Star-fish

     I heard a joke one time about a woman that gets mad at another driver while driving and yells obscenities and makes crude gestures at the other driver. A police officer driving nearby immediately puts on his lights and pulls her over. The officer checks her ID and insurance and hands it back to her. The woman asks, "Why did you pull me over?" The officer replies, "Well, I saw all your gestures and heard all your comments out your window to the other driver. Then I noticed all the Christian bumper stickers, the fish symbol and one saying, 'Follow me to Christ,'  and I thought you must have stolen the car!"      The April 2012, Our Daily Bread on the last page has an article, "What Is True Greatness?" The article is adapted from John The Baptizer , 2006 RBC Ministries. The author speaks to this issue of being Christians that are an example to others and draw people to Christ rather than detract from Christ Jesus. Here's the excerpt:    ...

     Today on Dr. Charles Stanley, he preached on "Victory over Guilt." I'm attaching the website which has the lesson on video for free. I am going to bookmark and review it regularly as I make myself crazy with guilt. The site is  http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv  and Dr. Stanley has other wonderful teachings as well that will inspire you and prepare you to walk more closely to God.       This Gordon Johnson Real Estate message was at the bottom of an email I got with photos of cute animals. I NEVER read the bottom section with the warnings about viruses and such and yet today I read this one. I've been thinking a lot about "choices" lately and this really spoke to me. I'm leaving his name and information as he's the one associated with it, although I'm not advertising or promoting him in any way as I don't know him. That being said, read the bold italics:  Gordon Johnson-Johnson Real Estate johnson.realestate@frontie...

     A woman joined our table on Tuesday for Bible study. She had brain surgery for a tumor a number of years ago that kept her from returning to work as a teacher. She has had many complications and issues as a result over the years and yet she remains dedicated to God and hopeful about life. She noted that one time when she asked God, "Why do I have to go through all this?" she felt God said, "Why not you?" She communicated this "conversation" with contentment that God does not favor anyone and for her this experience has made her stronger in her faith. It has also given her a testimony to share with others. A way to be relatable with other and help guide them to God who has cared for her.      Job, of course, in the Bible had many reasons to ask God, "Why?" and yet he remained faithful. Another man in our Wednesday night Bible group shared that a neighbor had told him that he didn't believe that a loving God would send people to hell. The...

     People today are seeking peace whether in their divided homes, from violence in their communities, wars in their nations, or simply a place to rest that is without stress. Few of us find that peace here on earth. The Lord tells us in Isaiah 48:22 "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked." The answer to this is for each person to apply Psalm 34:14 to their lives, "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." I am part of the problem. We are each personally responsible for keeping the peace.      If we will be peace seekers, the Lord will bless us as noted in Proverbs: 12:20-Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy. 14:30-A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. 16:7-When the LORD takes pleasure in anyone's way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them. 17:1-Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. ...

     Good intentions are just that...good...intentions. They are good thoughts about doing something good, but intentions does not indicate action or doing. I wake up every day and have many good intentions, but don't always get "intentional" about following through on them. As Christians, God calls us to be "doers" of the word, not just "hearers."      In James 1 God reminds us what "true religion" looks like: "visiting orphans and widows in their trouble and keeping oneself unspotted from the world." The closer my relationship with the Lord gets, the easier it is to "lose my spots." I want to be pleasing to Him and frankly, by His mercy, I am losing interest in things of the world. Things of this world...leather shop in Italy. SOS Lord!  James 1: 22  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  23  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural...

     We have a beautiful Amaryllis blooming in our yard. It was from a clearance section at a store a couple of Christmases ago. Once it finished blooming that year, my husband put it in the ground, hoping that it would come back again the next year. And it has, each spring and it always reminds me of Christmas!      I was reading a story about giving and in the story I was reminded that it is a blessing to be able to give, but we must also remain humble about giving as it is from God's supply, not our own that we are giving. If we become proud about our ability to give and then won't let others help us, if we one day are in need, that is sin. I'm guilty of this sin called pride.       I brought up the Amaryllis as it seems we all associate giving with Christmas and yet there are 364 other days a year that many are in need. I pray today to be one that realizes the money, food, clothing, even time that I am able to give is actually a ...

     Today in our women's Bible study a young woman spoke about how difficult it was for her to forgive herself for her past sins. She knew that after she took them to Jesus, asked for forgiveness and repented of those actions that Jesus immediately forgave her. But her trouble was she couldn't forgive herself so her flesh and Satan had a field day condemning her and keeping her from having victory in life through Christ.      God has made life simple, but we have complicated it through rules, peer pressure, social stigmas, etc. God says in the Bible that all we are called to do to enter into heaven and live in eternity with Him is this: Luke 10:25  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”     26  “What is written in the Law?”  he replied.  “How do you read it?”   27  He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart an...

     The temperatures have been in the triple digits here lately, but tonight the wind is blowing. I love the feeling of an evening where I can stand under a clear, starry night with a warm breeze blowing. The sound of the palm leaves as the wind blows through them adds to the romance of such a night. It's interesting to ponder, that wind makes no sound except by what it blows on or through.      God is like the wind. He can blow strong and powerfully, but unless He comes in contact with someone His Spirit can't make an impact. His Spirit must be in us and move through us to create change in our lives and the lives of those we come in contact.      In our backyard the Star Jasmine is blooming, so when the wind blows the fragrance of the blossoms dances throughout our property. In 2 Corinthians 2:15 it notes, "...we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved..." God blows the aroma of Christ to the world through ...

     God is so specific in how He blesses those who love and follow Him. My birthday was in March, but one friend of mine and I couldn't catch up and celebrate until April. She came to pick me up with this beautiful flower in her hands. She said, "I know we don't exchange gifts, but this flower was so pretty I thought I'd get it for you." I was amazed! The week before while at the store, I had seen this pretty plant, but reminded myself that we were supposed to be saving money. So I took one long last look and went on with my grocery shopping.      My friend, who is a Christian, heard the Holy Spirit's voice to pick up the flower for me and as such I was doubly blessed! And that's how God is, He not only blesses me, He doubly blesses me with special surprises and reminders of His individual care and love for me. If it's your birthday today, let me tell you this message is for you, because as I prayed at my computer I had other things to write about, b...

     In our study of Daniel with Beth Moore, I went back over some old notes and was reminded of my need for resolve. That nothing happens unless we choose to make it happen (of course, besides those things God chooses to happen:) But I'm talking about my daily choices of exercise, eating right, house cleaning and organizing, etc. Also, my relationship with God, I must resolve to pray, read the Word and take time away to "hear" from God, only then will I mature in my walk with God.      Beth notes Daniel 1:8 when, "Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." Moore writes the following on pages 24 and 25 of her Daniel study, "Had his (Daniel's) decision been easy, it wouldn't have demanded resolve...godliness is never accidental. Neither is victory coincidental. Both stem from up-front, daily resolve."      This paragraph by Moore on page ...

     I'm sure you've heard that saying, but I'm living it and you probably are too. It's really a good thing to have a husband and friends that are not like me (for more reasons than just the obvious:) I have one friend that I don't see often, but when we are together it seems as though we've just left each other. She and I used to work together and her work habits were also different from mine.      She's the type of person I aspire to be, but don't see that happening in the near future. She's a good listener, sound thinker, grounded, knows what she wants and is willing to work hard to get it. She likes to exercise, eat right and save money, of all things! (Those last three are a mystery to me completely:)      We had lunch today and when I dropped her off, I missed her. I thought of things we hadn't discussed and wouldn't discuss until June. I'm challenged by her and comforted at the same time. The woman has a gift, I can't put my...

     I don't like change. Today I got on my blog site and everything had been changed. Why? It's the same stuff, just moved around. I remember hearing a blind man speak to a group of first graders about his life and how his wife had to learn not to change the furniture around without telling him as he would fall or run into things and harm himself. She and the kids also had to get used to putting things back right where they found them or he wouldn't know where to find them if they had been moved. That's how I feel today on this blog...blind! I can't find anything. Where'd everything go?      Anyway, I felt a bit like that at card making class today as well. I was asking for things that were right in front of me! What makes me have days like this where I just can't seem to get it together? Stress? Fatigue? Or is it simply the ebb and flow of life? Whatever the case, I am greatly blessed that I have a computer to have a blog on and I was able to go to a car...

     This title is from the April 17, 2012 article in the Our Daily Bread magazine. As I work in groups with others, I'm reminded of my competitive nature (not a good thing necessarily) and my tendency to "strive." I strive to do things "just right" and often drive myself and others crazy in the process. Of course, after all that striving, I want credit for a job well done. (Sound like pride?) I've worked on this tendency and have seen improvement, but I have a long way to go until I'm Christlike.      I'm going to include an excerpt from this article by Joe Stowell as it speaks to the need to get credit when it may not be due:       We naturally want to draw attention to ourselves, to show off our accomplishments and abilities. Sometimes we think that life is all about us. But living like that is self-delusion at its worst. In reality, our sinfulness has put us "in the corner," from God's point of view. Thankfully, Paul's testim...

    My husband called to me from the garage, "Come and look at this," he said in a hushed tone. When I reached him by the garage door he pointed to a tree just six feet away. He pointed to a mother dove feeding her baby chick in the Y of the tree. He noted that it was a good spot as it was roomy enough for the nest and the color of the tree matched the mother's gray feathers.      It made me think of a conversation with a friend about just resting in the palm of God's hand. Trusting that God is in control...of everything, that nothing gets past Him. How could it? He created it all! We are to call on God when things in our nest start to unravel. He tells us in this Psalm that He will answer us. I put the whole Psalm here today as it is full of words of comfort, given to us all, by a God that loves us. Fortress in Rome Psalm 91   1   Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High      will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 ...

     I love coffee! It's just one of those beverages that is hardy, aromatic and calorie free; what's better than that? Recently a friend put on a birthday party for me and asked what theme I would like. I said, "Coffee, of course." Then the women's leadership team was planning for a training and the pastor's wife asked what theme we should have, again I said, "Coffee!"      I think part of the reason I love coffee is that I associate it with wonderful times. Times where girlfriends get together and chat. Family members wake up and share a cup of joe around the breakfast table. And quiet times too where I sit outside in the cool of the morning and listen to God's creations while warming my hands on a mug of steaming hot coffee.      I told my husband that maybe I should quit drinking coffee because even after a day without a cup, I had a headache. "I think I'm addicted to coffee," I lamented one day. In his ever steady way my husb...

     My husband has been sick with a chest cold for two weeks now. He wanted to go to church today, but I discouraged him since his cough is still bad. I was concerned about the comfort of those around him and their wellness as well as his comfort. I'm not sure my idea was such a good one as the service would have been edifying to him.      It always seems that when I'm most discouraged, tired or uninterested in going to church, that's just the time I really need to press through the feelings and get to church. Over and over I have found when Satan is throwing up roadblocks to keep me from church or another church related event, I need to pray that God will make my path straight and go despite my current concerns. I am always blessed and left shaking my head at how I almost didn't go, but God knew what I needed, before I knew I need it and thankfully I obeyed. Make my path straight O Lord.  Psalm 27: 7  Hear my voice when I call, LORD;  ...

     This cat has made it his habit to play with all the neighborhood kids. No one seems to know who he belongs to, but when children are playing he shows up. I noticed him peeking under the neighbors fence when the children next door were jumping on their trampoline, yelling, and having a great time. He seemed to be trying to figure out how to get to them. A child that sits down is fair game to this cat. He's on the prowl for a lap to nap on.      I miss this type of "kitty kindness" that is so familiar in small towns. Obviously it's not kitties I'm referring to, but just that friendly atmosphere of a community of people that care about others and show kindness to each other. We live in a big city and everyone is suspicious of other people. If you are nice to someone, they assume you must be up to something bad.     That's a sad state of affairs in our nation. We have cut God out of our political system and school system. We've chosen to d...

     I am a scrapbooker and card maker, which means I take entirely too many photos when at special events or on vacations and buy entirely too much cute paper and embellishments (stickers, lettering, etc.). Today a group of us went to a scrapbooking and cardmaking convention with workshops and booths to buy anything you could possibly think of connected with these crafts. At one table that had buttons to wear, one button said, "Scrapbookers don't lie, we embellish." Which was a fun play on words, yet stuck with as I thought about it later.      It's interesting that it's become acceptable in our society to tell lies especially lies that "don't cause anyone harm." So my question would be, "Are there harmless lies in God's economy?" Satan is the master of subtly and omission. He might even tell you that you are doing someone a favor by not telling them the whole truth. But lies, whether little, white or otherwise are lies just the same ...

     I'm know I can be long winded and go on about things, so this may be just an indication of that or it's a new trend. Recently I've noticed when I'm talking to others that they are distracted, even when we're talking about something they have initiated. Their eyes are looking over my shoulder to someone else. It could be boredom and I'm okay with that, but I really think it's trying to be in too many places at one time.      Listening is an art. Few of us have the patience to pursue it, but when we do, it is truly a gift to others. In this day and age of technology, where we get very little "face" time, it's a blessing to spend one-on-one time with a real live person:) But I think our new "gift" of multitasking has given us a sense that we can and should hold on a conversation with one person while trying to figure out what someone else is doing in the background. We do it while we're on the phone, we talk and check our email...

     Are we in the last days? If we are what does that mean for you? For me as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, this means I need to get busy about God's work and live godly in ungodly days. For a non-believer, if that's you, you may experience the hopelessness of knowing that no matter what you do right, others are seeking after injustice. The days will become more and more wicked.             2  Timothy 3: 1  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  2  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  3  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  4  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.      But t...

     I understand that in the insect world, some adult insects eat their young. I heard a commercial recently that was along those lines, the mother of the house mused, "At times I thought I would eat my young, at other times I wish I had." There's humor in this when it's just a TV commercial, but if you are in the place in your life where your kids are driving you crazy, it's not that funny! Often it is heart-wrenching, yet I see it a bit like a battle the Lord allows to happen so we'll launch our kids into the world and not coddle them into adulthood:)           Whatever the case may be, children are a blessing and only young for a short while. For couples that aren't able to have children, they would be glad to endure these trials. For those that have lost children, they'd be willing to fight a hundred teenage battles over again, if it would bring their child back. Others whose children are sick, would take up their child's illness in a m...

     I just finishing writing out a Powerpoint presentation on Spiritual Gifts using the Bible and the book, Network by Bruce Bugbee and Don Cousins. This is a long list, but an important one if you and I are going to serve God and edify others. Scripture tells us, "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant." (1 Corinthians 12:1) I pray this list will help you in your search for your Spiritual gift(s): Administration ~I can coordinate people, tasks, and events. (Thorough, Responsible, Goal-oriented, Efficient, & Organized) Apostleship ~I am attracted to the idea of serving in another country to establish new churches.(Adventurous, Risk-taking, Culturally sensitive) Craftsmanship ~I enjoy working creatively with wood, metal and other materials. (Handy, Resourceful, Creative, Behind-the-scenes)   Creative Communication ~I enjoy developing & using my artistic skills: art, drama, music, & photography. (Imaginative, Creati...