I Found God in Fake Rabbits...

One of our pastors told us this story on Sunday:
A pastor went to visit a home.  At the house, lived a retired greyhound racing dog.  As the pastor waited to talk to the family, he decided to talk to the dog.  "Why are you retired?" he asked.  "You look to be pretty healthy." 
The dog looked at him and said, "I am healthy.  But I quit."  
"Were you not any good?" asked the Pastor.
"I was very good.  I won the races many times," replied the dog.
"Were you treated poorly?"
The dog considered this.  "Conditions for a greyhound are not the best," he admitted. "But that's not why I quit."
"Then why?" asked the Pastor.
"Because," answered the dog.  "The 'rabbit' I was chasing wasn't even real."

Think of all of those greyhounds... chasing that fake rabbit.  Around and around they go thinking that they will be successful... thinking that they will snag that bunny.  Yet every time, the race suddenly ends, the rabbit disappears, and the dogs shake their heads in confusion.

"It was right there!" 
"I almost had it!"
"Just another second...!"
"Why are we stopping??!"

How many times do we chase fake rabbits?
How many times do we work, and work, and work for something only to see that it wasn't nearly as good as we thought it'd be?   A new car... a promotion... expensive clothes...?  How many of us remember the days in high school or college where we were encouraged to make "Goal Lists?"  Where will you be in 5 years?  In 10 years?  How often did these lists include things like I will be the boss of my company....  I will make a 6-figure salary...  I will have a big house and nice car....

I once had a neighbor who moved away because she wanted an "executive house" -- a house that reflected the stature of her husband's very "important" job.  Nevermind that her current house had 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a screened-in back porch, and really cool neighbors*. (*wink)  Ignore the fact that her only child had already left for college and it was just her and her husband.  The need for something MORE overshadowed being grateful for what she already had.  And how long would it be before the new "executive house" was suddenly not flashy enough...?

Mark 10:17-21 talks about the rich man who wants the "secret" to getting into Heaven...

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

   ¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

 ²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

 ²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

 ²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

If God came to you today, and told you he could give you a ticket to Heaven right now IF you would give up everyTHING to follow Him, would you do it?

I think for most of us, including me... that would be very hard.  My mind would be racing... trying to weigh the pros and cons of a "sure thing ticket" vs. keeping my stuff and finding another way...

Fortunately God isn't exactly say that... but He is telling us that STUFF can get in the way of our relationship with God.  It could be physical STUFF like overspending on your house, cars, vacations, etc.  It could be the poor choices you make with your time, talents, and money.  It could be the secrets you keep:  adultery, cheating, porn, addictions.  While all of this STUFF might make us feel safe or in control, it becomes a substitute for trusting God.  As our pastor reminded us:

Until you LET GO of what possesses you, you will never be FREE to follow Jesus.

My husband and I are big fans of reality TV - and the Hoarders show is especially disturbing.  These people are plagued with an addiction that forces them to collect STUFF:  be it food, supplies, or animals.  They are tormented with the feeling that there is never enough... and it leads them to unspeakable living conditions.

While we may not stockpile 300 cans of green beans (unless you're one of those Extreme Couponers and it was a really good deal...), we still have our own Hoarding issues.  We hoard our THINGS:  our TV's, our cars, our electronics, our hobbies, our money.  And while God doesn't need us to dump everything, He does want us to put our stuff into perspective.  

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 

than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Mark 10:25

He who dies with the most toys... still dies... and leaves one heck-of-a garage sale.

NONE of our THINGS will get us into Heaven.

So be generous.  Use what you need.  Share your blessing with others.

And, stop chasing the fake rabbits.

:) Mags

I Found God In A Bucket of White Rice...

We ordered Chinese food the other night for dinner. My 7-year-old son only wanted "the biggest thing of white rice they have, Mommy!" Feeling relieved that he, at least, was being agreeable to the dinner selection (it's not his favorite), I order a large steamed rice - and of course, it comes in the standard 5-inch paper container. Jack was totally annoyed with me... sure that I must've ordered a small because this container just can't be big ENOUGH to be a LARGE...!

We scoop a humungous portion on his plate which he eats.

He then eats a second enormous blob of rice.

He works on a third mound of steamed rice, and then looks inside the container only to see that it is still OVER HALF FULL of white rice. He then proclaims:

"Momma! It's like the loaves and the fishes!!

God just keeps filling up this bucket of rice!"

Now THAT was an excellent response!! My son honored God first. As much as I might have liked to have heard "Wow, Mom - you were right, this was more than enough rice to order!" (Yeah... right... I wasn't holding my breath!), Jack's first thought was that God had provided more than enough for him. (I think he still believed that I had ordered a small... and God was refilling it as fast as he could eat it!)

In surfing around the Internet for some other commentaries on the story of the loaves and the fish, I stumbled upon an excellent post by the Troy Schmidt - Indy Writer Guy. In it, he explains a simple Truth about God:

God will provide practically, but not necessarily extravagantly. The key for us is to appreciate what we receive and recognize it came from God. My family knows Matthew 6 very well. We quote it. We believe it. We hang on to it for our dear lives. In all my years, God has not broken this promise. To live with this verse at the core of my being, I had to understand these statements:

1. It may not be what I want, but it is what I need.
2. It may not arrive when I want, but it arrives in time.
3. It may not come to me how I want, but it comes nonetheless.

We must set aside our expectations and expect only God's promise.
This promise comes with an expectation on our part, though. We must seek Him first. God doesn't provide for everyone, all the time. Only those that follow him.

Recently, my husband, David, spoke with a friend about the stresses of being the sole breadwinner to our family - and how being the "only one" to provide (monetarily) can be mind-numbing. His friend stopped him and replied, "But you aren't the 'only one.' GOD is the One providing for your family... he's just working through you to do it. He will provide for your family no matter what job of yours he uses to do it..."

What a shift in perspective!!

I've noticed a change in my husband's mood since that talk. When he feels stresses at work, he reminds himself that God will provide for our family and will place him in the right spot to carry out His plans. The burden does not rest soley on David's shoulders - God has made a promise to help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes (Matthew 6:34 - The Message). And like Mr. Schmidt says in his own article, "God does not break His promises!"


My son was thankful to God for providing him with enough rice to stuff himself silly. More importantly, he offered praise to the One who provided this treat. Now God provides for our simple and complex needs every day... Have you taken a moment to say thanks? My son was thrilled with the abundance of plain, steamed, white rice... Haven't you received at least a few bigger provisions for which God should get at least a simple thank you? :)

--> To read the full article by Troy Schmidt, visit this link: http://www.indywriterguy.com/indy_ramen.htm. It's a great read!!

God Rocks!!! I Found God In L-O-U-D Music...

My more conservative friends tell us that we go to the "rock-n-roll" church now. After 10 years in a beautiful Methodist church (the church where we got married), we left 2+ years ago and went "church shopping." Four churches later, we found Christ's Church At Mason - and I discovered something about myself...

I discovered that all the pagentry, organ music, robes, recipricol prayer, and traditions drove me crazy!! I hated it! No wonder I couldn't feel God there - for me, this was a language I did not speak... did not understand. But when we went to our first "rock-n-roll" service, I found Him... I did not even know this rock-concert-style of worship even existed - and I was nearly stunned with the power of it.

God came in many forms:

• The voice of the lead singer, bathed in spotlights - pouring his heart and soul into every song,
• The harmonies of the Worship Team singing in tandem,
• The swell of the music created by the band (drummer, guitars, keyboards, once an electric-violin!) - all of them church members and volunteers,
• The lyrics of each song that touched something deep in my heart,
• The vibrations from the speakers (we sit only three rows away) echoing through my body,
• The energy of the Pastor in his sermon and the powerful message he delivers,
• The people - strangers, at first - who reached out and welcomed us,
• And did I mention the MUSIC...?! :)

Fast or slow - all of it is loud and powerful. We sit so close to the speakers (by choice) that we can often feel the drumbeats in our bones, the buzz of the guitars in our joints, and the lyrics in our hearts. We are not just listening to the music... but are IN the music as well.

This is the only church I've attended where I miss it when we aren't there on a Sunday... where I look forward to being there every week. Of course, we don't attend just for the music - we go there for Worship - but the music was the hook that reeled us in. Just as Jesus called to Simon and Andrew to become fishers of men, CCM is casting out their lines and bringing more and more people to Christ. When we started at this church, the average attendance was about 1,200 people in a weekend. Fast forward two short years, and we are averaging over 2,000 worshippers in that same time span!! Talk about a great catch!

Have you found God in your church? Do you feel Him each Sunday? Do you hear His messages to you? Maybe your style of worship is along the more traditional route. Maybe you need the robes and the chants and the routine. Maybe you are like me and crave the concert-style worship that also has you singing along in the car to the same tunes. Regardless of your preferred method, there IS a style out there that will tune itself to your own personal rhythm - that will make you feel like you have, indeed, found a church HOME.

And coming Home, is the best feeling in the world...!

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18 NIV)

I have added an iMeem playlist to my blog - you should be able to control the play-vs-not option yourself. I hope you enjoy some of my favorite songs!

♥ Mags