Which Way To Go?

This weekend Rodney and I have had the honor to spend time with a Methodist Missionary from Guatemala. We had him at our church to fill us in on the work that has been going on since he moved down there with his son, five years ago. They gave up their lives in the states for the sake of the people that live there. Great things are happening because of this fact.

We have another set of friends who have just moved to Indianapolis from a church that they started a few years ago in Atlanta. They are planning on starting another church in the art district of Indy. The two of them left a grandchild and two daughters and their husbands in Georgia for the same reason as the missionary from Guatemala. All because they are sure that God has called them to these ministries.



What causes people to do these things? There are so many who have started on a certain trek in their lives and then turn and go in the direction that they feel God is calling them to go.  My sweet husband is one of them. Are these people crazy? Do they just like the shocked looked on family and friends faces when they tell them they are following a calling of God, or maybe they are gluttons for the struggles that go along with these decisions?

Actually, when you look into the eyes of our friends you can see a peace and contentment. I know that Rodney and I wouldn't want our life to be anything but what we are doing. It is peaceful, even in the rough spots. 

Peter writes about this peacefulness.......

2 Peter 1:1-3

The Message (MSG)

1 1-2 I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.

3 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! 

God doesn't always send someone to the foreign mission field, to do His work. Maybe He calls us to be a better employee, or a better boss. Maybe He will call you to show love to the children in your classroom or compassion to a the homeless people on the street. Maybe you need to work in a soup kitchen or beautify the local park.  Maybe you are called to keep track of a neighbor who is aging or sick. You might even be called to help keep your church building clean.

There are some who are called to change everything about their lives and I love living the life that Rodney and I have been called to. I know our friends feel the same way about their lives too.

What have you been called to do? Whatever it is you can trust God to help you in the en devour. The peace that comes with following God's call is something that has to be experienced. Try it and see for yourselves. 

Blessings!

Falling for everything!

Our 10 year old lab has had a rough night. When we woke up this morning she had thrown up at least 6 times and before I could get her to the vet she threw up 2 more times, but now there was blood in the vomit.

The vet says she has pancreatitus. She now has to stay at the doctor over night with an IV for fluids and antibiotics and no food. Poor girl!

According to the doctor, probably the reason she has this is that Labradors eat anything and everything. So they tend to have more stomach issues than other dogs.  I did see that she had chewed on a corn cob from the garden, so that may have been a contributing factor to all of this.

Just like Labs eat everything, we people tend to let ourselves fall for everything. If it is on the news, in a book or in the paper, we tend to think it has to be true. I love the quote from Charlotte's Web....

Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They'll believe anything they see in print.” ― E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

Romans 1:21-23 says.....

21 Although they knew God, they didn’t honor God as God or thank him. Instead, their reasoning became pointless, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 While they were claiming to be wise, they made fools of themselves. 23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that look like mortal humans:

This scripture really tells it like it is for us. We fall for so many things, like crystals, astrology, fortune tellers, politicians and even some ministers. We want to believe that there is a power in us, and in others on this earth, that can make our future secure. We want everything to be for our benefit and we are always looking for someone or something to make that happen.

Makes me think of this quote...

“I suppose that Willie had his natural quota of ordinary suspicion and caginess, but those things tend to evaporate when what people tell you is what you want to hear.”

― Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men

I'm not sure why we tend to work so hard at believing everyone but the one who created us and keeps this world on it's axis. Do we think it is crazier to believe in God than it is to be sucked into all the nonsense and propaganda we hear and read about? Do we think it is a weakness in our selves to follow Christ?  

Everything in this world is limited, but God. No one or no thing can keep you from harm. Fame fails you, money fails you and especially people fail you. The only perfect, constant in all of this universe is God. To recognize this is not craziness or weakness, it is salvation. Christ put it this way.....

Luke 6:47-49

Common English Bible (CEB)

47  I’ll show what it’s like when someone comes to me, hears my words, and puts them into practice. 48  It’s like a person building a house by digging deep and laying the foundation on bedrock. When the flood came, the rising water smashed against that house, but the water couldn’t shake the house because it was well built. 49  But those who don’t put into practice what they hear are like a person who built a house without a foundation. The floodwater smashed against it and it collapsed instantly. It was completely destroyed.”

My hope for you is that you are building your life on this firm foundation of faith in our Lord. Don't be like my puppy who eats everything. Believing in anything is just as silly. Because when troubles come, and they will, you will be able to stand strong on the bedrock of God's hope, love and saving protection. No one, absolutely no one, on this earth, can promise that!

Blessings!

Are we healthy?

Our Riley has been sick for the last three days. I took him to the clinic last evening and he has an ear and a sinus infection. He always gets sick after the first few days of a new school year. His immune system has to get used to the germs of others around him in his classes. Once he does get used to them he usually stays well most of the rest of the school year. Just has to toughen up and get his immunity's strong.

This got me to thinking about a couple of things we as a people need to become stronger against. Things that make us sick and weak in our moral fiber. The list could probably go on forever but here are a few I thought of....

First, I believe, is the lack of preserving our Sabbath. We have so many children's sports teams that require the children to play on Sunday mornings. Also people are just choosing to stay home. Siting that this is the only morning to be together as a family. Sad thing about this choice is, that going to church, as a family, really goes along way at making the family unit stronger than ever. I know that in Mine and Rodney's life there was a time when work in our store took us away from our Sunday worship. We had a restlessness in our beings knowing that this was not putting God first. We had to work this situation out and when we did our relationship with the Heavenly Father came back into line and peace in our family returned...... 



Romans 14:6-9
The Message (MSG)


6-9 What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.

Another thing I think that keeps us weaker is our lack of respect for human life. Abortion is up and the government and our insurance companies have started picking and choosing who gets treatment when we are ill. Which usually makes it harder for our senior adults and our special needs people to get the services they need. 

Even our children seem to not understand the importance of protecting life. There is a theory that this comes from the violence in their video games and the lack of respect for life in their favorite TV shows. I think the saying "garbage in, garbage out"  is pretty true! The scriptures are quite clear on how we should treat one another.....

Galatians 5:13-14

The Message (MSG)

13-14 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom.

God loves us so much and desires for us to have a healthy life in a world that remembers who our creator is. If we keep our priorities in the order that keeps God first and for most in our lives we will stay strong in our immunity's to the sicknesses of our world. Our morals will show who we truly follow. We will love others around us and feel the importance of life. And a peaceful healthiness that you may never have known before will settle in.   

If we all would remember and follow this scripture our land would be stronger and healthier than ever before.... 

Proverbs 14:34
The Message (MSG)


34 God-devotion makes a country strong;
God-avoidance leaves people weak.

Here's to strong immunity's in each and every one of us!

Blessings!

Getting to know each other!

It's our anniversary. Rodney and I have been at this church for 3 years, as of today. The reason it is so easy to remember is because there was a yearly festival and parade on our very first day here and this weekend will be the fourth one we have seen. We always joke that they are just throwing us a party. It feels great to be headed in to our fourth year.  

One of the wonderful things I noticed last night as we were walking around town was that we knew so many of the folks and they knew us. We couldn't say that the first time we walked around town. We really didn't know anyone and we felt a little out of our element and a little lonely too. But over the course of these last three years, of spending time with them, we have really gotten to know and understand the people here and now really feel like a part of this town.

That's how it is in our relationship with the Lord. When we first come to understand our need for a life with Him we feel kind of out of our comfort zone and don't know Him much at all. We aren't comfortable with the Christian life yet and feel kind of alone in our feelings. 

The way to get out of this lonely feeling with Him is to spend more time with Him. That is what the disciples did. They changed their whole life to be with Jesus. Jesus walked on this earth to help us understand His heavenly Father. He formed many relationships with the apostles and others. They in turn carried their knowledge and understanding throughout their world. These men were in tune with our God and were able to write the Gospel scriptures down. Which gives us the opportunities to get to know God more, through the study of these scriptures. 

Other ways to get to understand this relationship more, is to use the gift of prayer and even head to church and spend worship and small group time with others, who are also getting to know Him.  God wants, so much, to be close to you.   

2 Peter 1:3

The Message (MSG)

3 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! 

Just as we have become a part of this community and are so comfortable here, you can become comfortable in the community of faith. Just as we have gotten to understand and love the folks here you can get to understand and love the one who gives everything for us.

Just as the lonely feelings we felt when we first got here have gone away, your lonely feelings can be replaced with contentment and peace.

Spend time with the lover of your soul today! Find His peace!!

Blessings!

What Are You Looking For?

This morning I feel like I got up on the wrong side of the bed. I seem a little cranky. Not sure why. I can't blame it on sleep because I went to bed an hour earlier last night. My Lupus doesn't seem to be acting up today and everything with the family is good. So I really don't have any excuse for this mood. It is just here.

This isn't the first time I have been cranky,and it won't be the last. I am human after all. But the sad thing about this mood, is when I am in it I look for the bad in everything, especially people. 

There is a song from Amy Grant that comes to mind as I am writing this. The title is "Find What You're Looking For".  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9NJ0BVwcnc . It is a great song. I hope you click on this link and listen. 

Anyway in this song it talks about looking for the good and the bad in everyone. We all have our short comings, that is true. But as children of God, even on the bad days, I think He would want us to look for the good. There is good in all of us, even if we choose not to see it.

Anger and crankiness are like a disease.  The longer you stay there the deeper it grows in your heart and in your spirit. It takes a hold of you and doesn't want to let go. There are some who seem so angry all the time. Like they can never be happy. Nothing is ever the way they would like it to be. I know that depression is tough and sometimes we need a doctor to help get us out of this state. God understands. 

But for me, who is just cranky, Today is a frustrating day and I am ready to be back to my old self.  Proverbs tells it like it is..... 


Proverbs 15:15
The Message (MSG)

15 A miserable heart means a miserable life;
a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

We, as Christians have so much to be thankful for and happy about. Our eternity is secure! We have a relationship with the Most High and wow, look at this beautiful world God has given us to live in. Really, life is great!!

Man, just thinking about all of this has lifted my spirits and made me smile. How about you?

What are you looking for today?

Blessings!

Fun and Sad Day

Yesterday after church, Rodney, Riley and I went to the State Fair. We went with a few friends from church. One of them was one of our, just graduated, youth. She rode with us to the fair grounds. On the way we found out that this was going to be the first time she had ever been to the state fair. We also found out that she was headed to college this next week end, so this had been her last Sunday, for quite awhile, to be with us at worship. We all decided it was going to be a sweet, fun, but sad day.

And it was...The day was beautiful, but the sun was too hot for me so I had to stay under an umbrella. This meant I had to be careful not to hurt people with it.  We saw some really cool things at the shopping tents but none of us really had money to just burn, so they went without being bought. We ate some really good fair food but it can be expensive. (Totally worth it though!). We saw the cutest brown cows but you know what happens to most of them after the fair.

The one thing that our sweet friend wanted to find most at the fair was the deep fried cookie dough. She finally did and they were delicious but oh so, so sweet. Too sweet really. 

We heard some wonderful Christian rock groups, while we were there. Our favorite, was a newer band called "For King and Country". We bought their one and only CD. Riley was really sad they didn't have more CD's.  You can bet he will have us on the look out for them as they come out. 

The gift of life can be full of sweet with the sad. School is starting but that means your babies are growing up. Graduation comes but that means your children will be moving out into this world, on their own. Your job relocates you, and that is exciting, but this means you leave friends and family behind when you move. You have a loved one who is not going to make it and that is sad but the very sweetness of this is that they will be with our Lord.

There is one common denominator in all of the ups and downs of our lives, and it is this...God is there for us. He smiles with us and He cries with us......He is our refuge.....the author in these Psalms truly understood this for us...

Psalm 62

Common English Bible (CEB)

Only God is my rock and my salvation—
    my stronghold!—I will not be shaken.

My deliverance and glory depend on God.
    God is my strong rock.
    My refuge is in God.

All you people: Trust in him at all times!
    Pour out your hearts before him!
    God is our refuge! 

Psalm 144

Common English Bible (CEB)

15 The people who have it like this are truly happy!
 The people whose God is the Lord are truly happy!

Life is a gift from God. Every morning we unwrap the paper to see what the day will bring. Yesterday we had a very mixed but rewarding day. Wonder what today will bring? 

As you unwrap the present of the your each and everyday, remember that God will be there through every up and down, every sad with sweet. Every surprise the world gives out. God is there for us, through it all!

Blessings! 

Keep it or not?

We are getting ready for a church wide Rummage Sale. The proceeds will be used to fund some much needed projects in the building. Our church members are allowed to donate to the sale as well.  It is amazing to watch the items coming in. All of us certainly have tons of things that we do not use or even need.

I know that Rodney and I have been moving items through out the years that just keep getting packed up and moved every time we need to relocate. But we never even seem to notice the things while we are settled. So today I am determined to put all this stuff into the rummage sale. 

I should be so motivated to get this done, but for some reason I am not. Is it just the thought of all the work or is it that I really don't want to let go? There will be memories of adventures that go along with acquiring all the items. Maybe that is what is bothering me. I wonder why we as a people think that our stuff is what makes us who we are. That something in us will go missing if we do not have these things. 

The scriptures remind us that all that we have, and all that we are, are from God and not to be thought as "look at all that I have". 

1 Corinthians 4:7b

The Message (MSG)

Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need.

I know that our pack rat family, as I look at all this stuff, certainly needs to be reminded of this. I bet I fill up the car a couple of times before I am done delivering things to the sale.  Maybe all the work of this will instill the need to change my family's ways on this. I pray that that is true!

Well time to get to work.....

Blessings!

   

Corn On The Cob

I realized how much my husband's family loved their Indiana corn the first July I was a part of his family. We sat down to dinner and there was basically nothing on the table except corn, butter and salt. Not really, there were other things to eat that night, but as I sat there I watched Rodney and his father eat at least 10 ears between the two of them. My mother-n-law, who is a very small eater, ate 3.  

It was pretty amazing to see how corn season made them so happy. This love has continued over the years.  When we lived in Minnesota, Indiana corn was one of the things Rodney missed the most. 


It is now corn season again, here in Indiana, and I just shucked a couple dozen ears. These were a gift from some very good friends. Sure made Rodney's day to see how much went into the freezer. This will make sure the joy of corn season lasts a little longer for him.   

God brings us joy in a thousand different ways. He works very hard at trying to keep us smiling. Look at the sunrises and the sunsets. The beauty of flowers in our gardens. The smile on our children's faces. The sounds of water when it trickles down a stream or when it crashes in the surf. There are so many things from God that He made just to bring us joy, even corn on the cob.

Yes we have tons of wonderful things in our lives that bring us happiness. But even when we are sad, He comes to us. To give us hope for a better tomorrow. Helping us to look forward to the joy that will come again. 

Giving praise is something we could do all day, everyday and not even begin to thank Him for all He does.  I love how David, in Psalms, says just that.... 

Psalm 68:3-4a

The Message (MSG)

A David Psalm

When the righteous see God in action
    they’ll laugh, they’ll sing,
        they’ll laugh and sing for joy.
Sing hymns to God;
    all heaven, sing out;        

My hope for you is that you realize all the joy that is around you in your life!  I also hope you know the one who made it all, just to see you smile.


Blessings!

Everyone can play!

As you all know our youngest son, Riley, has Down syndrome. Which affords him the opportunity to play baseball in the Miracle League. http://www.miracleleague.com/. Riley had a game this morning and even got to try his hand at pitching. I have to say he didn't do too badly. He also got to catch and had a really good at bat.

In this league.......

• Every player bats once each inning
• All players are safe on the bases
• Every player scores a run before the inning is over (last one up gets a home run)
• Community children and volunteers serve as ‘buddies’ to assist the players
• Each team and each player wins every game

 

It is good to see everyone feel like they are an important part of the team and that no one is looked at as different from anyone else.

To me this is like a picture of Christ and His mission. He came to this earth to give all of us an equal chance to have freedom from the burden of sin and to have the opportunity to have a relationship with our heavenly Father. No one is excluded from having this chance, neither Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor.  No matter what your circumstances in life are, even if you feel like you have done some things that are too horrible, you haven't  ....

Ephesians 2:17-18

The Message (MSG)

17-18 Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.

If Christ looked at all of us as equals, there is no doubt that we should treat others as equals too. Imagine what all our churches would be like if everyone remembered this. Anyone that came through our doors would feel welcome. They wouldn't feel like they had to dress a certain way or act a certain way. They wouldn't even have to worry about whose pew they were sitting in. Everyone would just feel love and acceptance like all the folks did who were privileged to be in the presence our Savior. 

Just think we could have our own "Miracle League"

Blessings!!!

Too Much Fertilizer!

The yard at the parsonage has been the been a bit of a pain since we moved in over 3 years ago. It get's full of crazy weeds that I just can't seem to get rid of in the heat of the summer. This was going to be the summer I just wasn't going to let that happen. I fertilized in late spring and it looked pretty good. Then we had a hot streak so I waited for the next round until there was a bit of a break in the heat. I decided it was time for a weed and feed application this time. So I pulled out the drop spreader. 

There seemed to be something wrong with the  drop adjuster so I tinkered with it and thought I had it fixed but that was not the case. It took two bags to cover the yard when it should have taken, probably only one to one and a half. With this weed and feed fertilizer you need to wait 24 to 48 hours to water it in, so that the de-weed part has a chance to work.  We got lucky and it rained right on the day I needed to water. I thought that everything was going to be great with the yard but the day after it rained I noticed brown lines coming on in the grass and the next day most of the grass looked like it was dying.

Apparently too much fertilizer fell on the yard. We hopefully are not going to have any weeds but now it looks like we may not have any grass either. But there is hope.... 

One good thing about grass is it will come back. It looks like it is dead but it is just, usually, in stress shut down mode. And after it recovers it comes back better then new. 

Sometimes we need a stress shut down mode. We need to take a break to get away from everything. A vacation on the beach or in a cabin in the woods would be just the ticket but that is not always possible. 

When excess stress gets to me, and I can't go on vacation, I head to my favorite chair in the house, shut off the TV and open up the scriptures. I know that that may sound goofy to some but you'd be surprised how much this helps. 

God wants to be our refuge in the stressful times of our lives. He cares so much for us and does not want us to suffer. 

The author of this scripture in the Psalms knew this too....

You are my hiding place and my shield of protection; I hope in Your word. Psalm 119:114 VOICE

My hope for you is that you are not in deep stress right now, but if times are tough you do have a place to escape to. 

If you do not have a Bible to open a great websight for you would be...

http://www.biblegateway.com

Let God wrap you in His comforting words of love and grace so that you can come back refreshed and good as new!

Hopefully like my grass will!!!

Blessings!