STRAY to HIM.

How often do we wander around on our own searching for shelter from storms and “food” to be fed by and day to day survival only to end up back in an “alley” all alone at the end of the day? We may even be approached more than once being offered help and rescue from our troubles and our running in circles, but instead of stepping forth in faith and allowing that help to be given we turn around and run again. Is it fear of the unknown of what help may entail? Is it just patterned routine behavior that has grown on us to where we are accustomed to not needing assistance when in essence it’s what we long for the most, but are still frightened to take the proper steps to have it occur?
As I’ve been patrolling the town the past few days and been noticing all the stray cats and dogs helplessly running from one place to another with no real idea of where they are going or how their next meal will be provided or their shelter will be taken care of I find myself getting out of the vehicle and slowly approaching them with treats and food in hand and a soft gentle voice to guide them over towards me trying to portray to them that they do not have to be fearful or scared, that I am there to help them not harm them. Tonight I had 6 cats run as fast as they could in the opposite direction when I approached, two kinda just stand and look at me starting to creep forward then immediately dart back towards an old hole in an abandoned house. Only ONE in all of them willingly slowly walked over and began eating out of my hand and attempted to have me pet her by rubbing her head under my hand. I reached out to this one and took her n my arms and rubbed her ears and held her closely and told her that she was going to be safe now and well taken care of. Jesus longs to have us come to HIM and nestle ourselves against HIM and rest safely in HIS arms and allow HIM to provide for us in adequate manners that we can not take care of on our own. He is always there waiting for us to help us in our “stray sense of direction” but until we take the steps forward instead of fearfully running away out of fear of how things might change or be different then we will not fully experience what it is to be owned, cherished and made to feel secured. In Matthew 11;28 it says “Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” And in Jonah 1:3-4 it says: “But Jonah got up to run away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa. There he found a ship that was going to sail to Tarshish. Jonah paid for his journey and went down into the ship. He wanted to get far away from the Lord.” But the Lord threw a strong wind on to the sea. There was a fierce storm and the ship nearly broke up.” Just after he ran away in the opposite direction the storm in his life began and it wasn’t u ntil he acknowledged this in Jonah1:15 that it became calm and problems were laid to rest. “ Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea. The storm stopped. The sea became calm again.” Next time you are wandering around in an alley or running away on a “ship” or hiding out in an abandoned house remember that GOD is everywhere and is yearning for us to just rest in HIM and obey HIM by drawing near to HIM so that he may draw nearer to us. I can just hear him up there saying, “here people, people, people…come to me and I will give you rest” I am refusing to be an "alley person" rather am jumping into the arms of my rescuer! I do not want to be a stray, but rather want to STRAY NEARER TO HIM. Won't you join me?

Is your ark built?

The other afternoon I was playing toys with the pastor's son and there was a dump truck and off to the side the only person figurine lying around that fit in it was NOAH holding a dove. So, I put Noah in the truck, honked the horn and began trying to teach him the "who built the ark? Noah, Noah..." song. I went on to share how much simpler it possibly would of been for Noah if he had indeed had a truck to haul the wood back and forth from the forest to the ark/building site. But, he didn't, yet he still continued to build and do as God instructed. He could of quit and said, "this is too much work and doesn't make any sense.." Yet he went on believing in what God had said would happen and stepped out daily in faith, amidst the crowd mocking him and the hard work he was faced with. How often do we, in our lives hear God telling us to "build an ark" for our protection from the storm, yet we do not listen to Him and then when the floods come we are left drowning, crying out for Him to save us. We need not use wood and nails to build this shelter, rather, daily scripture reading and prayer and giving each thought, trial and thing over to Him, believing that He will be our ride and cover/warmth when the rains come down! Can you imagine if Noah had not listened to the Lord and he and his family too had been destroyed in the worldwide flood? The very next time you hear God speaking to you, no matter what He is telling or asking you to do/say, believe Him and trust and obey. Pray also for those who do not believe they need to be on the boat with you, and be sure to give a final boarding call before closing the door. In Job 36:11 it says, "If they hear and serve Him, They shall end their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures." Use your dumptruck today and start hauling in the supplies needed to build what God is leading you to in your life!And, be sure to honk the horn as you pass by the onlookers!!

Plug in, Inflate and SHINE!

It’s that time of year when we pull out and battle untangling the lights, hanging them on our house, decorating the tree and the yards and we put so much work into doing this…. As I was driving around the neighborhood I noticed many homes, including mine have the yard inflatables set out for everyone to look at. The only problem is, most times during the day we do not have them plugged in and inflated for people to see, we only choose to put them up at night, when most people will be in their homes already. A friend of mine told me tonight that she has driven by more than once but hasn’t gotten to see what my inflatables even were. How often in our lives do we work so hard to pull out things that we feel will enhance us, yet we forget to plug them in so they then lie there flat and unrecognizable to those who pass by ? God has blessed us with the gift of inflatability if we would just choose to plug in to HIS source of power day and night. Sometimes it’s easier to keep them unplugged all week long and only plug them in on Sunday morning or Wednesday night to show what we “have” to our friends and neighbors on those specific days. I challenge myself and each of you to be thankful for the abilities God has given us and the strength and wisdom through Him to untangle the chords and present our talents and gifts to each and every being He brings into our lives, not just when it’s convenient, but ALL the time. If we let the thought of, “what is this going to cost me energy wise, time wise and investment wise to keep plugged in all the time” be a reason we stay deflated, then what good is having the decorations to begin with? This Christmas, be reminded that Jesus already paid the price so we don’t have to. Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let our light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Let yourself air up and be a shining light so that people will stop and ask “Where did you get that at…I want what you have.” This, my friends is the REASON FOR THE SEASON.

Cherish the Gifts and the Giftgivers!

Each gift we are given in life is something to be cherished and thankful to the one who gave it. Birthdays, Christmas, Graduations, Baby Showers, Wedding showers, etc…we get gifts…We then send out Thank You notes letting those who gave the gift know we are thankful for their thoughtfulness. How often do we write God a thank you note for the children he has gifted us with? Children are such a precious blessing and one of the greatest gifts God can give. In Psalms 127:3 it says, “Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.” When we deliver a child we often think, “wow, I went 9 months and now this child is finally here and is ALL MINE. What we often forget is that, although the child is ours, without God, there would be no child, nor would we be here. He is the divine creator and giver of blessings day to day. Have you ever played the game at Christmas time where you draw a number and pick a gift and then the next player can take your gift or choose another one if they want? You may end up losing the initial gift you got, but there is another one sitting there waiting to be opened. If we sit and get upset that the thing we opened was taken away and we never reach down to open the next one we will not see what other things there are to be blessed with. I have a friend whose family member’s son had been drinking and was hit by a train the other night and died. What we, as parents often forget is that even in our fleshly mistakes God still loves us and ultimately our children our HIS because He gifted us with them to begin with, so our time here on earth is not something we should take advantage of or feel we are privy to longer life, etc...Something I constantly am teaching the boys and I too have learned is that we may not be given one more day, so we need to live each and every day as if it's our last and we are put here on this Earth to be a blessing to others and shine a light for the darkness around us...we often get lost in the dark and lose our flashlight or ability to go pick it up and turn it on...People begin pointing fingers at God, "how could you do this terrible thing..." When what they forget is that we, (as in America/the world in a whole) has tried so hard to remove God from everywhere, schools, constitution, etc...and then when tragedies occur it is then that we ask WHERE WERE YOU GOD? We dont' turn to God until something bad has happened, when in actuality, we need to be daily turning to Him and letting him lead and then we will be in accordance with his will and we will know more of what his plans are for our lives and it won't be as hard to cope with when things happen. We will have a stronger relationship with Him built up knowing we can rest in Him for the strength to pull us through the rough waters. I am asking for prayer for this friend, and the parents of this boy who was killed. They need an extra comfort and strength right now that only God can give. I pray that we all cherish our children each and every day and do what we can to keep them safe and teach them right from wrong, but stand beside them if they do make a mistake. Encourage them, pray for them and with them. Thank God on a daily basis for them and remember that they belong to Him , just as we do. We are all His children if we have accepted Him as our Savior. He loves us and when tragedies occur we don’t’ always have a “why” but we know there is a HOW with His help and his healing. He always has a reason and a divine plan. In Jeremiah 29:11 (I love this verse) it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future.”
Lord, I come before you asking for healing for this family. I thank you for the gift of children and for the years they were given with their son . I pray that they will cherish each of the memories they have and will not grow cold hearted towards you, but will rather cling tightly in this time of hurting. Let them know your arms are there to rest in Father. Guide them and bring people into their lives who can be a support and strength as well. Take this earthly tragedy and use it for your glory. We love you Lord and praise you for your salvation you give, your strength, the air we breathe, and everything we have. It is yours God, not ours..Thank you for letting us borrow it while we are residing here on Earth temporarily. May we store up heavenly treasures and be a light to all those who need shined upon. Be with each of us and all of my friends and their families, and keep them safe as they go through their days. May they always look to you in the good and the “bad.” May we all see that often you let things occur to show us a greater purpose that we were not aware of. I love you Lord and give you all the praise. I ask this in your name, Amen.

It's OK to be over that line!

One of my favorite books is by, Bonnie Keen, GOD LOVES MESSY PEOPLE and as I was staring at a sheet of notebook paper tonight I thought, "we put so much emphasis on our children to 'stay inbetween the lines', Use your fork and spoon so you don't make a mess on your hands. When maybe we should just be teaching them to do THEIR best and let them know that in Romans 3:10 it says, "There is none righteous, no note one." And, if they go out of the lines a little or get something on their fingers they are still loved and in turn we can instill a principle of how to go about cleaning up the mess with the use of a rag (God's word for our lives), and show them that pencils have erasers for a reason, because no one is perfect, except for God, and if their very best after erasing and trying to draw the letters again is still over the blue line then congratulate them for their work, ask them to continue writing so they can finish the "message" instead of just giving up on one letter, and build them up instead of causing them frustration that they may feel they can never achieve that computer printed teacher's manual version of the answers and how it's "supposed" to look. How often as women do we paint our own nails and slip up and go onto our skin a bit? I usually just polish remover it off with a qtip and move on to the next nail. If we stay stuck on the first letter or first nail or attempt to not spill anything at all or get it on our hands we may never get to write a whole word or story, paint all the nails or finish eating our meal and drinking our drink because we are now afraid we will mess up again! This does not mean we should scribble down some chicken scratches, gobble our food down like pigs, or dump the polish on our fingers just because God Loves Messy People. God loves us despite our mistakes and what He loves even more is our willingness to get back up and keep going and do better the next time, He doesn't ask for perfection the next time, just our BEST! If we groomed our children and ourselves to live up to perfection standards we are setting both up for immense heartbreak when the pencil slips across the paper, the polish is clumpy or we are served finger foods! Let's delight in how God created us to be UNIQUE and leave the perfection up to HIM! :)

What STATE are you in?

Checked out a book at the library yesterday for the boys called, THE SCRAMBLED STATES OF AMERICA. It’s a story about the 50 states and how NEBRASKA is upset because he is in the middle and never gets to go anywhere or see anything else and is tired of all the other states around him and the scenery never changing. He calls up his friend, Kansas (who is incredibly kind) and says, “I enjoy having you as a neighbor, BUT, I’m wanting a change, I really am tired of this area!” So, the two of them decide to call all the other states and they plan a party. At this party Virginia and Idaho get up on the stage and announce that they have decided they are going to switch places and wondered if everyone else wanted to do the same so they could get away from where they were at in life. They all agreed this was the greatest idea ever, so they went home to pack their bags and they began their travels to their new destinations. Things were going great the first day or two and then Florida began getting extremely cold up in Minnesota and Minnesota had gotten sunburnt down in Florida and Alabama, New York and Indiana (all whom had taken California’s place) were getting annoyed by the rumbling that kept them up all night. Arizona was getting frustrated with her South Carolina location because the waves kept messing up her hair and Alaska was in pain from Oklahoma’s handle jabbing into his left side and Michigan’s thumb tickling his right. Nebraska, who was the initiator of all of this was out in the ocean in Hawaii’s spot and was singing the blues about being homesick and lonely and seasick. Everyone was very uncontent except for Nevada and Mississippi who had fallen in love (“Do you want to become MRS.issippi?)
Phone calls were made soon after and it was pretty unanimous that they wanted their places back, so they jumped in their cars, taxis, buses, planes and bikes and trekked back to their homes. Once there they spent the evenings sharing their tales with their friends/states around them and went to bed with a new found contentment for where they were at. In Philippians 4:11 it says, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever STATE I am, therewith to be content.”
How often do we fuss and complain about where we are at in life and where God has put us. We dislike our job, the people around us, our neighbors are too loud, the kids are driving us nuts, etc…If these things that we were frustrated with were suddenly not there anymore would it truly make us happier or would we in turn find something new to complain about? God has called each and every one of us to the specific places we are at for a divine purpose and instead of spending time being upset about it, we ought to be praying and asking God for a new joy for what we have and where we are at and asking Him to show us what He wants us to do right here, right now. I am always telling the boys to be thankful for what they have instead of wanting more. We often get that very thing that we thought would make us so perfectly happy and content and then it is in a pile, a closet or on a shelf days later not being used or touched and we soon are looking for something else new instead. I believe we should take Nevada and Mississippi’s attitudes and make the best of the situations and things we have and find a way to be happy with whom we come in contact with and what we are given. When we are feeling we need to run away from things or place new things in our lives just to be happy, we need to remember that ONLY GOD can fill that gap, and material items will all become dust and rubbish one day, but our actions, thoughts, ways we reach out to others, prayers of thankfulness and what we do with what God is teaching us day to day will be taken with us for eternity! I intend on being in a GOD STATE of mind/heart, no matter where I get placed on the map!!

Need an Alignment?

"It’ll get better” “I don’t need to seek out help” are things I have been saying the past few days with this terrible neck pain I am battling. In Matthew 5:39 it says, “Do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also.” Right now, I fear I would not be able to obey that command as I can not turn it in the other direction. Just as our physical bodies need to be taken care of and checked on with dr.’s and chiropractors from time to time so that we can stay in ALIGNMENT and work to our full capacities; our hearts and minds need to be daily seeking out help for SPIRITUAL ALIGNMENT from God’s word. If we go through our lives thinking, “It’ll get better” without actually asking for help to make it better the problems typically seem to get worse. So it is in our spiritual lives. I sinned/messed up today but it wasn’t that big of a deal, it’ll be fine and will work out it’s kinks in time. One wrong that goes by without being taken care of by our Heavenly Physician can end us in a pile up of unfortunate pain that takes a long time to recover from. We ought to be going for a daily physical to God’s office as He is always there 24/7 (holidays as well), and ask Him to align us for that specific day!! John 14:13 says, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." When we faithfully stay in line with God and His word it becomes easier and easier and more of a desire and full ableness to obey Him each time! I imagine if I were to go to a chiropractor and have him fix my neck I would be able to function better physically, avoid this problem erupting into a bigger one and be able to then obey the “turning my other cheek” verse! I’m just praying that if I do make an appt. tomorrow and am then able to turn my neck completely that it doesn’t set me up for being slapped in the face!!