I Found God in Directions...

WHY is it so hard for some people to just follow the directions? Somebody spent the time to set up the directions in the first place... yet no one really wants to follow them...

My oldest son, Jack, is the "KEEPER OF JUSTICE" in our family. First born kid - he wants to know the rules and he expects EVERYBODY in his sphere of influence to follow them... or risk certain peril!

Now my younger son, Luke - finds most rules to be cumbersome and unnecessary. He views them as loosely-designed guidelines that are meant for other people -- surely not him.

Personally, I like to know what the rules ARE... so that I can find loop-holes that allow me to go around or disregard them. :)

What's YOUR stance on rules?

When people break the rules, my son, Jack is incensed that they might not get "in trouble." This is a valid concern - we see people all the time, you and old, getting away with it while the rest of us do our best to be obedient.

When Luke breaks the rules, he is annoyed that he might be in trouble - because again, he sees others getting away with it, and he wonders why he is the one who is BUSTED.... and he figures that if the rule wasn't so stupid, so many people wouldn't be ignoring it, right?!

If I can't find a loophole to get around a guideline, I'm irked that I'm trapped in the same confines as everybody else in the general population. Why can't I just go past this line?

Now, when it comes to rules or guidelines for life, God is pretty clear on a lot of things - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you... Honor your Mother and Father... Do not lie, cheat, steal, covet, commit adultery... Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, body, and mind...

In His word, God covers a variety of "hot topics" - marriage, divorce, sexuality, premarital sex, abortion, capital punishment, discipline, parenting, friendship, cheating, over-indulgence, money management, self-control, etc. His Proverbs give us words-to-the-wise on all kinds of "little," everyday issues too:

Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
your hand is God's hand for that person. Proverbs 3:27

God hates cheating in the marketplace;
he loves it when business is aboveboard. Proverbs 11:1

Intelligent children listen to their parents;
foolish children do their own thing. Proverbs 13:1

Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family. Proverbs 18:24

When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down;
eat too much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick. Proverbs 25:16-17
(I admit, when I first read this one, I was tempted to cover my ears and say, "La! La! La! I can't hear You!")

Most of His instructions leave very little "wiggle room" for us to make our own interpretations. Yet we do - we ignore His word... or we look for loopholes... or we paraphrase His Instructions to get them into "OUR" language. We twist and mutate His guidelines into what will "work" for us or what our friends think, or what the newscasters tell us. The Bible may not always be easy to understand, but we are accountable to it - regardless as to whether we've read it or not!

And Jesus said to them: You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
Mark 7:9 (NIV)

When I was in school, my mother always said that "a spelling test should be the easiest test you'll ever take... because you know all of the answers before hand!" Life is like that as well; we have been GIVEN all of the answers in God's Word - all we have to do is seize them.

Do you know God's stance on the big issues in your life?

Do you think your life might go easier if you actually followed the directions God has already set forth?

God has great plans for each and every one of us - but in order to make the most of this fabulous life, He asks that we pay attention to His teachings and follow His Word. The first step is to accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. Then open His book - anywhere - you don't have to start at the beginning - just pick a spot, open it, and read. God has something great to tell you on ANY page of His Book. What don't you see what He has to say today?

:) Mags

I Found God in the Valedictorian...

Our local paper had a great article highlighting local valedictorians from the Class of 2000 and what they are doing now (10 years later). All of them had B I G aspirations: a surgeon, a researcher, a movie star, a psychiatrist. Many of them continued in the field they chose when they were just 18, but some found a different path altogether...

Consider the valedictorian of Ohio's New Richmond's Senior class of 2000, Ben Wilson: He started college aiming towards becoming an orthopedic surgeon... But mid-way through his freshman year, he discovered that God had a much different plan for him. Instead of leading him toward a fact-paced and high-paying profession, God put upon his heart the idea to become a minister. I can only imagine the comments he might have received from people - "You won't make any money doing that." ... "Can't you just help out your church on weekends and be a doctor during the week?" ... "You did all of that work in high school 'just' to be come a pastor?" Insulting comments...? Uncomprehending responses...? People who just didn't understand why he was forgoing a career as a D O C T O R where there was money and prestige and excitement...?

Regardless of whatever input he received from those around him, Ben became a Youth Pastor at a local church. His response to those who would question his decision not to become a doctor: "We could say that God kind of changed my life and was working there, but I discovered if I were to do this for the rest of my life, I would not be happy. Money wasn't going to make me happy."


The important thing about this story is that Ben LISTENED to God in his heart. He heard a message - radically different from his own life plan - and he LISTENED and OBEYED.

My friends Bess and Jason adopted a little girl from China a few years ago. It was nearly a 3-year adoption process. I love her testimony regarding the adoption: They already had twins and a younger son; their family could be complete. But God placed small "coincidences" all around them: Commercials about adoptions suddenly seemed louder. Their daughter brought home a book about a girl adopted from China from her school library (the kids had NO idea their parents were considering it). They met a couple at a conference who sat right behind them and shared their own adoption story... from China! The "coincidences" piled up, and Bess and Jason realized that God was audibly speaking to them - directing them to find their 4th child in China. The process was long and discouraging - China tightened up access to their orphans, and at least an extra year (and duplicate paperwork!) was tacked on to Bess & Jason's quest. But they were patient and stalwart... and God rewarded them. Their daughter, Josie, has completed their family. :)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

God has plans for each and every one of us - good plans... GREAT plans. Our job is to pay attention to His signs and obey. He "talks" to His children ALL of the time! It might be a small voice in the back of your head warning you "DON'T DO THAT!" or encouraging "YOU CAN DO THIS!" It might be in the form of specially-placed people in your life who open your eyes to a new path you hadn't considered. It could be a book, a show, a teacher - God's methods of reaching you are endless and creative. And while His ways might not make sense to you at the time, you can be sure He has your best interests at heart; you ARE one of his masterpieces, after all!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Valedictorians should be filled with knowledge... They aced their classes, absorbed all of the facts/dates/right answers... They scored the highest... Their GPA lead the curve. You should be able to say THEY HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS... THEY HAVE "THE" WISDOM.

But true WISDOM comes from God:

Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;
only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.
Proverbs 1:7 (Msg)

Learn about God. Listen to God.
Hear that little voice in the back of your head.
Open your mind to the "crazy" idea that might just be the best thing for you...

Because God's plans are far better and more "exciting" than anything you can imagine. ♥

Email Inspirations: Finding God In An Invisible Fence

My cyberfriend, Tricia, gets these amazing daily devotions delivered right to her inbox. Then she posts them in my Scrapbooking With Faith online group. I'm snagging a few of them and posting them here as well because they are just wonderful and inspiring. I may also use "Email Inspiration" Days to post some other great devotionals that I receive as well. These aren't my words, I'm just passing on a good bit of food-for-thought. Enjoy! :) Mags

God & The Invisible Fence (by Sharon Jaynes)

I used to walk around the neighborhood and see signs that read, "Dog contained by invisible fence." Actually, I thought it was a joke, but after we got a dog, I learned about this incredible invention, and decided to have one installed.

The fence company dug a narrow four foot deep trench around the perimeter of our yard and buried a small wire. This wire was attached to a control box mounted on our garage wall. Ginger, our golden retriever, was then fitted with a collar sporting a special little box with two small prongs that rested against her skin. The dog trainer then placed white flags all around the yard, marking where the underground fence was buried. As Ginger neared the flags, she heard a quiet warning sound clicking from the box. If she kept going and crossed over the boundary marked by the flag, she got a shock and came back.

Now before you get upset about Ginger getting a little shock, I have to tell you, I let the trainer shock me first. It wasn't painful, but I did not want him to do it again. For twelve years, Ginger crossed over the invisible boundary only twice. Once when the fence wasn't working properly and once during her sixth week of motherhood to escape her seven nursing puppies.

After the first month of training, you didn't see any white flags decorating the perimeter of our yard. So, you might wonder, how does Ginger know where the boundary is? It is simple. For the first week, white flags lined the boundary of our yard. On the second week, I removed every other flag. On the third week, I again removed every other remaining flag. And I continued removing flags, until eventually, they were gone. The flags were gone, but Ginger remembered where the boundaries were. She also learned that the warning clicking sound was her friend and kept her from getting into a "shocking" situation.

Those flags are a great picture of the boundaries we set for our children. When they're young, we mark out clear boundaries, and as the child matures into adolescence, we begin pulling up those flags just a little at a time. As they graduate from high school and move into college, most of the flags are gone, and we pray with all our might that they will remember where those boundaries are.

Just like when Ginger heard the warning sound, I believe the Holy Spirit taps on our children's hearts, and warns them not to cross the boundaries set by their parents. Sometimes they will proceed to cross the boundaries anyway. That's when the shock comes in. It might be in the form of discipline and it might be in the form of living with some very unpleasant consequences.

In the Old Testament, God wrote the Law (the Ten Commandments) on tablets of stone, but in the New Testament, He wrote the Law of Love on our hearts. Isn't that our prayer? Yes, we have to spell out the boundaries for our children and point them in the right direction when they are young. But as they move into adulthood, we pray the boundaries will be written on their hearts.

Consider the boundaries listed below:

Be careful what you see. "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"(Matthew 6:22, 23 NIV).

Be careful what you love. "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 Money."(Mathew 6:24 NIV). "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 5:23 NIV).

Be careful who you listen to. "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body." (Proverbs 5:20-22 NIV).

Be careful what you say. "Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips." (Proverbs 5:24 NIV).

Be careful where you go. "Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." (Proverbs 5:26, 27 NIV).

Be careful whom you choose for close friends. Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV).

I Found God in 'Breaking Dawn...'

I am a Christian.
I also LOVE fantastical tales.
One of my favorite series of books is Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

And yes, it is a book about Humans, and Vampires, and Werewolves.

But the point of this blog is opening your eyes to God's way of weaving Himself into everyday, ordinary life, and I have found God in many fantastical stories - Twilight included.

I really believe author John Granger's thesis on fiction: That all humans naturally resonate with stories that reflect the greatest story ever told-- the story of God who became man... [and that] parents wanting to share the Christian message of love's victory over death, of our relationship to God the Father through Christ, even of Christ's two natures and singular essence [can find it in many fictional tales... naturally woven throughout the stories].
~Looking For God in Harry Potter, p. xix

In this particular case - I notice a distinct similarity between a scene in Meyer's 4th book, Breaking Dawn, and one who accepts Jesus into her heart:


*NOTE: if you are a Twilight Fan and and haven't yet read Breaking Dawn, this contains spoilers of a BIG nature. Please stop my post, go read the book, and then return! :)




When Jacob (a werewolf) finally "imprints" (find his soul mate), the change in his mind, body, and soul is described in this manner:

My shaking jerked to a stop; heat flooded through me, stronger than before, but it was a new kind of heat - not a burning.

It was a glowing.

Everything inside me came undone as I stared at the tiny porcelain face of the half-vampire, half-human. All the lines that held me to my life were sliced apart in swift cuts, like clipping the strings to a bunch of balloons. Everything that made me who I was - my love for the dead girl upstairs, my love for my father, my loyalty to my new pack, the love for my other brothers, my hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, my self - disconnected from me in that second - snip, snip, snip - and floated up into space.

I was not left drifting. A new string held me where I was.

Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying me to one thing - to the very center of the universe.

I could see it now - how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain.

The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood.

It was... [the girl] ... that held me here now.
~Breaking Dawn, p. 359-360

What if you changed a few words?
What if the catalyst for that change was not a mere person (or vampire or whatever) - but Jesus Christ? It would read something like this:

[I felt] a new kind of heat - not a burning.

It was a glowing.

Everything inside me came undone when I accepted Christ into my heart. All the lines that held me to my life were sliced apart in swift cuts, like clipping the strings to a bunch of balloons. Everything that made me who I was - my love for my family and friends, my hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, my stuff, my self - disconnected from me in that second - snip, snip, snip - and floated up into space.

I was not left drifting. A new string held me where I was.

Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying me to one thing - to the very center of the universe.... To God.

I could see it now - how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain.

The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood.

It was... God ... that held me here now.

Proverbs 3:5 (The Message)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don't try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he's the one who will keep you on track.

Don't assume that you know it all.

Run to God! Run from evil!

Your body will glow with health,

your very bones will vibrate with life!

Honor God with everything you own;

give him the first and the best.

Your barns will burst,

your wine vats will brim over.

But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;

don't sulk under his loving correction.

It's the child he loves that God corrects;

a father's delight is behind all this.

Two things I get from this:

1. That God can speak to us in my ways - through many different venues. I find him in Harry Potter, Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc. - places where others would deem unlikely, but places where God knows He can find me.

2. When you open your heart to God's love, the ties that bind you to Earthly "things" are severed. And, the new "steel cable" now tethers you to Him and the truths of His Word.

The safest way to navigate the tough and tricky journey of life, is to secure yourself to One who created this Life in the first place. The glowing you will feel is worth it.

♥ Mags

Credits:

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger

Verses from http://www.biblegateway.com/

I Found God In A Recipe...

Saw this great "recipe" for happiness in my Scrapbooking with Faith online group, and thought I'd share it with you all:

A GREAT RECIPE

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day.
And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
Talk to God about what is going on in your life.
Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,
'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants,
and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water.
Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the
past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king or queen,
lunch like a prince or princess,
and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have
to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others.
You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:
'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask and believe.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are in need.
Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time.
You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for __________.
Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings.
You'll be smiling before you know it.


WOW... what if we tried this? Or even 5 or 10 of them? How much better would your life be if you let go of the trash in your life and embraced the wonderful things? How much healthier would your body feel if you followed the food suggestions? How much healthier would your heart feel if you followed the faith invitations? This year, I invite you to get your well-being in order... to straighten up your mind, body, and faith so that you achieve contentedness with your life and faith. Try out the suggestions above. Start reading your Bible. Find the good in your life and hang on for all it's worth! Remember...

Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;

only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

(Proverbs 1:1 - The Msg)

I Found God In Baby Shoes...

--> This post is part of a series on God & Shoes... to read the first in the series, CLICK HERE. To read ALL of the posts in this series, CLICK HERE.

GOD & BABY SHOES

Proverbs 22:6 (King James)

Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Whatever YOU as parents, or teachers, or mentors, have shown our children, over and over again, will be their guide: their beacon leading them down the winding way of life decisions. If you have trained them up according to God's Word, when they grow up, they will not turn from it. These children are on loan from God ... and at the end of this life; you will have to answer to Him on how you raised His kids.

Thankfully, He has provided us with a How-to-Guide: an instruction manual with the best life-guiding principles around. Have you opened your Bible lately and read what God has to say about rearing His children?

I Found God In An Online Quiz...

I found a link to this quiz on The Broken Man's blog and had to give it a try. It's on the 7 Deadly Sins; these are my results:

Greed:	Medium
Gluttony:	High
Wrath:	Medium
Sloth:	Medium
Envy:	Low
Lust:	Very Low
Pride:	High

Discover Your Sins - Click Here

Now isn't that interesting... Considering that I'd be MUCH healthier if I lost about 50 lbs. not to mention I could stop taking blood pressure medine, I wasn't too surprised at the pitiful gluttony score. I also wasn't surprised by the "sloth" score - A sloth is actually my favorite animal... just because it IS so lazy. While I feel like I'm constantly busy, I could, happily, be a completely bum and couch potato all day long (which undoubtedly would raise the gluttony score even higher! LOL!). I also hate to put things away... another slothlike tendency!

The wrath score was surprising - I always considered "WRATH" to be BIG, YELLING, AGONIZING, ANGER - like a tornado of evil - and that's not me, fortunately. But I know myself - and I have lots of small, tiny, grumblings that probably, over time, could add up to a "wrathful feeling." I have a low tolerance for ineptness or stupidity, and in my mind, when I'm annoyed, I'm usually thinking "dumb*ss"... I only hope that I really am thinking it IN my mind and not muttering it aloud where kids could hear!

The greed score was probably accurate if not rated a little low. I'm a scrapbooker - digital now - but when I scrapped with paper, I HAD to have all of the latest toys, gadgets, and products. The Sizzix die-cutter with 4 alphabet sets and other assorted dies, a self-sharpening 12" cutter, the Wishblade personal die-cutter that connects with my laptop computer to cut out any title I desire, plus a ton of other little tools that filled my 5 (FIVE!) scrappin' bags. If someone asked for something, I could usually whip it out of one of my bags. I had too much. I still have too much. And I always wanted more.

Likewise with diaper bags. I have two kids. They are now 7 and 4. Over the course of their toddler years, I bought 17 (SEVENTEEN!!!) diaper bags. This one was too small... that one was too large... maybe a backpack would work... that one didn't have an insolated area... this one didn't have a place for my cell phone... etc. I've sold many at various garage sales, but our hall closet is still home to about 3 of them and the boys' closets still have another half-dozen stored! Who really needs 17 diaper bags?! :(

I also have been known to say that "sharing is an over-rated concept" (not Christian, I know... I'm a work-in-progress, remember?!). I can be very generous, but I can also be quite stingy when people want to borrow something of mine. If it's a dvd, cd, or scrappin' tool, I will invariably attach a label with my last name on it so there can be no mistaken it's ownership. I don't like to lose things - and probably over-compensate because of it!

I'm proud that envy and lust scored low. I find envy to be a useless cycle. I figure that if you want something bad enough, either work for it or make the appropriate choices so you can buy it/obtain it. Often if you save up for something long enough, you find that you no longer want to spend that much money on whatever anyway. And because I'm apparently greedy, chances are I already own it anyway... *sigh* As for lust, I'm married to my college sweetheart, a 6'7" beautiful man who is a wonderful Dad to our two children and who can still make me laugh. WHY in the world I look elsewhere?!


Which brings me to the big shocker... pride.
Wow... that was my worst fault? Really?

It's probably my pride that has me stumped on this one... Probably my pride that had this result coming out of left field for me... Probably my pride that is an undercurrent in all of the other areas too.

I remember in high school, I was in the highest tracks of classes. Not just "college-prep" - that was the 3rd highest in my high school - I was in I.B. (International Baccalaureate) and I remember feeling like that qualified me to be treated differently... better. I remember being stopped by a hallway security guard when I came late after a doctor's appointment. I had a note, but I distintly remember being annoyed that I would be stopped at all. Didn't he know who I was? I wasn't one of those hoods from the lower tracks - I was in I.B....

*sigh* What an obnoxious attitude to have!

The Bible says a lot about pride... here are some nuggets of wisdom:

Psalm 10:4

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Proverbs 16:18

First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

Proverbs 18:12

Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor.

Proverbs 21:4

Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked— are just plain sin.

Proverbs 29:23

Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors.

OUCH!

There are many other verses that come when you do a search for "pride" in the Bible... and unless they are talking about a "pride of lions," I'm not thinking I'm going to find many positive verses on the subject! There aren't any that say, "Please... Do be full-of-yourself - that, truly, is the way of the Lord," is there?!

I know this quiz was created by a human - and probably subject to a LOT of error... but I found the results revealed a lot about myself (and sadly, not in a good way!). Why don't you give it a try too... feel free to leave me a comment with how you do! It may give you something to think about and work on... helping you be a better Christian tomorrow that you were today. I know I've got stuff on my personal To-Do List now!

I Found God In Authenticity...

I was distracted writing the post before this one because full text of Matthew 6:1-4 had me thinking about authentic Christians:

The World Is Not a Stage: Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
Pray with Simplicity: And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

I stayed away from church for a long time during high school and college - partly because I didn't "feel" God when I was there... and partly because I was so leary of what I called "freaky, religious people." You know the ones - like in the movie, Leap Of Faith, where Steve Martin's preacher-character is knocking people in the heads "healing" them, making a big show of being "saved..." while stealing their money at the same time. Some so-called "religious" people are, in actuality, false... faking their faith on Sundays and then cheating, or lying, or whatever during the rest of the week.

Over the years, I've had my share of false people in my life just as I'm sure you have as well. People who pretend to be good... pretend to be faithful... and in their pious attitude, condemn the rest of us who aren't living up to their standard. It makes me so angry when I know that their Sunday behavior is just a carefully constructed facade created to hide their sins or flaws.... and in their theatrics, they can cause the rest of us to feel unworthy...

So, I am very committed to surrounding myself with "authentic" people. People who don't just raise up their hands or close their eyes during Worship because it "looks good" - but because they are truly feeling, at that moment, moved by the Spirit... People who don't pretend to be sinless or perfect, or better than everyone else. And we have been so lucky to have found so many authentic people within our current church and within our circle of friends.


Now, as I started writing this post, I did a Google search for this phrase "Bible behaving one way on Sundays," I remembered a sermon our Pastor did a short time ago, and he had a quote from the Bible that would have worked very well for this post... if I could have remembered it!

But, my search led me to this article about Christians Behaving Badly by Holly Vicente Robaina. She is discussing the behavior of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) after the passing of the actor, Heath Ledger, and she says this:

Stories such as this one embarrass me.

They make me want to disassociate—Well, I’m not like “those Christians.”

But I’ve started to wonder: Do any of my actions make me seem like them?

Do others ever perceive me as one of “them”?

“Those Christians” make me uncomfortable because

their actions cause me to consider my own.

When I'm writing on this blog, I sometimes feel so "wise..." so filled with knowledge... so eager to impart what I've learned on any who read this. And 15 minutes ago when I started this post, I was smug in the knowledge that I was authentic, myself. But God warns us about pride...

Proverbs 16:18 - First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

When it comes to authenticity, this is what I know about myself:

• I am flawed.
• I am ordinary.
• I struggle in this Christian walk - to be true to myself AND true to God's Word.
• I want to inspire others, and I crave affirmation that I'm doing it.
• I am impatient, and needy, and sometimes prideful.
• I screw up all the time...

BUT...

I am honest (sometimes to a fault!).
I am true.
And I am trying... trying hard each day to be a better person, wife, mother, daughter, and friend today than I was yesterday.


You don't have to be a Saint. You don't have to be perfect. You don't even have to "pretend" to be those things... God doesn't view us though "beer-goggles;" he sees us clearly to our very core... In our actions, in our thoughts, in our hearts. He knows whether we are authentic or not.

But PEOPLE are not that gifted - they can only see your actions and hear your words. They make assumptions based on what limited information they receive from you. So I challenge you to speak and behave as an authentic Christian. To be "real" - in your interactions with others - and in your heart. You don't have to pretend to have all of the answers. You don't have to give the illusion that you have it all figured out. But like the Little Engine That Could, you do need to keep chugging along everyday... continuing in your own Christian Walk... learning more and more each day... and showing authentic Christian behavior in your words and deeds... becauses you never know who is watching you and learning from you.

What lessons are you teaching them?

♥Mags

I Found God In Some Dumb Bunnies...

My first grade son came home with a poster he'd created for Language Arts. It was a book report on a book called "The Dumb Bunnies." He had to write what the theme or central message was; this is what he wrote:

I think the author's message is if you're too dumb,

you can get in a lot of trouble!"

No kidding!! :)

You could say that when we are "dumb" - that is, when we make decisions separate from God or choices that go against God's Word, we can land ourselves in a heap of trouble. For example...

• Adam and Eve - who disobeyed God's only order, ate from The Tree, and opened a whole can of worms for the rest of us!
• Jonah - who was gobbled up by a big fish and spit back out on the beach when he tried to hide from God.
• Sarah - who did not believe God when he said she would become pregnant.
• Egypt's Pharoah - who held captive the Israelites and endured plagues upon plagues until he finally believed Moses and set them free.
• The Prodigal Son - who thought he knew better, and squandered his inheritance only to return, shamed, penniless, and asking for forgiveness.
• Samson - who, in a weak moment of lust, gives away the secret of his strength - only to have it used against him.
• Lot's Wife - who disobeyed and looked back at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah... and was turned into a pillar of salt.
• Judas - who betrayed Jesus which leads to his crucifixion

There are countless others - in fact, my husband is sitting beside me as I type this post listing off more and more!! :)

The Bible tells us lots of things about choices and wisdom; here are just a few I found in Proverbs (The Message translation):

Proverbs 16:16 - Get wisdom - it's worth more than money. Choose insight over income every time.

Proverbs 16:21 - A wise person gets known for insight; gracious words add to one's reputation.

Proverbs 16:22 - True intelligence is a pring of fresh water, while fools sweat it out the hard way.

Proverbs 17:21 - Having a fool for a child is misery; its no fun being the parent of a dolt!

Proverbs 17:28 - Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they're smart!

Making a wise decision requires being informed. You wouldn't go out and buy a house or a car without doing the necessary research, would you? When you buy a house, you interview mortgage lenders, do home inspections, check out the neighborhood. You test-drive a potential car, get reviews from friends who've owned that model, read Consumer Reports. In everything you do, being informed will help you make the best possible decision. And when it comes to living the best possible life, being informed means knowing the guidelines God has set forth for you - it means knowing what's in the Bible.

People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?
(Proverbs 19:3)

It's easy to blame God when things go wrong. But, when things go wrong, is there any possibility that some decision you made was on a pathway apart from God? Certainly, that's not always the case - BUT, if so, you need to gather yourself up, and reset yourself along the right path, and start again.

Being a "dumb bunny" only leads to trouble, remorse, heartache, and misery. Following God's Word will not totally exempt us from those things - BUT, it will certainly help make things easier for us! Don't have time to read the WHOLE BIBLE...? Start with Proverbs - it's packed with tidbits of wisdom that will help you lead a better life...

To ask a moron to quote a proverb is like putting a scalpel in the hands of a drunk. 26:9

Hire a fool or a drunk and you'll shoot yourself in the foot. 26:10

As a dog eats its own vomit, so fools recycle silliness. 26:11

Discipline your children; you'll be glad you did - they'll turn out delightful to live with. 29:17

A fool lets it all hang out; a sage quietly mulls it over. 29:11

An honest answer is like a warm hug 24:26

I hope you found some honest answers today!

:) Mags

I Found God In Toilet Paper...

If you have children, you know that venturing into a public restroom with a little one can be a small nightmare... kids are too short to use the facilities without draping their little bodies all over the seat or toilet edge, and they touch everything! *shudder!*

Over the last several years, our kids (ages 7 and 4) have learned that it is

BETTER

TO

GO

AT

HOME!

At best, they have me taking them to a public restroom. Covering the toilet seat with toilet paper (if they have the "big" job to do), shielding them from touching anything. At worst, they are stuck with my dear, sweet, wonderful, germ-a-phobic husband; I suspect that my hubby would rather face an angry mob of 3-year olds buzzing "It's A Small World After All" on kazoos than enter a public restroom with a kid. If he doesn't bust out a full haz-mat uniform to shield them from the toxic waste that lurks in men's rooms, the kids consider themselves lucky!

So you see, my kids know the "routine" for a public restroom - at least when they are going in one with Mommy or Daddy...

what they do when nobody is looking...

well..... who knows...?!?!?!

Which is why I was stunned last week when my four-year old had to do B-I-G business at the fitness center. He had already left the kids' area, but we were still close by. I figured that there was a lesser chance of nastiness in the kiddie toilets so we checked back into kiddie-land, and I let him in the boys room... solo. Waiting outside, I started to hear this "Ow! ow! ow! Mommy, HELP!" I went in (asked permission first from the workers!), and my heart swelled with pride... The "OW-ing" came from him scraping his little knuckles on the toilet paper dispenser as he had piled up wads of toilet paper all over the seat by himself!!

The coverage was crude and lopsided - sparse in some places and clumped up in others - but what I saw was my son doing what he had been taught... and he was doing it WHEN NOBODY WAS WATCHING HIM!!

And here is how I connect this little experience to God... despite the perceived deafness that all kids seem to have when it comes to listening to their parents, the fact is that they ARE listening to us, and our actions speak even louder than our words! All of those trips to the restroom where my husband or I had covered the seat with toilet paper to buffer their bums from toilet-seat germs had sunk in! The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it

This is true in more than just "church business." Model the behavior you want your children to exhibit, and exhibit it, they will. Whether it be...

• restroom procedures...
• or how to treat others...
• whether or not to smoke...
• or cheat,
• or lie,
• or cuss,
• or quit,
• or avoid...
• Whether they show compassion,
• or kindness,
• or perserverence,
• or integrity...

Whatever YOU, the parents, have shown them, over and over again, will be their guide - their beacon leading them down the windy way of life decisions. If you have trained them up according to God's Word, when they grow up, they will not turn from it. These children are on loan to us from God... and at the end of this life, we will have to answer to Him on how we raised His kids. Fortunately, He has provided us with a How-To Guide... an instruction manuel the best life-guiding principles around. Have you opened your Bible lately and read what God has to say about rearing your children?

Ephesians 6
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Train them up right, and you will have done right by them AND God. :)

Have a blessed day!

:) Mags