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 Alexander & His Terrible Day...

Note: I actually completed this entry late last night... but in fitting with my lousy day, my connection to the Internet failed on the desktop computer and I could not post it...... of course. *sigh*

Today I am defeated.

My head hurts.

My eyeballs hurt (who even knows why??).

I've got snot.

My laptop has just been reformated for the SECOND TIME in 7 days, and right at this very moment, a remote Dell technician is reinstalling programs on it.

When he's done, I'll still have at least a week's worth to time required by me to reinstall all of my own programs.

I'd lay my head down and cry... but I've done that already... and it just led to more snot.

One of my very favorite childhood books was Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Here is just the first page:

I went to sleep with gum in my mouth, and now there's gum in my hair, and when I got out of bed this morning, I tripped on the skateboard, and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running, and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Page, after page, it continues...

On the way downstairs the elevator door closed on my foot and while we were waiting for my mom to go get the car, Anthony made me fall where it was muddy and then when I started crying because of the mud, Nick said I was a "crybaby" and while I was punching Nick for saying "crybaby," my mom came back with the car and scolded me for being muddy AND fighting.

I AM HAVING A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY! I told everybody.

No one even answered.

Alexander continues chronicling his awful day - wishing all the time that he could just ESCAPE to Australia because surely in a place that far away, things must be better... At the end of the book, when his mother is tucking him into bed - and things are still going terribly for him, his mother tells him that "some days are like that........even in Australia."

No matter where we live, some days just stink. Some days leave us feeling like the BUG squashed on a windshield - defeated and spent. It is those days when prayers are most needed. Praying (shrieking?), "GOD...HELP ME!" doesn't mean that God is going to swoop in and fix things up for you all nice and neat (but, OH, how I wish he would!). It does mean that God will lend His strength to you so you can keep your priorities in order and deal with whatever obstacles are in your way. I know that today, my patience is short and my temper is huge because I'm feeling sick AND frustrated. I know that this 4-and-a-half-hour online/phone call with Dell is just the first of many hours of getting my laptop back the way I want it to be. It stinks, for sure. But it's not God's fault. And it's not the end of the world. Other people have bigger things to deal with than a little bit of snot and a busted computer, and I'm fortunate to just have those two things on my plate right now.

So I guess my big word for today is "perspective." Some days we just need to crawl in bed, pull the covers up over our heads, and wait until morning. For me, today is one of those days... But I have hope that my tomorrow will be better - and either way, I know that with God, all things are possible, and He will be my source of strength.

Karaoke Tuesday: "Britney" by Bebo Norman

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Bebo Norman on his song, Britney - copied from CCMagazine.

“Britney” is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days. It’s a collective apology for the struggle girls face growing up too fast in today’s overly adult-oriented world. The song confesses, “I’m sorry for the lies we told… We took you into our arms then left you cold/I’m sorry for this cruel, cruel world… /We sell the beauty but destroy the girl.” It’s about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what’s beautiful and what will give them life. It’s an apology for those lies. But more than that, it’s an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in.
I was up late, couldn't sleep, watching some news channel, when yet another story about Britney Spears came on. My first instinct was to scoff and write it off, but then there was this freeze-frame shot of a look on her face of utter and absolute despair and confusion and brokenness—a look that I recognized. And I remember thinking “This girl is a child of God.” Suddenly, I saw her story not as something to mock, but as a real-life tragedy that is desperate for redemption and hope—a story not so different from any of our stories. Take away all the lights and cameras, and it’s really just a narrative of a girl so clearly in need of love, so clearly in need of the redeeming love of our God.

And suddenly, all I wanted to do was just apologize, over and over. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...on behalf of this fallen world, on behalf of our consumerism that so consistently devours what it wants and leaves the remnants in the wake of the search for the next fix, on behalf of believers, like myself, who mock and hurl stones rather than scribbling a message in the sand.

I think that night I saw her through the eyes of Jesus for the first time. I imagined what Jesus would say to me in my darkest hour and realized that those are the words we should speak to this world, to this culture, and even to Britney Spears in their darkest hour. “I’m sorry. Hope is here.” –Bebo Norman

This song is amazing! I didn't even realize it was about Britney Spears at first - I was just struck by the lyrics themselves and how they can apply to so many people - even me. It's so easy to cast the stones... poking fun at someone else who looks different, smells different, dresses different, acts different, or speaks differently... talking about someone behind their back (or blatantly in front!)... judging others for their choices... There used to be that childhood saying that "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Sadly, we realize all too quickly that the quote is a falsehood. Sometimes, words hurt much more than a stone; the words we use have the potential to leave scars that can last a lifetime.

Currently, I have a subscription to People magazine - it was a gift last Christmas, and I've noticed more and more, how sad I feel for these celebrities when their personal garbage is strewn all over the newsstands for us to gape at. Easily, I can judge them - for their ridiculous choices and behaviors that have led them to whatever current mess that is written about. But this song reminds me to have a little more sympathy and a little less judgement. Because when you compound all of the millions of people in the world who witness a celebrity's mistakes and blunders every day via TV or magazines, you realize that it must be so frustrating to have all of your life (the good times and the bad) displayed for the masses just because of the line of work you chose.

I found a fantastic Fan Video on You Tube using this song... The song, itself, is about 4 minutes - but the last 2 minutes include some bonus footage that you wont want to miss. I hope you have time to watch it all.

Song: Britney
Artist: Bebo Norman
Album: Bebo Norman

I Found God In UN-Fairness...

Our church is doing a sermon series on Six Things I Want My Children To Remember. This past Sunday, the discussion focused on Life Isn't Fair!

I thought it was very interesting that, apparently, nowhere in the bible, does God say that life will be fair for each of us... God tells us that He will be there for us, that He is with us, that we can turn to Him in times of trouble. He does not say that he will make life fair and square for each of us!

I remember that when I whined as a kid about something being unfair, my Mom would always say, "Life were fair, I'd look like Bo Derek!" Boy, she sounded like a broken record after awhile (and I didn't even know who Bo Derek was anyway), but that lesson was demonstrated to me throughout my life, over and over. I'm sure you can find many examples in your own lives when you felt that life wasn't treating you fairly - and life will continue to be that way. Learning to accept and move on with your life when unfair things happen to you is a critical skill to surviving this world!

During the Sunday sermon, my thoughts flitted to my LEAST favorite story of the Bible... the story of the prodigal son. I know and understand the main points to the story:

1. That God will take you back no matter how far you stray,
2. That forgiveness will be extended to you when you ask for it,
3. That if God can forgive even your greatest transgression, surely, you could forgive your own neighbor for a wrong-doing.

However, I always found this story frustrating... because in my life, I would consider myself to be "the other brother..."

"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!"
Luke 15: 28-30 The Message

I've often felt like that "other brother" felt... anger and aggravation towards another who flaggrantly disregarded "the rules," did whatever he or she wanted, and then expected to be "saved" again and again when it didn't work out. I struggle with this story often because of those feelings. But this sermon on unfairness spoke to me... It wasn't "fair" that the prodigal son could squander away his inheritance and still be welcomed back with as much love as the son who stayed and toiled for his father.

BUT, perhaps forgiveness is more important (and more valuable) than fairness.

And if we're whining to God, the Father, about life not being "fair" - instead of my Mom's answer of "If life were fair, I'd look like Bo Derek," couldn't you imagine God frowning at us and saying (in a Godly-way, of course!):

"If life were fair, then my perfect, SINLESS Son would not have been
arrested,
stripped,
whipped,
and crucified
to ensure your eternal life!"

Kind of hard to argue with that logic, isn't it?! :)

BECAUSE life wasn't fair,
BECAUSE Jesus took our sins upon His shoulders,
BECAUSE He gave up His life for us...

WE are given the amazing gift of eternal life.
WE are forgiven.

THANK GOD that life isn't fair!