When I was in about 6th grade, I decided I wanted to try to be in the McDonald's All-American band. Although it would have been neat to be in, my main reason was, they marched in the Rose Bowl Parade, the granddaddy of them all and I really wanted to march in the Rose Bowl parade. It just so happened that my junior year of high school, I did just that, with our own high school marching band. I never imagined such a thing could happen. Here's the deal, and something you need to remember. The thing I wanted was to be in that parade. I thought I saw the only way to do it.
God saw another way. Remember that.
I still have a list in my head of things I would like to do before I die. One of those things is to play in a pit band for a musical. Last week, I get a message from one of my high school band directors asking if I would like to be in the pit band for Lincoln Trail College's production of Into the Woods. I was both honored and mortified. The funny thing was I was so excited and I knew the band geek in me walking around to my co-worker's offices would probably produce a lot of blank stares and people trying to be happy for me but not really getting it. So, I texted two of my bff's from high school, and of course, fellow band geeks. And yes, they were excited for me.
I have spent a lot of time this last week dealing with the horrified feelings. Sandra told me they were doing a run through last Thursday and would I like to come and get my music, watch, and follow along. Let me tell you something, over 30 years ago, this woman could read my fears like a book. She still can. Side Note: One of the biggest fears in my life was the day that she accompanied our choir for a funeral, I was the choir director. Having to direct her is on that top ten list of scary things, but it was fine.
So, Thursday night, I decided to go straight from work to Robinson. I had also decided I would run the interstate over to Marshall, grab me a sandwich there so I could eat on my way down Rt. 1 and not end up sitting someplace in my car eating. It was still going through my head, "What are you thinking? You can't do this, you will never keep up. that music will be too hard, and every other various doubt you can think of. Then, I passed a church. God bless church signs.
This one said, Faith is the difference between Cowards and Calebs. Wow.......I was out in the middle of nowhere and God was speaking to me so loudly that I really wondered if I drove back by there if that sign would REALLY say that.
Just in case you don't know the story, it is found in Numbers 13 and 14. Instead of giving you the whole scripture, I will leave a link for you HERE.
The just of the story though is Moses sent 12 spies to scout out Canaan. The land God promised the Israelites. When they came back, 10 of them said that the land was absolutely wonderful, flowing with milk and honey BUT the people there were too big, too strong, and too scary and they were too afraid of them to move forward. Two of them, Caleb and Joshua, knew God wanted them to have this land and God would take care of them. There is one passage where God says to Moses, “How long will these people treat me like dirt? How long do they refuse to trust me?" So, here I am, on this deserted highway, realizing God put me here, so I could read this sign so I could get over myself. Here He is handing me something that I have wanted for ages and I am ruining it for myself because I have no faith.
That saying, "If God leads you to it, He will lead you through it" works in good stuff too.
So, I went to practice that night, and I was so relieved when I saw the music, and even more relieved that most of the time I could follow along and see exactly where I was at and what I was supposed to be doing it. I am still nervous but I am more excited. And the most excited that something I have wanted to do, God handed to me and said, "Here, this is for you."
We, (I, anyway) seem to be in the habit of asking God for things, sometimes even things that seemed too far fetched to even imagine and, even though I have it in my head "the only way that could happen is..." God pops something down on you and says, "I love you, and here is what you wanted, and no, it didn't happen the way YOU thought, but it happened the way I KNEW". Yes, I hear him say things like that to me all the time.
I am leaving you with What Faith Can Do, from Kutless. Yes, it is another favorite, imagine that!
Have a beautiful week and when God blesses your socks off, don't doubt, just praise Him!
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Saturday, September 17, 2016
One More Thing.....
It appears I have been on an "Attitude" theme and didn't even realize it. This past week has been chocked full of emotional events and I was trying to figure out what to write about when my computer completely refused to work for me this morning. And then it dawned on me, my favorite Beatitude that isn't written in the Bible, but there are plenty of verses to prove it.
Blessed are the flexible, for they never get bent out of shape.
I don't know who came up with it, but I sometimes remind myself of it multiple times daily. We know we are not the ones in control and that God is. There are days we might get upset because that stoplight stayed red too long, one too many people asked you to get something done right this minute, or you meant to mow the yard on your day off and it is pouring. We are tempted to get upset about these things and the thing is, we don't see the big picture and we don't know what chain reaction any one of these things can be starting, or better yet, can be keeping you out of harm's way.
I know I have used this very same passage before but Philippians 2:2-4 pretty well sums up what we are to do.
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
I think I have concentrated on the doing nothing out of selfish ambition before, but this one really focuses on valuing others about yourselves, and sometimes, when things just aren't going your way, you must remember that the "other" might just be God himself, who we should always look to instead of ourselves.
All of this being said, my computer is pressing my own limits as it has a problem this morning. Ironically, my first thought was to get to my blog through my iPad and tell you all I was having technical difficulties. And yes, this was AFTER I had decided this was today's topic. So, this is God giving me a little test this morning, to see if I am practicing what I preach.
So, this one is short, mainly because it is late, but the computer didn't get the best of me. It may have changed my plans a little, and yes, I probably could have delved deeper into this subject, but most of my readers "get the picture" so here it is. And there are days, I wish I could say as much in as few of sentences as the writers in Our Daily Bread, so I will just tell myself I did.
As I was thinking about this topic, I also thought about Building 429's " We Won't Be Shaken. So that is what I am leaving you with today.
Hope you all have a great week!
Blessed are the flexible, for they never get bent out of shape.
I don't know who came up with it, but I sometimes remind myself of it multiple times daily. We know we are not the ones in control and that God is. There are days we might get upset because that stoplight stayed red too long, one too many people asked you to get something done right this minute, or you meant to mow the yard on your day off and it is pouring. We are tempted to get upset about these things and the thing is, we don't see the big picture and we don't know what chain reaction any one of these things can be starting, or better yet, can be keeping you out of harm's way.
I know I have used this very same passage before but Philippians 2:2-4 pretty well sums up what we are to do.
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
I think I have concentrated on the doing nothing out of selfish ambition before, but this one really focuses on valuing others about yourselves, and sometimes, when things just aren't going your way, you must remember that the "other" might just be God himself, who we should always look to instead of ourselves.
All of this being said, my computer is pressing my own limits as it has a problem this morning. Ironically, my first thought was to get to my blog through my iPad and tell you all I was having technical difficulties. And yes, this was AFTER I had decided this was today's topic. So, this is God giving me a little test this morning, to see if I am practicing what I preach.
So, this one is short, mainly because it is late, but the computer didn't get the best of me. It may have changed my plans a little, and yes, I probably could have delved deeper into this subject, but most of my readers "get the picture" so here it is. And there are days, I wish I could say as much in as few of sentences as the writers in Our Daily Bread, so I will just tell myself I did.
As I was thinking about this topic, I also thought about Building 429's " We Won't Be Shaken. So that is what I am leaving you with today.
Hope you all have a great week!
Saturday, September 10, 2016
The "Be" Attitudes
It seems this week has caused a lot of turmoil for a lot of people. There are problems going on in our little community and I honestly don't know most of it, I just know people I love have been hurt and are hurting. One of my friends has taken it to task to point out the positives in things this week. She has used the hashtag #bethegood for most of the week. When she started it, I had no clue there was something in particular going on, but the fact is, this little hashtag made me look at something in my own life a little differently.
As most of you know, Andrew has a home repair/ improvement business. Tuesday evening, he texted me and told me he couldn't stand to be on his knees any longer and he was coming home. He had two more hours left to work and my first thought was, NO, you have GOT to keep working, this normally comes along with some anger on my part. Let me say, this is all easy for me when I'm not the one down on my knees. But, BECAUSE of the little hashtag, I though to myself, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem", so, I said, "I'll be right there". I know he was shocked, and I am afraid I may not have done a good enough job because he has to go fix little area of grout this morning and I can about bet, it is the little area, I did, but the fact is, I learned 2 things. Number 1, if I can HELP, I should, Number 2, if all I want to do is get mad and cause him more stress, I should keep my mouth shut.
I think just the fact that I was willing to help, helped him keep going. He was tiling as I was grouting, which in fact meant he got back down on his knees. Hopefully, what he has to go fix this morning is minor.
So, I want to throw out the real Beatitudes this morning. The ten commandments tell us the difference between right and wrong. The Beatitudes tell us how to act.
I am going to use the Message version this morning, I am sure most of you have seen the KJV in your lifetime, but I always think this takes it to a different level.
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
I am afraid there are too many people out there doing things for the wrong reasons, and too many people out there doing things for the right reasons that are having to live with being put down.
I have also thought a lot about the Paradoxical Commandments this week, and thought I would leave them here as a word of encouragement as well.
So, going forward, if you have the urge to get angry and upset over the way things are being done, ask yourself if your behavior is actually helping change what you don't like, if the answer is no, maybe you should take a different approach.
Personal experience here, there have been several times in my life I have met with people that I truly don't like their actions, and don't understand why they are doing what they are doing. I have learned to pray about this before I act on anything. I will pray daily that God will either change them, or if necessary, change me. I feel I have seen Him work both ways. The later has happened, more times that once, especially when I took the time to learn what makes that person tick and what the reason is behind their actions. I have learned that badmouthing the person just makes me look bad.
And today, I leave you with Matthew West's Grace Wins. I find it funny that I haven't used this song in my blog yet, as it is (don't laugh) one of my favorites. It may not cover the exact situation, but the fact is, Grace DOES win every time, sometimes you must go through the storm to see it.
As most of you know, Andrew has a home repair/ improvement business. Tuesday evening, he texted me and told me he couldn't stand to be on his knees any longer and he was coming home. He had two more hours left to work and my first thought was, NO, you have GOT to keep working, this normally comes along with some anger on my part. Let me say, this is all easy for me when I'm not the one down on my knees. But, BECAUSE of the little hashtag, I though to myself, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem", so, I said, "I'll be right there". I know he was shocked, and I am afraid I may not have done a good enough job because he has to go fix little area of grout this morning and I can about bet, it is the little area, I did, but the fact is, I learned 2 things. Number 1, if I can HELP, I should, Number 2, if all I want to do is get mad and cause him more stress, I should keep my mouth shut.
I think just the fact that I was willing to help, helped him keep going. He was tiling as I was grouting, which in fact meant he got back down on his knees. Hopefully, what he has to go fix this morning is minor.
So, I want to throw out the real Beatitudes this morning. The ten commandments tell us the difference between right and wrong. The Beatitudes tell us how to act.
I am going to use the Message version this morning, I am sure most of you have seen the KJV in your lifetime, but I always think this takes it to a different level.
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
I am afraid there are too many people out there doing things for the wrong reasons, and too many people out there doing things for the right reasons that are having to live with being put down.
I have also thought a lot about the Paradoxical Commandments this week, and thought I would leave them here as a word of encouragement as well.
Just a side note on this, there have been a lot of tales of where this came from. As you see at the top, Kent Keith actually wrote them. Yes, they were found on the walls of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta, but Kent Keith wrote them.........at the age of 19.
Personal experience here, there have been several times in my life I have met with people that I truly don't like their actions, and don't understand why they are doing what they are doing. I have learned to pray about this before I act on anything. I will pray daily that God will either change them, or if necessary, change me. I feel I have seen Him work both ways. The later has happened, more times that once, especially when I took the time to learn what makes that person tick and what the reason is behind their actions. I have learned that badmouthing the person just makes me look bad.
And today, I leave you with Matthew West's Grace Wins. I find it funny that I haven't used this song in my blog yet, as it is (don't laugh) one of my favorites. It may not cover the exact situation, but the fact is, Grace DOES win every time, sometimes you must go through the storm to see it.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
An Attitude of Gratitude
My Tale of Two Kitties
If you know me at all, you probably know we share our house with two cats and a dog. Today, I'm sharing a bit about the two cats.
Gibbs' story began on August 10th, 2014. Robert and a friend of his was out for a ride in the rain and saw a little mass laying in the road. Thinking it was a baby squirrel, and these boys being the fine young people they are, they stopped. Robert jumped out to get whatever was in the road, I believe the original intent was to see if they could get a baby squirrel back to its mom. When Robert grabbed the little ball, it was a kitten. The boys then took the time to look around for the momma or any other kittens and finally decided the little guy was all alone and that wouldn't do.
Ever since that day, Gibbs has never seemed to forget where he came from, how he was rescued and the fact that Robert and our family gave him a very different life than what he could have had. Needless to say, we are all sure if he would have been in the road much longer, his life would have ended that day.
The morning after Gibbs came to live with us, he snuggled up on my chest while I had quiet time, he purred, and cuddled and was quite content. He still does this, every morning. And I always get the impression that he is saying thank you for having him here and for loving him.
Jasmine was born at my mom's house, in a closet, with heat, and food, and a litter box. She lived there for 8 weeks and came to our house on the 6th of May. She has never been in danger, well, that she didn't put herself in anyway and she has never known what it was like to go without a meal. And there are times, many times, she is nothing short of a brat. There are times that I can almost feel her trying to communicate, "You chose me, you wanted me, and you got me, aren't you lucky???"
I swear she spends her days thinking of ways to get into trouble, to push the limits and to test me. Andrew is a pushover, so this isn't even about him. It is her and I that clash.
Unfortunately, I look back at my life, from the time I was little until, well, yesterday for that matter and realize, I am a lot more like Jazz than I am like Gibbs.
I had a friend once who said she thought that people who weren't raised in church but found God's love later had a greater testimony. I am afraid they may have a greater feeling of gratitude. I know I get in a funk of hearing myself say to God, "I deserve better!" And the fact is, I don't, I don't deserve what I have, it is by God's grace that I even breathe and exist. God never promised us sunshine and roses.
I find myself telling Jazz, as she shreds the Kleenexes or the toilet paper, that until she finds a way to pay for stuff, she better straighten up. Wow, I am glad God never told me I had to find a way to pay for my sins. I couldn't do it, but Christ could and
He. Did.
Ephesians 5:30 says, "Giving thnks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
I told a lady this week that I believed our church was the very first place I ever ventured out to as a baby. So, I too, have never been laying in the middle of the road, in a rainstorm, wondering if I were going to live to see my next meal, if there were a next meal to be found. So, I feel I sometimes take my salvation for granted.
I actually had to look up how to spell "granted" just because I was having a mental block. But when I googled it, there was two phrases that has to be added to this post:
So, this week, I am challenging myself to be Thankful to God for EVERYTHING. There used to be a blurb on The Message radio that asked, "What if tomorrow you woke up with only the things you said thank you for yesterday". I take that to heart but need to dig deeper and really see what all God does for me on a daily basis.
I am leaving you with Matthew West's Anything is Possible. Partially because the woman whose story inspired the song shows us the gratitude of coming to Christ later and then because one of my best friends posted a picture yesterday of that very phrase and the song has been in my head ever since.
Please don't get me wrong, God created all of us and loves all of us, weather we have been a Chistian since we were little or found Him yesterday, I am just concentrating on that attitude of gratitude that we can all stand to remember a bit more often.
God: Turning messes to miracles since the beginning of time.
Happy Labor Day weekend!
If you know me at all, you probably know we share our house with two cats and a dog. Today, I'm sharing a bit about the two cats.
Gibbs' story began on August 10th, 2014. Robert and a friend of his was out for a ride in the rain and saw a little mass laying in the road. Thinking it was a baby squirrel, and these boys being the fine young people they are, they stopped. Robert jumped out to get whatever was in the road, I believe the original intent was to see if they could get a baby squirrel back to its mom. When Robert grabbed the little ball, it was a kitten. The boys then took the time to look around for the momma or any other kittens and finally decided the little guy was all alone and that wouldn't do.
Ever since that day, Gibbs has never seemed to forget where he came from, how he was rescued and the fact that Robert and our family gave him a very different life than what he could have had. Needless to say, we are all sure if he would have been in the road much longer, his life would have ended that day.
The morning after Gibbs came to live with us, he snuggled up on my chest while I had quiet time, he purred, and cuddled and was quite content. He still does this, every morning. And I always get the impression that he is saying thank you for having him here and for loving him.
Jasmine was born at my mom's house, in a closet, with heat, and food, and a litter box. She lived there for 8 weeks and came to our house on the 6th of May. She has never been in danger, well, that she didn't put herself in anyway and she has never known what it was like to go without a meal. And there are times, many times, she is nothing short of a brat. There are times that I can almost feel her trying to communicate, "You chose me, you wanted me, and you got me, aren't you lucky???"
I swear she spends her days thinking of ways to get into trouble, to push the limits and to test me. Andrew is a pushover, so this isn't even about him. It is her and I that clash.
Unfortunately, I look back at my life, from the time I was little until, well, yesterday for that matter and realize, I am a lot more like Jazz than I am like Gibbs.
I had a friend once who said she thought that people who weren't raised in church but found God's love later had a greater testimony. I am afraid they may have a greater feeling of gratitude. I know I get in a funk of hearing myself say to God, "I deserve better!" And the fact is, I don't, I don't deserve what I have, it is by God's grace that I even breathe and exist. God never promised us sunshine and roses.
I find myself telling Jazz, as she shreds the Kleenexes or the toilet paper, that until she finds a way to pay for stuff, she better straighten up. Wow, I am glad God never told me I had to find a way to pay for my sins. I couldn't do it, but Christ could and
He. Did.
Ephesians 5:30 says, "Giving thnks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
I told a lady this week that I believed our church was the very first place I ever ventured out to as a baby. So, I too, have never been laying in the middle of the road, in a rainstorm, wondering if I were going to live to see my next meal, if there were a next meal to be found. So, I feel I sometimes take my salvation for granted.
I actually had to look up how to spell "granted" just because I was having a mental block. But when I googled it, there was two phrases that has to be added to this post:
So, this week, I am challenging myself to be Thankful to God for EVERYTHING. There used to be a blurb on The Message radio that asked, "What if tomorrow you woke up with only the things you said thank you for yesterday". I take that to heart but need to dig deeper and really see what all God does for me on a daily basis.
I am leaving you with Matthew West's Anything is Possible. Partially because the woman whose story inspired the song shows us the gratitude of coming to Christ later and then because one of my best friends posted a picture yesterday of that very phrase and the song has been in my head ever since.
Please don't get me wrong, God created all of us and loves all of us, weather we have been a Chistian since we were little or found Him yesterday, I am just concentrating on that attitude of gratitude that we can all stand to remember a bit more often.
God: Turning messes to miracles since the beginning of time.
Happy Labor Day weekend!
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