Voting

I am very disappointed in this year's presidential election options. McCain's campaign is missing a lot. Obama is doing a much better job of reaching people in my age bracket. He is more eloquent and speaks my language so much more than I hear from the McCain campaign. I'm also not sold on Palin. I personally like her and agree with much of what she stands for, but she comes across as a ditz so much of the time. I'm not all that impressed.

BUT...

I really don't care about what is being covered in the press and in the debates. The economic status of our country is in the toilet - we all agree with that. The differences between McCain and Obama are traditional Democrat/Republican issues - Democrats want to send in the government to save the day - Republicans want to chill out and let it run its course and level out on its own - America is a free market system. All money is a risk and we win and lose throughout life. Life goes on. People will not lose their lives - they will just have a change in how they live their lives.

The issues I care about are the ones that are NOT being covered, but ones that are very black and white - and the pun is not really all that funny. Usually there are a few issues where there is overlap - both candidates agree or disagree on some issue I feel strongly about, but this year is not the case - McCain and I agree and Obama and I do not on every count.

McCain supports a marriage amendment declaring marriage between one man and one woman - a biblical issue - Obama does not support this stance.

McCain opposes allowing homosexuality - or requiring homosexuality - to be taught as an acceptable lifestyle choice in schools. Obama supports this. Again - a biblical issue.

Roe vs. Wade - McCain supports revisiting that issue - Obama does not. Again - a biblical issue of abortion.

McCain supports requiring institutions to provide life-saving efforts for babies born alive following a botched abortion - Obama opposes this. This is a no-brainer for me - kill a baby that survived - WHAT?!?!?

McCain would support laws that make partial-birth abortion go away forever. Obama supports this horrible thing! It's OK to allow a child to be partly out of the birth canal, then to have the doctor shove some instrument into its soft spot and dig around in the brain until it dies? Why is this OK? What POSSIBLE health concern could this help? It's not like the giving birth part was too much for the mother - the baby is already partly born!!!

McCain supports allowing people to own handgun and allowing citizens to use them in self-defense. Can you believe that Obama opposes this? Isn't this a constitutional item that is very plain? I don't want my rights to protects myself taken away! Do they really think the criminal elements will just follow THAT law and go without handguns? NO! They will just have more control since the rest of us won't have anything to fight back with!

Obama wants to make the federal government in charge of health care - What? Like Europe has the best health care around? No! Most stories I hear - like at the Olympics over the years - and in other places - involve people running to the US for care because the government healthcare in their country won't take care of them! Why would we want that here? We may have problems with out healthcare system, but it is still the best in the world!

I also join the ranks of those who would like to see the ban on offshore oil drilling lifted - the only reason we have it is because of the PETA-types who are more concerned with the animals than they are about humans. Yeah, we might hurt an animal or two over time, but I don't think that's a reason to keep sending all the money we send overseas where THEY drill and kill some animals. Why are American animals worth more? I mean, it's not like PETA uses non-oil-based boats and other transportation to do their protests!

OK - now I have it out there.
You don't have to agree with me.
I'm pretty sure a good chunk of you won't agree.
But these are the issues I'm worried about - the issues that will affect the future - our children's lives and their quality of life. These are culture-changers. I care about these.
I don't care so much about money - so much of the money issues are based in greed for more. More is not always better. How we raise our children into the next generation - what we teach them about life - that is most important.
That's why I'm voting for John McCain over Barack Obama. I want the culture into which my children and grandchildren come into this world to be one that cares about them and their lives.

Answer to Anger

OK - I figure nobody has been reading this blog, so it's a safe place for me to work on this - and even if somebody does read it, it's probably someone who loves me, so it'll be OK.

The italicized sections below are straight from a friend's facebook note. I copied and pasted them here and then italicized and bolded them to make them stand out on their own. I will attempt to discuss around them using non-italicized text. (I also used some color to try to help.) Good luck making any sense out of it!


I had an eye-opening experience tonight... Experiencing smart people who mean well... but have strayed so far off the mark of common sense... who try to push their will on others like me in the hope of helping them.

It started over Sarah Palin... Assuming that nobody could possibly agree with her on it, I brought up how ridiculous her idea is of no abortion, even in the case of rape... All of a sudden, everyone in the room raised their voice, became extremely vicious, and went straight for my throat. No we didn't. The statement was made with a force behind it to begin with - like you said, as if nobody could possibly NOT believe the same as you believe. We all did, I admit, really want to give our opinions, but there was no raising of voices or viciousness or going for anyone's throat. We just shared our own opinions and our zeal for our opinions probably just came through. Any viciousness felt was self-imposed. It's amazing to me how someone could actually side with the rapists and still call themselves god-loving Christians. I don't see the logic in siding with a rapist coming from the fact that we don't believe in abortion. How does anti-abortion equal pro-rape? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and rapists should never be allowed to have children unless you want more rapists running around. I disagree with this statement hands-down. There is SOME scientific data showing that some behavior is genetic, but most behavior is environmentally based. There can be tendencies toward a behavior, but there is no proven link. I'm not sure of the percentages, but I do know that many rapes that happen are not by people who are attacked by a stranger unawares. Many rapes are simply charges filed when the boyfriend is older and the girlfriend is underage. Others are date rapes that happen due to excess drinking or drugs. Sometimes there seems to be a consensual situation and the girl will chicken out at the last minute, but the boy keeps going, making it a rape, but not something that would constitute making 'baby rapists' running around if they weren't aborted!!! And by removing the option of abortion here, you are giving them even more power than they already have over the women they attack. Rape IS about power, but I don't believe that creating a child has much, if anything, to do with it. Perhaps in a few cases, but not the majority. Plus, removing the option of abortion here actually encourages rape. Again, I don't believe that rape has much, if anything, to do with impregnating a woman. The act is about power and strength, not procreation. They refused to admit it, You make it sound like a fact. Your opinion is not a fact – it’s an opinion. We just don't agree. It's that simple. You did not convince us away from our beliefs. There were attacks and statements from you with an attitute of 'how could you believe any other way' but nothing concrete to change our minds. and when I brought up that point it turned to the entire room yelling NO WAY at the top of their lungs we never yelled - we got a bit excited, but never got mad or raised our voices! and getting ready to rip my throat out because apparently all rapes happen for exactly the same reason. Every time. There is never that one time (like 75% of all rapes) where it's done by someone they know who just really wants to have sex with them, so of course a condom isn't used during the forced entry. So if you agree that most of the rapes are by regular guys, why do you want to kill all children created in this way? It's too far fetched to look into the primitive human male mind which wants to spread its seed to as many women as possible and impregnate them, because the more children you have, the further your genes will travel. Who thinks this way? I don't think there are many men or boys out there who would agree with that as a motivation. Rape is about power, or about getting so close you don't want to stop, not about creating children. Most young men don't want anything to do with having kids out there! There are already tons of deadbeat dads who fuck girls and then leave them, but rapists have been able to generally stay out of our gene pool because abortion was an option. The number of pregnancies from rape – there are no hard facts, but when I researched it, I found that the number is even lower than I thought it would be! “Now for the important question. How many rape pregnancies are there? The answer is that, according to statistical reporting, there are no more than one or two pregnancies resultant from every 1,000 forcible rapes. I don't think it's as high as you are making it sound.” (click on the title of this article to see this site) Plus, most of these 'deadbeat dads' you are talking about were not raping anyone. They are husbands that ditched their families - live-in boyfriends who left kids behind. I don't think the majority of them are rapists! The people who have kids are the ones who determine our next generation of citizens - is this primitive mindset what we want our society reverting into? I don't think this is a realistic view of the people who populate this country!

I'd rather not have victims of rape be tried for murder because they used a coat hanger to terminate a pregnancy from rape. At what point did we say we'd rather have that happen? You know, some girls might have to drop out of college if they get pregnant and then miss out on their education all-together while they raise a child. Other girls might have to pick up another job to support the rape baby which they can't afford to do if they are already on a tight schedule. You are insinuating that life cannot be fulfilling if you don't go to college or have to work two jobs. You are assuming that adoption is out of the question. I happen to know many people who would love to take a baby from someone who is not ready for that step in life. Generally you need to plan to have a child - Be financially stable and have all the necessary pieces in place. I would like to see the results of a survey of parents - of any class - about how much planning went into producing a child. How many do you really think were financially stable and had all the necessary pieces in place? Most will tell you that if you wait until you can afford to have a child, you will never have one. Raising a family is not about money or comfort. It's about love. A girl who's raped didn't do anything wrong. It's not like they got drunk and got knocked up one night... You just said earlier that most rapes happen by someone they know - do you really think that most rapes DON'T happen because of too much to drink? That is exactly how most of them happen - usually both have had too much! Do you want them to be tried for murder if they don't want to rearrange their life and have the kid of a sick and twisted piece of shit rapist? You are still assuming that all men who are labeled rapists are pathological and not just a kid who pushed a little too hard while under the influence of a substance or peer pressure. That night you were also arguing that abortion should NOT be for stupid mistakes people make, yet here you are making the opposite claim. Abortion is not a convenience method of birth control! It'd be like all the hard work women have done for equal rights will vanish like a fart in the wind. Equal rights has nothing to do with this. There is a third part involved – the child created. God created that life and we have no right to take it away for the sake of convenience in our own lives. God makes everything ‘just right’ for His plans and purposes. Just because God’s plans differ from the ones you think are ‘just right’ does not make His plan wrong – it makes you grow into the person HE wants you to be. Life is about God, not about ourselves.

If you appreciate life so much... Even to the point of requiring children with mutations to be born (showing that ALL life is valuable, no matter what or who, and even if they are a drain on society) - then why do you support someone who was instrumental in the invasion of another country and caused us to lose of over 4 thousand of our soldiers (also kids) in Iraq, and caused the death of many many more innocent Iraq citizens. Iraqis are people too, you know. These same "leaders" like McCain and Palin have gotten Russia, Spain, and Iran all pissed at them/us and could very well start world war 3 if they get into office. So while you go save a few unwanted and deformed children, we'll send many more of our best and brightest children off to die while our cities are getting bombed by the entire world. At what point do you stop killing those with mutations? My family has a strong history of cancer - a mutation of cells. Do I kill my children so that they do not become a drain on society? My husband's family has a strong history of mental illness that occurs in their late 20s. Do we euthanize them at 25 so that they do not become a drain on society? My son has ADHD. Do I put him down because he's not like all the others and needs regular medical oversight? My brother-in-law’s father has a genetic disorder that is passed on from generation to generation. Should I work to make sure all my nieces and nephews are put down so that they will not be a drain on our society? Do I encourage my brother-in-law to commit suicide so that when it manifests in his body he won’t become a problem for us? I work with children who have many different ailments - learning disorders, behavioral disorders, emotional disorders, and physical disorders of many kinds. Do they not deserve to live? Are their lives not worth living? Do they not have purpose in this world? Where does it stop? Do we eventually kill everyone who shows a tendency toward needing glasses or is it only those who cannot hold down a job? I will go back again to what I said earlier – God creates life and creates it perfectly for His purposes. When we focus on God and His purposes and not on our own selfish desires, we will see how wonderful this can be – even what the world calls ‘imperfections’.

But go ahead and vote for her because "She's Hot" or "She killed a moose", Those were either not said at all or said in humor to lighten the situation. or because you agree with her hypocritical stance on life. Her stance on life is not hypocritical! She's the one who has lived what she believes! Palin says that the war in Iraq is "God's War" which is total bullshit. THOU SHALT NOT KILL, actually, it's DO NOT MURDER. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to make war on the locals on many occasions, and capital punishment was commanded by God. The idea that war is not of God is not biblical. especially in the name of GOD. There's a difference between living by morals set by god, and taking a step too far by blurring the lines between church and state. Separation of Church and State is not in the constitution - it's in writings from Jefferson, I believe, and referred to by others, but from what I’ve been reading, they were more concerned about the effects of government on the church, not about the effects of the church on the government. Several even mentioned that it is important that religious leaders be involved in government. The Constitution was written by those who believed that the government should not be able to interfere with the actions of the church, not the other way around. They believed that the country should be run by people who looked to God for guidance. She wants to run the country like a religious extremist theocracy just like our Muslim terrorist friends in the middle east. I do not agree with you on that. I googled 'religious extremist theocracy and came up with this quote "But the values of his handpicked running mate, Sarah Palin, more resemble those of Muslim fundamentalists than they do those of the Founding Fathers. On censorship, the teaching of creationism in schools, reproductive rights, attributing government policy to God's will and climate change, Palin agrees with Hamas and Saudi Arabia rather than supporting tolerance and democratic precepts." This is only one of many sites saying basically the same thing, but this is totally opposite of anything they are talking about! The Founding Fathers taught school from the Bible - Creation. Darwin came later. Reproductive rights? Abortion was not legal until just recently in our history! Twenty-five years ago! That’s not very long! The founding fathers wrote government policy according to God's Will, often giving glory to God right in the documents and in their writings. There is no proof of global warming - we do not have enough years of documentation of the weather to say that this change is any more that a pendulum swing that will correct itself again. Tolerance is not a founding belief. Today's liberal definition of tolerance is basically - everything goes EXCEPT Christian morals. The Constitution was written that all could worship GOD as they choose - not that we could all worship whatever we want and walk all over the Christians. The US is a Christian-based country first – a place where Christians can worship in peace. Or at least it should be and used to be. It’s not anymore. She reminds me of Sister Miriam Godwinson in the game Alpha Centauri, which seriously creeps me out (she's a war mongering fundamentalist bible thumper who declares war on you instantly if you ever form a democracy). Written by a liberal, I'm sure... This is technically a constitutional republic and we call it a democracy... but it's definitely not a fundamentalism, at least as long as we follow our constitution... lately we've been using the constitution for toilet paper though, so nothing would surprise me. The ones using the Constitution for toilet paper would be the left wing, not the right. The Constitution clearly states in Amendment I that Congress cannot establish a religion OR prohibit the free exercise thereof – my freedom to exercise my religion is messed with every day that my children are required to attend a public school to learn ONLY the evolution theory of life, and not the creation theory. Granted, both are theories, but evolution is presented as fact. Scientific fact can only been proven if something can be observed or recreated. Neither can happen for how life began, yet evolution is shoved down the throats of my children in every textbook they read. Textbooks they are required to read because the FEDERAL government has made school mandatory – contrary to the constitution! Amendment X states that anything not covered by the constitution or prohibited is to be under the jurisdiction of the states, who are to have governing rights over their people. Many of those rights have been taken away from the states and made cabinet members under the President. Jimmy Carter started the Department of Education, for example, taking educational rights away from the states – contrary to the Constitution!

I think there are more important reasons to pick a candidate than her view on abortion. If you really want the quality of the American family and its values to crumble, here's a step by step guide on how to do it:
1) Force everyone to have unwanted children, even if it means a married woman who's raped bringing another man's child into a household, or a young teenage girl who's raped dropping out of school and having a child she can't support. I think I’ve covered that one already.
2) Continue to demonstrate that you know nothing about our economy and rip it to shreds so our house values keep plummeting, our banks continue to fail, our stock market keeps collapsing, and our jobs keep disappearing overseas. As I write this, the Democrats are fighting to take $700,000,000,000 – that’s BILLION – of our tax dollars to bail out the banks on Wall Street. Why? So the people who have put their money on the line – investments are always risky – won’t lose. It would hurt their feelings. Poor babies. Those rich people would have to sell their homes and live like normal people. We can’t let THAT happen! I thought this was a free enterprise – that businesses could be strong or they could fail – that’s life. Why do we feel the need to bail them out? We’ve already given up our gold standard and it’s made our money basically worthless. (FDR made private gold ownership illegal and people had to sell all their gold to the government. Then Nixon ended the gold standard completely! I know that there are those who argue that the economy cannot run ‘safely’ under the gold standard, but I’m not so sure that the house of cards we are all working with right now can stand forever. Now we’re going to make it even worse! These banks collapsing, I believe, is the result of 9-11. I said it then and I’ll say it again – they played with and covered everything so well right afterward that now the house of cards is coming down. (Would it have been as big of a deal if we had the gold to back it all up?) We can run around and put up a card here and a card there as they fall, but the structure itself will never last – why not let it fall now instead of waiting for us to get more and more into debt and THEN have it fall? Let the cycle run and quit trying to make it go down a path that is against its natural course!
3) Declare war on more countries and strain our military so thin that we have to institute the draft (which mccain says he has no argument against doing) so every american family gets to look at an open chair or two at dinner every night. I do believe that we were brought into war by a deadly attack on our nation. We went after and got Sadam Hussein and the new government asked for our help to get up and going. We are still looking for Osama Bin Ladin. We continue to fight against those who continue to resist the new Iraqi government. We are a major player – a major force in the world. It is our job to help those who ask for it!
4) Lie about everything and make your candidacy about change...ing your mind all the time. I assume you are speaking about McCain – but it’s Obama who is ‘all about change’! Nobody who is running for President is going to say, “hey, let’s just keep everything the same!” All candidates talk change – it’s part of the process! The problem comes when you change what you say depending on who you are talking to. At least McCain is consistent from group to group!
5) Wipe your butt with the constitution. I covered that one already – the Republicans are the ones trying to stick TO the Constitution. The Democrats want to play with it to make it into what they desire at the moment – to bend it and shape it until it’s not even worth the ink it was written with!

I didn't deserve the attacks I got tonight, with a 4 on 1 where everyone tried to vilify me and basically make me out to be the spawn of satan for standing up for my beliefs. Part of the reason you feel this way is because you are taking every difference of opinion as an attack. We listen to you and gave our own points. Surely you didn’t expect to sit in the pastor’s dining room at a church young adult event and say the things you said without someone contradicting you, did you? Especially since I'm basically pro-life in my views anyway. That is NOT what you were saying at the table. I think using abortion as a form of birth control is irresponsible and promotes a culture full of rampant sex where people become numb to it and it no longer means anything. I think sex should be between people who care about each other deeply. But there's definitely a time and place when abortion IS necessary, and the discussion needs to be about who gets to decide when it's appropriate, not whether it's EVER appropriate at all. But you kept arguing that it should be used for whenever you want to, not when it is NECESSARY!

I definitely needed to get that off my chest. Sheesh... So did I.

40 Days of Prayer Day 9

Responding to a Desire to Meet With God
The Day 9 - Monday, September 9

His Word
"The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent" (Joshua 33:11).

Thoughts on His Word
Joshua refused to leave the tabernacle. God had been there speaking face to face with Moses, and the glory that Joshua sensed in that place drew him.
Up to this point, he had been following Moses, but something about the presence of the Lord attracted him. In the verse above it appears Joshua thought, I am not going to leave this place of God's presence. I want to be where God is.
Moses had taught him that the glory came after spending time with God. He had been privileged to see Moses experience times of intimate fellowship with God. During those times, Joshua began developing a longing for the glory he saw on Moses. Perhaps a hunger was being borne in him for a personal visitation of God.
Do you sometimes feel a longing to be in God's presence? Have you been challenged to make prayer a more significant part of your life when you've observed someone who has the peace and confidence that comes from having been alone with God?
Sometimes the Holy Spirit gives a gentle prompting, a desire to be in God's presence. Martyn Lloyd-Jones cautions, "Always respond to every impulse to pray. I would make an absolute law of this--always obey such an impulse."
Joshua lingered at the Tent of Meeting where God had promised, "There I will meet you and speak to you" (Exodus 29:43).

Come to the Fire Prayer Request
Give thanks for every time you feel drawn by the Spirit to pray. Please pray that every speaker and musician involved in the conference will see the necessity of spending much time in the "Tent of Meeting"--the place where God promises to meet and to speak to us.

40 Days of Prayer Day 8

Day 8 Sunday September 7

His Word
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 3:33).
"I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them . . . so they will obey my laws and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 11:19, 20 NLT).
"I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command . . . You will be my people, and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:27-28 NLT).

Thoughts
God's promise to put His Spirit within us became a central hope in the Old Testament.
Repeatedly God promised that the result of His Spirit within us would be, "I will be your God."
When I read "I will be your God" I hear God rejoicing! Finally, He, not idols, not lesser things, but He alone will be our God-the One we adore, the One we surrender to in everything. When we receive His Spirit we receive the ability to have "singleness of heart." We long to know what He wants and once we know, it is our joy to do it. A god is anything that has our allegiance, that we base our decisions on, that we attend to more than another.
Trying to live a consistently obedient life for many Christians is like trying to go up the down escalator. When God fulfills His promise to put His laws in our minds and to write them on our hearts, though, we find it is as though the escalator is reversed.
The Psalmist described it perfectly: "I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart" (Psalm 40:8 NLT).

Come to the Fire Prayer Requests
Pray that God's promise to put His law in our hearts will become a great longing. Pray that women will have faith to receive what God wants to give them. Pray that God will be able to fulfill His desire to give women singleness of heart so He can be their God.

Lord, I so very much want to women that attend Come to the Fire to have the faith to receive what God wants to give them! What an awsome thought - for enough faith to receive ALL that God want to give us! I pray that You will help me, if no other, open up completely to You without reservation - without holding anything of myself back. I want to have no idols. I want to base all of my decisions upon You and Your Word. Please send Your Holy Spirit as my guide every moment of every day! Amen

40 Days of Prayer Day 6

Day 6 - Friday, September 5

His Word
"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9 KJV).

Thoughts
God seeks those whose hearts are perfect toward him so He can use His power in their behalf. The perfect heart
--is not satisfied with people's affirmation and approval. Once we've tasted God's endorsement and His pleasure, we realize how the other fades into insignificance.
--has a growing hunger to be all for His glory. We realize the pure joy of sensing God's pleasure. A great longing to do all for His glory begins to direct our lives and we increasingly seek only to please Him.
--has discovered that nothing is as totally fulfilling as knowing God receives our efforts and says, "I'm pleased."
--finds that cultivating this hunger to please only him begins to free us. Little by little Satan's lies such as "But others won't understand," or "You won't make as much money" become words that we are free to ignore.
--discovers that a deep inner knowing that this is what pleases God becomes our guide to selecting what to say, how to spend our time.
--is concerned not about our popularity or others admiration, but am I faithful so He can accomplish all He desires? It doesn't matter if the Lord places us in a position where others see us or in an obscure position. Our desire is to be faithful.
God seeks those whose hearts are perfect toward him. And when He finds them, He offers to give them the desire of their hearts. He can trust their desires to be the same as His.

Come to the Fire Prayer Request
Pray that women who attend will see their need. God won't meet our need until we realize we have one. Pray that they will be willing to acknowledge before God their deepest needs as He reveals them.


Lord, I do pray for our needs - both known and unknown. Lord I pray that you will search each heart fully and completely - making our true and deepest needs known to ourselves. I pray that each of us will break before you - that we will recognize our inability to 'do' it ourselves - and that we will find ourselves before you begging for help. Break each of us, Lord. Break us so that you can fix us and put us back together whole and able to serve you with all we have. Amen

40 Days of Prayer Day 5

DISCOVER YOUR PROMISE

Day 5 - Thursday, September 4

His Word
"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away.
"Test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life" (Psalm 139:1-2, 23-24 New Living Translation).

Thoughts
Jesus told the disciples to go into Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. (Luke 24:49)
As we wait, God shows us our hearts. Generally, we do not see ourselves as He does. We must depend upon the Spirit to show us our selfish ambition and arrogant attitudes.
Dr. Pamela Reeves said, "Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes to point out to us where pride, where self-glory is entering our service, our reactions and thinking. When we aren't given credit for what we have done, when we are overlooked for advantages or when place is given others, our reactions to these and similar situations are red flags the Spirit may use to signal pride at work."
If we allow Him, God will expose what He sees in our heart. When our son Gregg was a boy, his thumb got infected. He decided to take care of it himself, and he carefully kept it bandaged for weeks. One day this badly infected thumb got so painful Gregg decided to show it to his dad. His dad is an infectious disease specialist, so he easily cured it once Gregg allowed him to see it.
God is a specialist in purifying hearts. We are prone to want to keep our sinful nature covered and act as though other people are the problem. When we give Him access to our heart we will begin to realize what a stench our selfish nature is to God.
"Change my heart, O God, make it ever true
Change my heart, O God, may I be like You."

Come to the Fire Prayer Request
Ask God to deepen women's hunger for a pure heart. Pray that they will begin to see how utterly bankrupt they are of goodness and of their inability to always desire His will above their own. Pray that they will hunger for His holiness in their lives.

Lord I come to you this morning asking that You will work and walk before us as we plan to go to the CTTF conference. Work in our hearts - purifying them as we prepare. Open our eyes to see how little we have to offer without You - help us to always look to You for our strength and endurance. Create a hunger in all of us - a hunger for Your holiness. Again, please go ahead of us and prepare our way! Amen

40 Days of Prayer Day 4

Day 3 Wednesday September 3

His Word
"The prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me - he has nothing in common with Me, there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, he has no power over me" (John 14:30 Amplified).

Thoughts
Satan could find no attitude in Jesus that was unlike a holy God. When we are being continually filled with the Holy Spirit, Satan finds the same attitude in us that He found in Christ. There is nothing in us that belongs to him. Instead, we have the desire Jesus mentioned when He said, "I seek not to please myself but him who sent me" (John 5:30).
To constantly live to please God means that
-we grieve when we realize we have displeased God.
-we don't get offended. Getting offended is often a sign of a proud heart.
-we are happy when others are honored even if it is at our expense.
-we wait on God rather than trying to force things to go our way.
-we trust the still, small voice, not our own plans.
The author of The Kneeling Christian said, "Believing prayer from a totally cleansed heart never fails."
Search me, O God, and know my heart today.
Try me, O Savior; know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

Prayer
Pray that every speaker and every musician involved in the conference will have a heart that is cleansed of all desires but the desire to please Jesus.

Lord, today I lift up the speakers and musicians preparing for CTTF in just 36 days. I ask you search each heart, cleansing it from personal desires toher that those that please You. Walk with them and plant the ideas in their hearts and minds that you want to find at the retreat. Use these ladies to help each woman who attends to walk away living closer to You. Amen

40 Days of Prayer Day 3

Day 3 - Tuesday, September 2

The Boldness of an Honest Heart

His Word
"Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him" (1 John 3:21-22).
"Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life" (Psalm 139:24).

Thoughts
Because of Moses' pure heart that sought no personal glory, he could enter the presence of God unafraid.
The Israelites, though, were terrified to go near God. Moses reminded the people that when the Lord appeared as a consuming fire, "At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain" (Deuteronomy 5:5).
"Why should we die?" they said. "This great fire will consume us" (Deuteronomy 5:25).
So they told Moses to listen to God. "Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey" (5:27). They preferred to live by a list of rules rather then come near the consuming fire of God's presence.
I once heard a young lady admit she was afraid of prayer. She didn't want to go into God's presence and say with the psalmist, "Point out anything in me that offends you." She missed the joyful privilege of having boldness in prayer.
Those with cleansed hearts have a confidence God hears that those with covered sins lack. "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18).
Are we willing to pay the price necessary to have answered prayer? Does it seem too painful, too costly to be honest in God's presence? The cost of unconfessed sin is far more costly.

Come to the Fire Prayer Requests
Pray for women to have a spirit of honesty and humility that gives the Holy Spirit access to their hearts. Pray that they will see their hearts as clearly as they will see them on Judgment Day. Pray that God "will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; [and that] he will purify [His people] and refine them like gold and silver" (Malachi 3:3).
"Purify Your Church, O Lord!"

Lord, I pray for those who are fearful of coming before Your Presence because of her sins. Call to each one, Lord. Place within them a desire for You that is greater than their fear. Place in their lives women who will pave the way for their trip and time at Come to the Fire. Go before us all as we plan, prepare, and present ourselves before your Presence in Olathe. May all the preparations within and without be covered by your blood and your Glory. Amen

40 Days of Prayer Day 2

The Prayer That Changed the History of a Nation

His Word
"I have seen these people," the Lord said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation"
"But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. 'O Lord,' he said, 'why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people" (Exodus 32:9-12).

Thoughts
Within days after promising to always obey God's command not to make an idol, the Israelites worshiped the golden calf. This angered God enough to destroy the entire nation. But before He did that "He made his ways known to Moses" (Psalm 103:7).
God confided in Moses what He, as a just God, must do. Sin must be punished by death. I think God revealed His plan to Moses to determine if Moses would pray the prayer that could prevail-the prayer that would change history.
It appears that God would rather show mercy than punish for sins. When God could find an intercessor who prayed for God's name to be honored, He changed directions.
Notice how Moses prayed: "Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, 'Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the desert'" (Deuteronomy 9:28).
Moses' desires were not about personal gain, power, prestige, or his own honor. What concerned him more was the honor of God. He cared more about how God would look to those around them.
God answered Moses' prayer. "I withdrew my judgment against them to protect the honor of my name" (Ezekiel 20:22 New Living Translation).
When we pray for personal concerns, are we most eager for God to receive glory no matter what honor, privilege, or comfort we must release? As we pray for our nation, we must put aside our selfish purposes and be concerned for the honor of God.
When we can say, "God, I'm seeking for what will bring the most glory to You," perhaps God will answer us as He did Moses: "Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened" (Exodus 32:14).

Come to the Fire Prayer Requests
Pray that God will reveal the true desires of our hearts as we pray. Pray that He will help us to be able to care deeply for the honor of God. Pray that all temptations to desire personal gain more than God's glory will be revealed, confessed, and cleansed.
Purify Your Church, O Lord!

Our Father, I pray that you will open our heads to hear You as we search our hearts for Your desire. Lord, I pray that our own personal gain is NOT what we are truly desiring! Reveal this desire if it resides in us. Help us to confess it to You and be cleansed of it! We want Your Glory and Your Honor! In Christ, Amen

40 Days of Prayer Day 1

Day 1 - Sunday, August 31
The Power of Having a Single Motive
His Word
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13).

Thoughts
Imagine the Maker of heaven and earth offering to make of you a great nation! God made that offer to Moses.
God was prepared to kill the sinning Israelites and start again with Moses. Sin must be punished. His righteous anger demanded justice.
God's offer to Moses was real. The sovereign God was offering him great honor! He knew God would be faithful to keep that promise.
But I think Moses also knew it would not have been God's first choice. In fact, when Moses later retold this episode to the Israelites, he said, "The Lord listened to me...It was not his will to destroy you" (Deuteronomy 10:10).
God cared that the Egyptians knew of His love and power available to His people. The only way God could turn away His anger from His people would be to find an intercessor.
So He needed to know what was in Moses' heart. Would he care for others as God himself did? Or would Moses care more for the sake of his own reputation? Were there any selfish desires in his heart?
Prevailing intercession is always heart-searching. The Spirit helps us to search our motives behind our requests.
Moses saved his nation because his heart cried, "O, God, it means nothing to me to be honored, if in the process Your reputation is damaged." This prayer prayed with this single motive was one God could answer.

Come to the Fire Prayer Request
Pray that we will allow the Holy Spirit to show us the hidden motives behind our requests. Pray that God will grant many who attend the Come to the Fire conference the fulfillment of His promise in Ezekiel 11:19: "I will give them an undivided heart." Pray that He will enable us to seek only for the honor of God's name.

Dear Lord
Search me - know my heart - find any hidden motive in my heart - may I only ask for what I truly desire - may my desires be Yours. Lord I especially lift up all those who will be attending the Come to the Fire conference - rend our hearts so that when we join together in Your presence we will have an undivided heart. May all we do be only to seek the honor of Your name. Amen

Being a Princess... In the Jungle

I was changing purses. You know how it is... I had put last fall's purse in the box with a few things left inside of it, so it was a treasure chest now! Inside was one of my notebooks - a little one that flips up over the top. It was open to a page and had prayer requests in it. I closed it only to find that it had been my notebook at a women's retreat in KC last spring (a year ago... 2007...). The speaker was Carolyn Johnson, one of my favorites! So, I thought I would journal through my notes of her sessions over the next few days and revisit what I had learned. (I'm not sure what I really took away from them at the time because I was 'working' the event...)

You know, we all go through life and life can be really stinky. What we often tend to forget is that
NOTHING HAPPENS TO ME THAT ISN'T FILTERED THROUGH GOD'S WILL
I forget that a lot, don't you? That doesn't mean that nothing bad is going to happen to me or that I'm not going to suffer consequences due to my own choices or the choices of those around me, but God will work His Will through it all.

Look at Genesis 29. Read it through.
I. The Picture
Jacob meets Rachel and falls in love
II. The Problem
Rachel has an older sister, Leah
Their father switches the daughters at the wedding and makes Jacob work an additional 7 years for Rachel.
III. The Prescription
Suffering - Leah knew she was not loved, but God had opened her womb. She had sons...one after another. Reuben (Look-It's-A-Boy), Simeon (God Heard), and Levi (Connect), but it wasn't until she had Judah (Praise-God) that she chose to say, "This time I'll praise God," and submit to His Will.
Submission - this is the goal. We must submit to His Will. When I am in the jungle of life, when I am suffering, I must turn my pain into praise. I must fix my eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter.

You are a Chosen One! You are not chosen to resist suffering, but to Praise God through it!

Judah, Leah's son, is the son through which Jesus's line comes. Normally, this honor would be given to the first-born. Not in this case. God waited for Leah to praise Him through her pain and the reward is that Judah becomes the line through which Jesus will enter the world!

Turn your pain into praise!

Pray the Alphabet!

What a concept! Pray through the alphabet - in this one I am going to focus on God.

God,
You are Awesome
You are Beloved
You are the Creator
You are my Deliveror
You are Everlasting
You are Faithful
Your Glory shines in creation
You are God on High
You are Indescribable
You are Just
You are King
You are Light
You are Mighty
You are Neverending
You are Omnicient
You are Perfect
You are in my Quiet
You are Righteous
You are my Savior
You are True
You are Unfailing
You are Vast
You are Worthy of my praise
You are eXceptional
You are YHWH
You are the Zenith!

That is kinda fun! Hard, but fun!

My Thoughts On Revival

Today we listened to a man with revival on his heart. He shared that in 1735, a revival cycle began. Every ½ century or so, a large revival movement broke out in the world. After 1735 there was one in 1800, the 1850s, and again in 1904 – then they stopped.

By this ‘schedule’, we were to have had a revival in the 1950s or 1960s – Why didn’t we? What was happening that squelched the revival movement at that period of time?

As the ‘young’ of today in the midst of the next cyclical revival season, my observations may seem very accusatory, but I feel they are true and in response to the accusations I feel are coming from the previous generations.

In the 50s and 60s, it seems that the focus was no longer on following CHRIST, but on living by the rules. The idea being that if we, as Christians, would just complete the correct checklist, the people would come pouring into the church.
The correct clothes
The correct decorations
The correct music
The correct programs
The correct building
The correct ground keeping
The correct activities

Now I hear (from this older generation) how a new generation is making changes. They aren’t playing the correct music – not wearing the correct clothes – not putting the correct emphasis on correct behavior.

Where is Jesus in all this?

The Jesus I know hung out with the lowest of the low in society… those people the Jewish leaders would not come near. (Luke 5:27-32; Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:13-17;

The Jesus I know did not spend time building up ‘security in the future.’ Jesus lived doing what God asked him to do each day – trusting God to provide for the needs of tomorrow. (Matthew 6:19-34)

The Jesus I know went OUTSIDE the temple to preach – to share – to heal – to serve.

Today’s church spends most - to all - of its time inside the building they meet within. Serving is cleaning, teaching, board meetings, and building work… all within the meeting hall, not the community.

Revival?
Needs prayer
LOTS of prayer

Giving that prayer toward revival means sacrifice of time and comfort. Too many are not willing to give up their time other than Sundays.

Revival?
Needs hearts that hear the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will guide us even in little ways if we allow Him to take over. Some of my favorite times with God is when He sends me a message that helps me in seemingly little ways. – Reminders to pick up an item at the store that I hadn’t even thought about, but would find I would need when I got home. An idea to pick up an item that someone was craving at home – An inkling to bring something home and then be surprised that I needed it – Sometimes simply comfort to calm my heart.
But if the Holy Spirit is not heard in the little things, he will never be followed in the big things: stopping to help the man whose trailer load fell – giving a hug to an acquaintance when you didn’t know it was needed so badly – speaking to a young one ripe for harvest for the Lord. The opportunities are lost! What a revival there could be if we all heard – AND FOLLOWED – the Holy Spirit!

Revival?
It’s God’s, not ours.
It’s from God through us – not from rules, but from daily obedience.

Until we let go of our beliefs that following the rules is following God –
Until we let go of the formulas of faith, the formulas of a follower of Christ –
Until we give up our ideas of what true followers of Christ look like, act like, or do,
There will be no Revival!


Gal 3:1-5
3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing — if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?


Gal 3:19-25

19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

Gal 5:1-10
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.


Gal 5:13-18

13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

We have created a new set of LAW to live by – laws that create a burden of bondage in the church. (Luke 11:46) Christ came to lift that burden, not bring a new one! Christ sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Only by following the Holy Spirit will be ever have another revival movement across this land.

Are we ready for revival?
Is it time?
Who will pray?

Passing Lanes

This weekend I have a prayer retreat planned at the church. We are using the DVDs that I purchased last year at Come to the Fire for our speakers and using video worship. One member of WCG will be running a prayer room while another runs a prayer walk in another room. A couple of ladies are doing food/snacks and we have greeters and sound booth people.

I have advertised this thing all over town to every church I can mail. I have sent invitations to the Church of God congregations in Ottumwa and Moberly. I have invited all the ladies I work with.

I have 4 registrations.
FOUR!

OK - so maybe most of the ladies who attend will be from our church.

So, today while all are leaving, I stop one lady and visit/say goodbye and stuff. In the exchange I say, "Will I see you on Friday and Saturday?" The response was very noncommittal. I tried another couple of people, but nobody was seeming all that interested!

These are the same ladies who were complaining that WCG was just meeting and collecting money - never 'doing' anything. We had a spa day last month and now a prayer retreat this month, but they aren't showing up. At the spa day we had 15 people, but only 7 were from our church!

I'm DONE trying to please these ladies and get them involved. They aren't going to like anything I do. I'm following my hubby's advice and building passing lanes. I'm going to do things and get excited and work on building up my programs - but I can't drag these ladies with me or wait for them- I'm going to have to find new ones to travel on my journey with me! Sunday morning church goers are going to miss out on a lot of fun in the journey to grow with Christ if they continue to resolve to only come on Sunday mornings! Following Christ and being a part of the body of believers takes more than just a couple of hours out of the weekend. There are plenty of ladies in our church who want to travel with Christ - we'll just have to go on without the others.

And it's not like they are all old! If they were all older, I could see that they are just from another generation, but some are quite young! Sometimes I feel like they serve God from a different tradition that the one I belong to. It's like there is a checklist of do's and don't's that are to be followed and if you get them all done when they are supposed to be done, then you'll get to be a Christian and go to heaven. The holiness movement I am a proud part of is all about relationship - with God and with others. Following where the Holy Spirit leads on a daily basis. In my Bible it says the Jesus came to fulfill the whole law and take my sin to the grave with Him. I am free from the condemnation of the Law of the Old Testament and am free to follow Christ with no limits. I am to be in such a close relationship with God that I can follow His leading daily and be Jesus all over my corner of the world - just wearing a "Jill Suit" while I'm doing it! OK - enough of that - that's my next blog!

I feel sorry for these ladies who choose to exclude themselves from the fellowship of women. I wish I could just rope them and bring them along for just ONE activity so that they could see for themselves what others are experiencing, but I'm not sure it will ever happen.

So on with the building of the passing lanes.

Unsettled

Unsettled is how I am feeling right now. Very unsettled. Nervous? Anxious? Wierdly eager, too.

Once again, I have tried going to the doctor for my pain. Daily pain that wears me out. This time, living in Kirksville, the Osteopathic center of the world, I went to a DO in hopes that an underlying cause would be found rather than being blown off again. It's been 7 years now since the pain began. I thought maybe I could be 'out' all over and that would be causing the pain. The headaches were getting worse, so I was hoping that was the cause...

I was wrong - very wrong. One of the first things that was commented upon was the fact that he was surprised at how in line I was for being in so much regular pain. The verdict? Possible Lupus. At one point he said a 50/50 chance. That's pretty high before the tests have been done!

My red face - not rosaecea like I've always thought. It's the facial rash that comes with Lupus. I know, I know... I haven't gotten the results back yet, but I've spent a week online doing research and I fear I'm going to get a positive result back. Of course, they are running a full series of tests - but there is not one test you can have to get a yes or no. It's a positive of 4 out of 11 that gets you there. I have the rash and the arthritis - that's two. I have had protein in my urine tests several times in the past (but nobody followed up!!!) which would be 3, then the others are blood tests that I have to wait for. But so far it's looking that direction.

To give some more teeth to the idea, I've been looking into how diet affects Lupus and have found that I have already eliminated some of the triggers on my own just from my own observations - like MSG. I've found more and I'll spend this week putting them into practice.

Which brings me to the next idea - what to do for my blood tests next Monday. Do i spend this week putting myself into remission (hopefully?) only to not get the right results next Monday, or do I keep myself in a flareup so that I get accurate results? I think I've decided to eat well and try to feel better, then eat poorly next weekend to flare up so that the needed 'items' are in my blood to be tested. This assumes, of course, that diet makes that much of an effect. The big deal is the red rash on my face and how it affects it - no redness in the folded part of the face around the nose and down to the lips.

I'm a little scared. This is a lifelong thing. This isn't something that can be cured, and it can lead to some really serious side effects. This will affect my whole life. I may not be able to work sometime in the near future. It definitely puts me on the slow down list. Sleep and lower stress are major necessities!

OK - speaking of sleep... I need to get to bed!

I'll keep my feelings updated here as a place to vent.

Jill

Time to Clean House

Matthew 12:43-45

"When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn't find anyone, it says, 'I'll go back to my old haunt.' On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he'd never gotten cleaned up in the first place. "That's what this generation is like: You may think you have cleaned out the junk from your lives and gotten ready for God, but you weren't hospitable to my kingdom message, and now all the devils are moving back in."

Wow. Talk about scary!

Following Christ is more than just getting rid of your demons. You have to replace them with God. If you are getting rid of something, you have to put something it it's place - just like when you are trying to diet or stop smoking or something like that.

Showing up at the alter at church - or praying to have God take care of the hurts inside of you are not the end of the answer.

You have to make Jesus the Lord of your life. You have to give over control to Him. You have to be will to have the Holy Spirit enter you and start cleaning out all the rooms of your heart - getting rid of the junk and replacing it with new, pure goodness.

If not, you will rid yourself of one thing, only to have it replaces by something much worse!

This IS what happens. It's straight from the mouth of Jesus. I shudder to think of how many people go to someone to have an evil spirit 'dealt with', only to find themselves in even deeper trouble because they didn't refill themselves when it was done.

We don't have to be empty when that spirit returns. There can be no evil in the presence of the Holy Spirit, so when we fill ourselves with God's Holy Spirit, the evil spirits will find no entry into us again.

I pray that you will fill yourself up today!

Judgment Day

Matthew 11:20-24
Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way. "Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."

Jesus berated those who had many chances and still refused to listen.

JUDGMENT DAY - that's a scary thought!

Jesus is with me always - in all I say and do. What will He say about my choices when I stand before Him?
My actions
My words
My thoughts - yes, even my thoughts!

Jesus is with me always - in all I say and do. If I choose to do so, I can allow Him to lead me in all things - My actions - My words - My thoughts, yes, even my thoughts. But do I do that? Do I allow Christ to 'dwell in me richly'? Do I allow Jesus complete and total access to all that is inside me, inside my heart?

Not all the time.

In our hearts we have areas, or 'rooms' that we keep closed.

We will give our hearts to Jesus, sometimes at a very young age, but giving ALL to Jesus is another thing. For me it's been a long long time since I've been 'saved'. but I know I still have rooms that I have yet to give to Jesus. I'm not sure what or where they are right now, but Jesus will let me know when it's time. I've thought I had given them all over to him before, but He let me know when He wanted to clean out a particular 'room' (problem, issue, held-on-to-hurt or resentment). I'm sure He will find others when it is time.

Living in Christ is not a quick thing or an easy thing. It is an ever-changing, ever-growing process of quiet time with God and earthly work for His Glory. I have yet to meet anyone who has 'arrived' yet who still exists here on Earth. God works on us, molding and plying (painful things, remember!!!) until the very end.

Are you being molded and plied? Are you presenting yourself to God and making yourself available for it? Are you open to new insights in His Word?

Christianity is not a stagnant position.

If you aren't growing, you're dead.

Wake up and grow!

Treading Water

Life can get rough sometimes. These times make me feel like I'm just trying to keep my head above water. I'm up to my neck in 'life' and struggling to find my next move all the time. All my time and energy and thought goes into this particular life situation and I lose track of the rest of life around me.

For ten years I was just trying to keep my head above water. I woke up one day and found that I had lost ten years of my life just trying to survive my life!

What would have happened if I had been able to give it all over to God to being with? How much effort and energy would I have been able to save knowing that God was in control?

Think about it. We live our lives. Life sometimes gets us down. Picture a swimming pool. We are in the pool living life. Sometimes we are able to tread slowly and keep pace with life. Sometimes we have to work hard to keep above the water line. There are even times when we are sitting on the sidelines or floating on a raft.

God lives outside the pool area - he can see from above. He can see what is coming upon us as we swim our way through life. He sees what is coming up the road, around the corner, and slithering through the grass. Knowing this, He will help us prepare for the situations if we will only give the control to Him!

Relax! Remember your swimming lessons from childhood! Lay back and float. Stop spending so much time and energy on trying to keep your head above water! You don't have to do all that work. God is in control. If you will just lay back and place it all in His hands and float a while, you will soon find yourself floating on a raft rather that swimming to breathe!

God wants to help you - but He will never push Himself into your life. You have to lay back and allow Him to do His work in you.

Relax and float a while.

Life will be blessed by God if you do!

Unveiled

2 Corinthians 3:18 says,"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

In the beginning of that quote is the idea that our faces are unveiled.

Are they, really?

This scripture is referring back to Exodus when Moses was spending a LOT of time up on the mountain with God. 40 days and nights without food or water he spent up there! Wow!

His face was glowing when he returned. GLOWING!!! He was so completely filled with God's goodness and happy from His presence that he was glowing. He was glowing so much that he scared the Israelites and had to cover his face (veil).

How often do we truly unveil ourselves to those around us?

When we are at work, we are wearing the 'work veil'.
When we are at home, we are wearing the 'wife', 'mother', and/or 'daughter' veil.
When we are at a sporting event, or a school event, we wear the appropriate veil.
When we encounter someone in authority we quickly make sure we have on the correct veil for that situation.

Why the veils?

Are we truly glowing underneath the veils? If we are, then why do we hide it? Why are we afraid to show God's glory to those around us? Why do we hide His presence from those we encounter every day?

Or is that another veil we wear - the veil of Christianity.

Do we put on the veil that tells everyone we are a Christian, only to hide the fact that there is no glow underneath?

Are you spending time daily with God? Do you have the glow of His presence and His goodness shining on your face like Moses?

Ask God to give you His glow and then keep it unveiled for the world to see! What a change you will see for yourself!!!

A Difference

I am in the process of preparing for my Small Group lesson for tomorrow morning. It is on self-control - the last of the fruit of the Spirit. I wrote the book, but I still fill out the Scripture verses and underline and mark my book just as I would any other book I was using. It's been a while since I wrote it, and God speaks to me through it just as if I hadn't written it myself.

God spoke to me today.

This is what I had written:

"If you learn only one thing, I pray it is this: Being a Christian is a life of action. It means putting ourselves out where we will be vulnerable to attack, but we choose to do so and lean on God for the power to continue.

It means taking our love of God seriously and following His commands to take care of those around us.

For many of us, this means a total life change. It means hard work re-training the way we view our lives and how we interact with our world."

I underlined in my book what I bold and italicized above. That is an important point. How often do we allow ourselves to be put in a situation where we are vulnerable in order to serve God? I had to think, then the Holy Spirit spoke to me and I just had to share.

When we first arrived in Kirksville just 6 or 7 months ago, our son, Jacob, became fast friends with a boy named Killian. Making new friends in a new school is tough, and Jacob already has a tough time in this area, so we fostered this new relationship. We had Killian over to spend the night one Friday night. Wow! What a night! This kid never stopped! He talked and moved all over the house - even was playing the drums after he was supposed to be asleep late late late in the night. He wasn't trying to be disobedient! He really and truly couldn't help himself.

A couple of weeks later, we invited Killian over on a Saturday night so that we could bring him to church. In the process, we got his sister also. Another full house and a busy one, but the kids loved the church family and have returned regularly throughout the winter!

As we got to know this family, we learned that Mom is a single mother who was struggling to even be on her feet, let alone get back up on them. We found ourselves watching kids up to bedtimes on weeknights or even keeping them overnight a few times. Of course, all the while, wondering just how 'legitimate' each situation really was. These times haven't come up lately, and I've always felt that even though the time was rough, it was the right thing to do. We continued to have groups of kids over to the house and usually try to plan it for Saturday nights with the ulterior motive of getting them to church. It makes for very busy nights, but productive ones!

All this story comes to a head today - the mom, Salina, talked with me today about how well things have started going - just recently and in a way that is just blowing her away. She no longer has to pay her ex-husband child support for kids she is taking care of. The state will be going after him for a situation that will make her the legal guardian again. With this, she has been able to work and keep all of the money she earns, making it possible for her to move her kids to a house with a yard in a neighborhood and out of the unsafe trailer in an industrial part of town with lots of drugs and guns around.

As she was telling me all about how well things are going now and how overwhelmed whe is about it all, she makes the point that she in intent on keeping in touch with me and with Carolyn, who were the only people in Kirksville who ever did anything nice for her and helped her. She recognized and names several times when she needed a pick-me-up and found it in the First Church of God family. No, she has never attended a worship service on Sunday morning, but she saw Jesus. She saw Him through us.

How many of us are going the extra mile for those within our reach? It's not an easy task. I didn't always have the time or the energy to listen to long stories on the phone. I wasn't always in the mood to enjoy staying up late to oversee groups of children in our home on a Saturday night. There have been clothing drives and food gifts. How often do we blow off opportunities to help? How often do we drive past the dumped cargo that we could help pick up and reload? How often do we walk past someone who will work for food?

Does is really matter whether or not they are legitimate? I think that can be a rationalization to play it safe - to keep from putting ourselves in a vulnerable position. I believe God wants us to be smart, but to also be vulnerable - to put ourselves out there where we can do the best for others, even if it hurts sometimes. Remember - NO PAIN NO GAIN

God Prepares Me

Tomorrow I begin my new job working with Keanne, a tiny little girl with many needs.

I already know Keanne a little bit. I have worked with her and interacted with her through my subbing. Last time I saw her I got hugs and smiles as if she recognized me from the time before! Little did I know back then that I would be her main caregiver in such a near future - did she? I believe God gives some of these learning disabled children a special knowledge - did she recognize me in that way?

God prepares us for our futures in various ways. Looking back can help us see just how much he does that. I can see how God put me in subbing positions that got me this job. I am looking forward to seeing how God will continue to prepare and bless this pairing.

I am looking forward to the relationship that will come and the daily interaction and growth I will see. No more wondering each day whether or not I'll get a call. No more walking into a classroom not knowing the names of the kids. No more trying to be another person - most often one I've never met - and reading their minds trying to do things their way. I will miss all the variety of students I met and now have a relationship with, but I will NOT miss the lack of routine. I am looking very forward to it!

I want to thank God for all the ways He has prepared me for this new position. I will be making decent money AND providing health insurance for my family. From where I am right now, it doesn't seem like it has taken me that long to get the job I needed, but from the view from the past, before I got it, it seemed to have taken so very very long. Not knowing is such a difficult thing.

I wonder how often we miss God's preparations for our futures. How often do we miss the lessons He is trying to teach us? When the time we are in is difficult, do we look inside to ourselves or do we look to God for help? I know I tend to try to solve things on my own first. I wait until I'm in really deep or really upset to take it to God. Why do I do that? Why do I wait? Do I not believe that I am important enough for God to care about the little stuff?

How often do we even look back and learn? I have looked back tonight and seen God's hand and how it has been moving in my life these past few months, but how often do I really do that? Do I only look at the good God has created in my life or have I also been know to look back to see His reprimands and His work in bringing me out of trouble? We need to spend time contemplating our lives and learning how God moves within them!

Powerful

It's just amazing how a picture can paint a thousand words, isn't it?

I've Been Tagged!

Here's how you play: once you have been tagged, you have to
write a blog with 16 weird, random things, facts, habits or goals about
yourself. At the end, choose 9 people to be tagged, listing their
names. Don't forget to leave them a comment ("You're It") and to read
your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you. Since you can't tag
me back, let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your
answers.

Here goes:

1. I had a childhood imaginary friend named "Fasten Seatbelt Grand Torino." Any guesses as to the make of our car when I was little? LOL

2. I was called to be a pastor's wife at the same time Jeff was called to be a pastor - we both ran as fast as we could!

3. I am afraid of balloons.

4. I have to have the covers straight and 'just right' to sleep - and tucked-in! No untucked sheets!!!!

5. My freshman year of college I drank a twelve-pack of pop every day.

6. I eat my cereal with plain yogurt instead of milk.

7. I am afraid to be alone at night. (Having three kids makes this a non-issue...)

8. I believe angels and demons live beside us on earth but in a realm we cannot always see and are battling around us at all times for control of any given area. I believe these angels are given their strength from our prayers.

9. I can wiggle my ears...

10. I want to learn to scuba dive and someday go to the Great Barrier Reef.

11. My grandfather was on the team that invented flavored soy substitute food - bacon bits, soy burgers, etc...

12. I would rather lose than be involved in a conflict - even verbal - and will often get a stomach ache when the situation gets tense.

13. I've driven a car at over 130mph three times over the course of many years and in very different situations.

14. I was acting so goofy at a Bryan Adams concert when I was 14 that he looked out and laughed at me! (We were in the 6th row on the floor...) LOL

15. I love raisins and nuts, but not in my food.

16. My best friend in junior high tickled my until I peed my pants and I haven't been ticklish since!!!

I am going to tag - Debbie, Eric, Heath, Tina, Ginger, Emily D., Emily H., Jenny Beth, and Nathan!

Heaven

Luke 13 says:

18. A bystander said, "Master, will only a few be saved?"
19. "Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life - to God! - is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives.
20. Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'
21. "You'll protest, 'But we've known you all our lives!'
22. only to be interrupted with his abrupt, 'Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'
23. "That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom.
24. You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in - and wondering what happened.

I have seen this same kind of thing in the churches I've attended over the years - people who believe that their presence in the church building, or their friends from the church, or the things they have done or the money they have given to the church will get them into heaven.

But God thinks about a ticket to heaven in a way that is contrary to our human nature - He says we do not earn it by what we do. God ask us to become His children - that's it! He wants to have a relationship with you. That's what will get you into heaven, not your money or your friends or even your church attendance! Those things are good, but it's like a good paint job on a house - if the foundation isn't in place, the whole things will fall in around you!

How is your relationship with God today? Are you a child of God? Before you answer, think about it for a minute: what is it about children that makes them different in our lives?

• Our children are watching us very closely.

Are you watching God? Are you looking at what He is doing around you, how He his hand is moving? Are you reading the Bible and studying what He has done to bring us to the place we are today?

• Our children are imitating what they see.

Are you imitating God? Are you imitating Jesus? Have you filled yourself with the Holy Spirit and allowed Him to guide you - every part of you? Are you allowing Him to change you even today? Sometimes we allow God in to clean up what we've messed up in the past, but we shut the door and go on without seeing that the changing and cleaning process is a never-ending deal - we need to be continually looking at ourselves through the eyes of God so that we can learn and become more like Him every day.

• Our children work for our attention - sometimes very hard.

When was the last time you sat and waited for God's attention? Many of us sit down to pray, but when was the last time you wait for God's full attention first? Wow. It can sometimes be very hard to feel the presence of God, but if we are persistent, He will show up in powerful ways. Pray and wait for God. If you don't sense Him with you, keep going - keep at it. He says that He will answer. Sometimes we just have to keep knocking incessantly.

• Our children enjoy spending time with us - cuddling and enjoying our closeness.

Do you enjoy your time with God or do you look at it as a chore, or a stop of your list of things to do in a day? Do you rush through your time, always with an eye to the clock, ticking off the 'proper' amount of time to be spent, only to rush off as soon as the time is complete? Try spending more time with Him - just quietly in His presence. Don't 'do' anything but just sit and spend time in His presence. I like to write with Him. These journal entries are written as I feel Him with me. They are the thoughts I have. (And as much as it seems that I am writing to others, I am writing to myself what is being revealed to me) You can spend time with God throughout the day as you quietly go through your everyday existence.

I have a tendency to keep 'noise' on around me all the time, but I have found that as I spend time doing chores in the quiet, God it there with me and we can 'cuddle' quietly. I'm still folding laundry or doing the dishes, but I find these quiet time to just cuddle up and BE in His presence. I don't count this as devotional time or prayer time - just cuddle time. I like cuddle time. Some days I think it keeps me sane.....

• Our children look to us to provide what they need.

When was the last time we asked God for something we needed? It seems kind of petty to ask for new socks and underwear or new jeans or shoes when there are people dying of cancer next door or down the road, doesn't it? But God wants to help us with what we see as small things as well as the large things. It's kind of a reversal of the talents - if we can trust Him with the small things, we will be able to trust Him with the big things as well. Don't be afraid to go to God and ask for what is on your heart - no matter how small it may seem. He already knows, so go ahead and ask. As we learn to continually go to God for these things, when the bigger things come up, heading straight to God will be already ingrained into our hearts and we will approach with much for confidence and assurance that the need will be met. This faith will bring more answered prayers that we could ever imagine.

• Our children grow to become miniature versions of our selves.

How often I look at my children and see my husband and myself! Sometimes I enjoy seeing those wonderful qualities. Sometimes I cringe. Like our own children, the goal is to become like Christ in our lives - to model Him is all we do and say. Look to God, spend time in prayer, and read your Bible to get your model of how to live as Christ. Then set out to make those necessary changes and be Jesus - here, there, and everywhere!