2 Timothy 3:16 “God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right.” (NIRV)

Boy did this hit home! I think I can check each one of those examples off:

**** Teaching us what is true ****
I cannot begin to explain how much I’ve learned from the Bible in the past 2 1/2 years while coming closer to Christ. From patience to forgiveness to modesty, you’d think that since I went to Catholic school, I would know all this stuff (I’m now what they call a “recovering Catholic” and that’s a WHOLE nother blog post that frankly I’d rather not write…lol).

**** Useful for correcting our mistakes ****
Boy have I made some hefty ones! I am reminded of Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (NASB)

**** Useful for making our lives whole again ****
This is especially helpful after realizing the mistakes I made. Hebrews 10:17 says, “I [the Lord] will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” (NLT) This verse gives me that “whole” feeling.

**** Training us to do what is right ****
This one I seem to check over and over again. My flesh usually wants to behave a certain way - you know, the bitter-in-your-face-way. But in the end, the Holy Spirit works on my heart and wins (thank God!).
For example, I was in WalMart shopping by myself last week and heard a child crying on the other end of the aisle. She looked to be about Corinne’s size and she was with her dad, who was probably in his way early 20’s. He was not trying to calm her down, but instead was saying, “stop the crying games you f*ing little b**ch!” Next thing I knew, he was speed walking away at what seemed to be 25 miles an hour. You can imagine the enormous rock that seemed to form in my stomach from hearing such hateful words - especially since it was directed at a helpless toddler. My flesh wanted to march right over to him and smack him (okay, punch him) silly, snatch the darling little angel up, and carry her off home. Realistically, I’d probably be charged with assault & kidnapping. Furthermore, how would that show him God’s love? How would that help the little girl? It wouldn’t. I wanted to do *something* and was reminded of Proverbs 31:8 - “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.” (NLT) So, after snapping out of it (I think I even had to blink myself out of the shock), I followed him…and caught up with him in the frozen veggie aisle, where he FINALLY stopped…and where his daughter was still crying. “Excuse me?” No response. “Excuse me?” Again, no response. This time a little louder, “Excuse me?” He turned around confused and I immediately started talking. “I just wanted to say that I know what it’s like with children. I have three at home and know they can be frustrating. Sometimes I wonder how I have any hair left.” I tried to force a casual chuckle… “I wanted to know if there was anything I could do…would you mind if I gave her a lollipop? That seems to calm my kids down when they’re having a rough time.” I pulled a couple pops from my *emergency stash* in my purse. The dad just stared at me blankly…”Uh, sure.” Meanwhile, the little blondie stopped crying and slowly accepted the purple lollipop without taking her eyes away from mine. “You are just the cutest little girl and I hope this makes you a little happier.” I ended up giving him an extra one just in case she needed it later (and what I really wanted to say was, “Here’s one for you, you big jerk…perhaps it will sweeten your attitude a little…” But I didn’t.) I smiled, told him to have a good day, and returned to my shopping - about 10 aisles back. When I got in the car, I broke down. Literally…sitting in the parking lot, crying. I prayed that God would keep that little girl safe…emotionally and physically. I prayed that He would guard her heart, protect her spirit. And I prayed that God would give her dad peace.
In short, it’s hard to do the right thing. Because sometimes (if not most of the time), we are forced to get out of our comfort zone in order to do so. Princess Diana once said: “You can’t comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.”

When I was looking through this past Sunday’s paper for my coupons (that’s the only reason I get the Post…the newspaper itself ends up in the basket - unread - to start our fires in the winter - we use a fireplace insert to heat our house rather than gas…BIG savings there ), I noticed this comic (you can click on it to zoom in):

I didn’t laugh, or even chuckle. It’s a sad fact that our society is spoiled. More *stuff* supposedly = happiness. But if society were truly happy, would they *need* so much more or would they be content with what they had? And where do people even get the *need* to have more *stuff*? The number one answer that comes to my mind is television. We don’t watch TV for a number of reasons, but one of those reasons is due to commercials. I couldn’t even tell you what the new “it” toy is, nor could my children. They seem to quite happy playing with the not-so-new-toys they do have, playing pretend (remember that game?), reading,  or exploring outside. As they grow older, I pray they will continue to enjoy serving others.

Now, I understand that God wants us to enjoy the fruits of our labor:

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” ~Psalms 128:1-2 (NIV).

“I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor–it is the gift of God.” ~Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (NKJV).

But God does not want us to be materialistic. There is more to life than *stuff*:

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” ~Luke 12:15

Our possessions do not last forever:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“ ~ Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

And greed doesn’t do us any good:

“And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” ~1 Timothy 6:8-10

In the past, I have found that it was easy to sucked into having worldly views (for example, having multiple Furla & Coach bags is a must, low-low-low rise jeans are “hot,” and being an expert texter meant that you could text with your eyes closed…) But I’ve found that God is faithful. I pray that He open my eyes to see what things I am doing wrong or where I can improve. He has and will continue to do so in His time. (Just for the record, my closet is now rid of excess baggage - woo hoo for eBay! - my jeans seemed to have migrated north, and I don’t even own a cell phone. Did I mention God is faithful?? )

This email was sent to me from my step-mother at what could not be a more perfect time.

We’ve been having issues with Lilli sneaking. I’ve been discouraged by this because I take my responsibility as a parent seriously…I try and set a good example, teach her right from wrong, she even knows that the Bible says, “Children obey your parents in all things for this pleases the Lord.” ~Colossians 3:20 However, I know that she is her own person, with her own free will, and she is ultimately responsible for her own actions - not me.

So here’s the email (Thanks, Kim!)

To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students…here is something to make you chuckle.

Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God’s omnipotence did not extend to His own children.

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve.

And the first thing he said was
‘ DON’T !’

‘Don ‘t what ?’
Adam replied.

‘Don’t eat the forbidden fruit’
God said

‘Forbidden fruit?
We have forbidden fruit?
Hey Eve..we have forbidden fruit! ‘

‘ No Way! ‘
‘Yes way !’

‘Do NOT eat the fruit !’
said God.

‘Why ? ‘

‘Because I am your Father and I said so!’
God replied, wondering why He hadn’t stopped creation after making the elephants.

A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was ticked!
‘Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit? ‘
God asked.

‘Uh huh,’
Adam replied.

‘Then why did you?’
said the Father.

‘I don’t know,’ said Eve.
‘She started it!’ Adam said.

‘Did not !’
‘Did too !’
‘DID NOT !’

Having had it with the two of them,
God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve
should have children of their own.
Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven’t taken it, don’t be hard on yourself.

If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you ?

This definitely made me chuckle

As we were driving back from Beaverun this weekend, Lilli hesitantly said, “Mommy, I need to tell you something.” Whenever she starts off with that, it’s usually to confess something. This time it was for a different reason:

“Sure, Lilli, go ahead…”

“When I was in Michigan [visiting a certain out of state relative], I told [this relative] that he could not pet my Girlie (her stuffed dog) because it would scare her and wake her up and she might bite him. My [relative] said he would throw Girlie out the window.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“Sad and scared.”

“Well I’m sorry [relative] did that. I don’t know why he would say that. Sometimes people say mean things and it hurts our feelings. It’s important that we pray for those people…and we’ll pray for your [relative].”

“Maybe you can call him and tell him to be nice to me.”

(I can’t tell Lilli that would be like starting World War III…lol) “Well, lets try something else first. Next time he hurts your feelings, tell him in a respectful voice how that makes you feel. Then we can see what happens, okay?”

Romans 12:14-21

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Never pay back evil with more evil…Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone…Dear friends, never take revenge….

Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

(Just as a side note, I got a taste of what Lilli has dealt with. I congratulated this relative on the birth of his new baby. Instead of a thank you, I was told, “any congratulations from you are worthless.” I suppose I could do a blog on how to let go of one’s bitterness….lol.)

So here it is - three days since my last blog post! WOW! I have much to share…

I’ve picked up the last Bible study book that I never finished (Couples in the Bible) and have begun to do a lesson each week. I completed lesson three last week (see…I have a habit of starting things and not finishing them…) and it made me chuckle…okay, laugh out loud really. Why? It was the story of Lot and his wife. In a nutshell, Abraham and Lot were of the same family and when their households became too large to travel together, Abraham let Lot choose where he wanted to settle first. Of course, Lot chose the most fertile land near Sodom (a thriving but sinful city) and Abraham got stuck with the leftovers. Later, when God sent angels to warn Lot and his family to flee before God destroyed the town, Lot was hesitant. Even his wife looked back at the city as they were leaving (she was then turned into a pilar of salt!). Lot loved God but still gave into worldly desires. He was double-minded.

Geez…how many times has my lack of faith caused me to focus on worldly things (you know, the “oh I can do it myself”) rather than on God and His promise? Or, how many times have I chosen to do things I wanted to do rather than choosing to pray or do things God’s way? Tooooo many to count! Lord, I thank You for your grace!

So then Sunday morning rolls around. We went with my friend, Carrie (who has three boys about a year or two ahead of each of my girls). What was the pastor preaching about? Choosing the way we live. Philippians 2:13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (NLT) But still, we have free will…the choice is up to us. Our lives can either be self-centered (focusing on our wants and desires) or our lives can be God centered (having confidence and utmost faith in God).

Wow, when God wants to make a point, He doesn’t hold back!

So after these many convictions from God about what I’m choosing in my life, I’m confused…lol. Honestly, I felt convicted to not blog as much or spend as much time on the computer in order to make time with God in prayer…I got that one, really, I did. But these extra two convictions…my Bible study just HAPPENED to be about separating from the world and the pastor’s sermon just HAPPENED to be about who’s way we can choose to follow in our lives. I think not. God is really orchestrating something here and I just have to find out what. Lord, I pray you open my eyes to what it is You want me to see. And as it says in Philippians 2:13, please continue to give me the desire to do your will!

“That red man with the horns that are gone…” My five year old was trying to explain to me what movie (among others…sigh…) she “liked watching” while she was visiting that certain out-of-state relative’s residence. (Obviously, nothing shocks me anymore…lol)

Any guesses as to what movie she was talking about? It sounded familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on the title. And since we don’t watch TV or listen to mainstream music, I don’t even know if she was talking about a movie out in the theaters. So I googled, “red,” “horns,” and “movie.” Hellboy was immediately displayed…with a rating of PG-13. That’s right, my FIVE YEAR OLD was watching a PG-13 movie. I would describe PG-13 as: completely off limits for a five year old; this is how the MPAA describes the PG-13 rating:

PG-13 - Parents Strongly Cautioned

Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13 years old.

May contain very strong language, nudity (non-explicit), strong, mildly bloody violence or mild drug content.

So how did I handle this? I had to explain to Lilli that even though her relative has different rules than our family, she still needs to think about if it makes God happy. I asked her if the movie Hellboy is something God would be happy watching. She said, “No because the slimy guy was fighting and not talking nicely.” I then asked her if God would be happy that she watched it…again her response was no. I explained to Lilli that we choose to do right things because God does right things. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says, “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

We also then looked in the Bible to see where God tells us to watch nice things. Philippians 4:8 says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise”

Does this describe the movie, Hellboy? I think not.

So what movies does Lilli think Philippians 4:8 describes? Cherub Wings, Little House on the Prairie, & Dora the Explorer (just to name a few). She understands it…but Satan sure does have a way of trying to tempt us away from purity and innocence doesn’t he? Thankfully God promises that “He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” ~1 Corinthians 10:13 And what do I do as a mother of a child who is being swayed by someone who she trusts, but only sees maybe 8 weeks out of the year? Set God’s standard in our home and family…and pray, pray, pray. “For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” ~Hebrews 13:5

And that’s a pretty darn good feeling

Sunday’s Passage of the Day was Psalm 121:7-8. I’ve written them out in a few versions…which one speaks to you the best?:

The Message (MSG)
God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

New International Version (NIV)
The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
The LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

King James Version (KJV)
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

I love how God speaks to us in times of trouble to ease our worries. It’s a wonderful reminder of how protective our Father is. This is a great verse to keep close to our hearts at all times.

This past Sunday, I was so excited when Jeremy McClung, a former pastor at our church who now resides in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, gave our church a visit…and a great sermon! I’ve always liked hearing him speak. He’s not an “in your face” kind of person, but rather a down to earth, crackin’ jokes, fun guy!

Jeremy’s sermon was about forgiveness. I’ve talked about forgiveness before - remember the Doormat Syndrome and the Power of Forgiveness? I really like this topic because it has been prevalent in my life - first I was the grudge holding kind of person, then learned HOW to forgive, and since God forgives me (over and over again…without holding a grudge, might I add) I look forward to opportunities to forgive. I found myself in agreement with many of the things Jeremy was saying, and of course a few things he said REALLY stuck out at me…the Holy Spirit has a way of working in our hearts, doesn’t He?!
Here are a few quotes from Jeremy’s sermon, which can be heard HERE. (For a list of sermons to choose from, click HERE)

“When someone owes us something, we take notice of it.”
“Things have happened…that are so unfair and wrong that is hard to let go.”
“[Forgiveness] is not forgetting…forgetting is amnesia…You can’t forget and cant change it.”
“It’s not a removal from consequences…can you imagine what our society would be like? You can still forgive and press charges.”

Yesterday during my quiet time, I decided to pick up a study that I put down 10 months ago: Growing In Christ. I tend to do that, start a study and not finish it - either because there’s another study that interests me more or because I find “more important” things to do. Unfortunately this time, it was a combination. I wish it would have been because I ONLY found other studies to do, but that wasn’t the case. Housework, napping (which I will say I did need during that first trimester), brushing the dog’s teeth, even knitting took priority over my quiet time with God. Why would I put those things before God?! As I was reminded yesterday in 1 John 1:8-10:

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (NLT)

None of us are without sin - from the time of the fall of Adam and Eve, sin has just been part of us. It’s inevitable, we’re going to sin. Kind of depressing, huh? Not at all! It goes on to say that if we tell God what we’ve done wrong and that we are sorry for doing it, God will forgive us - because he is FAITHFUL and JUST. But what if one tries to “fool” God by “thinking” that they haven’t sinned, when in fact they know they have? Just as a child says to their parents, “No, I didn’t eat that cookie before dinner” when it’s plain to see by the chocolate smeared on their face that in fact they did, there’s no hiding our sins from God…there’s no tricking Him. Isaiah 59:2-8 provides a good description of what sin does:

“2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God…
 3 Your hands are the hands of murderers,
      and your fingers are filthy with sin.
   Your lips are full of lies,
      and your mouth spews corruption.
 4 No one cares about being fair and honest.
      The people’s lawsuits are based on lies.
   They conceive evil deeds
      and then give birth to sin.
 5 They hatch deadly snakes
      and weave spiders’ webs.
   Whoever falls into their webs will die,
      and there’s danger even in getting near them.
 6 Their webs can’t be made into clothing,
      and nothing they do is productive.
   All their activity is filled with sin,
      and violence is their trademark.
 7 Their feet run to do evil,
      and they rush to commit murder.
   They think only about sinning.
      Misery and destruction always follow them.
 8 They don’t know where to find peace
      or what it means to be just and good.
   They have mapped out crooked roads,
      and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace.” (NLT)

Wouldn’t you like to have a recleansed soul rather than a dirty one filled with lies? One then might say, “I still feel guilty about my wrongs, even after I’ve confessed them to God.” Hebrews 10:17 says, “I [the Lord] will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” (NLT) If God is putting your confessed sins out of his mind, why should you dwell and hold onto them? I firmly believe that that is the work of Satan…he will take ANY opportunity to make you feel worthless, when in fact, God loves you! Jeremiah 31:3 says, “I [the Lord] have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.” (NLT)

I encourage you to take a moment to ask God to bring to mind any wrongs you have done. Confess them, ask His forgiveness, and according to Proverbs 3:5-6, He will guide you: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

For a few months, our family has sponsored a little girl named Joan in central Uganda through Compassion International. Joan is 4 years old - almost 5 in July (just like Lilli!!) & is the most adorable little angel you’ve ever seen! Prayerfully I will be able to visit sometime, but since I have a young family, that trip will have to be in the far future. Joan is young & our family will be able to sponsor her through even college…we have a long time to bond and nurture a relationship. I write at least once a month and include little goodies like stickers (gifts sent through the mail have to be flat due to international customs). I’m marking it on my calendar though to write at least twice a month….I know I always enjoyed getting mail as a kid Since November, we’ve received one letter from Joan, but being that she’s only four, I didn’t even expect that yet. We were so excited to hear from her! Joan’s favorite foods are beans and rice, favorite color is blue, favorite game is “skipping rope” with her best friend Arullo Linda, and if she could go anywhere it would be to Lira Town (which is about 20 miles from where she is…remember, they don’t have transportation like we do….). We keep her letter on our fridge, a picture of her on my desk, & one on Lilli’s bulletin board. Joan is thought, talked, and prayed about daily…I hope she knows how much she is loved…by her extended family who is thousands of miles away…on a completely different continent.

“And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name, welcomes me.”
~Matthew 18:5