Good News..Share All About It!!!

Good evening everyone!

Well..it is almost Thursday morning, but I am valiantly holding on to the final hours of Wednesday!  It is amazing how our busy lives can steal away precious moments of solitude and reflection.          When my crazy life threatens to throw me from the saddle, I here the voice of my Heavenly Father say, Daughter, I am here.  I am always here even when you become too busy for me.  Don't let life steal you from me, but instead let me be the center of the gift I have given you.  Oh!  How I long for the moments when I can shut out the world, pray, and read my Bible; for it is then, I know that despite whatever daily struggles I experience, my God is with me every step of the way....especially when he is giving me a piggy back most of the time.  It's okay...you can smile.

This thought caused me to remember a difficult time earlier this year.  In October, I lost two uncles who were  very precious to me.  What made it harder...the deaths came nearly two weeks apart to the day.  The most difficult part of it all, however, was the stark differences in 1. life and 2. death.  My one uncle was relatively young, dying rather suddenly at the age of 65, while my other uncle died peacefully at the age of 92.

The loss of my 65 year old uncle was devastating   The sorrow I felt threatened to consume me, but not from grief.  Instead, I was filled with remorse and regret..for I had failed him...in a way I could never take back.  I never, in my twenty years as a Christian, shared the Good News of Jesus Christ!  My uncle knew where I stood regarding my faith, but it NEVER came up in conversation, and I NEVER sought or prayed for an opportunity to share!  It's funny how you always think tomorrow will be there, but at some point for everyone..it never comes.  As I stood beside his bedside, watching the machines breathe for him, I wept bitter tears.  I prayed that God would still reach him, because if anyOne could...Jesus could!  In my broken sobs, I told him that Jesus loves him and that it isn't too late.  I begged him to hear me, and I begged him to let Jesus in...that Heaven was waiting for him...if..and only if.....He died the next morning.  The machines were no longer able to force his body to do what it could no longer do...live.

The funeral was a sober affair as most of his family are not believers.  The message was a good one, but as I looked around the funeral home, I could see it was falling on deaf ears.  My family wanting God to go away..for He took their beloved husband, uncle, brother, and father away.  I felt no love for God...only hate, sorrow, and most apparent...fear.  Death has a way of forcing us to reflect on our mortality, and for unbelievers, it's the final peace of the journey.  Oh!  How I wanted to tell them it doesn't have to be final ....that life is ABUNDANT after death through Christ Jesus.  But!  Who was I to say anything when I had kept quiet for so long.

Three weeks later...I attended another funeral, but the experience was the exact opposite.  My 92 year old uncle was an unabashedly bold follower of Christ who lived out his faith in EVERY part of his life.  Not one person who met my uncle, left unaware of the joy that radiated through his spirit.  When you saw my uncle, you saw the face of Jesus staring back at you.  No judgement, only LOVE...whether it was family or new acquaintances.  He died after a long, beautiful life...with his family by his side.  He didn't die that night..he simply went HOME.

The funeral was a beautiful celebration of life both here on earth and the new life in Heaven.  Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of crying.  We are never ready to let our loved ones go, and the loss of his dynamic presence grieved every body in that church.  However, we were blessed to hear the stories of his life shared by his children, his favorite songs sung by his granddaughters and myself, and memories recalled by other friends and family.  His life made a difference, but not because of anything he did alone.  But!  It made a difference because he didn't do it alone...His life was a testimony of how God's abounding GRACE, LOVE, and MERCY are faithful through every trial, tribulation, and triumph.

As I think back to October, my heart still grieves for my very likely lost uncle, but at the same time, finds joy for the other.  Nevertheless, God convicted me in a way I was NOT ready to admit or face.  Although, I am not responsible for the choice my unbelieving uncle made, I was responsible for the choices I made.  I failed him..no simple way to put it.  But!  I also know God does not want me to live the rest of my days beating myself up and living with regret.  I still have faith that with God ALL things are possible...and that includes my  uncle's salvation.  However, I made a commitment the night he died to NEVER be so selfish as to withhold the BEST news out there.  How could I do it?  I let Satan convince me that I was not a strong enough believer to lead anyone to Christ.  Who was I...someone who struggles with sin every day to tell anyone that they are dead without Christ.  I believed his lies...and I made a costly mistake.  I let fear, Satan's greatest tool, rule me...and I told God...no.....But!  The story doesn't end there...as is always with Jesus!

I am pleading with you!  Do not make the same mistake I did.  I am no longer afraid to share the AWESOME POWER of God's love with everyone.  Sure!  Am I going to offend some, make some mad...yeah!  But that means I am doing something right.  Am I going to take a Bible and bash them over the heads...Uh NO!  But, my actions and my words are the first place I can start.  I want the words of my mouth to match the actions of my life....for it has been said "actions speak louder than words."  Am I doing this in my own power..HECK NO!  It is only through supernatural strength and courage that I face each day ready to battle for Christ, and that means battling for my friends and even strangers who are walking around dead.  Remember!  God does NOT hold you accountable for their actions, but He DOES hold you responsible for YOURS!  

I am not pointing fingers...but I am pleading with you to reflect.  I am not perfect, and I will NEVER dare to pretend that I come even close.  I am still a sinner, but a sinner SAVED BY GRACE.  I am a baby in my faith and learning EVERY DAY what Christ asks of me!

Jesus loves you more than you'll ever be able to comprehend...enough to have GIVEN his life for YOU!  Let me end tonight with a quote I found today.

     

I couldn't have said it better myself!

God Bless!

Permanent Power of Social Media!

Good morning all...or should I say almost afternoon!  

The sun is shining, the air is a bit warmer, and I can feel spring right around the...but wait...there is snow coming!  Ah...just when I get my hopes up!  Anyway, it's a lovely day just the same! For God made it, and I am going to rejoice in it!!! 

I never expected to be posting every day, and I know it probably won't be like this forever...but I have so many things on my mind I feel are important to share.  I had several topics in mind, but once again, I was inspired by a Facebook post by a dear friend and Sister in Christ.  She always presents great questions and muses that invite her friends to take time to reflect and consider the possible answers.  

Because her post is extensive in length, I am going to paraphrase.  Essentially she asked, "Is Facebook and social media really worth it?  Although, social networking sites are originally created for good; building relationships, reuniting long lost friends, and sharing daily good news for all "three hundred friends," too often they are also used for quite the opposite-destroying relationships, gossiping, and the collapsing of a once wholesome reputation."  

Wow!  I read this post and found myself having asked the very same question not too many weeks ago. I am often dismayed at what pops up on my homepage.  Come on...you can't tell me you love everything that appears when you first log in.  I mean, how many of you have spent time hiding posts, blocking people, and removing the random adds that pop up?  I do! Every day!  And because of this, I sometimes wonder why!  Why I put up with this nonsense; why I don't delete my page and walk away for good.  

But..you guessed it...I responded back to this post, after some serious consideration of course!  I love when I am asked to honestly reflect-even though what I see staring back isn't always glamorous.  

I responded with the following..this is the exact post...no paraphrasing here.  Oh, I love copy and past...again...the two fold blessing of technology! 

"I completely agree with you!  There is ALWAYS two sides to each coin, story, or situation.  But!  I truly believe God has blessed us with the gifts of technology.   But! I also know Satan seeks to destroy EVERY good thing God has created and will create.  However, like you said, You choose to use it for good! You choose to glorify God with how you share your abounding love and the Good News everyday!  We are not responsible for how every other person acts, but we ARE responsible for how we act in ALL parts of our lives...ESPECIALLY on the worldwide media. It is just another way for us to be held more accountable.  I hate that so many bad things come from Facebook, and have considered on multiple occasions deleting my own profile.  But then I think of all of the wonderful people I've met in my life that are only accessible through Facebook…like our wonderful foreign missionaries.  I love seeing their updates and photos.  It brings me as close I'll probably get to some of them!  So I keep it!  But, I am extremely careful about what I say, post, and like on Facebook, because it will all come back to my testimony and walk for God!   It's like my Blog. So many are used to bash, spread hate, and rumors; but, I am choosing to lift up others through experiences of my own.  To share my mistakes, so others may learn from theirs. To God be the Glory in ALL things...EVEN social media!"

How many of you struggle with being a strong witness in ALL parts of your life?  Again..not pointing fingers, but simply asking you to reflect.  We have communication at our fingertips (quite literally), and it is a GIFT that is often abused and misused.  

Consider for a moment..and I know this is a tangent-but stick with me for a moment....cyber bullying and hate crimes that are committed on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and many many more.  I did a research paper on this very topic for a sociology class; thus, it hits close to home for me.  Just because it is not said directly to the person or a name isn't mentioned, does NOT make it any less harmful.  The results are often irreversible and too often...fatal.  How many times have we seen in the last five years, suicides of young men and women, because they are victims of cyber bullying and bashing?  How easy it is for their attackers to smear their names and reputations behind the safety of a computer screen and profile name!  

Ah!  How Satan is also using the gift of technology, except he uses it as a tool to destroy...that is just how he rolls.  

The power to either lift up and encourage or tear down and destroy is insurmountable.  Now, I am not accusing you of being a cyber bully or spreading hate....these are very extreme examples. But!  Even the smallest tease or jab at someone can be blown way out of proportion.  A person's tone or intention are not always perceived accurately through text as it would be in person.  And!  We all know...once on the internet, it's ALWAYS there.  It doesn't matter how many ways you delete or wipe away the hard drive or soft drive--the words and choices you make will NEVER be erased.  

More importantly, aside from the literal evidence, consider the spiritual ramifications.  Matthew 6: 22-24 says, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and [insert whatever you struggle with that takes you away from God].  

In addition, Matthew 5:13-16 sums it up very nicely, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Yes!  Even Facebook and Social Media can be used to spread the light of God and His love...but it is our choice if He is glorified.  Satan is crafty and will do whatever it takes to taint something beautiful.  Why! Oh why, would you choose to serve a Beast like that?!? (taken from one of my favorite sermons).  Just make sure you're not consciously or subconsciously furthering his hate and deceit!  Rather, seek to spread the Good News of God's love and ministering to fellow brothers and sisters and more importantly, the millions of lost people who do not know or have not yet personally experienced His Saving Grace!  

May God Bless you today!  More importantly, may YOU choose to be a Blessing to others!  

    

 

Make Me a Blessing!

Hello again!

I hope the bright sun and the warmer weather, despite the persistent breeze, have lifted up your spirits a little higher today!  I love this time of year!  Everything is blooming and new life is in the air and the season for rebirth is fast approaching!  It is truly a blessing to witness the miracles of the seasons each and every year.

With that said, a friend of mine posted a question on his Facebook profile, saying " Why is it so hard sometimes to see our blessings in life?"  I of course, immediately liked the post and casually responded with this statement, " Because, we are often too close to look at it [blessings] without taking it for granted.  Take a step back and look at it more objectively.  God's blessings are all around us."  

With that, I hit respond and continued on my way.  However, his question and my response has stayed on my mind and caused me to pause on more than one occasion in the last twenty-four hours to actually consider the profound "why" to his question.  Why is it we often fail to see blessings?  Isn't that counterproductive?  Aren't blessings the "good, better, and best" parts or moments of our lives? The "feeling on top of the world" emotions and the "everything is going my way" days?  Somehow, I don't believe that is the true meaning of the word blessing.    

Being an English major and a lover of words, I took a few moments to look up the literal definition.  What I found was very interesting.  According to Websters Online Dictionary website http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blessing, a blessing is:

1. the act or words of one that blesses
2. approval, encouragement
3. a thing conductive to happiness or welfare
4. grace said at a meal.

Well!  Nothing abstract here!  It's your basic, "run of the mill" definition of a word we probably learned back in elementary school.  But!  What caught my eye was #1.  The act or words of one that blesses and #3.A thing conductive to happiness or welfare.

Ah ha! I am now thinking and my mind is going a mile a minute...so I decided to let my brain do the talking on this post.  

#3 is perhaps the most obvious.  We are blessed with the basic necessities of life..clothes, food, water, and shelter.  However, we take these for granted, because it is (for the most of us) something we have always known.  As babies, we always felt the security of being well taken care of, and never considered, through our childhood and adulthood, the enormity of these blessings.  I found a "poster" that says it all for me concerning this first item of discussion.

Need I say anymore?  Take a moment, step back, and consider all those around the world, or even your next store neighbor, or a family in your place of worship who are not among the "wealthiest" in the world.  Perhaps then, you'll look at things from a different angle.  It's okay!  We are all guilty of it.  I am not pointing fingers, but I am asking you to take a deeper look.  You may be surprised at what  you see.

#1 spoke to me the deepest.  So often, we consider blessings as something we receive or are given.  But!  What about what we give to others out of a spirit of generosity or more importantly, love?  Jesus said it best, in Acts 20:35, "It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  How interesting!  Blessings are not about what we get but rather what we give?  And giving without expecting to receive anything in return?  You do realize this is so opposite of what society has taught us right?  But then again, Jesus never was part of the "in crowd" or followed "the social trends."  Instead, He asks us to walk outside the bounds of this world so we can see life in an entirely new perspective.  But what blesses others...material items or money?  While these  items, if possible, should be shared, I don't think this is what Christ intended.  Jesus also said "What you do for the least of these, you do for me."  He was referencing the topic of what we do with our time and gifts here on earth.  He said "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’" Matthew 25: 35-36. 

Ah ha!  The light bulb is on!  

Christ was not asking for us to solely give material items or money ( I mean, if you can give that...then do), but rather our time and love; items that have no monetary value, but instead are priceless.  When we give of ourselves, we reap the best of the blessings.  It is then we see glimpses of God's unconditional and perfect love in a VERY imperfect world.  If we're not seeing God's blessings in our lives, perhaps it's because we have not been a blessing ourselves.  

I pray God is opening your eyes each and everyday to the wondrous gifts around you.  Remember to give thanks for each sunrise and sunset, for the next moment is not guaranteed.  Each moment, in itself, is a priceless blessing, and what you do with those moments can be the greatest blessing of all! 

God Bless!    
    

See blessing defined for kids »

In Christ Alone!

Hello again!  

It has been months since I've written last, and I am sad to see how my life got in the way of what I love to do...write and lift up those I love and even more importantly, those I don't know and perhaps will never meet!  I pray you are blessed today and have taken the time to simply sit in the Holy Presence of your Loving, Faithful, and Ever Present Heavenly Father.  

Since I've last blogged, many things have happened.  I was blessed to receive a full-time job, sang at the Kimmel Center in December, celebrated the wondrous birth of my Savior Jesus Christ, rang in the New Year...and with that, came the year's first challenges.  

My life and schedule were packed, and along came the consequences of pushing God, perhaps subconsciously and perhaps partly consciously in the background.  Bible reading suddenly became a late night obligation, my prayers became shallow, and I felt myself wandering from my once strong spiritual and personal relationship.  It’s like the song Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing, where the final line reads, Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.  Take my heart, oh take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.  Except, I was doing the wandering and not allowing God to seal my heart to Him.  In truth, my life was too cluttered, but I often like it that way.  I function best when I feel like I am being useful and accomplishing "things."  And along I went in this manner; until, I was in a severe accident at the end of January.  

Praise God, through it all, I am doing well.  I am truly thankful to have walked away from the accident, but the seriousness did not escape me..not even for a moment.  As I struggled to get out of the car the night of the crash, I found myself thinking "what if this had been worse?"  What would have happened if I had died..would I have been truly ready?  Had I mended all of the bridges I burned, had I said "I love you to everyone I knew...?"  The questions flooded my mind.  Despite the nipping cold and the snow laden ground, I got down on my knees and praised God for sparing my life and for blessing me with the gift of another day.  After facing death so closely, I no longer take each day for granted, for I have personally experience the fragility of life.  

However, the refining did not simply stop at the reminder to give thanks for each precious moment.  Although, the night of the accident, I simply felt the results of whiplash and a strained back, I soon found I suffered more serious injuries including, a sprained hip and shoulder (from the seat belt), a sprained back, and a concussion.  I was down and out for at least a week…or so I thought.  The attending hospital physician said to give myself at least two weeks to feel more like myself, but warned me it could take months before I was back to my 100% self. (What?  You’ve got to be kidding me…I don’t have months….time time time..was all I thought about…)

Needless to say, the pain was more than I had ever experienced, and I knew I was in for a long healing process.  Well..five weeks later, I am still out of work, and on my final week of Physical Therapy.  There are mornings I feel fifty years older and every movement takes effort.  Over these past five weeks, I have learned so much...

1. God is in control, even when you think you've got it all together

2. Times of Trial are not His way of punishing you, but rather a refining method. 

3. Trials also make clear God's intention toward you...He wants all of you, and sometimes He has to take away every "normal" thing in life, strip you bare (sometimes literally), and draw you back to the loving relationship that flourished before the weeds of life killed the vital flower.  

4. I need God in EVERY part of my life, and what is impossible with man, is ALWAYS possible with God. 

These are just a few of the lessons I've learned...sad for someone who has been a Christian for nearly twenty years.  But, I have rediscovered my love for my Savior and His Word.  With plenty of downtime and a lot of time to fill, I found myself drawn to the Bible I had nearly completely forsaken just weeks before.  I had started a "Bible in a Year" study at the start of the New Year, but soon fell away from the schedule.  Don't get me wrong, reading the Bible should never be a chore, but it should be something done every day!  God desires that quiet time with us, and it eventually becomes our own desire.  But let's be honest!  Every habit, good or bad, takes training...even passionate reading of the best love letter ever written to mankind.  

I read both the New and the Old Testament, and I am learning so much about the history of my ancestors, the prophets who spoke of Christ's arrival, Christ himself, and the people who shared the good news after His death and resurrection.  Old proverbs and parables were given new life and sections I had never read were given brilliant meaning in my personal life both spiritually and physically.   I have fallen newly in love with my Lover of my Soul and am, for the first time in years, thirsting for the Word! 

To say the least, I am overwhelmed, in a good way, by what I have learned in five short weeks.  I am not proud that, as a Christian of twenty years, I failed so miserably, but I am eternally grateful that God loves me enough to FIGHT for me and CONVICT me EVERYDAY.  It is when I stop feeling His probing; I should begin to be fearful.  For as long as I feel His gentle urging in my soul and life, I know I am not lost.  Salvation, once accepted is forever!  I believe that with every fiber of my being, but what we do with this great news is up to us!  His love and mercy are boundless, and His righteousness and justice are perfect.

THIS!  This is what I learned!  I relearned the good news I had already accepted.  But only this time, it was refined from head knowledge to full on, fire consuming, HEART knowledge.  The distant became personal!  God is Absolute, no doubt about it.  He deserves ultimate reverence and fear (respect,) but what He wants more than anything, is our LOVE.  To commune and LOVE us for eternity.  John 3:16 says it all.  For God SO LOVED the world, that He GAVE his ONLY begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him, shall NOT perish, but have ETERNAL LIFE.  For God came NOT into the world to CONDEMN the world, but that the word may be SAVED through HIM. 

May it not take a death or a near death experience and forced down time to make you see what I saw.  God deserves 1st place in your life, and He'll accept nothing less.  Are you ready to let Him in and experience the boundless joys and blessings He has to offer?  I did...and I will NEVER look back! 

God Bless!  <3