In March 2012 I returned from driving my daughter to school to a slippery snowy driveway that my car could not climb. I shoveled off the top part of my driveway and applied kitty litter hoping that I could get my car into the garage and wait till later to see how much snow the soon to be arriving sun would melt.
As I carefully slid down the driveway to my car, my feet slipped out from under me and I crashed, ungracefully, right knee-bent and right arm-extended onto the ground: My shoulder protecting my head from hitting the pavement with pounding force. I lie in the driveway watching the snow fall to my face as I assessed my pain. The bone in my lower leg hurt, and I feared that I had broken leg. My shoulder hurt but not too bad. Gradually the pain in my leg subsided and I crawled to the garage and into the house.
Chris came from work to shovel the rest of the driveway and put my car into the garage. Feeling dreadful that I called him away from work to help me, I helped shovel when he got there but due to the soreness in my shoulder I shoveled left handed.
That evening I realized as I lied down in bed that I could not lie on my shoulder. I assumed that I was greatly bruised and it would take some time to heal. In the next few weeks I saw the chiropractor regularly and she adjusted my neck and shoulder and gave me ARP Therapy to help relieve the increasing pain and stiffness. I was having trouble reaching things over my head, extending my arm out from my body and reaching my bra stap behind me. Surprisingly, I had no trouble working despite my injury because I could reach in front of me with little pain, only fatique. After five weeks of treatment I decided that I should see my doctor; My pain level and range of motion were slowly getting worse, despite treatment.
During all this time, I knew that I had really hurt my shoulder but I was believing God for a miricle.
Just a few months before, my dog Baca slipped on the ice outside in our back yard. She came inside holding her hind leg up, walking on just three legs. In the next hour I carefully watched her. She never put her leg down. I called my friend Marcia and we took Baca to a vet. The vet took pictures and determined that Baca had torn the ligiment in her knee and told me she would need surgery or she would never use her back leg again. The surgery cost $2000. I did not have that kind of money nor was I convinced that I would spend that kind of money on a dog. I called Pastor Rachel to tell her I could not make a meeting we had scheduled that day and she asked me if I wanted her to come and pray for Baca. I was humbled and grateful that my pastor would come and pray for my dog. Pastor Rachel came, annointed Baca with oil and my family, Marcia, Pastor Rachel laid hands on Baca and prayed for her healing. The next day when I say Rachel she asked me an important question. She asked, "Do you believe that God will heal Baca miraculously or through giving you the money you need so that she can have the surgery?" I told her I did not feel like I could ever believe for the money but I could certainly believe that God could heal her because I had seen many miraculous healings in my own family: my birth, Kiara's warts, my dad's cancer.
In the next few days I saw a miricle as we continually prayed scripture and layed hands on her claiming her healing. Day 1: Baca tapped her foot to the floor. Day 2: Baca stepped on her foot, immediately picking it back up again. Day 3: Baca stepped on her foot occasionally with a huge limp. Day 4: Baca stepped on her foot more frequently with less of a limp. Day 5: Baca is walking on her foot with a limp. Day 7: Baca is walking, limping only slightly. Day 9: Baca is walking with no limp and beginning to run. Day 11: Baca is running across the yard and trying to jump on furniture. Day 13: Baca is jumping up on the furniture. Within two weeks time nobody would have ever known she had an accident that required surgery.
At this same time I was facilitating the Beth Moore teaching on Daniel. In one of the teachings she talked specifically about the fiery trial we all endure. She said there were 3 ways for God to work: We can be delivered from the fire, through the fire, or by the fire. In other words God could heal me from this shoulder problem instantly, He could heal me through medicine, or He could take me to Him as a result of this. God had healed Baca almost instantly and I was believing God and praying the same thing for me, however it seemed to me that God was insted going to heal me through the fire and I was trying to be patient and understand what it was that God wanted me to learn through this process.
May 2012 after evaluation my regular physician immediately ordered an MRI. I was immediately denied coverage by my insurance company. They wanted an X-ray of the bone and 4-6 weeks of physical therapy before they would agree to an MRI. I eagerly agreed to PT hoping that it would be an answer to prayer and I would get better quickly. After 3 weeks of PT my condition had not improved at all and the therapist again tried something new to see how my shoulder would respond. This time my shoulder seemed much worse, so I scheduled another appointment with our primary physician. She re-evaluated my shoulder and armed with the recommendation from the physical therapist and from her assessment she sent in an appeal for an MRI to my insurance company. After almost 2 weeks of waiting my MRI was approved.
Finally, 4 months after my fall I had an MRI evaluation from the hospital, a recommendation from my primary physician and I was headed to see the specialist, an orthopedic surgeon. By this time, I could not reach above my head or extend my arm side ways more than 90 degrees, and I could barely reach my belt loops on my pants behind me. By this time my injury was affecting my job. I was taking longer to do clients, and I had to rest my arm or ice my shoulder between clients. In addition, I could barely style the back of my own hair, having to rest my arm on the top of my head or bring my arm down to my side in between curls. Sleeping was the worst problem because I could not find a comfortable position to sleep in; walking also became a problem because the gentle swing of my arm hurt causing me to hold my arm to my chest for comfort.
Despite the sense of knowing that I had, I was still hurt by the surgeons evaluation: I had a rotator cuff tear, and a SLAP tear on the bicep tendon, my bone was bruised (yes, even after 4 months), I had scar tissue, arthritis, and my shoulder was frozen. I would need surgery and the recovery was 3 full months. I asked him, "Ok, so I can go back to work in 12 weeks. When can I do 1 haircut?" His reply, "In 12 weeks." I was stunned. This would be harder that I thought. I resolved to schedule the surgery and worry about it later. Let go, and let God! Surgery was scheduled on August 10th.
The morning of surgery arrived. I was a little anxious but ready to get my shoulder repaired. The doc came in and asked me what my pain level was. I told him I didn't have any. He questioned whether or not I thought I needed surgery if I was not having pain. I told him I had slowed down my work schedule and allowed time inbetween clients so I was having less pain when I was not working but I still was using pain meds and ice when I was working. He did a simple test to determine something about my rotator cuff tear and sat down. He then told me what he was going to do: he would repair my rotator cuff tear, he would evaluate the SLAP tear and determine whether to trim the edges only or to cut and reposition my bicep tendon, he would clean up the scar tissue and arthritis, trim and smoothe the bone that my tendons slides through to give it more room, and he would unfreeze my shoulder. The proceedure was expected to take a little over 2 hours.
I woke up starving. The nurse gave me crackers and juice and went to go get Chris. Chris came in smiling. He explained right away, "The doc said that the surgery was the best came scenerio. He did not find a rotator cuff tear or a SLAP tear, he cleaned up the scar tissue, arthritis, and the bone. He unfroze your shoulder and got out of there."
My mind was having trouble focusing. What did he just say? Chris repeated what he said. I asked him, Did you just hear what you said...you said he did not find what he was looking for. That is the exact works that Sandy prayed on Wednesday night. God healed me!" I was stunned. I was elated. I was thankful.
Friday, September 13, 2013
How Quickly We Forget
Some say that they remember everything. I say, I can't remember anything. Don't you find it interesting that when talking with others about a certain event that it brings back memories that you have forgotten or not thought about in years. There is a reason that God tells us to make a memorial to remember events in our lives. We need something to trigger our memories to recall certain events in our lives.
While reading this week in Matthew, I was struck with how quickly we forget and it happens to all of us no matter who we are. John the Baptist, the man who baptized Jesus and "saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove", and heard the voice of God say, "You, Jesus are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy' in Mark 1:10-11, seems to have forgotten this momentous event. In Matthew 11 John the Baptist is sitting in prison with little hope of ever getting out. It is while he broken and discouraged that he asks his followers to go to Jesus and ask him, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?" (verse 3). This makes me just stop and say, really? I would hope that something this big--seeing the Holy Spirit and hearing God speak--would make me always remember. But, in reality I forget just as easily.
Stories of God's chosen people forgetting the greatness and goodness of God are all over the bible from the complaining millions after the exodus from Egypt and the parting of the red sea (Exodus 12-17), the worshipers of the golden calf after they had seen the glory of God at the base of Mt. Moriah (Exodus 19, 32), and the disciples who did not know how to feed a large group of people after they fed them with a little boys lunch (Matthew 14:15-21, and Matthew 15:32-38). Even the biggest events in our lives are quickly forgotten if we do not have something to help us remember.
The great thing about God is He knows us intimately. He know what are weaknesses are. He knows we need things to help us remember. Great men of the bible built altars and memorials to help them recall God's word and His promises to them. Jesus himself, in the 22 chapter of Luke commanded the disciples to celebrate the Lord's supper as often as they met so that they would remember who he was and why he came to this earth. Jesus knew that without a recurring way to keep focus on why Jesus came we would forget His greatness, His goodness, and especially His love for us.
For me, I know that I have to write things down. My blog is a memorial of things that God is teaching me. It is a struggle for me to take the time, but when I look back at the things that I have written I am impressed, not by my writing ability, but in what God has revealed to me. I know that writing it down helps me to process the things that I am thinking and gives me greater wisdom and insight from God. Without the writing process I don't dig as deep into God's word or into my own thinking. When writing God gives me more scriptures and wisdom than I first thought of.
While reading this week in Matthew, I was struck with how quickly we forget and it happens to all of us no matter who we are. John the Baptist, the man who baptized Jesus and "saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove", and heard the voice of God say, "You, Jesus are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy' in Mark 1:10-11, seems to have forgotten this momentous event. In Matthew 11 John the Baptist is sitting in prison with little hope of ever getting out. It is while he broken and discouraged that he asks his followers to go to Jesus and ask him, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?" (verse 3). This makes me just stop and say, really? I would hope that something this big--seeing the Holy Spirit and hearing God speak--would make me always remember. But, in reality I forget just as easily.
Stories of God's chosen people forgetting the greatness and goodness of God are all over the bible from the complaining millions after the exodus from Egypt and the parting of the red sea (Exodus 12-17), the worshipers of the golden calf after they had seen the glory of God at the base of Mt. Moriah (Exodus 19, 32), and the disciples who did not know how to feed a large group of people after they fed them with a little boys lunch (Matthew 14:15-21, and Matthew 15:32-38). Even the biggest events in our lives are quickly forgotten if we do not have something to help us remember.
The great thing about God is He knows us intimately. He know what are weaknesses are. He knows we need things to help us remember. Great men of the bible built altars and memorials to help them recall God's word and His promises to them. Jesus himself, in the 22 chapter of Luke commanded the disciples to celebrate the Lord's supper as often as they met so that they would remember who he was and why he came to this earth. Jesus knew that without a recurring way to keep focus on why Jesus came we would forget His greatness, His goodness, and especially His love for us.
For me, I know that I have to write things down. My blog is a memorial of things that God is teaching me. It is a struggle for me to take the time, but when I look back at the things that I have written I am impressed, not by my writing ability, but in what God has revealed to me. I know that writing it down helps me to process the things that I am thinking and gives me greater wisdom and insight from God. Without the writing process I don't dig as deep into God's word or into my own thinking. When writing God gives me more scriptures and wisdom than I first thought of.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Return to God
The 2012 elections are coming up and the believers in my church are pressing in and praying urgently about the upcoming elections: who we should vote for, for God to raise up Godly representation in all areas of government, that the body of Christ would humble themselves and pray for the future of our great nation. We pray for city officials, state officials, and national officials. Our agenda? We want, we hope, we proclaim the Christian Foundation that our nation was founded on. We want the God of Heaven and Earth to be the very core of our existence in this great nation. We want to bring back the Godly morals and principles that this nation was formed upon. We want our Christian values and heritage to stand--not to be stripped away from us one amendment to the constitution at a time.
I am studying the book of Daniel. Daniel 2:21 says, "God removes kings and raises up kings." Daniel 1:1-2 states that God delivered the King of Judah into the hand of the King of Babylon. And Jeremiah 27:5-6 says, "By My power and by My outstretched arms, I give to whom it seems proper to Me. I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, My servant." God used a gentile King to deal with the sin of the Israelites by raising him up to conquer and suppress the Iraelites. God was looking forward to the day when the Israelites would recognize their blatant sins, repent and turn back to the God who had delivered them into the promised land. He was waiting for the day when they would recognize that the God of the Israelites was not one God among many other Gods, but to recognize that He alone was God and there was no other. He was waiting for the day when they would recognize not only their need of Him, but their love for Him as well.
I am thinking that God still uses Kings, or Presidents, to bring a sinful nation into repentance. To bring a nation to an understanding that this life we are living is not all about us, but is instead all about a life in relationship with the Creator God of the Universe. God is calling us to humble ourselves and pray for this nation. To recognize that this nation did not reach the situation it is in overnight. We have been complacent when laws were changed; when we did not step forward and fight because that particular law did not affect us; when we allowed our freedoms and rights to be stripped away because we were only paying attention to our own little world.
Now is the time to rise up: to pray and intercede for our nation. Now is the time to stand firm: to do what is right no matter the consequences. Now is the time to return to God: repent, and live a life fully committed to Christ.
God loves us and wants only the best for us. I am reminded that God corrects His children because of his great love for them (Proverbs 3:11). Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
I am studying the book of Daniel. Daniel 2:21 says, "God removes kings and raises up kings." Daniel 1:1-2 states that God delivered the King of Judah into the hand of the King of Babylon. And Jeremiah 27:5-6 says, "By My power and by My outstretched arms, I give to whom it seems proper to Me. I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, My servant." God used a gentile King to deal with the sin of the Israelites by raising him up to conquer and suppress the Iraelites. God was looking forward to the day when the Israelites would recognize their blatant sins, repent and turn back to the God who had delivered them into the promised land. He was waiting for the day when they would recognize that the God of the Israelites was not one God among many other Gods, but to recognize that He alone was God and there was no other. He was waiting for the day when they would recognize not only their need of Him, but their love for Him as well.
I am thinking that God still uses Kings, or Presidents, to bring a sinful nation into repentance. To bring a nation to an understanding that this life we are living is not all about us, but is instead all about a life in relationship with the Creator God of the Universe. God is calling us to humble ourselves and pray for this nation. To recognize that this nation did not reach the situation it is in overnight. We have been complacent when laws were changed; when we did not step forward and fight because that particular law did not affect us; when we allowed our freedoms and rights to be stripped away because we were only paying attention to our own little world.
Now is the time to rise up: to pray and intercede for our nation. Now is the time to stand firm: to do what is right no matter the consequences. Now is the time to return to God: repent, and live a life fully committed to Christ.
God loves us and wants only the best for us. I am reminded that God corrects His children because of his great love for them (Proverbs 3:11). Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Walking with God
While in prayer the other day, God brought to my attention the passage in Genesis 3 where God walked in the garden in the cool of the day. (Gen 3:8) When I looked it up, it said that Adam and Eve heard the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid themselves from God because they were naked. They hid from God because they were naked, not because they feared God or because He startled them, but because of the shame of their sin. They must have been accustomed to seeing Him in the garden; they were not afraid because they saw God, or because He was unknown to them.
I am reminded of other people who walked with God in Genesis: 5:24 Enoch walked with God. 6:9 Noah walked with God. 17:1 Abram walked with God. 24:40 Abraham walked with God. 48:15 Abraham and Isaac walked with God.
What does that mean that they walked with God? Adam and Eve physically walked with God in the garden, the other men spiritually walked with God. Enoch was so close to God that God took him to be with Himself, not waiting for Enoch to physically die.
I have spent the past month walking with a friend 3 days/week. We usually spend an hour together, sometimes a little more. What I have learned by walking is that you can not just walk. It is a natural extension of the walk to talk, to share concerns, to share frustrations, to share dreams, to share memories, and to share your life. I am forming a bond and a friendship with my friend that will be very difficult to break. As we share our lives, I can't help but leave our time together thinking about the things we have discussed. These thoughts lead me to pray for her, to encourage her, and to long for more time to spend with her. Walking with her allows me to know her in a way that would have otherwise been impossible.
I think walking with God as these men and women did describes their personal relationship and commitment to Him. They could not wait for more time to be spent with God. God was not some far off deity, but a real person whom they could talk to: to share their concerns, frustrations, dreams, memories, their thankfulness, and their praise.
As I grow in my walk with Christ, I find that I too cannot wait another day, another hour, another minute, or even a moment to be with Him. I find myself talking to Him, pondering things with Him, and eager to read His word and find out more about Him. I am not claiming to be "walking with Jesus" just as the men and women in Genesis. My walk is my own. But, I will claim that as I pray, and read, and understand the word of God the more time I want to spend with Him; I cannot be satisfied with a once a week bit of ceremony that takes place in the church. I want to walk with God every day and I won't settle for less.
I am reminded of other people who walked with God in Genesis: 5:24 Enoch walked with God. 6:9 Noah walked with God. 17:1 Abram walked with God. 24:40 Abraham walked with God. 48:15 Abraham and Isaac walked with God.
What does that mean that they walked with God? Adam and Eve physically walked with God in the garden, the other men spiritually walked with God. Enoch was so close to God that God took him to be with Himself, not waiting for Enoch to physically die.
I have spent the past month walking with a friend 3 days/week. We usually spend an hour together, sometimes a little more. What I have learned by walking is that you can not just walk. It is a natural extension of the walk to talk, to share concerns, to share frustrations, to share dreams, to share memories, and to share your life. I am forming a bond and a friendship with my friend that will be very difficult to break. As we share our lives, I can't help but leave our time together thinking about the things we have discussed. These thoughts lead me to pray for her, to encourage her, and to long for more time to spend with her. Walking with her allows me to know her in a way that would have otherwise been impossible.
I think walking with God as these men and women did describes their personal relationship and commitment to Him. They could not wait for more time to be spent with God. God was not some far off deity, but a real person whom they could talk to: to share their concerns, frustrations, dreams, memories, their thankfulness, and their praise.
As I grow in my walk with Christ, I find that I too cannot wait another day, another hour, another minute, or even a moment to be with Him. I find myself talking to Him, pondering things with Him, and eager to read His word and find out more about Him. I am not claiming to be "walking with Jesus" just as the men and women in Genesis. My walk is my own. But, I will claim that as I pray, and read, and understand the word of God the more time I want to spend with Him; I cannot be satisfied with a once a week bit of ceremony that takes place in the church. I want to walk with God every day and I won't settle for less.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Can we Pick and Choose?
I have been reading in Leviticus this week. It is so fun when you read a book that you know you have read before but it seems as if you have never read it. I love that scripture is alive and it is fresh and new every time you read it.
Basically Leviticus is a book of laws. It is funny that while reading it I say, "that's right, uh huh, no kidding, well is that really true now?" I am questioning one law that is in the midst of others that I agree with. I am a person like the apostle Thomas. I like to know the reason. I like to see the proof. (I can't wait to meet Thomas. I think he has gotten a bad rap. Today, we would call him practical.)
For example, in Leviticus 18: You must never have sexual relations with a close relative, do not have sex with your mother or your sister or your granddaughter, do not have sex with your stepsister or your father's sister, do not have sex with your daughter-in-law or your brother's wife, do not have sex with both a woman and her daughter, do not have sex with a woman during her period. I see a long list of things I agree with and one I wonder about the why not. For the others I understand the reason, but for this one I don't understand the reason why?
Another example, in Leviticus 19: Honor your father and mother, do not steal, observe my sabbath days of rest, do not spread slanderous gossip, do not practice witchcraft, do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards, do not cut your bodies, do not mark your bodies with tattoos. In my head I am saying, "of course, yes, okay I will go to church but I still need to do some laundry, this is hurtful, never, why can't a person shave, I would never cut my body--okay once I became blood brothers with my neighbor, I would never get a tattoo.
You see, I am picking and choosing the ones to follow, just as all of us do. We somehow think that we are better than God. That we can interpret the good from the bad, the evil from the holy. The problem is that we can't. We start by justifying one of the laws written and soon we are compromising far more that we ever thought possible.
Let's consider the command to do no work on the Sabbath. (I know that Jesus said that we could do good on the Sabbath--Luke 14:5 Which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out?) It starts out that we do some laundry, then we let our son go to his soccer game, and then our daughter has a ballet recital, soon we don't have time to go to church today because it is Grandma's birthday party, or we don't have time to go during football season, next we are only going to church on Easter and Christmas, and since we no longer pray at home we think that it is okay for us not to have prayer in school, and finally we take God out of our government and out of our lives.
God knows people. He knows that once we slide down the slippery slope that we will never be able to climb out of the pit we are in.
Lord, help me not to compromise. Help me to obey all your commands. Jesus said in John 14:21, "Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me." Lord Jesus, I love you! I will obey you. Help me in my obedience.
Basically Leviticus is a book of laws. It is funny that while reading it I say, "that's right, uh huh, no kidding, well is that really true now?" I am questioning one law that is in the midst of others that I agree with. I am a person like the apostle Thomas. I like to know the reason. I like to see the proof. (I can't wait to meet Thomas. I think he has gotten a bad rap. Today, we would call him practical.)
For example, in Leviticus 18: You must never have sexual relations with a close relative, do not have sex with your mother or your sister or your granddaughter, do not have sex with your stepsister or your father's sister, do not have sex with your daughter-in-law or your brother's wife, do not have sex with both a woman and her daughter, do not have sex with a woman during her period. I see a long list of things I agree with and one I wonder about the why not. For the others I understand the reason, but for this one I don't understand the reason why?
Another example, in Leviticus 19: Honor your father and mother, do not steal, observe my sabbath days of rest, do not spread slanderous gossip, do not practice witchcraft, do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards, do not cut your bodies, do not mark your bodies with tattoos. In my head I am saying, "of course, yes, okay I will go to church but I still need to do some laundry, this is hurtful, never, why can't a person shave, I would never cut my body--okay once I became blood brothers with my neighbor, I would never get a tattoo.
You see, I am picking and choosing the ones to follow, just as all of us do. We somehow think that we are better than God. That we can interpret the good from the bad, the evil from the holy. The problem is that we can't. We start by justifying one of the laws written and soon we are compromising far more that we ever thought possible.
Let's consider the command to do no work on the Sabbath. (I know that Jesus said that we could do good on the Sabbath--Luke 14:5 Which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out?) It starts out that we do some laundry, then we let our son go to his soccer game, and then our daughter has a ballet recital, soon we don't have time to go to church today because it is Grandma's birthday party, or we don't have time to go during football season, next we are only going to church on Easter and Christmas, and since we no longer pray at home we think that it is okay for us not to have prayer in school, and finally we take God out of our government and out of our lives.
God knows people. He knows that once we slide down the slippery slope that we will never be able to climb out of the pit we are in.
Lord, help me not to compromise. Help me to obey all your commands. Jesus said in John 14:21, "Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me." Lord Jesus, I love you! I will obey you. Help me in my obedience.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Thankfulness
What is thankfulness? Can a person be thankful in their own heart without out showing an outward manifestation? Is it possible to be thankful without expressing who you are thankful to?
A person gives you a gift and you accept it. The gift was thoughtful; encouraging; or generous; and you really like the gift. But you never tell the person. What is the benefit to you?
Thankfulness lets the person know. It blesses them that they have blessed you. Why would you want to take away the blessing from them by never telling them how much their gift meant to you? By telling them you are not only blessing them, but blessing yourself. You are giving the gift of blessing back.
God wants us to be thankful to him. We can be thankful in our hearts, but we not only bless God but we bless ourselves when we express our thankfulness to Him. Expressing our thankfulness to God gives us great joy.
How can we express our thankfulness to God? Start the simplest way...just tell Him. A quiet conversation, a letter, a song, a dance, a shout. There are so many things in life that we should be thankful for, but do we ever tell God?
I am thankful for... the wonderful, God-fearing man that I married; my two fabulous kids who make my life complete; our pets, who give us great joy and laughter; my extended family, our parents--who taught us to be good people and to love God, our brothers--who are always there for us, their wives--who have made our brothers better, and my nieces and nephews--who were my first babies and my children's friends; my church family and the relationships that we have with them; for great friendships, especially the ones that I can talk to about my walk with God; my job, which I acknowledge is a place where I love to spend my time; my coworkers, who teach me how to be a better stylist and how to be a family; my clients, who I love and who get to share life stories with; my country, which is founded in the gospel of Jesus Christ; my life, which was given back to me after birth through the prayers of my parents; my home, which is beautiful and full of love; my car that lets me take passengers to church, to parks, and to friends; and much, much more that I will continue to share.
But mostly, I am thankful to God. He is the source of my everything. He is my love, my savior, my father, my friend, my companion, my champion, my hero, my encourager, my deliverer, my refuge, and my hope. I commit all I am to You, Lord, because I cannot live this life without you. Thank you for making me your child.
A person gives you a gift and you accept it. The gift was thoughtful; encouraging; or generous; and you really like the gift. But you never tell the person. What is the benefit to you?
Thankfulness lets the person know. It blesses them that they have blessed you. Why would you want to take away the blessing from them by never telling them how much their gift meant to you? By telling them you are not only blessing them, but blessing yourself. You are giving the gift of blessing back.
God wants us to be thankful to him. We can be thankful in our hearts, but we not only bless God but we bless ourselves when we express our thankfulness to Him. Expressing our thankfulness to God gives us great joy.
How can we express our thankfulness to God? Start the simplest way...just tell Him. A quiet conversation, a letter, a song, a dance, a shout. There are so many things in life that we should be thankful for, but do we ever tell God?
I am thankful for... the wonderful, God-fearing man that I married; my two fabulous kids who make my life complete; our pets, who give us great joy and laughter; my extended family, our parents--who taught us to be good people and to love God, our brothers--who are always there for us, their wives--who have made our brothers better, and my nieces and nephews--who were my first babies and my children's friends; my church family and the relationships that we have with them; for great friendships, especially the ones that I can talk to about my walk with God; my job, which I acknowledge is a place where I love to spend my time; my coworkers, who teach me how to be a better stylist and how to be a family; my clients, who I love and who get to share life stories with; my country, which is founded in the gospel of Jesus Christ; my life, which was given back to me after birth through the prayers of my parents; my home, which is beautiful and full of love; my car that lets me take passengers to church, to parks, and to friends; and much, much more that I will continue to share.
But mostly, I am thankful to God. He is the source of my everything. He is my love, my savior, my father, my friend, my companion, my champion, my hero, my encourager, my deliverer, my refuge, and my hope. I commit all I am to You, Lord, because I cannot live this life without you. Thank you for making me your child.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Thanks Be to God: It is not up to me
What This World Needs by Casting Crowns
Songwriters: Cervantes, Hector; Hall, Mark;
People aren't confused by the gospel
They're confused by us
Jesus is the only way to God
But we are not the only way to Jesus
But we can't strap ourselves to the gospel
'Cause we're slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world
But maybe the best thing we can do
Is just get out of the way
I invited guests to church. I know where they normally attend. I make assumptions about their walk with Christ. I think I know who they are; after all, they are my guests. The service proceeds and I find myself talking to God, or anyone else who is listening: No, don't say that. My guests are not going to understand that. Please, don't go there. And then I catch myself and I realize what I am doing. I am trying to manipulate God and control how he ministers to my guests. I immediately repent. I am ashamed.
God, I am so sorry.
I am sorry for thinking that I know these guests more than you. You, Lord, know everything about them. Ps 119:168 "For all my ways are known to you."
I am sorry for thinking that I love these guests more than you. You, Lord, love them enough that you would send your perfect son to die for them. 1 Jn 4:9 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."
I am sorry for thinking that I can lead them to salvation. You, Lord, you draw them to yourself. Jn 6:44 "No one can come to me (Jesus) unless the Father who sent me draws him." Lord, you don't need me. I am a vessel. You, Lord, give me the privilege of praying and witnessing to my guests; to God be the Glory.
I have to remind myself that even though I love people, and even though I strongly want them to except the truth of the Gospel of Christ, that my love for others comes from God. 1Jn 4:7 "Let us love one another, for love is of God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." God loves us more than we can possibly imagine. We cannot comprehend the greatness of his love. Paul prayed, in Eph 3:17-19, that "we would know in our hearts through faith, being rooted and grounded in love, that we would be able to comprehend how wide, and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And more than that: that we would be filled with the fullness of God."
I am so grateful to God for giving me this love for other people. I am grateful to God for giving me a burden for souls. I am so grateful to God that I am not doing this on my own. It is God in me who gives me this love, this burden, and above all this hope for what is to come.
Songwriters: Cervantes, Hector; Hall, Mark;
People aren't confused by the gospel
They're confused by us
Jesus is the only way to God
But we are not the only way to Jesus
But we can't strap ourselves to the gospel
'Cause we're slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world
But maybe the best thing we can do
Is just get out of the way
I invited guests to church. I know where they normally attend. I make assumptions about their walk with Christ. I think I know who they are; after all, they are my guests. The service proceeds and I find myself talking to God, or anyone else who is listening: No, don't say that. My guests are not going to understand that. Please, don't go there. And then I catch myself and I realize what I am doing. I am trying to manipulate God and control how he ministers to my guests. I immediately repent. I am ashamed.
God, I am so sorry.
I am sorry for thinking that I know these guests more than you. You, Lord, know everything about them. Ps 119:168 "For all my ways are known to you."
I am sorry for thinking that I love these guests more than you. You, Lord, love them enough that you would send your perfect son to die for them. 1 Jn 4:9 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."
I am sorry for thinking that I can lead them to salvation. You, Lord, you draw them to yourself. Jn 6:44 "No one can come to me (Jesus) unless the Father who sent me draws him." Lord, you don't need me. I am a vessel. You, Lord, give me the privilege of praying and witnessing to my guests; to God be the Glory.
I have to remind myself that even though I love people, and even though I strongly want them to except the truth of the Gospel of Christ, that my love for others comes from God. 1Jn 4:7 "Let us love one another, for love is of God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." God loves us more than we can possibly imagine. We cannot comprehend the greatness of his love. Paul prayed, in Eph 3:17-19, that "we would know in our hearts through faith, being rooted and grounded in love, that we would be able to comprehend how wide, and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And more than that: that we would be filled with the fullness of God."
I am so grateful to God for giving me this love for other people. I am grateful to God for giving me a burden for souls. I am so grateful to God that I am not doing this on my own. It is God in me who gives me this love, this burden, and above all this hope for what is to come.
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