Saturday Night!

Saturday nights are not normal around this house.  It's always a dash to get things ready for Sunday. It is the Big Push.  There just never seems to be enough time to get everything done during the week.  

My husband's (Shaun) work schedule is different than most.  He has split days off in the middle of the week.  Which is awesome and difficult at the same time.  He has to work weekends.  He usually does his normal 5:00 am - 2:00 pm shift on Saturday.  Then he has to be back at work by 11:30 pm Saturday night so that he can be home in time for us to head to Sunday service at our church.  He works hard.  Heavy lifting, stocking shelves and is on his feet most of his shift.  Saturday nights he sleeps maybe 2-3 hours at the most.  Sometimes he doesn't even get an hour.  He works at Lake Tahoe which is about a 45 minute drive.  

When Shaun gets home, we head to church.  We get there about 9:30 am.  We don't usually leave till 12:00 pm.  We are back at the church at 4:00 pm.  

Sunday is a big deal in this family.  It is something we have made a priority for over 10 years.  For the past few years, we have been in charge of the Sunday Children's program as well as Awana that started last year.  This year, All of our children's programs are on Sundays.  This means, we have a lot to prepare for. 

From the moment he walks through the doors of our home on Sunday morning, to the moment we leave the church that afternoon, he is on fire for God.  He is ready to go.  He is ready to greet people, meet with his workers, serve others. He is always smiling, happy and glad to see you. He doesn't complain. 

Why am I telling you all this, you may ask... 

Whatever your schedule, whatever your situation, it is a decision to serve God. Shaun decided that he wanted to serve God no matter his schedule, no matter if he isn't feeling well that day, even if it is an inconvenience.  Even if it isn't his "regularly scheduled" time slot. 

Am I saying everyone needs to be like Shaun, Not at all. 

But think about this, When you get to Heaven, what will your first response be?  Undoubtedly it will always be, "I wish I had done more."  More of what?  More for God, more telling of our Saviour, more encouraging, more loving, more... Just more!  

The next time you have an opportunity to serve, whether that be during church, in the nursery, in the children's programs, or at community outreach, think, "how can I make this happen" instead of, "how can I get out of this." 

Trusting God Through A Child's Struggles

We all know that children are a gift from God. 

Psalm 127:3 "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

We know they are not ours, but sometimes it is so difficult to make that a reality in our lives.  Our kids are precious.  And as mother's, we take ownership of them.  Any time they hurt, we hurt.  Every time they struggle, we struggle.  We have been through the tough stuff of growing up.  We want to take that burden from them.  But we can't.  And that's tough. 

We can feel that any struggles or obstacles they face are due to our failings as a parent.

The last few months have been especially hard to deal with.  The burden my heart feels when it comes to my kids is growing.  They are growing up in a world that is no longer God fearing. As a parent, I cannot take these burdens or these choices away from my child.  Just as I have learned and grown from my obstacles, choices, testings, trials, I have to allow my child to learn to let God work in their lives through the same.

We need to put our trust in the Lord.  He is the only one that can help our children deal with the obstacles of life.

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

Our job is to train them, guide them, love them, discipline them.  AND PRAY for them.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Deut. 30:6 "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."

Deut. 11:18-23 "Therefore shall ye lay up these My Words in your heart and in your soul, and bind Them for a sign upon your hand, that They may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach Them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of Heaven upon the earth. For if ye shall diligently keep all these Commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him; Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves."

I feel a very real struggle right now in this parenting area.  Thomas has struggled for many years now. School has been the main area we have seen the struggle.  Being a home school mom, I just figured it was me.  That I just didn't hack it.  But now that he is in public school and he isn't doing so well, I am left to wonder what is going on.  He seems to be getting further behind and is less motivated to even try.  

We are going through testing and evaluations now.  As a mom, I just want to fix it.  I want to take this burden from him.  I hate to see him struggle.  I hate to see him look down on himself. But I cannot do that.  God is teaching us and him.  He is trying to do a work in our lives and we must let him do that work. 

Serve!

Serving in the Church... It is what God intended for us to do.  There is just something about serving that makes my day feel so much more accomplished. 

Today I got to pass out invites to church.  This is just one way we can serve.  But it brings great joy to my heart when I know I am pleasing my Lord.  

Why serve, you may ask.  Here are a few things I have been thinking of: 

1. It gets our minds off our own struggles.  For that short time of serving this morning, it helped me see Gods bigger picture.  I have been struggling lately, but God is good and He will see me through.  I just have to do what He tells me to do and that is to serve. 

2.  It brings us together.  Sometimes we get so busy in our every day life that we get a skewed sense of what is really going on.  It is nice to connect with others and chat and hear about other peoples lives.  It is not all about "me." 

3.  It reminds us of who we serve!  God the Creator decided to let us be His mouth and His feet.  We get to be that representation of who God is.  He is love.  How can we be a follower of Him if we don't serve.  We have a great opportunity to spread the gospel.  We need to take that opportunity.  

Tomorrow is Sunday.  We all have an opportunity to let God work through us.  Lets be everything He created us to be.  Serve Him by serving others. 

Grace and Mercy

Driving home from southern California we planned to drive up the coast, see all the beautiful sites, but most of the way was frustrating and irritating.  We hit traffic, not just because of everyday traffic issues, but because of people making bad decisions.  And then you have the gawkers.  Those that have to stop to stare at everything everyone else is doing.  

Grace and Mercy came to mind.  What I really wanted to do was scream out the window, honk my horn, and throw a fit.  Well, the last one, I kind of did in my head and at times out loud to Shaun.

¹grace

 noun \ˈgrās\

: a way of moving that is smooth and attractive and that is not stiff or awkward

: a controlled, polite, and pleasant way of behaving

graces : skills that are needed for behaving in a polite way in social situations

Full Definition of GRACE

1a :  unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

b :  a virtue coming from God

c :  a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

mercy

 noun mer·cy \ˈmər-sē\

: kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly

: kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation

: a good or lucky fact or situation

plural mercies

Full Definition of MERCY

1a :  compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power;also :  lenient or compassionate treatment <begged for mercy>

b :  imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder

2a :  a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion

b :  a fortunate circumstance <it was a mercy they found her before she froze>

3:  compassionate treatment of those in distress <works of mercy among the poor>

With Relationships, We need to keep these two things on the forefront of our minds and hearts.  We all crave to have mercy and grace shown to us but feel justified when we get hurt to not show these to others.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalm 145:9  The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

In these days of busyness of life, the devil sure likes to make us get frustrated and mad at each other. He likes to see the differences divide us and take us out of the Lords work.  We have to keep these things in mind in order to keep going forward for the cause of Christ.

It is our choice to give grace and mercy, even if that person doesn't deserve it.  We did nothing to deserve God's love.  He proved His love on the cross for us and gave us grace and mercy.  We need to extend those to others even if they don't ask for it.  

What if...

What if God gave us spots?  What if those spots represented our sin? 

What if every time we sinned, God gave us another spot?  

Not just brown spots or black spots, but colorful spots - the kind that can be seen, really seen. 

What would I look like?  What sin is hidden in the depths of my heart that no one else can see?

My sin. My shame. 

The person who is a drunk and can't give up the alcohol.

The person that is constantly lying. 

The person who has hate in their heart and lets the bitterness take over. 

The person who lives a life of sin. 

The person who has had a premarital relationship. 

The person that has gone through multiple marriages. 

The person who says the Lord's name in vain. 

The person who has killed. 

The person who is prideful. 

The person who chooses wrong. 

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:1-12

What if God gave us spots?

What would you think of me? 

How would that change us?  

How would we see each other?

How would we treat each other?

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 1 Peter 3:8

God is Love - God is Life

I have been on the side of praying for a miracle.  I have sat at the hospital begging God to heal.  I have been there to see that my will is not always the will of the Father. 

His Grace is sufficient. 

And now, I find myself on the other side of praying for a miracle. 

How do you pray for a miracle for one person hoping another said yes to organ donation?  

My heart aches for both families in this situation. 

One must give their life to give life to another in these situations.  

Join me in prayer for these families.  Both need to be wrapped in the Father's love. 

Russel Bouydston - In need of Liver - #1 on the transplant list.

Donor - God's grace and love

The Families - Peace

"I Have Failed"

I have failed!

I have failed at being a mother.

I have failed at being a wife.

I have failed at being a daughter.

I have failed at being a friend.

I have failed at my job.

I have failed at....

You fill in the blank.

This is what the devil likes us to focus on.  He wants us to see and focus on the failures.  I have a habit of doing this.  I can point out all my mistakes, shortcomings, missteps, failures.  I can see them all.

And at the end of all that is death.    

And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words,

and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

Judges 16:16

Death and life are in the power of the tongue:

and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

 Proverbs 18:21
 

It kills your faith in God.  That is what the devil wants.  He wants us to lose faith and give up.

But I know the One who wins the battle.  I know the One who conquered death.  I know the One that loves me.

Choose words of life.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Proverbs 25:11

 

 

Next time you start to talk to yourself with hateful words, remind yourself that you are LOVED by God.  That He sees you right where you are.  He is there for you.