Fork In The Road... An Object Lesson on Purity

The other morning, our 8-year old son, Luke, was eating small, dill pickles.  As he chattered on about various topics, he eventually paused, held up his pickle, and asked me, "Mom... do you know how I know THIS pickle... is mine....?"


When I looked at him quizzically and asked, "How?," he replied by sticking out his tongue and licking all over the pickle.


He's right about one thing.... that is definitely HIS pickle.


And that funny episode rattled around in my brain for a few days until this morning, when I started thinking about my sons and the road ahead of them regarding purity.... and a white plastic fork.


(Don't ask me how my brain works... just go with it!)


This is untested - as I don't run a teen group and my kids are too young for this talk... for now.  So if you use it, please let me know how it goes.

Fork In The Road

An Object Lesson on Purity

by Maggie Buckley, 2012

Intended Audience:  Junior High or Older

Materials

• White plastic forks
• Sharpie Markers
• CAKE! (or some other awesome dessert)

Instructions

Pass out one plastic fork to each student as well as a Sharpie Marker (any colors - having each kid with a different color will help illustrate this better).

Adapt this conversation for your group:

Take your fork, and color on it with your Sharpie marker. You don't have to color the whole thing - just make enough of a mark to show you've been there.  Imagine you are using the fork for real - the marker symbolizes your spit/germs/etc.  But obviously, for germ reasons, we are not all going to lick the forks!  Instead, we are going to color with markers to show that we "used" it.

Now pass the fork 2 to the left.  THIS is now your fork.  Claim it by coloring on it.

Pass it 3 to the right.  THIS is now your fork.  Claim it by coloring on it.

Pass it 2 more to the right.  THIS is now your fork.  Claim it by coloring on it.

Continue passing the forks around in different directions and patterns until the forks are all yucked-up with marker.

Then bring out the gooey dessert.

• If all of these people had "licked" or "used" your fork for real, how interested would you be in using the fork to eat this cake?
• How many people would prefer that I give them a new, clean fork?
• Notice that while you all had fun coloring the forks, but when it actually came time to USE the fork, you didn't want the dirty, germy, used-up forks; you wanted a nice CLEAN un-marked fork.
• Notice that sometimes, when you got another fork, someone had colored where you would like to have colored on the fork.  You had to move over and find a new place.

Now imagine that fork was your body.

When you make decisions about sex you are like the fork.  Every time you choose to have sex or intimate behaviors with someone, it is just like when your fork was colored on by someone else .  And when you choose to have sex or intimate behaviors with multiple people, you are used over and over just like the forks that were colored on again and again.  And, as with a permanent Sharpie marker, those experiences never go away.  They are always stored in your brain - comparing experience to experience.

When you receive God's wedding gift to you (sex) on your wedding night, you *SHOULD* be able to enjoy it without worrying who else has been there too.  And your spouse deserves the same consideration.

Choosing abstinence may not be the world view or the "popular" path... But if you wouldn't even eat cake with a fork that had been used by 1...2...5...10+ other people, why in the world would you share the most intimate of moments with a person who had similarly been so used?!

In a bar, the best liquor is kept on the top shelf - hence the expression "Top-Shelf Liquor."  This is the most expensive and typically viewed to be "the best" when it comes to liquor.  Middle-priced liquor is on the middle shelves - and the bottom shelves, the "well," holds the cheap stuff.  Not many people buy the "Top-Shelf" liquor - because it's too expensive and they are just as content with something cheaper or more common.  "Top-Shelf" liquor is considered exclusive... special... priceless.  Not many people experience a "Top Shelf" drink.

When you are looking for your future husband or wife, you need to be looking for a "Top-Shelf" person.  You are deserving of a "Top-Shelf" Spouse!  Find someone who didn't choose to be common, used, average, or cheap.  Find someone who valued their body enough to treat it as an exclusive treat for their future spouse.

Back in high school, we studied Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Less Traveled."  In it, Frost ponders the choice of which path to take when you come to a "fork" in the road:

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

He took the path LESS traveled - the exclusive one - the one NOT already trampled by a myriad of other people... that THAT has made all the difference.

Cherish yourself and your body.  Treat yourself as a "Top-Shelf" person and look for the same in the person to whom you will pledge your faithfulness and the rest of your life.

You are worth it.

:) Mags

I Found God in My Husband...

Yesterday, marked the anniversary of 14 years of marriage for me and my "King Charming," David. I have been blessed with a husband who is a noble and honorable man... one who stands firm in his convictions, but who also yields when it is in the best interests of the family (or his sanity!). One who provides for our family and models the type of man I want my sons to emmulate. I am lucky, for sure, and I thought I'd share just a few of the lessons I've learned from him...

1. Don't Waver On Your Faith - When David and I got married, I was VERY resistent to going to church. But David was patient and steadfast - he quietly followed my initial "one week on - one week off" rule regarding our church attendance, but continued his own growth with men's classes on the side. He encouraged me to pick up more responsibility at our church - even joining me in helping in the nursery and such. When I came time to find a new church closer to our home, he valued my opinions and insight on the various places we visited. We've had some spirited discussion on many "hot" topics: homosexuality, abortion, etc. - and his point of view has always been backed by Biblical teachings. He has never let society and their "rules" interfere with what he knows to be True from the Bible. One's faith is critical - you have to know WHAT you belief... and more importantly, you have to know WHY you believe it so you can explain it to others. David knows his stuff ... and he can share it with others so that they can understand too. God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship. - Proverbs 22:11 (Msg)

2. Know when to bend. You know how we had to put our beloved dog, Clifton, down last month? "THE PLAN" was to wait a year (or at least across a summer) before getting a new one. I was on board with THE PLAN... when we had an infirm dog already and taking a break seemed like a good idea.... but about 12 hours after having "no dog," I realized that I hated not having a dog in our house...!! And 36 hours later, I had found a new dog on the Columbus Cocker Rescue site! Needless to say, David was flabbergasted - he was not on this "NEW PLAN" of mine - but he came to realize how important getting a new dog was to me. He put his own wants and needs aside for me - gave up his plan and accepted the new plan... for me... because he loves me, and in this instance, he could be the bigger person and B E N D.

3. Leave the baggage behind. Everyone has baggage in their life... sometime small bags that are easily discarded and forgotten... but sometimes BIG baggage that sits in the foyer of your lives forever - unable to be emptied, recycled, trashed, or wiped from memory. But one's circumstances or past does NOT have to dictate your whole life - The past may have shaped who you are TODAY... but it does NOT have to dictate who you will be tomorrow. David refuses to let old family stuff impact our kids or our family. He steps up and protects our core family from the baggage that could infect another generation. It's not easy - and I so admire him for that!

4. Have fun with your family. ... And on the 7th day, God rested... David takes time to play with the family... We see movies, he wrestles with the kids, he coaches their sports teams, he co-leads the Scouts. He shows our kids all the time that they are important to him and that they matter. Sure, he's got work... and lots of it! But he's not ALL about work - and the kids know that THEY are more valuable to him than work.

5. Love your spouse. Proverbs 6:17-20 (Msg) reminds us to "never take love for granted." David brings me flowers... not just on a birthday or anniversary... but "just because." He once went out a 9:45PM (10 minutes before Best Buy would close) to buy me a security cable for my laptop before we left on vacation because he knew I really wanted (needed?!) one for our trip. He takes care of our cars (you have to change the oil??) - our home (what's a furnace filter?) - and our money (with help from Dave Ramsey). He's endured more than one craft show, the nightmarish rubber stamp convention, the garrish Rennassance Festival, and the American Girl Doll Store (and we don't even have a daughter!). This man SHOWS me over and over... daily... that he loves me and our family.

Thanks, Sweetie... for your everyday life lessons... ♥

I Found God On A Walk...

I am impatient and uber-efficient. I like to get things done quickly and as streamlined as possible. It's a good thing that I live during the "information age" - As a teenager, I needed to by physically near a working telephone... just in case I needed to contact someone (or get a call). When cell phones came out, it wasn't long before I was sporting my StarTac flip phone on my belt loop. Now I open 4 Internet browsers simultaneously while I check email, Facebook, and eBay with one eye ... and monitor the App Updates on my iPhone with the other. I become a multi-tasking machine... eyes racing across the screen, fingers flying over the keyboard, mind racing to the next "thing" I have to do. I like things fast and efficient.

I can't stand SLOW.

So I was struck today by something one of our pastors said today during his sermon. Craig was speaking to us on the topic of "WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT FROM US?" He said that

"Walking humbly with God meant staying on pace with God - not running ahead and not lagging behind."

I must admit, I often run way, way ahead of God... I race off in the direction I think my life should go - and then get frustrated when I realize that I'm heading off all by myself... that God is patiently standing back at the fork in the road waiting for me to turn around and join Him. Fortunately, God doesn't just stand there tapping His foot and rolling His eyes at me... but I do think that sometimes he cups His hands around his mouth and shouts, "YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY, MAGGIE!!!" :)

Micah 6:8 says that God expects us to act justly, to love mercy and kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Walking with Him does not mean running off half-cocked, ahead of Him... nor does it mean sulking along behind Him grumbling about trapsing through various thorns, briars, or other hardships. It also doesn't mean splitting up your attention to 20 other "things" plus Him.

It means walking WITH Him... in tandem... together. It means listening to His Word... letting him grab your hand to pull you up when you fall... being respectful... being grateful... being faithful. Walking WITH the Lord requires us to S L O W D O W N, stop multi-tasking, and cherish each amazing moment: the moments we celebrate, laugh, cry, mourn, worship, pray, study, praise, heal, sleep. While you may try to juggle many moments at once, you can't multi-task when you're talking with the Lord - He wants, and, frankly deserves, your undivided attention.

And when I actually --S L O W D O W N-- and pay attention to what God expects from me, I see that He expects me act justly: to do the right thing, to behave in a manner that makes Him proud, to use the talents and gifts He has entrusted me with to parent our 2 two children effectively and to be the kind of wife He wants me to be.

He expects me to be kind - to help others without regard to my pride or my own gain, to give generously of my time, talents, money, brain, or labor. The "Golden Rule" isn't supposed to be just a pretty saying cross-stitched on a pillow - but a keystone to living right, and He expects me to live it.

Finally, He expects me to walk humbly with Him. Not ahead, not behind - but side-by-side.

Are you living up to the expectations God has of you?

I Found God in Transformers...

No Sacrifice... No Victory...

That is one of the mottos of Optimus Prime and his Autobots.

For those of you who missed the 80's and all it's Transformer glory, the short story is this (courtesy of this website):

The Earth has become a battleground. Centuries ago, on a distant planet, the robotic alien races known as the Autobots and the Decepticons waged terrible war over a powerful cube called the All Spark. The cube was lost and both races vowed to find it. Now the cube has come to rest on Earth, hidden away by the US government for years, and the final stand of the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime against the Decepticons, led by Megatron will take place on our planet. But the Autobots have an ally: humans.

Fiery battles ensue and eventually, Optimus Prime is willing to sacrifice himself to save humankind... planning to stick the All Spark cube in his chest to destroy it and save Earth. Whether or not Optimus Prime is forced to this end will be yours to discover if you see the movie. What I love is that you can find so many Christian undertones weaved throughout the storyline...

God asks us in Romans 12:1-2 to sacrifice the commonplace behaviors and corruptions of earth to live in a way that is acceptable to Him...

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The Bible is packed with characters who made sacrifices to claim God's victory...

Noah... who sacrificed his reputation to build a giant boat that would guard his family against the end-of-the-world flood.

Moses... who gave up his independence to follow God's instructions and return to Egypt to save the Israelites.

Mary and Joseph... Joseph knew that baby wasn't "his" yet sacrificed his pride to be an earthly father to God's son while Mary gave up her own expectations and dreams to serve as the mother to Jesus.

Jonah... who had to face his fears to follow God's instructions.

Saul/Paul... who sacrificed his power in the Roman Empire to serve the Lord.

And Jesus... who truly gave the ULTIMATE sacrifice... Himself. His sacrifice yielded VICTORY for all of mankind.

Without sacrifice, there can be no victory. The important things are worth fighting for... they are worth the sacrifice.

Incidently... the other main motto of the movie is this:

One shall stand - One shall fall.

Good vs. Evil

God vs. Satan

Everlasting Life vs. Death

Who knew that you could find so much Godliness in some transforming robots? :)

--> Note: The Transformers movie is PG-13, and in it's original form, this is NOT for young kids. However, you can visit GoodMoviesOnline.com and purchase the edited-to-PG version that removes sexual references, anything with human blood, and all foul language. While the special effects are fabulous, the items that earned it's PG-13 rating are obnoxious and unnecessary. Do consider watching an edited version if you have kids!

Of God and Sin and Men and Basketball........

My husband and I spent last week in New York City with our good friends, Stephanie and Nathan. We had purchased two tickets to the Big East Basketball tournament (15 games in 5 days, baby!) - and while the husbands attended most of them (the gals shopped), there was an evening when Nathan scored two extra tickets, and we all went together.

Steph and I "people-watched" far more than we watched any actual basketball... and I must say, it was much more interesting... Midway through the game, a young couple came down and claimed the seats two rows in front of us. Immediately there was a ripple amongst most of the men around us (Our -husbands excluded... and we're so proud of them!). The girl was very skinny in ultra-tight "skinny" jeans, with long dark hair, and an average-looking face. But what set her apart was her surgically-enhanced bustline that was bursting (thanks to a push-up bra) out of her shirt that had the top 5 buttons undone.

Now, I say the girl was "surgically-enhanced" for this reason - if God had given a girl that robust of a busom that defied gravity so absolutely, most girls would cover themselves out of sheer embarrassment. But when a gal PAYS for something, she will likely do everything she can to show off the assets and make sure people know she got her money's worth. This girl was deliberately showing off her womanly parts to the world and often stood up, leaned over, at one point, even started patting her own rearend (no kidding!), or adjusted herself to make sure that she drew stares. And stares, she did receive...

Men in a 10 yard radius were reduced to their most primitive selves - slobbering, leering, and turning their necks so far that we thought many of them would require a lengthy chiropractic session to straighten out their spines. Forget the dribbling on the court...! We had dribbling and drooling men all around us!! Here are some of the characters we noticed...

• "4 Sleazy Dudes" - Group of 4 guys right behind us - late 20's/early 30's, post-college guys but who became nearly incoherent except for oggling eyes and phrases like "like to get me some of that" and "did you check out her rack?!" When she started patting her own backend, one nearly dumped his beer on me, he was leaning forward so far!


• "Mid-Life-Crisis Man" who sat across the aisle and a row below her with his two buddies. His neck is definitely out of alignment for all of the craining he did. Plus, tons of obviously lewd gestures and tongue-waggling in her direction as he envisioned all the porno-type thoughts he could come up with and share with his cronies.


• "Clearly A Grandpa And A Pervert" - Guy well over 65 years old with his buddy sat in our row. He was up on his toes to look down her shirt more than once.


• "My Girlfriend Doesn't Have As Big A Set" Dude who sat with his girlfriend directly in front of "Boobalicious." He spent most of the game turned completely around pretending to talk to his date but eying the magnificent display the whole time. There were many "pretend" reaches to the floor behind him for his water bottle so he could get a closer..... look.

What's wrong with this picture....? Several things!

1. The Girl has self-esteem issues, big time. She is thinking that her self-worth is derived by how men react to her, but isn't realizing that these men are only reacting on the most basic of levels... No one is thinking of her "as the girl I'd introduce to my parents" - she is reduced to the "skanky girl who might get me laid." Here is what God says: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Or The Message version which is a bit more specific: There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
   



2. This girl's behavior has now become a stumbling block to the men around her. It is quite possible that some of the leering guys struggle with addictions to pornography (my money's on "Mid-Life Crisis Guy"), and her lack-of-outfit just throws more images into their permanent "Mental Rolladex." God says in Romans 14:13 - Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. Obviously she is not responsible for everyone else's problems, but there are SO many poor messages being sent out with this attire... there doesn't seem to be anything positive about it!
   



3. This doesn't mean "Girls: don't be cute." Beth Moore put it best when she said, "Ladies, you can be cute! You go out and buy the cutest outfit you can find... but COVER yourself!" You can be pretty, or beautiful, or flashy, or cute WITHOUT being skanky, or lewd, or tacky... or be nicknamed "Boobalicious!" Our friends with a teenage daughter have the "4 B's Rule" in their house. For their daughter, it's NO boobs, NO butts, NO belly, NO bra strap showing or she can't leave the house. This would seem like a NO-BRAINER... but a lot of today's fashions leave a tons of personal skin exposed and on display!

In man's defense, not ALL of the guys around were a drooling mess. The two men right in front of us (who could have had an excellent view) seemed to be quite UNcomfortable with the whole thing and were looking anywhere BUT at her... Our dear husbands actually seemed oblivious to it all as they were totally into the game (until we told them about it and they started watching the surrounding crowd). But the majority of the men around us did not represent their gender well! And I felt sorry for them.. and for their wives... or their daughters... or their girlfriends... or their mothers... all of the women in their lives who had just been disrespected by their behavior.

When I was a kid, my Mom used to tell me to "pretend she was sitting on our shoulders" when we were out and about... that whatever we did or said - to ask ourselves if Mom was watching... would we still be doing that particular thing... (My brother often looked at her and used his fingers to flick off the "imaginary Mom" off of his shoulder... but I digress...!)

While your Mom might not always be with you, there is a parent figure who IS always watching you... God sees your stumbles and falls... your good days AND your obnoxious ones. And while He loves us and forgives us, He can still feel disappointment in our choices. I screw up daily... by the hour, sometimes! ... but I one of the things I pray for is for God to help me be a better person/mother/wife/friend/Christian tomorrow than I was today. And in order to actually accomplish that, I have to make better choices.

How's your behavior lately...?

Are you representing your gender well?

Your family well?

Your Creator well?

Take care of you this week,

:) Mags

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 Thread...

Our church is doing a WHY? study - 6 "big" questions about God, Jesus, and Faith.

On Sunday, Pastor Tom discussed the big "WHY?" question of "Why Should I Trust The Bible?" and the thread of consistency found within the Bible:
- a volume containing 66 books,
- written via 40 different authors,
- living in different location,
- in several different languages,
- across a couple thousand years,


We live in an era where even the most amazing technology and skilled technicians can't even accurately translate a book into a movie (i.e. The Firm, Flowers in the Attic, Twilight, Harry Potter 3, etc.!) when the book they are referencing is right in front of them! Yet the Bible has maintained its authenticity and consistency over the years and across numerous translations!

To illustrate this thread of consistency, Tom's wife, Kay, stood up and recited this song by heart called "HE IS" - written by Arron Jeoffrey:

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus He's our high priest
Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice
In Joshua, He is Salvation's choice

Judges, law giver
In Ruth, the kinsmen-redeemer
First and Second Samuel,
Our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He's sovereign
Ezra, true and faithful scribe
Nehemiah, He's the rebuilder of
Broken walls and lives

In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms, He is our morning song
In Proverbs, wisdom's cry
Ecclesiastes, the time and season
In the Song of Solomon,
He is the lover's dream

He is, He is

In Isaiah, He's prince of peace Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, He's the call from sin
In Daniel, the stranger in the fire
In Hosea, He is forever faithful

In Joel, He's the spirit's power
In Amos, the Arms that carry us
In Obadiah, He's the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He's the great missionary
In Micah, the promise of peace
In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield

In Habakkuk and Zephaniah
He's pleading for revival
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage
In Zachariah, our fountain
In Malachi, He is the sun of righteousness
Rising with healing in His wings.

He is, He is

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
He is God, Man, Messiah
In the book of Acts, He is fire from Heaven
In Romans, He's the grace of God
In Corinthians, the power of love
In Galatians, He is freedom from
The curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
In Colossians, He's the Godhead Trinity
Thessalonians, our coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon
He's our mediator and our faithful pastor

In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant
In James, the one who heals the sick
In First and Second Peter,
He is our shepherd
In John and in Jude, He's the lover
Coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings, and Lord of lords

He is, He is

The Prince of peace
The Son of Man
The Lamb of God
The Great I Am

He's the Alpha and Omega
Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ the Lord
And when time is no more

He is
He is

Throughout the Bible runs a thread of consistency. One that holds it together - solidifies it - binds it. As a kid, I believed that the Bible was just a collections of stories... of fables to teach all of us a lesson or two. It hasn't been until the last few years, that my mindset has changed to include the faith that the Bible is not just a collection of poignant tales, but a manual, written by God. The words may have been penned by man, but the verses themselves are God-breathed. When you are searching for an instruction-manual to this crazy thing called life, you can find tips, tricks, wisdom, rules, guidelines, and more in this single book.

Recently, our family visited the Creation Museum in Kentucky. I plan to write about it in detail in a future post, but one video clip about fossils and the history of dinosaurs struck me; it said:

"Rocks and fossils don't come with tags on them, telling us how old they are. Scientists reach different views about the past, not because of what they see, but because of their different starting points: autonomous human reasoning or God's Word... Our conclusions about the world are affected by the decision to trust either the words of the eternal, perfect God or the words of temporal, fallible men. [Either way] there is an element of FAITH at work in every interpretation of scientific evidence."

Purposefully changing your mind to the faith that the Bible = Truth changes the way you see the entire world. It IS, in fact, life-changing. :)

If you'd like to hear the messages from our church, they are download-able from the Christ's Church at Mason website. The sermons are on a week-delay, so likely the sermon on "Why trust the Bible" will be available after Feb. 22 (2009). But the other messages in this series are posted now.

HERE is the link!

Pastor Tom is an amazing speaker and so is David Ray, (who also does one of the sermons) - I think you'll enjoy what you hear!

:) Mags

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'm Finding God in 2009...!

Welcome to 2009!! I hope your Christmas and New Years were memorable and fun. I also pray that in 2009, God keeps you and your family healthy, happy, and safe.

A few months ago, I wrote that I was taking charge of my Bible studies - by starting to read the entire Bible from start to finish. Those of you who have tried this before probably just sat back and chuckled. Yeah... it didn't go so well. I'm on Exodus. But apparently lots of other people just within our church must have tried this technique out too (and failed) because God has impressed upon the leadership in our church that we should all be reading His Word (completely), and the church leaders have taken that call to action:

My church purchased the Daily NIV Bible for EVERY MEMBER (2500+) of the congregation as well as Bibles for each of the school age children! This particular edition provides a section of the Old Testament, a section of the New Testament, as well as a Psalm or Proverb each day. The kids' Bibles provide a section of the Old Testament and a specific verse from the New Testament. It breaks down to just 2-and-a-half pages per day if you stay on track! And, by the end of the year, the adults will have read the entire Bible while the kids will have read every major story!

In last Sunday's adult Bible fellowship class, our leader discussed "manuals" and how every major purchase, toy, gadget, appliance, electronical, etc. comes with an instruction manual. Actually READING the manual and following the directions for set-up, usually makes the usage of whatever gadget much easier. The same is true for life. God made an instruction manual for His creations!! Within the Bible, you can get answers to life's most pressing questions, quick FAQ's for a smoother life, or troubleshoot problems that may arise! Yet most of us (myself included!) just open the Bible when we have to look up a specific verse or deal with a specific problem. It will work so much better for us if we actually know the context in which each of those verses are given, because how can we know God's Will if we don't know what the Bible even says??

New Year's Resolutions are so easily broken, forgotten, or discarded. So instead of calling it a resolution, make this a GOAL of yours for 2009. Join me in reading the entire Bible this year. Apply what you learn, and let God work through you. If you want to join me in the 2009 Bible Challenge, just visit our church's website: http://www.ccmason.org/about/ttbible.html. They have .pdf's of the portions we have to read each day so you can follow along with your own Bible! Happy reading!!

:) Mags