Idol Talk

At church we are taking a closer look at the ten commandments. We studied the second commandment last Sunday and I was surprised to discover just how easy it is to place things or people as idols in our lives...without even being aware of it. You see, an idol is anything that takes the focus off of God and places it on something else. Most of us associate idol with actual statue or item of worship ( crosses...etc..). This was a real eye opener for me!

The reason that the only "idol" of worship should be God is that any other idol in your life will do one of the following things....mark this down because it WILL happen!!
**other idols will disappoint you...only God can't fail
**other idols will dominate you...only God loves you enough to afford you free will....think about domination as it applies to desires or addictions. They slip in under the radar and BOOM they grab you before you know it!
**other idols deform you....how many people have "changed" as a result of the above addictions or desires from what you used to know them as....perhaps before a desire or addiction took its hold on them?

How do we keep our "idol worship" under control and God as the focus of our worship?
**it takes God's Grace...given through Jesus already...you just need to accept it.
**it takes a GROWING faith...seeds planted and tended...don't quit....keep trying!
**it takes time...if it were effortless.....we wouldn't be tempted by other idols of ease!
**it takes communication...PRAYER and listening attentively to what HE has to say.
** it takes commitment....daily dedication and effort to seeking Gods face and will!

Remember that while we were sinners, Christ died for us Romans 8:5. God does not expect us to be perfect, we stumble as humans, but he does expect us to keep at it!

In Love and In HIM

Struggles

I do wish, however, that they came in 'one size fits all'; might be easier to help one another if we could totally relate to each others difficulties. No. Most struggles are tailor made to the individual based on personalities and past experiences; well, those I have found anyway.

Perhaps God somewhat engineered us that way so we would go to him for support and guidance. Not that having support from one another is NOT important! He has placed friends, fellow Christians, and loved ones in our lives for companionship and comfort. However, He wants us to 'run' to him as our source of primary direction.

For me, sometimes, it is difficult to do that because I am a 'senses' person. Senses in the fact that I like to engage all of mine when dealing with a struggle. In those moments, a person seems so much more real to me. I also tend to gauge what I believe their closeness to God might be. Why? Sometimes I feel like their prayers may go further than mine because of their relationship with God. Seems silly, I know, but I have done that on past occasions. Partly out of my extreme respect for the individual and partly because I feel unworthy in and of myself. It is in those moments that I have to remind myself that Christ died for all of us....no matter how worthy or unworthy we may feel. He loves us all equally and it seems to be us that place boundaries on his love and acceptance of our lives.

I am not sure why I felt motivated to write about this topic today....other than the fact that I felt like I needed reminding and perhaps someone else could glean from it also. I seem to struggle a lot, somewhat purposefully and somewhat by life's vicissitudes. I guess I just wanted to remind myself that Someone Bigger and Greater is always waiting...watching...willing to help if I will simply ask!

Happy Resurrection Sunday to all!!!

He is not here.......He is Risen!!

What a day Sunday is for all Christians! We have been bought and paid for with the dearest blood and we are coveted by the very Creator of the universe!! May you have a blessed Resurrection Sunday....as we have come to call it!!

Please click on the link below and enjoy!

http://www1.americangreetings.com/ecards/display.pd?lpage=bmodule&path=100923&prodnum=3131632

Bailey's Jesus

This is a wonderful story that was emailed to me
and I think that it expresses how we should feel
about Jesus and his wonderful gift given for us!

God recently allowed me to see Jesus through the eyes of
someone seeing Him for the first time. Having the advantage of
knowing how the story ends, we can easily forget the cost of our
redemption and the love of our Savior.

Every year we attend a local church pageant which tells the
story of Jesus from His birth through His resurrection. It is
a spectacular event, with live animals and hundreds of cast
members in realistic costumes. The magi enter the huge
auditorium on llamas from the rear, descending the steps in
pomp and majesty. Roman soldiers look huge and menacing
in their costumes and makeup.

Of all the years we have attended, one stands out indelibly in
my heart. It was the year we took our then three-year-old
granddaughter, Bailey, who loves Jesus. She was mesmerized
throughout the entire play, not just watching, but involved as if
she were a player. She watches as Joseph and Mary travel to
the Inn and is thrilled when she sees the baby Jesus in His
mother's arms.

Later when Jesus, on a young donkey, descends the steps
from the back of the auditorium, depicting His triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, Bailey was ecstatic. As he neared our aisle, Bailey
began jumping up and down, screaming, "Jesus, Jesus! There's
Jesus!" Not just saying the words but exclaiming them with every
fiber of her being. She alternated between screaming his name
and hugging us. "It's Jesus. Look!" I thought she might actually
pass out.

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at Jesus through the eyes of a
child in love with Him, seeing Him for the first time. How like the
blind beggar screaming out in reckless abandon, "Jesus, Jesus!",
afraid he might miss Him, not caring what others thought. This
was so much fun.

Then came the arrest scene. On stage, the soldiers shoved
and slapped Jesus as they moved Him from the Garden of
Gethsemane to Pilate. Bailey responded as if she were in the
crowd of women, with terror and anger. "Stop it!" she screamed.
"Bad soldiers, stop it!" As I watched her reaction, I wished we
had talked to her before the play. "Bailey it's OK. They are just
pretending," but she shouted "They are hurting Jesus! Stop it!"

She stood in her seat reacting to each and every move. People
around us at first smiled at her reaction, thinking "How cute!".
Then they quit smiling and began watching her watch Him. In a
most powerful scene, the soldiers lead Jesus carrying the cross
down the steps of the auditorium from the back. They were
yelling, whipping, and cursing at Jesus, who was bloodied and
beaten. Bailey was now hysterical. "Stop it! Soldiers! Stop it,"
she screamed. She must have been wondering why all these
people did nothing. She then began to cry instead of scream.
"Jesus, Oh, Jesus!" People all around us began to weep as we
all watch this devoted little disciple see her Jesus beaten and
killed as those first century disciples had.

Now going back and forth between her mother's lap and mine
for comfort, she was distraught. I kept saying, "Bailey, it's OK.
Jesus is going to be OK.
These are just people pretending to be soldiers. She looked at
me like I was crazy. In my lap, we talked through the cross and
burial. "Watch, Bailey, watch for Jesus!"

The tomb began to tremble and lightening flashed as the stone
rolled away. A super bowl touchdown cheer couldn't come close
to matching this little one's reaction to the resurrection. "Jesus!
He's OK. Mommy, it's Jesus!" " It's Jesus!"

I prayed that she wasn't going to be traumatized by this event,
but that she would remember it. I shall never forget it. I shall
never forget seeing Jesus' suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection
through the eyes of an innocent child.

Following the pageant the actors all assembled in the foyer to
be greeted by the audience. As we passed by some of the
soldiers Bailey screamed out, "Bad soldier, don't you hurt
Jesus." The actor who portrayed Jesus was some distance away
surrounded by well-wishers and friends. Bailey broke away from
us and ran toward Him, wrapping herself around His legs, holding
on for dear life. He hugged her and said, "Jesus loves you." He
patted her to go away. She wouldn't let go. She kept clinging to
Him, laughing and calling His name. She wasn't about to let go
of her Jesus.

I think God in heaven stopped what ever was going on that day
and made all the angels watch Bailey. "Now, look there! You
see what I meant when I said; "LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN
COME TO ME, AND DO NOT HINDER THEM, FOR THE
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE."
Amen! ( MATTHEW 19:14 )

Who Am I?

Our pastor spoke today using the passages from Phil. 4:10-23. While he was discussing the passages he made an interesting comment. He was discussing "True Generosity" and outlining the 'why' behind what true followers of Christ do what they do. He mentioned in is discussion about being in a service where a pastor was speaking and said that we are expected to " do what God wants us to do, not what 'feels' good". He said that as he thought about those words, he realized how wrong that was...meaning that when we do what God wants us to, it should feel good. He also pondered about when did Christians cross over into the mindset that doing God's will meant we had to be miserable. It should be a pleasurable, enjoyable experience for us to practice the things of God.

I started thinking about this myself and realized that I had been subject to this self-fulfilling prophecy also. I had somehow decided (in my mind) that doing the will of God meant struggles, pain, and a big chore. No wonder folks aren't breaking down the door to become Christians...if we as Christians are exhibiting that type of vibe. Christ has called us to be CHRISTians not merely Christians...emphasis being of Christ not simply after him. We are not only called out and set apart we are a very extension of him to be used by him.

Once I made this realization it has forever changed how I will view myself and my Christian walk. I am not only Christian I am CHRISTian and that is where the emphasis always needs to reside.

It needs more sugar!

I am sure that all of us have heard the phrase, 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'.
I am in the process of refining my lemonade due to the fact that I've made a lot lately! If you have read my other blog, My Charmed Life , then you have some idea of what I am talking about. Please understand that I am not complaining...believe me I know how blessed I am...merely expressing that I am undergoing some sort of learning curve right now.

However, I DO believe that all 'tests' are God's way of speaking or teaching us to grow. He also may be checking to see if we've learned anything along the way. I tend to need remediation from time to time (smile) due to my personality...I believe my parents called it 'hard-headed'. In scripture, God seeks proof of genuine love, stable faith and growth in the lives of His people. God refines His people through testing. God encourages believers to remain steadfast and faithful in the face of opposition. God permits persecution, and situations that may seem hopeless, but God promises help during trials. In times of testing, prayer is a means of help to persevere. God's people are victorious through trials and temptations with the help of The Holy Spirit, the examples shown by Christ and the prayers of those in The Body of Christ. I know that God loves me and tests me out of his genuine love for me.

Below is something that I received in my email today. Wow it is amazing that when you need a little bit of sugar you get it in spades!! Listen...this is really profound and seems to put everything in perspective better than I ever could!

FYI: You will need to pause my music--player is located at the top, right above my picture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY
**Special thanks to Papa Hat**