Monday, October 26, 2015

God on the Mountain

I was teaching my Sunday School class about joy yesterday.   We talked about the mountains and valleys of the Christian life.   We were discussing the fact that the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians while in prison.  I know that we know that, but we don't often meditate on the fact that Philippians is one of the most upbeat, encouraging epistles in the Scriptures.   Paul seemed so happy to be there, in prison, chained to guards who were themselves captive audiences for Paul to share the Gospel.

 Suffering is real, and so many of the ladies in my class are truly suffering.  However, how great would it be, if they could learn to see suffering the way Paul did?  What if we could truly see suffering as an opportunity to grow and serve.  Mountain-top experiences are great, and we sure had one this past week during our missions conference. But, so often, the life-changing experiences are in the valleys.   Oh God!  Let us see You, walking beside us in those dark valleys!

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Tomorrowland

I saw this movie last night. Gotta love Redbox!   It was OK, if you don't mind seeing a lot of robots being destroyed!

I really liked the whole idea of the movie.  Basically, everything is bad, and going from bad to worse.   What can I do about it?  What can I change? Can I fix it?

Being the eternal optimist that I am, I feel encouraged to keep trying, keep looking, knowing that anything I do can help.

Of course, the whole premise of the movie is a humanist one, and I am not a humanist.  I do believe, however, that the same idea is applicable to the spiritual realm.  I am not a wacky-doodle optimist that thinks that things are going to  be OK just because I want them to be OK.  Things are going to be OK, because I am going to find God's will, obey God's will and then watch Him do His thing.  He will perfect that which concerns me.   I can also look for things that I can fix.  Not that I mean to do God's job, it's just that He does his job, and trusts me to do mine.   I love that I am not doomed to anything.  There is always something I can do. "Trust and Obey" are action verbs!

I am sick of politics!


I am so tired of all the complaining.  As everyone knows, I am as opinionated as the next person. (Probably more)  However, I am tired of the politics of politics.   I know that things are bad, and are probably going to get worse.  I vote, and I encourage others to do so.

But, I firmly believe, and I cannot say this emphatically enough, that if half the time spent complaining was spent in prayer for our country, we would have nothing to worry about!

No matter how many Facebook posts people put up about how bad the current administration is, if someone is predisposed to vote for that ticket, they will do so again.  Even if the Administration are baby-killers. "Don't confuse me with the facts" seems to be the attitude of the day.  People will vote what they think will be best for their own pocketbooks.

So, what is a christian to do?  Pray.  Vote and pray.  Pray some more.  Love those who disagree with you and pray for them.  Be a christian in action.  Pray and witness.  Pray and disciple someone.  Live the Truth.  "A man persuaded against his will is of the same opinion still" is still true.  Pray that the only One who can change his mind will do so.  Be prepared to accept that it might be God's will to allow our country to continue to sink, based on the fact the our nation has turned its back on the living God.

Instead of focusing on your candidate, focus on Jesus, and on bringing people to Him.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Insecurity

This has been a topic on my mind a lot lately.  I am not too insecure, in fact most people who know me would probably think that I never struggle with it.  But I do.  We all do. I wish I could say that I don't care what people think about me, but I do.   I wish I could say that it doesn't bother me at all when there are people that don't like me.   I always wonder, why don't they like me?  What is it about me?  And I go into a mental tailspin trying to figure out what it is.

I still have no answers, so I shift my focus to something else.  Do I do things that cause other people to feel insecure?  I analyze the behavior that causes me to feel bad, and try to see it in myself.   Honestly, I would feel so awful if I was the cause of pain to other people.

I know that the best thing is to just 'Let go and let God".   When I figure out how to do that, I'll let you know!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

"Poor" Firstborn!

Sometimes I feel sorry for my firstborn.  I had no clue what I was doing when we had her.   I mean, I had the theories, and I had Scripture, but putting it all into reality is different.  I was tough on her,  and I expected a lot.

Now that I have my Second-Born in highschool, and the Little One in elementary, I realize all that I did not know before, that I learned with the first one.   Geometry and algebra are easier now,  there are no tears of frustration this time!

So, sometimes I am tempted to feel guilty about my ignorance.  Then I look at the great young woman that my Firstborn is, and I realize a few things.  One of them is this, love does cover a multitude of sins.  Where I failed, the grace of God took over.  I believe that God saw my heart, and my desire to please Him, by raising her right.  He has done a great work, and I know that He can and will use her for His glory, in spite of me and my failings.