My Sunday was filled with over a thousand motorcycles, 170 miles, chili, chaps, and neck ups! We participated in the 16th annual tri-county toys for tots ride (I have a pin to prove it) from Temple to Lampases. I am not sure if many of you realize exactly how much time you have to think while on the back of a motorcycle. . . well let me tell you it is A LOT!! No radio, iPod, MP3 player, nothing but the sound of the wind and the tailpipe. While riding on the back of J's motorcycle, I was struck by a thought.....
When looking around the parking lot of the American Legion, you can see people from many walks of life. Some tattooed, burly men or thin, clean-cut men, high-heeled well-to-do women or rough and tough women. You name it there are plenty of people there. I know it may be hard to believe, but you name the stereo type and they are there, mother, computer person, RR worker, high school Principal, salesman, restaurant owner. With so many different people there, I was surprised at how well everyone got along and had a great time. Then I realized that the reason why was because we were there for a common goal; no matter how different our lives, we had one goal in mind, gather a large amount of toys for children who are without.
I was then struck with another thought, how is it that there can be such a diverse group of people at a bike rally, getting along and working together, when at our own church we struggle to sit in the same class or pew with another person who isn't "like us." How can we call ourselves Christians when we are so concerned about what day and time a baby shower is but not at all concerned with how the church as a whole is fairing. Then it finally made sense to me...what is it that made the bike rally so successful....a common goal! We at the church have forgotten why we even attend, if not to wholly and fully worship our Maker and Creator, then why? If we would stop worrying about the small stuff and focus on own relationship with God we would be a stronger church. We are only as strong as our weakest link(I hate to say this because I am not perfect) but I am afraid that we quite a few weak sections, not just links.
So I challenge you today, tomorrow, and everyday thereafter to check yourself. Where is your own relationship with God? Are you doing all you can to worship Him? Are you right with God? I pray that your answers are better than mine and that you will strive to strengthen your relationship which will strengthen that of our church and of each other! Take some time to truly evaluate yourself, listen for Father to reveal to you where you need to work and go with it! I look forward to seeing how God will change and strengthen our church! I look forward to seeing us strive towards the common goal!!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Taking The Time
Today I was presented with an opportunity that often presents itself to me and yet I will blow by because I am too busy.... While I was in church this morning, working in the nursery, I felt the need to return the "wine" for the Lord's Supper back to the auditorium. For some reason this morning the tray was left on the counter at the nursery and I felt the need to return it to where it belongs. One of the grandmother's of a nursery child was sitting in the hall with her cell phone out. I walked past her to the auditorium and dropped off the tray and on my way back I sensed that I needed to stop. There was a time this morning when she stopped by the nursery to check on her grandbaby and she seemed rather frazzled.
Well upon stopping I realized that this was on opportunity that God had needed to use me to reassure and pray with her. Come to find out upon further discussion another of her grandchildren was struggling and just this morning was in need of help! Through her tears we were able to share a moment in prayer oblivious of the service going on near us, just us and God pleading for comfort and strength. Now many of you do not know but I am not comfortable praying with strangers or out loud for that matter, but this morning I was compelled to lift her and her family up in prayer.
For the rest of the day I have pondered what would happen if I would slow down and take the time for God to use me for His purposes. I often fill my day with "junk" so that I do not have to see how much depravity is in my life. I need to constantly remind myself that I am His and not my own. Also, I have wondered how many times I have been too afraid to pray out loud and missed the opportunity to be used as a vessel for God's will. After today I have realized that I need to focus more on the opportunity that God presents me with to do His will.
I feel like this is unfinished and I will ponder more but for now I will leave you with this....
Well upon stopping I realized that this was on opportunity that God had needed to use me to reassure and pray with her. Come to find out upon further discussion another of her grandchildren was struggling and just this morning was in need of help! Through her tears we were able to share a moment in prayer oblivious of the service going on near us, just us and God pleading for comfort and strength. Now many of you do not know but I am not comfortable praying with strangers or out loud for that matter, but this morning I was compelled to lift her and her family up in prayer.
For the rest of the day I have pondered what would happen if I would slow down and take the time for God to use me for His purposes. I often fill my day with "junk" so that I do not have to see how much depravity is in my life. I need to constantly remind myself that I am His and not my own. Also, I have wondered how many times I have been too afraid to pray out loud and missed the opportunity to be used as a vessel for God's will. After today I have realized that I need to focus more on the opportunity that God presents me with to do His will.
I feel like this is unfinished and I will ponder more but for now I will leave you with this....
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thankfulness......
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I have been wondering about what I will say when we do our always tacky, yet fun tradition of telling what we are thankful for this year. I am then lead to remember when I help out with the 2's class and the teacher led the students to say "Thank you God for the flowers" "Thank you God for the birds" "Thank you God for our friends" and on and on. I began to question my own thankfulness. When did I surpass a point where I am "above" thanking God for EVERY little thing that He has done/made/created/crafted?
While reading through 1 Thessalonians last night my attention was drawn to 5:16-18. ("Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.") In the Thanksgiving theme, I realized how incredibly tough these two verses are (I think I say this about most of the verses in the Bible.) I am pretty sure that I have battled with depression since I was diagnosed with diabetes. There are highs and lows, but for the most part to be "joyful always" seems almost impossible for me. Even more difficult is the last verse saying to "give thanks in ALL circumstances." I will be honest that over the course of my walk, I can say that I have failed miserably at giving thanks for everything. I think the commonality between everyone is that it is super easy to give thanks when things are going well. But when things start to go down hill it is much tougher to give thanks. I have been trying to figure out what Father meant when He told us to always be thankful, and I have come to realize that there is an understanding that we are to give thanks because we are joyful in the Lord, Himself, not what He can/has done for us. I find that when reading these verses with that understanding it makes it a little more attainable to be joyful always and to give thanks in all circumstances. This has led to another Truth I think. (I did want to say that my blog is very much a facet for me really apply what I know and read and learn in a way that brings life to word, at least in my life.)
TRUTH #3: BY BEING JOYFUL IN GOD, HIMSELF, IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE JOYFUL ALWAYS AND TO GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
While reading through 1 Thessalonians last night my attention was drawn to 5:16-18. ("Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.") In the Thanksgiving theme, I realized how incredibly tough these two verses are (I think I say this about most of the verses in the Bible.) I am pretty sure that I have battled with depression since I was diagnosed with diabetes. There are highs and lows, but for the most part to be "joyful always" seems almost impossible for me. Even more difficult is the last verse saying to "give thanks in ALL circumstances." I will be honest that over the course of my walk, I can say that I have failed miserably at giving thanks for everything. I think the commonality between everyone is that it is super easy to give thanks when things are going well. But when things start to go down hill it is much tougher to give thanks. I have been trying to figure out what Father meant when He told us to always be thankful, and I have come to realize that there is an understanding that we are to give thanks because we are joyful in the Lord, Himself, not what He can/has done for us. I find that when reading these verses with that understanding it makes it a little more attainable to be joyful always and to give thanks in all circumstances. This has led to another Truth I think. (I did want to say that my blog is very much a facet for me really apply what I know and read and learn in a way that brings life to word, at least in my life.)
TRUTH #3: BY BEING JOYFUL IN GOD, HIMSELF, IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE JOYFUL ALWAYS AND TO GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Day 2: Time for the deep stuff...
I am still pondering our Sunday morning HomeBuilders discussion....We read from Galatians 6:1-10. At first the discussion was interesting and yet I was not feeling like I could grasp the complete message that was being given us. The part of the chapter that resonates the most with me are verses 1-2. (For those of you like myself who are not so bible savvy here are the verses)
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-2
So after reading these verses and rereading these verses I still do not feel that I am able to comprehend the true magnitude of so few words. I mean my mind is lead to question the different interpretations of these verses. The part the I question first is we are to "carry each other's burdens." I find that we can do this in a superficial sort of way when asking friends how there week has been or how their family is, but the true depth and weight of this comes from really getting into your friendships enough to know your friends hearts. When thinking about how many people I know, I am astounded (and somewhat ashamed) of how few I actually can say that I know enough to truely help carry their burdens.
After deeper contenplation of how few of my friends I really know, I was lead to ask myself "Why?" "Why do I not let myself really listen and share?" The answer is I am afraid to be vulnerable infront of some people. I find that I am a rather insecure person when it comes to peers close to my age. I can relate to people younger than myself and much older than myself, but when it comes to really getting into the nitty gritty with women near my age I hold back. This once again lead me to ponder "Why?" I mean I should be able to better relate to women near my current stage of life.... I soon came to the realization that women my age intimidate me. I often feel inadequate when dealing with women my age. I feel that I do not stand up in their eyes. I often wonder "am I pretty enough?" "do I act too young?" "Does what I say actually resinate and have meaning for others or is it just a release of hot air in the room?" "will I always be different?" When it comes to being with older women, I know that I will not measure up to the wisdom and experiences that they have had so I am safe; and with younger girls, I know that I can have fun and it doesn't matter if I live up to their standards. After all of this, I have learned that I do not need to measure up to anyone's standards except His. Scary as this may be, I am comforted in the fact that though His standards are the hardest to attain, He will ALWAYS forgive me of my shortcomings and love me as His BEAUTIFUL daughter.
Truth #1: I AM ENOUGH FOR MY TRUE FATHER!
Once I finished that thought process, I proceeded back to the verses only to realize that the toughest understanding was yet to be uncovered. If a person is sinning we are to "restore him gently." YIKES!! Not only did I realize that I do not really know that many people, I realized that for me to bring a sin to someone's eyes is that I do not want to be a hypocrite. Ouch! I know that personally I am not worthy of a task like that. I know I need to work on my heart and make sure it is in the right place before trying to do so in others. What a personally convicting message. I know that I often struggle to "choose" to spend alone time with my Father. There always seems to be so much more to do in the day, little do I realize that the only thing that I am to do is spend time with Father. As much as I grumble when sitting down to meet Him, I know that when I get up I am refreshed and have such a peace. Why do I not remember what He can give me when I am grumbling.
TRUTH #2: HE WILL ALWAYS DELIVER THE PROMISE OF PEACE
Well I have done alot of thinking and pondering this weekend and today. I have also left you with a lot to think about......Goodnight!
I am still pondering our Sunday morning HomeBuilders discussion....We read from Galatians 6:1-10. At first the discussion was interesting and yet I was not feeling like I could grasp the complete message that was being given us. The part of the chapter that resonates the most with me are verses 1-2. (For those of you like myself who are not so bible savvy here are the verses)
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-2
So after reading these verses and rereading these verses I still do not feel that I am able to comprehend the true magnitude of so few words. I mean my mind is lead to question the different interpretations of these verses. The part the I question first is we are to "carry each other's burdens." I find that we can do this in a superficial sort of way when asking friends how there week has been or how their family is, but the true depth and weight of this comes from really getting into your friendships enough to know your friends hearts. When thinking about how many people I know, I am astounded (and somewhat ashamed) of how few I actually can say that I know enough to truely help carry their burdens.
After deeper contenplation of how few of my friends I really know, I was lead to ask myself "Why?" "Why do I not let myself really listen and share?" The answer is I am afraid to be vulnerable infront of some people. I find that I am a rather insecure person when it comes to peers close to my age. I can relate to people younger than myself and much older than myself, but when it comes to really getting into the nitty gritty with women near my age I hold back. This once again lead me to ponder "Why?" I mean I should be able to better relate to women near my current stage of life.... I soon came to the realization that women my age intimidate me. I often feel inadequate when dealing with women my age. I feel that I do not stand up in their eyes. I often wonder "am I pretty enough?" "do I act too young?" "Does what I say actually resinate and have meaning for others or is it just a release of hot air in the room?" "will I always be different?" When it comes to being with older women, I know that I will not measure up to the wisdom and experiences that they have had so I am safe; and with younger girls, I know that I can have fun and it doesn't matter if I live up to their standards. After all of this, I have learned that I do not need to measure up to anyone's standards except His. Scary as this may be, I am comforted in the fact that though His standards are the hardest to attain, He will ALWAYS forgive me of my shortcomings and love me as His BEAUTIFUL daughter.
Truth #1: I AM ENOUGH FOR MY TRUE FATHER!
Once I finished that thought process, I proceeded back to the verses only to realize that the toughest understanding was yet to be uncovered. If a person is sinning we are to "restore him gently." YIKES!! Not only did I realize that I do not really know that many people, I realized that for me to bring a sin to someone's eyes is that I do not want to be a hypocrite. Ouch! I know that personally I am not worthy of a task like that. I know I need to work on my heart and make sure it is in the right place before trying to do so in others. What a personally convicting message. I know that I often struggle to "choose" to spend alone time with my Father. There always seems to be so much more to do in the day, little do I realize that the only thing that I am to do is spend time with Father. As much as I grumble when sitting down to meet Him, I know that when I get up I am refreshed and have such a peace. Why do I not remember what He can give me when I am grumbling.
TRUTH #2: HE WILL ALWAYS DELIVER THE PROMISE OF PEACE
Well I have done alot of thinking and pondering this weekend and today. I have also left you with a lot to think about......Goodnight!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Opening Day
So writing my thoughts for others to read.....hmmm.....a novel thought. Still scary in itself. People knowing some of the inner workings of my head. They may not always make sense but I will make an effort to put the thoughts in order before setting them to type. So look forward to inspired thoughts in the future, but for now it is just too early and I am hungry for breakfast.
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