Be ye Kind

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. Ours was good, the guys worked at the farm, my mom made Thanksgiving dinner, and I headed up there about 11 and spent some time with her as she finished up. We all gathered at her house at noon, ate together, then the guys went back to work on Robert's house. And I went to my office to finish a project that I had slated to be done by Thanksgiving, happily, I got it finished and we were all home by 5pm.

Yesterday, Andrew and I went Black Friday shopping. We set a new record for staying out, leaving the house at 3:30 am and pulling in the drive at 6 pm. It was a good day, I got lots of bargains and lots of Christmas shopping done. We headed to Evansville, and even though a main reason was they had all the stores I needed to get to, the most important reason to me was that when you go to Evansville, everyone is so KIND. Robert and I noticed this the first time we went down there, and it is truly my favorite place to Black Friday shop.

Ephesians 4:32 says,  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.


We are coming into the time of year when everyone has a tendency to be kinder in the day-ins, day-outs of life, and this is one of those things I wish were a year around thing, and not the main reason it feels like Christmas. I made the realization one time that everyone gets super annoyed about stores putting Christmas decorations out in September. I had to ask myself if it really upset me, or if the world would be a different place if we could live what Christmas means to us, all year long. Part of me, in the back of my mind, said, I was just irritated that the commercialized Christmas could take precedent over the true meaning of Christmas--and whose fault is that? In my case, I blame me. We have things in our lives that we refer to as, "feeling like Christmas all year long". I am going to start working harder at making people say that about me, "Being around Mindy is like having Christmas all year long". Wouldn't that be a testimony? And if I am showing Christ's love, it would be like the true meaning of Christmas. I often wonder how much we as Christians could really change the world if we just did it instead of talking about it.

So, this week, as my normal challenges, try extra hard to make people remember that Christmas is about God's love. He loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us. I remember just days after Robert was born, holding him as a baby. I couldn't imagine God sending Him here with that picture already in his head of Him dying a horrific death on the cross. It is humbling just to be the mother of a son when you think about that. I am very likely to bring this up the again the week after Christmas. As we will all be making New Year's resolutions. Being more kind could be a resolution that, though it may take some work, is very doable.

I am also inviting everyone to a 4 week Bible Study that I found online. I love Max Lucado's take on life, and I have the new book Because of Bethlehem that I plan to start this week, along with his FREE advent Bible study.

Registration is HERE

Hope you all have a wonderful week and a Blessed start to this Christmas season.

And of course, I have waited for almost a year to share this video. We don't have cable or satellite tv, we have Roku, and I haven't found it on there yet, but if you have never seen this movie, try to find it- The Heart of Christmas. It is sad, but a true story about a family and a community in Washington, Illinois.  One night, I was on my way home from Robinson and was listening to a Matthew West interview; it was about the movie, and this song, but it was that night that I became a Matthew West fan for life, so I will never forget it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100: 4-5  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.

We are less than a week away from Thanksgiving and into the homestretch of the year. I have heard several people say it just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving yet, but to me it does. Several years ago, a bunch of us started on November 1 to posting, first on my other blog, and then on facebook, something each day we are thankful for. Though I try never to take what has been given to me for granted, it does make me really realize all the things I have, and seriously puts me in my place when I want to think about feeling sorry for myself.

I didn't do my thankful days last year because someone criticized it the year before. I regret that because I know my heart, and I knew where I was coming from but I let hurtful words, and someone judging me stand in the way of being a little daily testimony for our Lord and Savior. What is funny was the person who criticized it was a preacher. This year, another preacher friend on facebook (who I think WAY more of than the preacher who made fun of me) said it reminded him of when we used to get in a big circle at church and hold hands and go around the room and tell something to be thankful for, for all of our blessings. Even when we don't think we are being blessed, when someone else points something out, sometimes it is easier to say, "Oh, yeah, I forgot that!".

Now for those who are still naysayers, please know, I am one of those who were taught that when you pray, the first thing you should do is thank Him for what He has already done, number one being our salvation. I listen to The Message on XM radio, there used to be a blurb (and I know I have mentioned this here before) that said, "What if you woke up today with only the things in your life that you said thank you for yesterday". It makes you think.....

So, this coming week is Thanksgiving, and though my day will be low key, I am looking forward to spending time with my little family. My guys have started working feverishly on Robert's house again, and it sounds like huge progress is being made. They are working on getting the bathroom together and Robert is talking about maybe staying there some once he has it done. I am excited for him, it has been a long time coming. They are going to work on it that day, then we are meeting at my mom's for lunch. It's not a huge thing, but it is mine.

I have to think back to some other Thanksgivings; when I was younger, we went to my Aunt Mayme's many times. I remember going to my Aunt Doe's as well.  I remember one particular year, there was some kind of special on tv the night before and I was in the back part of the house. Steve Martin was singing King Tut and I went running in to see it, slipping on the rug in my doorway and planting my face into the door frame of the bathroom. I had a huge busted lip for Thanksgiving that year. Two years later, Thanksgiving fell a week to the day after my dad died, and it snowed. My mom, sister and I were going to my aunt's again that day, but that morning, our next door neighbor boys came down with the snowmobiles, and we went snowmobiling for a little while. For a few minutes that day, life was normal. The very next year, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Springfield, at St. John's with my mom, who we were very thankful was alive. We had been told several times over the previous 30 days that things could change in a hurry, and there were a lots of ups and downs as they did. 10 years after that, I spent my first thanksgiving with Andrew. His birthday fell on Thanksgiving, and he took me to Chillicothe, MO to meet his parents. We already knew then we were going to get married. We hadn't figured out yet that it was going to be just 9 days later.  We had two Thanksgivings in Pennsylvania, that because Andrew worked for Walmart and Black Friday was the next morning, there was no way to come home so they were cozy little affairs of Andrew, me and our baby. Robert's freshman year, we had Thanksgiving in Florida, with the band, again, what a wonderful memory. I also have memories of spending a couple of Thanksgivings at my sister's.

Needless to say, it is one of my favorite holidays.  And gives me even more to be thankful for.

So, if you aren't in the "Thanksgiving spirit" yet this year, takes some time this morning to really look around you and see what all God has done for you, starting with the fact that, if you are saved, your worst day here is just a day, you have an eternity of good days waiting for you.  If you are not saved, please know, God sent Christ to die on that cross, and rise again, for YOU. It doesn't matter what you have done, God made you, and He loves you. I have been reading Max Lucado's In The Grip of Grace, and it so reminds me that there is nothing you can do that keeps you from God's love, except not excepting it. Let Him do the housekeeping, just come to Him.

I'm leaving you with an old, old hymn, but very appropriate for the day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Couple Lessons from "Into the Woods"

As many of you know, I am currently getting to participate in the pit band for one of our local community college's production of Into the Woods.

At first I just thought myself in way over my head, but I have settled down, learned to let it go when I make a mistake and move forward. I am to the point of really enjoying having the opportunity to do this.

If you don't know the story, it is a mix of different fairy tales, look it up on Youtube, or someplace, I am not going through the whole thing here. There are a couple of things that happen in it that really make me think though and that is what today's devo is about.

One of the main stories is Rapunzel. The witch has locked Rapunzel in a high, doorless tower. We learn through one of my favorite songs, that the witch is really trying to protect Rapunzel from the world.

She sings that "Princes wait there in the world, it's true/Princes, yes, but wolves and humans, too/Stay at home, I am home/Stay a child while you can be a child, with me."It is one of those moments that probably touches every parent. It is our instinct to protect our children and it would be easier to do if they didn't have to face all the other things of the world. This is one of those places where as a parent, I always struggle, and still do. My grandmother always said you don't know what worrying about your kids is until they are old enough to get away from you. I understand that perfectly now. So many influences and you have to trust that your teaching has been good enough but faced with the world around them, I have to go back to wondering if I was over my head then too.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

 This same song continues in the end of the musical, with the worlds changed to "Careful the things you say/Children will listen/Careful the things you do/Children will see and learn/Children may not obey, but children will listen/Children will look to you for which way to turn/To learn what to be/Careful before you say, 'Listen to me.'"

That is one of my favorite songs in the play, and something that I feel is very valuable to learn. Please remember, actions truly do speak louder than words and children do listen, and watch.

My other favorite song in the musical is after great tragedy has struck and four of the main characters have lost people they loved.

Some of the lyrics are
 Mother cannot guide you./ Now you're on your own./Only me beside you.
Still, you're not alone. /No one is alone. Truly./No one is alone.
Sometimes people leave you./Halfway through the wood.
Others may deceive you./You decide whats good.
You decide alone./But no one is alone.

We truly are never alone, God promises to be there with us, no matter what. This always reminds me of the little blurb on the radio station I listen to. "If you are feeling far away from God, it wasn't Him who moved".

Hebrews 13:5 says: Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 So, little lessons from Into the Woods. I have learned alot about myself the past 6 weeks, two weeks ago, I was gone every night to practice, and I survived it better than I thought I would. I also prepared for it though, and things went pretty well as planned.

Tonight is the last night of the play, 7:00 at LTC in Robinson, if you want something to do, come on over!

And even though the movie sounds a little different from the play, there is a review on focus on the family's PluggedIn here.

And straying just a bit off the path of a Christian song, I am leaving you with a song from Into the Woods that has both songs I spoke of in it. Please remember this is the Broadway production though, so things are a bit different in ours at Robinson. (if you hear the flute part though, it is the same, and also some of my favorite parts!)

Tuesday

So, History was made last Wednesday night as the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years. I was hoping, on that next morning, that all just seemed a little bit "righter" with the world, that maybe some miracle had happened and there would be something different happening on Tuesday.....I know, I know, that's not how it works. And then I remembered there really were Cleveland Indian fans that were disappointed with the results.

Tuesday comes another day in History, and I have wrestled with this election like no other. I do not like either candidate, period. I am thinking we screwed up big time for allowing these two to be on the ballot, but the deal is, it is who was voted in on the Primary (and I can say in all honesty, I DIDN'T vote for either one of them in the Primary) so there it is. And I am scared, scared of what either person would say or do that would land us all in hot water. I keep hearing my own recently retired boss saying "You can't say that" and learning from the wisdom of why I couldn't. I even took to a time of deciding I wouldn't vote because I couldn't think about the fact I had placed the tick mark for someone that could quite possibly send us into a war, I know I am not the only one that is that scared.

All of this being said, I am going to share with you what changed my mind. It has been a crazy week for me and so yes, I am "bailing" a little, because I figure most of the ones reading this saw it on my facebook page earlier last month. But I have reread it MANY times, and I did indeed mark the 9th of November on my Calendar on my phone and typed, "Our God Rules the World", it is set to remind me that at 4:00 am, as I am waking up because I am sure I will go to bed before they truly announce the winner.

This is from Max Lucado, who I have a great deal of respect for, and I thank him, (yes, I am so sure he will read this, lol) but he did put the focus back where it belongs. I read a blurb this week that says Christians should stop saying, "everything happens for a reason", I didn't read the article and probably should have, but bottom line IS everything happens for a reason. Sorry, it is true, whether we want to hear it or not.  And we have to trust that God is God and we are not.

So, here is what Max has to say:

I have a prediction. I know exactly what November 9 will bring. Another day of God's perfect sovereignty. He will still be in charge. His throne will still be occupied. He will still manage the affairs of the world. Never before has His providence depended on a king, president, or ruler. And it won't on November 9, 2016. "The LORD can control a king's mind as he controls a river; he can direct it as he pleases" (Proverbs 21:1 NCV).

 On one occasion the Lord turned the heart of the King of Assyria so that he aided them in the construction of the Temple. On another occasion, he stirred the heart of Cyrus to release the Jews to return to Jerusalem.
Nebuchadnezzar was considered to be the mightiest king of his generation. But God humbled and put him in "detention" for seven years. "The kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations" (Psalms 22:28).
Understanding God's sovereignty over the nations opens the door to peace. When we realize that God influences the hearts of all rulers, we can then choose to pray for them rather than fret about them. Rather than wring our hands we bend our knees, we select prayer over despair.

Jeremiah did this. He was the prophet to Israel during one of her darkest periods of rebellion. He was called "the weeping prophet" because he was one. He wept at the condition of the people and the depravity of their faith. He was so distraught that one of his books was entitled Lamentations. But then he considered the work of God. Note the intentionality of his words:
"This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." (Lam. 3:21-23)
Imitate Jeremiah. Lift up your eyes. Dare to believe that good things will happen. Dare to believe that God was speaking to us when he said: "In everything God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).
Many years ago, I spent a week visiting the interior of Brazil with a long-time missionary pilot. He flew a circuit of remote towns in a small plane that threatened to come undone at the slightest gust of wind. Wilbur and Orville had a sturdier aircraft.
I could not get comfortable. I kept thinking that the plane was going to crash in some Brazilian jungle and I'd be gobbled up by piranhas or swallowed by an anaconda.
I kept shifting around, looking down, and gripping my seat. (As if that would help.) Finally, the pilot had had enough of my squirming. He looked at me and shouted over the airplane noise. "We won't face anything I can't handle. You might as well trust me to fly the plane."
Is God saying the same to you? If so, make this your prayer:
Dear Lord,
You are perfect. You could not be better than you are.
You are self-created. You exist because you choose to exist.
You are self-sustaining. No one helps you. No one gives you strength.
You are self-governing. Who can question your deeds? Who dares advise you?
You are correct. In every way. In every choice. You regret no decision.
You have never failed. Never! You cannot fail! You are God! You will accomplish
your plan.
You are happy. Eternally joyful. Endlessly content.
You are the king, supreme ruler, absolute monarch, overlord, and rajah of all history.
An arch of your eyebrow and a million angels will pivot and salute. Every throne is a footstool to yours. Every crown is papier–mâché to yours. No limitations, hesitations, questions, second thoughts, or backward glances. You consult no clock. You keep no calendar. You report to no one. You are in charge.
And I trust you.
Circle November 9 on your calendar and write upon it the words: Our good God rules the world.


I leave you with Stephen Curtis Chapman's God is God, since it is what I keep reminding myself right now.