story is, now when I hear her tell the children she is working with the same thing. It makes me think, “Well, maybe she did get it?”

I think there is another term that needs to be considered these days,  it is called “dying to yourself”, the Bible calls it “denying yourself”.  See the very essence of our relationship with God requires us to give up our will and follow what He wants us to do. We must deny ourselves if we are going to be a follower of God.  Jesus tells His disciples several times that they must deny themselves.  Matthew 16:24-25 “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Christ tells us, that there are going to be times we have to do things we don’t want to do. When that friend calls needing help but you would rather sit at home or when we would rather stay at home instead of getting up and going to church on Sunday Mornings.  These things are important because they are things that we have to choose to do. We choose to go help that friend because it is an opportunity to be Christ’s hands and feet. We choose to get up out of that warm comfy bed because we know, if we go, we will learn more about our walk with God and possibly be able to encourage someone else with their walk as well. If there is no other reason we do it, we do it, because we know that God’s word says “Forsake not the assemblies of yourselves…….” Hebrews 10:25. So when we know what we ought to do then, we need to do it no matter how much we don’t feel like it. Because God’s word also says in James “ He that knows to do good and doesn’t do it, then to him it is sin” Yep! My kids heard that scripture a lot too. In fact, it might have been the one they learned before John 3:16

We are never more like Christ than when we choose to do something we don’t want to do, simply because we know it is right to do.

See there is no request that can be made to us, greater than the request that was made to Jesus when God, His Father, asked Him to give up His life in Heaven and go to earth to die for a bunch of sinners that would despise Him, and hate Him than spit on Him while He hung naked on a cross for them. So they could have eternal life.

So, until someone asks you to do that, you haven’t been asked to do too much. I don’t know about you, but I sure am glad Jesus didn’t ghost on us that day, He went to the cross. Because without Him sacrificing Himself for us we would not have the blessed hope of eternal life.

So next time, you get a better offer to do something, or you decide, you just “don’t want” to be in a relationship anymore and you are getting ready to bail on your commitments.  Maybe you need to think about the man who gave His life for you and if you claim to know Him then make sure you are representing Him well and make sure you aren’t Ghosting while you are on duty serving Him because serving Him is a 24/7/365  commitment. God has never ghosted on us, so should we really be doing it to others? What will you be today, a Ghost or Jesus?

How many Zombies do you know?

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There has been a trend around for a while that has resurrected itself (no pun intended)  It is Zombies and the Walking Dead, they seem to be the cool thing right now! I am not personally into that type of thing so I googled it and here is what gotquestions.org said about them

“Zombies are imagined creatures that can be described as fully dead corpses which have been “reanimated”; that is, they act as though they are alive while continuing the natural process of decay.”  ” Romero’s zombies are mindless, flesh-eating monsters that stumble about, intent on fulfilling a craving for human brains.”  “However, the walking dead is not merely a 20th-century idea. Practitioners of Voodoo in Haiti and Africa have long believed that sorcerers are responsible for reanimating and controlling corpses.”

Yeah, so now you see why I am not that into it!

But with all the commotion about it, especially this time of year, it got me thinking…….. and the truth is I see a lot of Zombies and Walking Dead people every day.  Because if the above definition is true and they are “Fully dead corpses that walk around mindlessly, acting as they are alive while continuing the natural process of decay”  Then we all are a little Zombie-like, at least until we have a relationship with Christ. You see there is a story in the bible about Zombies, Okay, they don’t call her a Zombie but she was a person dead inside decaying away until she met a man who could give her life. It is found in John 4. You see there is this Zombie (Okay! a woman) and she is at the well to draw water for her family that day when she meets a man. This man tells her everything she has done and obviously can see the hurt and pain her life choices have brought her. This Man wants to give her life because He can see she is dying inside so here is what He says.

“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty……….” John 4:13-15 ESV

Remember the second half of that definition “flesh-eating monsters that stumble about, intent on fulfilling a craving for human brains.”Isn’t that just like us before we know Christ, we stumble about intent on fulfilling our cravings for whatever the first thing that comes into our minds?”

All the while we are never satisfied because the only thing that really will satisfy us is the living water of eternal life that can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

So I don’t know how many Zombies you know, or maybe you are one yourself, but the truth is there is a different choice, a choice to have a spring of living water from the giver of life, welling up inside you. I am pretty sure you can ask anyone, but the last thing you call a spring of water is dead. No, it is usually a bubbly brook that brings life to everything around it.

Let me ask you a question,  Do you have that life today? Are you a living example of the creator of the universe, the giver of eternal life? Or do you feel like you are dying inside just stumbling around in this thing called life doing whatever the first thing is that comes to your mind and it seems like it doesn’t matter what you do, nothing ever satisfies you?

There’s another part of the bible where Jesus tells a woman “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;— John 11: 25

If you want to live and I mean really live, the truth is you have to die, die to yourself, die to your ways, your ideas and give you life, ideas, thoughts and plans to God. Because it is only when you die to yourself, you can truly live for the King of Kings.

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. Romans 8:10

I hope today that if you are living the life of a Zombie, you will no longer be the living dead, but you will drink of the living water of Christ and become a well of life.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, I know you are the giver of life, and no matter what I have done you love me. I know your desire for me is to live and live life to the fullest!  Come into my life today, let me live in you. So I will never thirst again. In Jesus Name AMEN

If you have prayed that prayer and really meant it, find a bible believing church. Get involved there so you can learn more about this giver of life called Jesus.

God and the NFL – What’s really going on?

God and the NFL – What’s really going on?

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

Well, if you aren’t living under a rock you are aware that there has been some controversy in the NFL. I won’t comment on my opinion on this particular situation now, but of course, this isn’t the only controversy going on in America right now  either, if it is not the “Cotton at Hobby Lobby” then it is “What day the world will come to an end” everyone has an opinion and everyone is ready to give it. Never have I seen such a society of offense. It seems at times a person can’t even sneeze right without someone getting offended. (and  I am fully aware someone will probably be offended by this article as well)

I think the problem is, we are all way too worried about what we don’t need to worry about. Because we have forgotten what God has told us. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph 6:12

See satan has us so busy fighting each other we are no longer fighting him.  If he can keep us distracted with racism, or correcting predictions of things God said that we are never supposed to know anyway, then we won’t be loving our friends, let alone our enemies. We have forgotten the greatest commandment and that is “…love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”John 13:34-35 (NIV)

My daughter is taking a world religion class and recently she called to tell me the teacher failed to use a capital “G” for God, which not only is it proper English to capitalize a proper noun, but I was raised it is also proper to capitalize any pronoun referring to our Lord and Savior. When my daughter called she commented ” It must be a Pentecostal thing” To which I replied “No, it is a generational thing” See, I feel we now live in a society that we have not only lost respect for our country but we have lost respect for God Himself and that is the real problem.  We aren’t teaching our children to love God and honor Him in the proper ways anymore.

Our problem isn’t what one man says or does, our problem is we have forgotten what God says and that is “To love one another, and this is how they will know you are my disciples.” But the real reason we can’t love others like God loves us is that we don’t really realize how much God loves us. Even some who have been raised in the church were raised as if God was up there in heaven with a big hammer, just waiting for us to make a mistake so He could pounce on us. So, in return, we give that same judgment to others. Then there are those who have become a consumer Christians, who claim to know God but only uses the church as a social gathering or a place to for funerals and weddings. There is no real desire to seek God and to learn more about Him, they have bought the fire insurance to keep them out of hell and that is all they are interested in. So when you are not totally in love with God, you can’t totally understand just how much God loves you and if you can’t comprehend how much God loves you then, how can you love like He loves?

A hard concept I have come to realize is we no longer live in the Christian Country that our forefathers planned for. We are becoming the pagan nation that the men in the bible times lived in. Where all manner of sin was permissible and acceptable.  But the bible warned us of days like this, and it tells us “Now when these things begin to occur, stand tall and lift up your heads [in joy], because [suffering ends as] your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28 AMP.  The question is, who is the redemption for? Well, it is for those who follow God’s greatest commandment and that is “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”John 13:34-35N (NIV) Robert Morris of Gateway Church in Texas says it better than I can, ” If you want to know if you have been born again, ask yourself:”When did I change direction?” 

See because there is coming a day when the bible says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, ……..and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Philippians. 2:10-11 & Romans 14:11. So, let me encourage you today, No, I am really pleading with you. Let’s be the example that God has called us to be of love and forgiveness, let’s put aside our will and our ways, our causes may be good and you might have every right to be upset, but what does God say? Is really what you are protesting going to change by the action you choose or is it just causing more drama and frustration for those around you?

I have often thought, if God would just wave His hand over the universe and command us all to love then there would not be these issues. But God doesn’t because He want’s us to choose, that is part of the dieing to our will and following His. He gives us a choice. The question is what will you choose today? I wonder instead of having a day where all the country boycotted or protested something, we call a day for everyone to put aside their differences and love like He has loved us what a difference that would make?

So let me encourage you today if you don’t know this loving God that I have talked about. Let me introduce you to Him. His name is Jesus, He is the creator of the universe and He thinks you are His most fabulous creation He made. He loves you so much He gave His own life for you and would do again if you were the only one on earth. Let me encourage you to find a bible believing church and get involved. Begin having a quiet time with Him every day. because He is cant wait to spend time with you. He wrote you a letter called the bible He would like you to read.  He loves you with an everlasting love and hopes you will have the same feelings for Him and those around you. Let’s go out this week and be that love that somebody needs.

 

 

L

You don’t trust who you don’t know!

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In the bible, there is a story about a man named Job. Most of the time when we think about Job we think about the guy who lost everything but his wife. God described Job as a fair and upright man. In fact, in the beginning of this story, there is a conversation between satan and God.

God asks satan “What have you been doing?” and satan replies ” roaming about on the earth”. This reminded me of the Scripture where God warns us to, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

As the story goes on God is telling satan what an amazing guy Job is and says ” Have you considered my servant Job”, Satan tells God that He thinks if God would remove his protection from Job and his family he doesn’t think Job would be such a devoted follower.  It was almost as if satan issued God a challenge. God trusted Job so much, He says, go ahead do whatever you want, you just can’t kill him. Read the book of Job for more details.

 

Job isn’t the only one God trusted, In Numbers, we see God so angry that He comes down in a cloud and calls Miriam and Aaron out of their tent because they were talking bad about Moses.  He informs them that Moses is the one I trust! (Numbers 12:7)  This story reminds me of a friend coming to defend his friend who he sees is being picked on, and I have to say, if you are gonna have a best friend. God is the one to have, I  mean picture it, God is up in heaven listening to Miriam and Aaron complain and gossip about Moses and it makes Him so mad He comes down out of heaven in a cloud and calls these guys out of their tent to basically tell them to leave His friend alone! Because He trusts Moses! 

We all often wonder if we can trust God, but time after time here in the bible we see that God talks about trusting.

Did you ever ask yourself if God can trust you? Can He trust you that if your world falls apart and you lose everything, you will still serve Him like He did Job?  Can He trust you like He did Moses to speak to you face to face and allow you to see His shadow?

Or are you like Simon Peter where God told Him in Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan desires to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not: and when you are converted, you will strengthen your fellow believers.

I am not much of a farmer, but I know that if someone says, they want to sift me as wheat. That isn’t a good thing. Satan wants to take us out. But Jesus says here He prayed for Simon. Does Jesus have to pray for you, that you won’t fail?

God, has warned us over and over again in the bible, that trouble will come, and satan is after us. So why are we so surprised with trouble comes our way. In John 16:33 He tells us ” These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

He says here “In Me, you will have peace”  and “In the world, you will have tribulation” God wants us to focus on Him because the more we focus on Him the more we will trust Him and the more we trust Him the more He can trust us. God wants to trust us so much that when satan temps us He will know that you will stand against satan,  and you won’t be tempted by his tricks.

You know it is hard to trust someone you don’t know. I mean if you are attending a big event in a giant arena, in a city where you don’t know anyone and you decide to sit down next to a stranger, you aren’t going to ask that stranger to hold your purse or wallet while you go to the bathroom. No! especially if all your money is in it. The bottom line is we don’t trust people we don’t know.

God talks about not knowing someone. In the book of Matthew, He tells us that not everyone that calls Him Lord will enter heaven. There are people who when they stand before Him will say “Didn’t I cast demons out in your name? Didn’t I prophesy in your name? Didn’t I do many wonders in your name?” And God is gonna look at them as say “ I never knew you; depart from Me,” Matt 7:23. 

See in the same way God wants to trust you,  He wants to be your friend because you don’t trust a stranger, So can God trust you today?  Don’t just say you know Him. Don’t just claim to be His friend. If you haven’t been to church in a month if you haven’t read His bible and spend time with Him if you aren’t doing your best to live a life that He would be pleased with?  Because all these things are how we get to know Him.  Oh! no one is perfect, but let’s strive to be a person that God can trust. Because you don’t trust, who you don’t know? So, do you really know God?

 

 

 

 

REALITY CHECK!

REALITY CHECK!

Posted on by • Posted in Christian growth, dying/living, encouragement • Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , • 3 Comments
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

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)

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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.