Friday, December 31, 2010

God is Hilarious

 Last night I was in bed doing my devotions when I asked God to show me a place in the Scriptures that talks about patience. You know, like David running for his life while waiting to become king.

 Well, He did.

 In His own way.

 I opened the Bible to Job.

God. Has. Humor.

 I really think God might have been trying to tell me something, whaddya think? ; )

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Dirty dishes, static hair and stubbing toes.

 I know we're past the "season of thankfulness", but I thought that I'd share this with you. (Besides, we Christians should ALWAYS express our thankfulness! :)

 Dirty dishes, static hair and stubbing my toes. I hate them.

 As I was loading the dishwasher today, I thought about how "gross" it was to load the dishwasher, and how "some people (aka, my younger siblings) need to start loading their OWN dishes!"  Well, immediately on the tails of that, a thought popped into my head (and I'm sure God had something to do with it! :)

 I was reminded that dirty dishes meant one thing: we have food to eat; and that at least we have a dishwasher (that works!) because some people-even here in America- don't have one! So, God allowed me to see things through somebody else's eyes.

 "Staticy" hair. I hate it. When winter rolls around, out come the sweaters, coats and scarves, and with that comes staticy hair.  I can't explain it. I don't mean that it's rather bothersome, I mean that I DESPISE it! I told my dad the other day, "One of the worst things that I've experienced it staticy hair!"

Oh.... I guess, if that is one of "the worst things in the world" that I've ever endured, I've been quite blessed, huh? I'm sure that if our military were able to endure a bad hair day over seeing their friends die, than they would be whooping out loud.

 I'm sure that if missionaries were able to live with staticy hair rather than living in fear of being persecuted, they would be shouting out praises from every street corner, no matter the country.

I'm sure that if.... you get the idea.

Lastly, stubbing toes. It hurts, and I seem to do that a lot. But, at least I have toes and a sensory system where I can feel. Many people can't feel a part of their body, maybe due to a stroke, and I'm sure they probably wish that they COULD feel something. Anything.

 So, thank You, God for dirty dishes, hair full of static and for toes in pain. You are a great God, and You have blessed me so much.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Christian Motto?

 I was able to catch a snippet of "Sarah Palin's Alaska" on YouTube, and at one point in the video while they are shooting, Bristol aims and fires at the targets, but misses. Because of that, Bristol gives up and wants to go home, but Sarah tells her to "Never retreat, just reload."

How true is that for Christians today? We are constantly in a spiritual fight (think about it: billboards, radio, family, tv shows, commercials, work, friends, etc!) against Satan, and often times, our instinct is to retreat.

 Don't misunderstand me, I know how exhausting it can be, and some Christians are in a harder battle than what others are, and yet some are able to withstand more than what others are. But after awhile, we want to retreat. But how much more effective would we be when we reload and fire at the enemy than just tuck our tails and run?

 Shouldn't that be our motto? "Never retreat, just reload." I think that it sums up how we should fight.

 Yeah, it sums it up quite well....

Friday, December 10, 2010

Fork, Knife, or Spoon?

I read James 3 for my devotions yesterday, and if you know anything about that chapter, it talks A LOT about controlling your tongue.

 I was reminded of what my pastor's wife asked, two nights before,  as she gave a short devotional during our Ladies' Meeting: "Are you a fork, a knife, or a spoon?"

Forks pierce meat, knives cut meat and spoons cradle.  So, do your words pierce others, do they cut others, or do they cradle others?

 (I would also like to add, that when you use your knife, you also have to use your fork to help cut. Just like a knife and a fork go hand in hand, cutting and piercing words go hand in hand.)

 So, especially with all of the "hustle and bustle" of Christmas, try to make sure that you're "spooning" others with your kind words, and for other Christians out there, just because others act a certain way doesn't mean that you should. In fact, shouldn't we be even more cautious of how we act and what we say, especially since we come into contact with even more people during this time of year compared to any other time?

 Well, just thought that I'd share my thoughts with y'all. Take care, God bless and maybe I'll write again soon!


P.S.-Hungry now?

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Hard,uh, I mean GROWING Times Ahead

 Have you ever come to a place (or many places) in your life that you would deem "impossible"? I mean,  you KNOW that everything is possible with God, but you don't feel as if He'll step in and change your circumstances.

 Yeah, my family has had several of those, one of them, in fact, we're still going through, still waiting to see how God will move.

Yesterday was one of those days, and while my dad was helping our pastor out at the church, my mom called us together to sit around the table and join in prayer.

 As we sat in solemnity, my mother explained how good God was, how faithful He was and how caring He has always been.

 She repeated it, not only for our benefit, but very much for hers as well.

 Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that she had no faith, it's just sometimes that it can be hard to see through the fog.

 Which makes one realize that it's not our job to SEE, (no matter how much we'd like to think it is) but rather it is our job to BELIEVE.

Of course, one Bible story truth that comes to mind is of Abraham sacrificing Isaac.

 God did not show them the ram the day before Isaac was to be sacrificed, nor did He provide the ram before they climbed the mountain, nor did He provide a ram before Abraham tied up Isaac.

 God provided a ram just in the knick of time- God's PERFECT timing- right before Abraham was about to shed his son's blood.

 But of course, God could have chosen to let Isaac die, and He could have provided His promise by giving Abraham a third son.

 Either way would have been in God's plan.

 That same thought can be applied to my family's situation. God can answer the way we hope that He answers, or He could answer our prayers the other way.

 I don't know.

 But I DO know that "I'll just keep trustin' my Lord, as I walk along...though the storm clouds darken the sky, o'er the Heavenly trail, I'll just keep trustin' my Lord, He will never fail..."