The Peace Lily

I brought a peace lily home to keep from my Step-dad's funeral last December with the hope that it might not suffer the fate of other plants that came before it. My mom assured me that they are easy care, hard to kill plants even after I reminded her that I have killed a cactus! Well, at first my plant seemed to be doing very well, however, when you don't remove the plastic out of the bottom of the pot, they can get a disease called "root rot" (I learned this the hard way). After my sister diagnosed my plant, I went in search of the solution on the internet...hoping that I can somehow save my plant.

What I read was that in order to save the plant you have to take it out of the pot, remove all the dead, rotten roots, and then put it into a new pot with new soil which will hopefully promote new growth.

Like when Jesus saves us. Be it the initial acceptance of Jesus as our Savior, or the way He "prunes" us so that we can grow and become all that He wants us to be. Pride, envy, anger, sin, insecurity...those are things, like the dead roots on my plant, that choke the life out of us and keep us from growing. Sometimes we can appear to be growing and branching out, but if we are harboring things in our lives that do not line up with the Word of God, it won't be long before our leaves turn brown and our branches fall over. We cannot be effective witnesses for Christ or lead our families the way we are supposed to if our "roots" are rotten. John 15: 2 tells us that the things in our lives that do not bear fruit must be cut back so that new things can grow.

I have done like the internet article said and removed all the dead roots from my plant (thankfully, not all of the roots were damaged and there is one leaf hanging on for now). And I pray that not only will this removal give my plant new life, I pray that this experience will always remind me to let God remove the "rotten roots" from around my own heart.

John 5: 21 "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will"

Running Over...

Luke 6:38

^"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Giving is a part of who I am. I don't mean that in an arrogant way, or as a pat on my back. I believe that as Christians we are supposed to give as we are able to give, and sometimes we should give even when we don't feel like it or think that we can.  I also believe that Luke 6:38 is true. I experienced that this weekend...

Friday night I went on an overnight trip with several ladies from church. When I first started planning this trip I secured hotel rooms in Knoxville with certificates that we sometimes trade with other hotels. As our group of attenders grew it ended up that one room was going to have to be paid for, but only at the employee rate which is really cheap. I decided that rather than going back and telling the ladies that the rooms were going to cost, I would just pay for the one room no big deal. Then it ended up that I drove some of our group to the event. Really, these two things were no big deal to me. As the leader of our GNO life group, I wanted to do it. I wanted to ensure that everyone had a great time without worry about details. 

But true to His word, the Lord blessed me with more than just the message that Beth offered. At dinner Friday night one of the ladies paid for my dinner. Later that night while trying to check in one of the ladies heard me trying to explain to the desk clerk about paying for one of the rooms and later she put money in my pocket for the room saying, "this is non-negotiable". When the conference was over the next day another member of our group presented me with a beautiful devotional journal by Beth Moore as a token of appreciation for planning our trip. Then when we stopped for lunch another lady paid for my lunch. 

I did this, I give, without the expectation of anything in return. I do it because I believe I am supposed to and because I often  feel it is the Lord leading me to do so. I pray for opportunities for the Lord to use me to be a blessing to other people. These ladies were a tremendous blessing to me and really proved that God will bless us in our obedience to Him. They proved that you cannot out give God. 

I hope they know that the gestures that were done for me over the weekend were not in anyway expected, but are greatly appreciated. I even argued with a couple of them, and then got the lecture about just saying "thank you". I want each one of them to know that  they are a far bigger blessing in my life than I may ever be to them, I cherish their friendship, and look forward to all that God has in store for us.

Pondering these things...

Luke 2:19 "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart"

I cannot even begin to imagine what Mary must have been thinking, much less feeling, as she watched people from all over come and worship her Baby Boy. It must have been unimaginable, unthinkable that those things which had come to pass had happened to her. Do you think she was overwhelmed, or amazed?

If she was anything like me, I believe it was both. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all that I have to get done and the things that I feel called to do; and, at the same time I am amazed by what I have already seen God do, amazed by what He is doing.

However, that doesn't keep me from getting in His way. So many times I take what I feel like the Lord has said to me,and immediately jump in to "make things happen". Like God needs me to help Him accomplish His will for my life. Now it does require obedience on my part, but really...

Do I have to jump on the band wagon of dating sites (which, by-the-way, really do nothing for a girl's self-esteem) or ask people to set me up or worse, well, we don't need to go there...Why can't I just wait for the Lord to send me the person He has for me? Why can't I trust Him to fulfill my loneliness...to bring me the perfect partner that He has for me?

What about my career? The Lord has done some amazing things and giving me great opportunities where I am, so, why can't I be happy with those things in this moment without always trying to figure out what is next? I believe that my call is to teach. That has been confirmed, but maybe teaching is supposed to start where I'm at rather than me waiting until I get a certain degree, or an invite into full time ministry. Perhaps I should worry more about being a good leader where I am rather than worrying about the leader I am going to be.

See, Mary didn't run out and try to make things happen herself. She didn't wonder around going "what will I do" or make a big deal about what was taking place. She simply heard the Lord, was willing to follow His lead, and waited on Him. Not only did she see His glory, see His words come to pass, but she got to be the mom of our Savior.  She had great things to ponder, to think about because she was obedient, and waited on the Lord.

Our callings and purposes for life won't ever be as great as Mary's, but the Lord certainly has great things in store. May we all, especially me, be willing to do more listening, and to be more obedient so that we will certainly have great things to ponder. 

I've Got Plenty to Worry About Myself

"Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things" Romans 2:1

It is hard to be a Christian in society today. It seems that identifying with Christian principles and beliefs is becoming more and more politically incorrect. And, if one dares to stand up for what they believe, they are called all manner of names and stereotyped. I wonder sometimes if we have not entered into a contest to see who can call the most names and/or who can pass the most judgment...which to me is really sad.

But even so, I happen to be one of those Christians who believes the Word of God. I do not believe that it is an ancient book that cannot be applied or used today. I believe that the things God calls sin are sin. But it does not mean that I am judging those who believe differently than me. 

Two of the things that He calls sin are judgment (see opening Scripture) and hatred of one another. John 13: 34-35 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

I strive everyday to be the kind of person that I believe God would be pleased with. I fail miserably some days, and the days when I do get it right are scattered with mishaps and things that I could have done differently. I don't mean that I live in condemnation, but that I have enough to worry about when considering the "plank" in my own eye (see Matthew 7:3, also vs. 1-2 for more on NOT judging). 

The prequel, if you will, to the opening scripture that I used is Romans 1:18-32. In this passage you find just about everything that God calls sin. Homosexuality is among these, but what I should be more concerned with is disobedience, unforgiveness, envy, not loving the way I should, and the list could go on.

We should all strive everyday to live with more love, deeper examination of our own lives, and without judgment. So, to my friends who are gay, and the others that do not agree with me, let's agree to disagree, but still treat each other with respect and love, not judgment and hate.

PS - for two awesome posts about the Chick-fil-a debate checkout jenhatmaker.com and perrynoble.com. 

Tithes and Offerings

Malachi 3:10
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try me on this", says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it"

Some people believe that tithing is under the "old law" of the Old Testament and no longer applies to Christians today. I am not one of those people. Not because of some legalistic approach or doctrine that makes me bound by a rule or condemnation if I don't give. But by the belief that tithing is an act of obedience and a statement of my faith.

HOWEVER, although I believe in tithing and giving to the church, I cannot stand to hear people on television "preaching" about giving a certain amount and that just by giving that amount there will be some huge reward, all you have to do is give. I believe this is misleading, and contrary to the word of God. The only "set amount" that anyone should be giving is 10% of their income, and that should go to their local church. Anything above that is between a person and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

This morning I saw one program asking for a "seed" of $360 that can be made in payments of $120 per month....seriously!!! If we need to finance our giving there is something terribly wrong. Another time a "pastor" was asking for $1000 offerings.

It makes me want to call these people and ask for their financial accountability records, and have them explain to me exactly where the $360 (or more) is going. I mean, are we buying them a bigger house, funding their vacation, or what???

Don't get me wrong, I believe in supporting different ministries, especially the minsters and teachers that I learn from, but 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, "so let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver". This scripture does not say, "give whatever amount a preacher tells you to give because you have a need in your life and the only way that need is going to get met is for you to sow this seed"!!

Have I made my point, yet? I believe that the Lord will instruct us to give where it is going to be most effective for His kingdom, and to the ministry(s) that He uses to pour into our lives. I believe that He blesses tithes and offerings, and sometimes that does come in unexpected windfalls. However, I believe that most of the time that blessing comes in everyday things like the ability to pay the mortgage or rent, the ability to feed our families, and the provision of employment.

Giving whatever amounts these "preachers" tell you to give will not all of a sudden make your financial situation better. Financial freedom comes from following the Holy Spirit's lead on what you should give, who you should give it to, and making good financial choices with what the Lord blesses you with.

Please don't buy into these scams, yes, I called them scams. Use discernment where giving is concerned, and always pray about where God wants you to "sow a seed".

Why Should We Believe the Bible?

Since I haven't posted in a while I decided to post my answer to the most recent discussion question I had to answer. This is from the class that I just started, Old Testament Orientation. The question was this:

"If the historical basis on which the supposed revelation (the Bible) rested was false, then why should we give any special credence to the ideas resting on that basis?"

My answer:

One should always consider the source and accuracy of things that they are reading and studying. In today’s world it is more important than ever to be sure that we are seeking those things that are true (Philippians 4:8 tells us,” Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”), and not buy into the latest and greatest ideas of thought and religion. 

If the historical basis for the revelation was indeed false, then it could not be trusted. To believe in things that cannot be proven opens us up to all sorts of false doctrines and misleading that can carry us far from the plans that God has for our lives, far from the truth of His word.

If we are going to scrutinize the validity of the Bible, should we not also scrutinize the validity of the writings and teachings of other religions that so many people choose to follow? Part of satan’s plan is to distract humanity from the things of God. He is the “thief” that only comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Unfortunately, he succeeds in many areas by getting people to believe in things other than the Bible. He encourages thoughts of man to question the truth of the Bible and twist words and events to make it seem like the Bible is inaccurate. 

Thankfully, the historical basis of the Bible is not false, and it can be proven that the Bible is, in fact, the inspired Word of God that we are to live by. 

In his book Christianity on the Offense Dan Story briefly discusses six types of evidence that proves the accuracy of the Bible. Bibliographic evidence addresses the accuracy of the original documents compared with the Bible of today. It has been determined that the Bible has been correctly translated, and is “99.5 percent accurate to its original writings”. Internal evidence that discusses how New Testament accounts are eye witness testimonies rather than interpretations passed down through “oral tradition, hearsay, or circumstantial evidence”. External evidence compares the writings of the Old and New Testaments with the writings from non-biblical sources (both Christian and non-Christian) to ascertain the historical accuracy. Historical Accuracy is the fourth type of evidence and involves the comparison of Biblical accounts with actual history. Through this type of evidence it is proved that the nations, cultures, customs, etc…expressed in Biblical accounts line up with the historical accounts of these same elements. The fifth type of evidence is called prophetic accuracy. This evidence addresses how the prophecies in the Bible have come to pass while there is a “long list of prophecies that have failed to come to pass as predicted” among other world religions. Finally, the sixth type of evidence is scientific evidence. Story’s statement concerning scientific evidence is this, “the Bible abounds in geological, biological, astronomical, meteorological, nutritional, and other data—most of the scientific processes for which were not understood at the time they were written (cf. Job 26:7; Isa. 40:22; Eccl. 1:6–7). All these descriptions are in total agreement with modern research”.

Bibliography

Story, Dan. Christianity on the Offense: Responding to the Beliefs and Assumptions of Spiritual Seekers. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.

The Perils of Thorns

I have been reading a book by Angela Thomas called Do You Know Who I Am? and Other Brave Questions Women Ask. I love this book and plan to do her Bible Study that is along the same lines titled Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask.

One of the questions asked is Do you know that I am suffering with a thorn? This chapter talks about dealing with something that brings discontentment, something that makes you loose your focus, or something that is just a PAIN, a thorn.

In 2 Corinthians Paul talks about having "a thorn in the flesh" to keep him humble. Paul asked the Lord to remove this thorn, but the Lord's response was that His grace was enough to help him endure.

There are different kinds of thorns, but each one has a purpose. They can be used to call things out in us and reveal chaff (bad stuff) that the Lord wants us to get rid of. They can be used to test our faith. They can be used to keep us humble. Here are some examples.

I feel like my ex-husband is a thorn to me ALL the time. He lives in chaos, which brings chaos to my world where the boys are concerned. A few weeks ago there was a situation where I could have choked him had he been anywhere near me. Once I calmed down I started thinking about the situation. As I was writing an email to a friend about it, I wrote "I think that I have to keep dealing with Dan because of my reaction to him. Fighting is what we do/did through our entire marriage". You see, I don't think that Dan has to be a thorn to me. He is frustrating and makes things difficult sometimes, but how I react to him can make the difference of whether or not he is a thorn. I know this is how he is so I need to stop falling into the trap of the dysfunctional cycle that we were in for 17 years. The lesson the Lord wanted me to learn was to react differently. Choose not to let him be the thorn to me. Realize that my reaction is the difference between a situation being easier or more difficult. The choice is mine. The Lord wants to reveal my bad attitudes, unforgiveness, and other things that I need to clean up so that He can move me forward to what He has for me.

Thorns that test our faith might be the hardest. At least it is for me. There are some things that I wanted to happen in my life yesterday (actually, farther back than yesterday), but they are not happening. It seems the likely hood of them happening is getting further and further away. Some days all I hear is silence and I wonder if God is even anywhere near. I don't have any clear direction except to wait. Every Bible study that I open or dare to put into my cd player echo the same words of waiting on the Lord....there must be a season for the testing of our faith. The more I whine and complain, the longer it seems the Lord will ask me to wait. Patience, the thorn in my flesh, is not a strength of mine. But until I learn to completely trust God and let Him grow my faith, I will be in this place. He wants me to believe with my whole heart that He has a greater plan. He knows that it is hard for me to not know what is going on, to feel out of control with no way to gain control. But He also knows that my greater good and deeper contentment will come from waiting on Him and trusting Him.

Just to keep me humble and from being completely arrogant at work, the last couple of weeks have been a whole thorn bush! Little things that shouldn't have been missed have showed up, and the worst part is that instead of me being aware of the little devils, the missing details went straight to my boss. They are not things that cause a huge impact or that can't be fixed quickly, but just tiny little things that add up and make me feel (and look) less than competent in my job. To top off these little nuances, I find out that one of the employees made it their priority to say all manner of bad things about me to my boss that were not true. Monday I was so upset that I closed my office door and cried because I was sure that Logan was going to walk in and fire me on the spot. I know that is unrealistic, but sometimes we need a reminder that we are replaceable. I know that the Lord has been trying to talk to me about my job for a couple of months, but I just didn't want to hear it. I haven't been fully engaged because of a number of things, but really nothing should distract me from doing the best job that I can do for my company. After all, this is how I pay the bills, how I am able to provide for the boys. I shouldn't take it for granted. But I do, despite feeling that I needed to step up and pay a little more attention. Looking back, I see that the Lord was trying to prepare me for this (these) thorn. He wanted me to know that "trouble" was coming. Had I listened a little more perhaps I could have avoided it.  But the lesson here is definitely for me to be thankful, and humble about my position rather than taking it for granted.

There are many other ways that thorns can affect us. There are many lessons that we can learn from our thorns. But what we need to remember is that a crown of thorns was placed on Jesus' head in order to make our thorns bearable. He understands what we go through and what we face. His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Scripture Reference 2 Corinthians 12:7-9