Cool Cat Christian Blog

Still

2009-09-08T20:17:00.000-04:00

I have taken these lyrics and put them by my sink, at my desk, and in my journal.

The Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently, the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to your God, to order and provide.
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul,
Your best your heavenly friend, 
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul,
Your God will undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake.
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul,
The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he lived below.

Be still, my soul,
Be still, my soul,
Be still."

I haven't blogged here in a while because sometimes struggles are too

personal and yet even with the silence of this blog, it doesn't really matter -

any time you want to hear from God - you can open His Word.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased
to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and anything good I have goes to Him.

This blog may be still.  He's not.

Bible Study and my Itouch

2009-03-27T07:45:00.000-04:00

I love my new Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation), it is so cool.

And yet, it has improved my life in so many ways. Not only have I lost 14 pounds using the really cool Lose It app, but it is part of my Bible study and Sunday school lesson.

There is a Bible app that has multiple translations of the Bible. I often use it as part of studying my Sunday school lesson.

Also, as I do my Beth Moore Bible Study, Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent, Member Book, I can now buy the lessons that come every five days for $3.99. That may sound like a lot, but it lets me spread the cost out a little and it is far less expensive than the video version. I listen as I walk on the treadmill and every so often for my morning study and fill in the blanks.

I also have several books on my itouch including Believing God (also by Beth Moore) -- see a pattern there, but also many other great books like The Last Lion Part B: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone, 1932-1940.

So, the last book, on Churchill costs $120 on Amazon in audio tape and you cannot seem to get it in print. I pay around $20 a month for a subscription to Audible.com and get 4 credits a month - I got the Churchill book for 2 credits. If you have an itouch, Audible is really the way to go. (Too bad, Beth Moore's lessons aren't available there, so I have to buy them from Itunes. But that is ok, it is worth it.)

For me, as a Sunday School teacher and person who is usually leading, it is vital that I study under someone. It is important so that I can help others, to get up every morning and study my own Bible. Have to learn and seek God.

My Itouch has been a great tool and really in the running for my all time favorite gadget of my life. It is not nearly as expensive as an Iphone, which I hear is a terrible phone anyway, and it works very well.

I recommended it to our youth pastor because of some of the really cool features:

Set it up to sync with google Calendars - it will link up to 5. You can have some of those calendars as public calendars and embed them in websites. Then, when you put a date on one of your public calendars, it automatically publishes onto your website -- perfect for youth.
You can use Nimbuzz to instant message from your itouch -- it is important to IM if you work with youth.
You can link to facebook and twitter on your itouch as well.
It lets you keep up on those emails that come in all the time.
It makes you cool. ;-)

What to do when I don't fit in

2009-03-26T22:10:00.000-04:00

Today's Bible Study for me this morning, Psalm 124:

" ¹ If the LORD had not been on our side—
    let Israel say—
    ² If the LORD had not been on our side ^(A)
    when men attacked us, ^(B)
    ³ then they would have swallowed us alive
    in their burning anger against us. ^(C)
    ⁴ Then the waters would have engulfed us;
    the torrent would have swept over us;
    ⁵ the raging waters would have swept over us. ^(D)
    ⁶ Praise the LORD,
    who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. ^(E)
    ⁷ We have escaped like a bird from the hunter's net;
    the net is torn, and we have escaped. ^(F)
    ⁸ Our help is in the name of the LORD,
    the Maker of heaven and earth. ^(G)"

I've been enjoying Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent, Member Book, another delightful study from Beth Moore. This Psalm really speaks to me and the struggles of late. I'm the type of person who likes and gets along with most people, so when people are unkind to me or just plain spiteful, it is sort of the response as if a baby kitten had suddenly had a cup of milk from the counter fall on her head.

So, after spending the better part of two sitcoms with my face to the couch with tears in my eyes, I'm back upright blogging this for some strange reason, leaning against the wet cushion that has been my repose.

You know, I could have pity parties and whine about how I'm mistreated. But, as I was walking back to my classroom after lunch, I saw this Psalm clearly in my mind, then, I saw Jesus surrounded by the teachers of the law trying to find fault with him. He didn't deserve it.

Beth says in the study on p 54:

"We must let God open our eyes to the reality that we have a powerful enemy who- let me say this clearly - absolutely hates us...

We who belong to Christ are not imagining that we have an enemy who hates us. We do. We also don't have to wonder why. Satan hates us because God loves us...

The closest he can come to hurting God is to hurt one of His children."

To me, the hardest thing to understand is pure, unadulterated hatred from another person. I know that I as a person am so far from perfect--I get so mad at my own faults -- the way I forget things, the way I repeat myself, how I can get so focused on a task that I'm insensitive or just clueless to the needs of others. I'm a geek and use big words that scare people. I could go on. But, to me, every human on this earth is made by God and worthy of respect. I may not like them, but God loves them as equally as He loves me. He loves each of us.

But something stuck with me as the study moved over to Romans 8:28-39. She asked us to fill in the blanks as if these verses are a personal message to me and here is what I wrote based upon the passage of Romans:

My child, Vicki. (put your name there)

I will make sure all things work together for your good.
I will make you look like my Son, Jesus.
I will give you a calling, justify and glorify you.
I will always be for you as proven by the sacrifice of my Son.
I will make you more than a conqueror - you are made to triumph.
I will love you and nothing, ever, anywhere will ever keep me from loving you or separate you from my love.

Love, God.

So, today I was in an unguarded moment and misspoke and was quickly taken down for it both then and later. Besides beating up on myself, I was reminded and rebuked for my misstatement.

And so, I have been crying on the couch.

And yet, again, the part that stuck out was "justify and glorify you" which came from Romans 8:30:

"³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."

I need to feel justified. Not justified in my feelings, but to know that somehow, someway, my God will justify me. I know in my heart that no ill intent was meant nor implied today. I feel like I should run and hide. Already I try to make myself NOT speak up every chance I can, however, God has called me and one day He will justify me. Really, I don't want to be glorified and know that I don't deserve it. But to be justified. To be accepted and loved for who I am by the God who made me. That is enough.

The biggest problem with me in this small town is that I am really pretty geeky. I don't mean to be. So many times I've wished I could just fit in. But I don't. I'm the pyramid that doesn't fit in the round hole!

So, sometimes I have to cry about it. And yet, when I cry about it, I recall the last time I felt this down about being a geek. It was January 2000, the month before my hometown was struck by horrible tornadoes. When the tornadoes struck, I felt God tell me that he called me out for the purpose. He used my geekiness to do some technological things that really did benefit my hometown. It was one of the greatest joys of my life. I knew I was here for a reason. My husband and I staying and living here was justified. God was glorified, and yes, we were too in many ways.

So now, again, I'm feeling this horrible feeling of "why on earth am I here. I don't fit in at all." My heart is broken but it is OK. This is my version of Psalm 124 that is my comfort:

"Oh, God, If you hadn't been on my side!
If you hadn't been on my side, my God, when I was under attack
      They would have eaten me alive in venomous hatred!
The water would have drowned me
      I would have sunk and washed away in the flood.
Praise God! You saved me from their vicious bite!
You have freed me from the net of those who try to trap me.
Even when I am caught in their net-trap
     See! The net is torn and I got away! Because of you!!!

My help is in your name, the name of the God who covenanted with me in His blood,
    the maker of heaven and earth
    and the One who saves me in countless ways from the roaring lion
    who hates all God's children!

Praise to the deliverer, my Deliverer, my God, my Christ!"

And there, I rest all of my hopes.

When dreams die

2009-01-05T07:51:00.001-05:00

"There is many a thing which the world calls disappointment, but there is no such a word in the dictionary of faith. What to others are disappointments are to believers intimations of the way of God." John Newton

We all have dreams. When we get married to prince or princess charming, they are (almost) perfect in every way. The Cinderella story is ours and ours alone and we will dance through life with our feet barely touching the ground. And then one day we wake up and realize that we've married a human being who isn't perfect and has hurt or disappointed us. That is the way it is with dreams.

People dream of fame. Then they crumble under the flash of the paparazzi. People dream of money. Then they lay awake at night figuring out what to do with it and wondering if those around them like them or their money more!

Dreams are never what they seem. But one thing is for sure, when the dream bubble bursts and we are faced with reality, we should cling to fellow Christians.

Carl G. Conner tells this story:

"A few winters a go, heavy snows hit North Carolina. Following a wet, six-inch snowfall, it was interesting to see the effect along Interstate 40.

Next to the highway stood several large groves of tall, young pine trees. The branches were bowed down with the heavy snow- so low that branches from one tree were often leaning against the trunk or branches of another.

Where trees stood alone, however, the effect of the heavy snow was different. The branches had become heavier, but without the other trees to lean against, the branches snapped. They lay on the ground, dark and alone in the cold snow.

When the storms of life hit, we need to be standing close to other Christians. The closer we stand, the more we will be able to hold up."

We must also remember, that our greatest support is Jesus Christ. Even though we may feel alone, He and other Christians can help us stay up when our burden is too heavy to bear.

Does Jesus still heal?

2009-01-04T06:22:00.002-05:00

"The Lord is near to all who call on Him;
to all who call on Him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
He hears their cry and saves them."
Psalm 145:17-18

As we struggle in my family with the aging and health difficulties of some we love so dearly, I've been thinking about Jesus' habit of healing.

Jesus while He was here on earth, healed many to honor God. But we must remember, when those he healed came to their time to die, they eventually did. None was healed permanently and even Lazarus died again.

Some don't want to believe in God because they say "he doesn't heal." Well,He does! I know people all around me who should have died years a go, but didn't. Fully recovered cancer patients, mothers who became sick when their kids were elementary and lived to see their children graduate. People who were supposed to live six months and lived yeras.

What we are really saying when we complain about God's healing is that we're angry that death is still around - stealing those we love and causing tragedies we cannot understand.

"Why is there death?" is really our question -- as if healing could put an indeterminable stop to the encroaching pallor of death.

Well, Jesus is the One who DID conquer it and it is clear that it is the path of a Christian to die but once.

I birthed three children and had to walk through that path, three, separate, distinct times. But I will only hve to die but once (unless Jesus comes back first.) I WILL have to die, when it is my time.

We are angry at God about death, when death wasn't in His plan to begin with. Death was chosen for us by our ancestors who rejected God and thought they knew better than Him. Death is confirmed by us when with the apple of our hearts we bit at the tempation of lies that we think we know better than God: overeating, lusting, being jealous, gossiping, hurting others, being angry, not forgiving -- these are the things that give us common identity with our forebearers and confirm that indeed our flesh is corrupt and deserves to die... but only once if we are a Crhsitian.

For, if we are a Christian, we will have a new body that is not corrupt. It will be a glorified one without traces of innate sin but will allow us to more closely identify with Jesus.

If one is not in Christ, they have no new body, only the old corruptible one and therefore must spend eternity with their corrupt, inadequate body, separated from the God who gave them a chance! Such sadness!

The God who heals does heal. he heals us in life. He heals us after death so we may live eternally with him.

All the while being criticized by these ants He has created and elevated to call friends, brothers, and sisters! Oh, God is a tremendous God and One we cannot understand!

But know this. He still heals!

Will you be nothing so God can do something?

2009-01-03T08:59:00.002-05:00

When we look at David, we remember that he was a man after God's own heart. We remember that he sang beautifully and that he killed Goliath. We remember that he sinned with Bathsheeba and that he was pentinent and restored.

But do we remember his origins?

David was the youngest. Not an esteemed position at all. In fact, when he was hiding from Saul, he used as an excuse to miss the feast (where Saul planned to kill him),

"...our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there..." (1 Samuel 20:29)

So, David was low and nothing. In fact, his job was to watch the sheep and he was such a nonentity that when Samuel came to Jesse's house, David was not even called to be considered.

"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered,"but he is tending the sheep." 1 Samuel 16:11

Interestingly, when the Israelites went to fight the Philistines, David was still tending sheep. Perhaps his own family discounted the anointing of Samuel? Perhaps they thought Samuel was "losing it" and were just patronizing him. Anyway, the only way David could "get in on the action" and be able to get on the front lines was to serve as the delivery boy -- he took bread and gave cheese to his brother's commander. (1 Samuel 17:17-18)

So, David wouldn't have even gotten to be at the front if he wasn't willing to deliver cheese. Not exactly an esteemed position, huh?

When we're at the right place at the right time, God uses us. But sometimes in order to get to the right place we must be willing to do unpleasant jobs. We must be willing to subject ourselves to our authority.

We must be willing to deliver cheese!

This reminds me of another person who changed the world:

"and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn." (Luke 2:7)

Are you willing to be nothing so God can do something with you?

Tackling Tough Times Together

2009-01-02T01:00:00.002-05:00

So, as I've shared my backyard experiences, I've shared Gardenias in the Garbage, Moving Messes, and Today, I'm sharing about Tackling Tough Times Together.

When Mama was diagnosed with cancer this past October, it was a tough time. As we prepared to go to Atlanta for her surgery, my sister called Mom and said this:

"Mom, we don't know where this path will lead - it could go down one of two roads. But whichever road we travel, we're going down this road together as a family."

We labored in prayer together. Mama went in front of the church and asked for prayer according to what God's word says to do. She DOESN'T like to be in front of the church!

The thing about praying is that God says that we must pray but then totally, truly be willing to accept God's will. As Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, he BEGGED God to let there be another way, another path - and yet, He said, "Not my will but thine."

And God said no to him. (See my 2006 post "When God Told Jesus 'No!'")

So, we love Mama! We love her so much! And yet, we must love God more than our own parents and so, with our gutts completely torn out (both hers and ours) we had to say, "not my will but thine."

Huddled together like scared children at the feet of a powerful king, we clung. We clung to God and his word and promises that

"Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.""

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Joshua 23:8
But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.

Hold fast -- cling. Listen. Know that He will be with us. That is all we could do.

This was like when Kip and I and the kids worked in the yard. One of us would be pulling and pulling on a big old tree. It wouldn't come loose. Too many vines. Too much mess! No way!

And yet, if one or even better two of us, grasped a different place in the tree and we pulled together, it would come out like a toothpick stuck in wet soap. Boy, it became MUCH easier.

"Matthew 18:20
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken

God said in Genesis

Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

While ultimately when we pass through the shadow of death - it is US and our God -- together -- while here on this earth we need each other. We cling to God first but when the tough times come, we pull together.

When you have problems in life, you and your family have two choices: pull together or pull apart.

So often when struggles come there is blame. Finger pointing. Whining. Fussing.

Why do children totally mess up their parent's legacy by fighting over what their parents leave behind? What is more important, the legacy of their parents or the money that they can add to their account?

When my husband's parents died, he got some things that he wanted and other things went to other brothers. But the things were not what was important -- Kip may have relinquished the call for THINGS but he kept HIS BROTHERS.

When Mom had her surgery and was awaiting being taken back - they only let two go back - we have three sisters. We laughed, worked it out and all jostled over Mom, but, we KEPT our sisters. We loved each other through it. The last thing we needed was for us to fuss and get upset and upset our mother.

And when we got the news on December fourth. Oh, the news! The news that were far beyond what we could ask or imagine. The news that meant that Mama would be our present for Christmas. She would not be racked and riddled with chemotherapy or spend the holiday in some cold hospital - she would be our warm, living breathing present - still sore from the surgery but THERE.

I asked her to wear a bow on her head to represent that God in his infinite wisdom and most humbling mercy of all mercies decided to give us Mama back. The cancer was completely gone - nothing left - no chemo, no radiation. Just healing mercy.

Oh, so many prayers have gone up for so many people and it was their time to be called home to heaven. We do not our would not presume that the prayers of their families were any less sincere or that ours were any more "holy" for there is NOTHING holy about us! God has blessed us and we are grateful.

So, what I've learned is that when the rough winds blow - God means for us to tackle those though times together.

We aren't meant to be alone and even if and when we are - we are still not alone - we have our triple braided cord that cannot break holding the threads of our very soul from being wiped into nonexistence: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are held in a net of LOVE, compassion and caring that we cannot understand but cannot escape if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Oh, to be loved in this way is truly the greatest joy!

So, as you deal with the stickers and brambles of life - PULL TOGETHER. Stick together. Love. Cling to your God and to those God has given you to move through life with. Do not pull a part - pull together.

Moving Messes

2009-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

So, yesterday, I shared the first part of the things I learned in the backyard: Gardenias in the Garbage. When sin takes over and obliterates the things that make have made is beautiful or we have enjoyed in the past, God can help restore and "do a new work" in us.

Today, is the second part of what I learned. As I shared yesterday, this is what I observed:

As Kip and I furiously cut branches and trees out of the yard, the children were dragging them to the road. Well, my oldest couldn't get the gate open, so he took a shortcut and tossed the big trees over the fence. He plays football and so, he's strong enough.

Well, my daughter and seven year old son came along and they couldn't get it over the fence, so they threw it on top of the fence, beside the fence, between the barbs of the fence. The branches didn't make it to the weed pile for the city to remove and in fact, made a big tangled mess at least 20 feet wide!

This went on for a good hour before Kip and I found out! Then, whew, was I upset! Kip needed me to help pull these nasty trees out of the brush and I had to go figure out what on earth to do with the mess at the road. It was harder to undo the second mess of branches that were not disposed of properly than the work I was doing with Kip.

The kids were fuming, I was fuming, we were all upset. After 30 minutes and a lot of very hard work, we cleared the path, made sure it wasn't in the road, and got the branches in order. We also pried open the gate and made a path so that the future branches would be disposed of properly.

Moving Messes

It is about taking care of a mess the right way the first time. For example, right now I have some people that I need to forgive. In fact, I'm down right angry and have let myself teeter on the verge of bitterness at work.

Now, if I'm a Christian and they are not - is there any reason for them to be kind to me? And if I'm ugly right back, how am I sharing any faith of any kind -- I'm just like them.

As Beth Moore says in the Esther study I quoted yesterday,

"It's tough being a woman in a mean world...You and I are learning that we have to deal with our mean streak every time it rears its ugly head. If we don't, "mean" won't just streak. It will stick." (p 59, Esther Member Book: It's Tough Being a Woman)

Boy, that hit me!

So, how could I deal with this forgiveness issue the wrong way? Well, here are a couple that I have certainly tried before:

Out of sight out of mind - If I don't see them for a while and don't feel the emotion of anger, I think I've forgiven them. I sweep it "under the rug" and think it is handled.

The problem with this when it happens is that as soon as I see them, "Boom" I'm furious again and haven't braced myself for how I should act.
Move it out with Motivation - Oh, the world is full of books to "deal" with difficult people - to positive think my way out of frustration and anger with people. If I just THINK about it, I can "forgive" the people who have wounded and crushed me.

Oh, if it were only that easy.
Call the Waaaa-mbulance and Take a Bitter Pill- This is the one I've struggled with lately. Some of the situations I'm in right now are completely unfair to me. They are. So, I've found a few people who "understand" and will listen. I deal with the issues at hand, but turn around to spill my gutts to my trusted few confidants.

This DOES NOT WORK!!! This has made my confidants bitter against these people AND I have become bitter too. It is harder for me now, not easier! I've whined myself into bitterness! I have whined them into bitterness! Instead of forgiving like I should have, I've been selfish and now those I love have to forgive too! How wrong of me!

So, in this case - as I struggle with forgiving - I've been moving messes around. As you can see, instead of dealing with the first mess the RIGHT WAY - I've made worse and bigger messes by not doing things the RIGHT WAY.

And GOD'S WAY is the RIGHT WAY!!! He knows how to deal with messes the first time!

Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Matthew 18
"

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.^[f]
23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents^[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.^[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.""

So, I am to forgive from my heart. It's gotta be the real deal -- and that ONLY comes through prayer because I don't have it in me to do this! I'm not there yet, but these other unhealthy ways of dealing with it have gotta go- they are making it worse!

This is why it is SOO important to study God's word. All of us have our own unique set of weeds - our own unique messes. God has a word for you that is different from me.

I love how Beth Moore always talks about how she doesn't want people to JUST study her lessons. The BIBLE is God's word, period. That is where you will find your answers and where we must always seek to find them.

So, as you struggle with the sins in your life, whatever they may be: overeating, unforgiveness, temptation, greed, jealousy, bitterness...

when you feel that prompting in your heart that you are messing up and need to clean it up - understand this:

Clean up the mess the right way the first time by applying the clean up prescription in God's word or it is very likely you are just moving your mess and multiplying it in the process!

This is important as we look at our "resolutions" for the new year!! You know where your messes are and most likely, you're setting a resolution right about now! Be careful that your resolution isn't a manmade prescription that will just move your mess around. Take some time to see what God would have you do about the messes in your life and REALLY do something about them for a change!

Tomorrow we'll talk about the third lesson from my Big Old Backyard Mess Parable: Tackling Tough Times Together

Gardenias in the Garbage

2008-12-31T02:27:00.000-05:00

Image by nettsu via FlickrMy mistake tonight was having that white chocolate mocha at 8:30 pm!! So, I'm up and just balanced my checking account and it is 2:27 pm with Storm Chasers on the TV. (people who chase tornadoes)

I've been doing this amazing Bible study on Esther (see Esther Member Book: It's Tough Being a Woman) by Beth Moore which is just a great inspiration to me. It is a nine week study, and I bought it this past Saturday and am already on week 3!!

For those of you who know me and follow me here, this is the place I ponder and share thoughts about our wonderful Savior separate from the Cool Cat Teacher blog where I talk about technology, teaching and loving students, being a great teacher, and inspiration to do better. Sometimes I just have to get away from "there" to talk and share the amazing things God is doing in my life in more specific ways.

Today, I saw a living picture of what I do and what I think many do when living life.

"Big Ole' Backyard Mess" Parable

Today my family and I were cleaning up in the back yard which hasn't been cleaned in a LONG time. So, little trees that should have been tiny sticks were really large trees. They were intertwined with vines and weeds and it is a total mess!!

So, as we were pulling and yanking these horrible trees to save the bushes that were there, a few things happened:

My beautiful gardenia bush that I've enjoyed forever was accidentally cut by my dear husband and is now gone!
The kids drug the branches to the road and instead of dragging them outside the fence, made an enormous tangled mess on both sides of the fence that took over 30 minutes to undo. If they had only done it right the first time!
Sometimes the things that wouldn't budge suddenly moved when we did it together.

So, here is what I feel God taught me through this experience today.

Gardenias in the Garbage

1) When we let sin in our lives like bad attitudes, fussiness, overeating, sexual sin... really about anything - sometimes the beautiful things about ourselves are obliterated as we work to clean up that sin. Like my gardenia bush!

For example, although I was SOOOOO physically fit about 2 1/2 years a go, I have let myself go and gained 50 pounds. Yes, I said it! 50 pounds! Yes, I have three kids in middle school and I'm 39, but my lovely figure and clothes are gone.

We are to take care of our temple, this body. I've been suffering from lack of energy and total exhaustion, but it is that I haven't made this a priority! I also find it interesting that often the closer I am to God, the better I take care of my body - the more likely I am to exercise. This Christmas I scheduled NOTHING, I mean nothing! No deadlines - nothing to have to do for anyone and it is my first time in two years to sit, clean the house, mess around with Kip and just relax. I can see clearly what I've done to myself.

I won't go into HOW I'm doing this right now, but for some time I've been pouring out my heart to God over this. So, since Christmas, I'm four pounds down and working out again. My heart is ready for a lifestyle change and I'm excited!

Because, God can give back the years the locusts have eaten. And sometimes trees that are cut off at the roots can sprout back from the roots. It happens. It will take several years if that gardenia bush is going to come back and it will take several years for me become restored to the size 8 I was, but it can happen!

To me, this resonates with what Beth Moore talks about in week 1 of the Esther study:

"It is tough being a woman in another woman's shadow." (p 9)

Sometimes that other woman is myself several years a go.

And sometimes that is the hardest shadow to be in.

I was very hurt some time a go when I was told,

"wow, you really lost weight a while back"

and then they looked at me like

"OK, and why don't you do it now."

How people treat me is so different -- it is tough. So much for the beauty queen, Georgia Peanut Princess of 1987!

And yet, I'm blessed with a husband who loves me anyway and a God who can help me get back on track. In order to live life and last so that I can minister, my body must be in shape. I cannot mourn for what used to be. The gardenia bush is in the garbage, and yet, the roots remain and with attention, water, and some divine intervention, I believe it can grow back in a different way but the beauty and fragrance CAN be restored.

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”- Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

Stay tuned tomorrow for the next part of this backyard parable: Moving Messes

Prevailing against the prevailing winds

2008-12-10T01:54:00.000-05:00

God is so good to me. I am up late, though, just with thoughts and some things going on. However, after going through this amazing Beth Moore study, Breaking Free, it has been very clear to me that I have to remove the lies that jump into my thought life... about myself... circumstances, etc. with the truths from God's word.

Every day of my life I relive middle school. Isn't that ridiculous? That kids could be so mean and pick on me and I carry that with me. In many ways, knowing that God loves me and made me like I am helps me have the confidence to live life, but it is in the toughest days of my life that I hear the cries of the past, "you're ugly" "you have no common sense" "icky Vicki" ... "no one likes you."

I have to live with that. And yet, David, Moses, and so many great people of the bible were not only sinners, like me, but also had their share of people who didn't like them at all!

AS a result of the Bible study, I've gone back to putting the scriptures that I need to use to reprogram my mind with God's word. I was upset about some things and walked into the kitchen in a very rare case of insominia and this verse I had put by the sink jumped out at me:

"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me," declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:15

When I feel misunderstood, not supported, made fun of and just down, I go back to this. It is not my job to justify myself. And honestly, if people know the things I do, then I'm not supposed to get those rewards in heaven.

It has been so humbling for some period of time to come face to face with my own insufficiency. Insufficient to parent, clean the house, manage the huge responsibility list at work, and just keep things running. I literally cannot do it all without my Lord and Savior.

He is my Best Friend and wisest Counselor. He NEVER leaves me and will never forsake me. Even my family will misunderstand me sometimes but He never does. I just need his help right now and every day.

To me, the sin of youth is pride. Now, the sin of getting older seems to be the temptation to become bitter. I have to forgive and forgive but that is because I need to be forgiven myself. Sometimes I feel like I have 1,000 wounds upon 1,000 hurts and yet, I also know that my feelings can lead me astray. It is only by aligning my thoughts up with His promises that I can know that it is my heritage that I will be vindicated where necessary and sometimes I have to be humbled when I'm out of line.

Sometimes we must go against the prevailing winds but it is only done through HIs power and ability. And now, it is 2 am and time for me to go to sleep. He Who Knows My Name will guard my sleep and give wisdom and hope for tomorrow. He accepts me, He loves me, and does not reject me.

I loves me and made me for a purpose, even if that purpose means that I do not fit in very well most of the time.

On a great note, I get to meet some missionsaries from West Africa who've been on my prayer list for a long time. They are my heroes. While I stress about little things here, she stresses while he goes into the bush to witness to Muslim tribesman, not knowing if someone will kill him and he will return. I'm so excited about meeting them! Living heroes!

Wisdom for the Asking

2008-09-24T22:25:00.000-04:00

"Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance." Ecclesiastes 8:1

Where does wisdom come from?

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:5-8

Wisdom can change our lives but it is not one of those things that we should just wish that we can have. It is not some unattainable thing we should wish we have. It is something we can ask for and seek, having faith that God indeed is the granter of wisdom.

I need wisdom!

I've been sick this week and don't feel like I'm myself, however, even in these circumstances, I can seek God's wisdom and ask Him to guide and give me wisdom amidst the sickness. God can work through weakness.

Don't be a Dead Sea

2008-09-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

The Dead Sea takes in water but there is no outlet to the sea. Thus, it is salty, bitter, and generally just... dead.

People who are a dead sea are always taking, using up things and become bitter.

Dead Sea people never give anything to another person and never share.

There is no, "here let me show you," but only "let me take from you."

Dead Sea people suck the life out of others. They sit in classes, church, Sunday School and never give back anything but bitterness.

Don't be a Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is benign but still harmful -- I could see an ancient famished traveler running to the beautiful blue shores thirsting for a drink with a horrible mouth full of salty, bitter nastiness. No fish to cook, no water to drink. Just a deceptive body of water masquerading as an oasis that provides no sustenance for life.

What are you? Live or Dead?

"But I call to God, and the Lord saves me." Psalm 55:16

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

You have two choices: get bitter or get better.

The unwise, selfish Leader

2008-09-23T05:45:00.000-04:00

The last few days, I've been writing about leadership, largely because I'm struggling with followership. So, today, we look at God's word when dealing with a leader who is unwise and selfish and is bringing harm upon those he leads: Nabal is a perfect example of this, although there are others.

When dealing with our leaders, particularly Christian leaders, we have to be very careful to seek God's word because they are called and appointed by God (see the last blog post.)

1 Samuel 25:3-4 introduces us to Nabal:

2 A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3 His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.

He was very wealthy, but surly and mean. He is ungracious and unthankful for what others give to him or do for him. As we see, Nabal was having a great shearing time, but there was a reason, although he didn't know it, David and his men had been guarding the sheep and his shepherds for the entire season! Surely David should reap some of the reward in Nabal's work. Back to 1 Samuel 25:

4 While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6 Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!

7 " 'Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. 8 Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.' "

9 When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited.

10 Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"

12 David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word.

13 David said to his men, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

So, David was angry! My Grandaddy Martin would have called Nabal "an unthankful son of a gun." (I used to always wonder what a son of a gun was!)

So, David, in an act uncharacteristic of him, was angry and set out to exact his revenge.

Now, let's look at Abigail. She is Nabal's wife and "wise and intelligent," she obviously cannot just grab everything and run, but feels a responsibility to protect all of the innocent people and animals who are about to suffer with their lives for Nabal's horrible leadership and watchcare over his people.

But notice this, Nabal has done something right -- he is very rich and has prospered! Many people would wonder where God's justice was, letting a horrible man like that succeed, and we may wonder it as well. As you'll find out, Nabal has his justice coming, although with harsh, unkind leaders such as him, it doesn't always happen:

So, someone takes this to Abigail:

14 One of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail: "David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15 Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. 16 Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them. 17 Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.

This last verse is highlighted for a reason. I know leaders that are so far off the path that NO ONE WILL TALK TO THEM.

Some leaders see complaints as a terrible curse and wish they'd go away. But complaints are a part of life. Instead, I tell leaders, WATCH OUT WHEN NO ONE COMPLAINS. For, when they stop complaining, they've given up on you. They aren't including you in what is happening. You'd better examine yourself and see.

I have a letter on my desk in which a leader begs everyone to tell him their feedback. The only problem is that people have tried numerous times to tell him that the "leadership vision" he is forcing upon everyone doesn't line up w/ Scripture and isn't the right thing to do. This man says he wants feedback, but those who give it to him are punished with his ill favor and unkindness. He doesn't want feedback, he wants a rubber stamp. So, he is going happily upon his way thinking he has the endorsement of the people, when every single person, has already discussed it and disagree profoundly. He doesn't have followership, he has a position.

So, the same with Nabal. Abigail knows she'd better act OR ELSE all Nabal has built will come to ruin:

18 Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs ^[b] of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

So, Abigail hastily ran out to be an advocate to save her people. We also see this happen again just one book later when an older lady saved her city, by asking David not to destroy the city but to allow the city to throw the rebel's head over a wall. (2 Samuel 20)

She ran! She didn't stop, she ran to stop impending doom! When we are under a leader who has done something horrible to bring harm upon God's people or those under our care, we are to be the "peacemaker," the advocate. We are to run posthaste to make peace immediately. Then is not the time to go arguing with the leader who has done this, but to go beg forgiveness and be an advocate! Talking to the leader comes later!

20 As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. 21 David had just said, "It's been useless—all my watching over this fellow's property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22 May God deal with David, ^[c] be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!"

23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25 May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.

26 "Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. 27 And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. 28 Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD's battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. 29 Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30 When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, 31 my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant."

Now, this is a tough one. Abigail had obviously done her homework and knew of David and who he was. She also is very kind and not defending what Nabal had done, she is showing David that not everyone is like Nabal in Nabal's house.

Notice that she also points out that vengeance is sin ("Vengeances is mine sayeth the Lord), without angry barbs of words coming from her mouth. She could have said, "How dare you try to kill my sons, you selfish jerk, David." No, she says that she is grateful that DAvid will not have the "staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself."

Wow! She has a wise response. And so must we when we work to turn away wrath from a horrible mistake made by a bad, uncaring, unlistening unwise leader.

But there is more:

"32 David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak."

35 Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.""

So, because Abigail acted quickly, she saved the lives of many! She also didn't run back to Nabal to argue and tell him what he had done, but waited for the right time to talk to him.

" 36 When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until daybreak. 37 Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. 38 About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died."

So, in the morning, Abigail told him what he had done. His heart failed him when he realized that he and all of the men of his camp would have been dead... after all they were at a banquet, drunk, they would have been no match for David. Everything he had was almost gone and done. Nabal saw his own foolishness.

If we look in the next verses, David was thankful for God's justice as it concerns Nabal and took Abigail as his wife.

What can we learn from this:

Evil men sometimes prosper a lot! There is no justice in financial prosperings and we shouldn't expect it. Sometimes jerks can get to the top!
Leaders who are surly, mean, and do not listen will make grave mistakes that endanger those in their care.
When this happens, the wise leaders underneath the foolish leader must do their part to protect the innocent under their care. Make haste and advocate for safety! Do not let the sun go down on what you know you must do!
Do not make excuses for or defend sinful behavior of your leaders!
Always go back AFTER the crisis has passed and tell your leader what happened. This doesn't mean that you just secretly "clean up messes." Leaders should know, whether they listen or not, what their actions do. Just remember to PICK YOUR TIME AND PLACE. Be wise in your confrontation and make sure they are able to listen.

I don't see all of the answers here, but there are some things to glean. This is a pretty harsh and blinding example and rarely is any leader "pure evil." However, leaders who don't listen and are mean and unkind endanger those who are under your care.

We cannot do anything about others, but ask yourself... are you approachable? How do you respond to criticism? Do you "shoot the messenger?" Are you mean?

If so, change your ways, lest one day you become like Nabal.

And if you're an Abigail, know that one day, you too shall be liberated to live in the house of the King!

Who Do You Trust? How to add People You Trust to Igoogle.

2008-09-22T16:00:00.000-04:00

I've been going through a powerful study by Beth Moore in my quiet time called Breaking Free. On page 124, she wrote something I love:

I want to share something about women who live free that I hope will be encouraging. Most of them have experienced a serious stronghold or hindrance they have fought to overcome.

How do I know? Because every person I've met who really seems liberated to love, enjoy, and obey God as a lifestyle has been on the battlefield. They usually appreciate and apply victory more readily because they've experienced the misery of defeat first hand.

I rarely meet a person who has come to trust God fully without painfully confronting the fact that she can't trust herself. Freedom Never Comes Easy." p 124, Beth Moore.

This has been a great study for me, and I'm so excited, as I was writing this, I found Beth's blog.

Keeping Up With Blogs from People You Trust

If you don't know how to add this to an "RSS reader," I highly suggest that you:

Sign up for Google Reader and then
Drag the subscribe button onto your toolbar.
Then, go to Beth's blog and click "subscribe. (You can also do that with this page).
Finally, if you use igoogle, you should consider adding Google Reader to your homepage.

If you don't have a google account, this blog gives a pretty good overview of how to do this.

Beth Moore trust inspiration

Learning About Leadership, the Appointed vs. the Annointing

2008-09-21T20:00:00.000-04:00

This is a tough one. Leaders in the old testament were "anointed" meaning that they had oil put upon their heads and God selected them to be the leader. Saul, was anointed to be King of the Israelites. (1 Samuel 10:1)

This was a one time happening, an appointment to a position of sorts. The person was appointed by God to do the job.

The anointing of God, however, is an ongoing thing. A relationship with God Almighty that was ongoing.

"12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul." 1 Samuel 18:12

This is why we should read our Bibles and pray daily so that we can be fruitful for God -- Jesus is "God with us" -- we want to be WITH him. Anointing is an active expression not a point in the past. John 15:5 says:

" 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

So, what if we're abiding in the anointing of God, but our leaders who have been appointed (and at one time, we hope anointed) ARE NOT! What then? What do we do with our followership when the leadership is lacking?

First, remember that we cannot see into the heart of our leader any more than they can see into ours. All we know is our own viewpoint, which is as in a glass darkly, but we shall see clearly one day. But, what do we do with our followership when leadership is severely lacking?

I think we can see some insight into the life of David. David was being hunted by Saul, totally misunderstood and persecuted. When Saul came into a cave to relieve himself, David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul, and yet, he didn't. We look at 1 Samuel 24:10-13:

10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the LORD's anointed.' 11 See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. 12 May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,' so my hand will not touch you.

Also, look at what happened to David. David was not cornered in a cave to whimper like an animal, go back to 1 Samuel 18:14-15:

"14 In everything he did he had great success, ^[a] because the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful ^[b] he was, he was afraid of him."

God will prosper those leaders who have his ongoing anointing. Even if they aren't in charge of EVERYTHING, they are in charge of something. He will bless and prosper their hand for what they are in charge of.

Understand that this can spark incredible jealousy and anger from those who are not under the current anointing of God. To see God blessing others brings to mind when they used to see His blessing and as long as those leaders depend upon their own strength, they will continue to be frustrated and diminish.

This is what I pull out of this:

We are to not lift our hands to harm God's anointed. They will see that we had the chance but did not harm them, and if they did not, it is OK.
Understand that often God's punishment within a man's soul is much deeper than that which any man could inflict. God handles justice and we should not wish His displeasure upon anyone.
God will judge between us and our leaders. God avenges we do not.
Those who do evil such as gossip, backstabbing, and plotting are EVIL MEN. We won't do it if we are indeed good.
Leaders who are appointed to a position but are not under God's leadership will bear NO FRUIT and will resent THOSE WHO DO! This, however, does not relieve us of our responsibility to honor their position.

This is tough because we want God to come in and just give us justice. Let us not forget that we too are humans with many faults and we should be glad God doesn't give total justice, because we'd be punished terribly!

Tomorrow, we will look at what do do when a leader is bringing harm upon those he leads: Nabal and Abigail.

If you want to see past posts in this area, just click on "leadership" below.

Photos licensed under IStock Photo, you do not have permission to reuse.

Learning About Leadership, Part 1

2008-09-21T18:29:00.001-04:00

I'm writing a series on leadership, not because I consider myself such an amazing leader, but rather, because right now, I'm having some issues with followership. Big issues.

What do I do when a Christian leader is not accurate? unkind? hurtful? not listening?

The human response is to fight -- however, our response must always be to seek God's word. Here are my notes as I seek answers to the questions that keep me awake at night concerning this matter.

So, we start with what Jesus says in Matthew 23:

" 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you..."

Remember that the Pharisees and teachers of the law were responsible not only for leading God's people astray but for the death of Jesus Christ himself. (Although God allowed this.) And yet, Jesus did not say people should ignore these men who had created SO MANY laws that the people couldn't survive. He said that you MUST obey them and do everything they tell you. (Of course, again, later, he focuses on the spirit and intent of the law as being supreme to the law itself.)

This is consistent with Hebrews 13:17

"17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."

I've seen Hebrews 13:17 "lorded" over the church before. Yes, it is clear that we are to OBEY those God has put in charge. Just remember that Matthew 23:23-24 says:

"23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel."

We are not to ignore the spirit of the law when we follow "the law." God's intent ALWAYS overshadows manmade rules. We saw this when Jesus healed the woman who was bent over on a Sabbath and when David at the showbread on the altar.

I'll never forget my Dad telling me a story about how the deacons had decided that they would all be on time to a meeting. The very next meeting, a man was very late and was called into account by the others and he quietly accepted it.

Later, the other deacons found out that a church member had been widowed that very evening and the deacon was late because he had been with the widow at that time! The deacons were humiliated for they had put the rule of man above the spirit of the law. They begged his forgiveness.

God wants us to show love first and be His hands and feet and in this case, when priorities conflict, God's calling must be above ALL ELSE! Period!

Now, let's look at more of Matthew 23: 1-4:

" 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

What are heavy loads?
Well, it is easy to say that heavy loads are not from Christ, for he says in Matthew 11:29

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I would be wary to be the man who puts rules upon the shoulders of God's people that God Himself does not place there.

In the New Testament, there were men so convinced that to go to heaven that one had to be circumcised that they went peeking around in the men's privy to catch a man who wasn't "pure" in this matter. In fact, the Jerusalem council tackled this very issue. (Acts 15:1)

What did Peter say to this?

8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (Acts 15:8-10)

The Rules of Man
I have a letter on my desk today something giving me more than 10 "rules" that I should follow to be an effective person in a leadership position I have at church.

Most are pretty superficial, but, OK, so I'm supposed to obey. Now, what do I do?

From the study so far, I believe it is safe to say:

I am to obey to the best of my ability.
My leader will be held in account by God Almighty Himself. My appeal is to God.
When all of these things make me weary and burdened, I have complete refuge in Jesus Christ. Ultimately I am responsible to Him.
I will give this person the respect due his position, however, my salvation is not upon the approval of a man, but the blood of Jesus Christ. Doing all of these things surely is good, however, the measure of my life is obedience to Jesus Christ and his calling to me.
When the superficial laws of man conflict with the intent of the law as laid out by God, I am totally responsible to follow God's direction, despite the disapproval of others.
I am to forgive this person a thousand times over, and in fact, right now, I wake up every morning and pray for God to help me forgive this person. This leader is a huge struggle for me, but if I do not forgive, I shall not be forgiven!

There are many more things to share here, but this is what I've learned for now. This is an ongoing struggle in several areas of my life and perhaps others are struggling in this way.

As we look ahead at King David, even when Saul was completely wrong and had the hand of God removed from him, David said, "Far be it from me that I would place a hand upon God's anointed."

Be very wary of actively trying to harm any man of God. Yes, a man can be completely wrong, however, to approach any thing of this matter without a lot of prayer and caution is to bring harm upon yourself, I believe the Scripture will show that.

Christianity is Based on Christ NOT Your Voting Record

2008-09-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”- 1 Peter 3:8

"35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

In the US, we've forgotten how to disagree. We call names. We make things up. We drag the people who want to serve and lead us through the worst experiences of their lives.

And it happens in the Christian world too.

You are a Christian based upon what you believe in Jesus Christ, not who you are voting for.

Now, I do believe that your faith should shape how you make your decision but I know good Christians that are on each side of the current presidential election in the United States.

They shall know we are Christians by their love.

So, as we are in the midst of debate and disagreement, one thing holds true. We can respect the human beings that God made and be salt and light. We can act differently from the rest of the world. We can be a part of this election and treat those we disagree with with respect, kindness, and love. We can listen but we can stand firm in the conviction that we emerge with as our own.

Let's vote. Celebrate our freedom. And do it in a way that honors our Lord. Everyone who throws mud gets dirty.

The Face of Missions: 410,000 meals a day for Hurricaine Ike and No Way to Donate on Facebook!

2008-09-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

Hurricaine Ike has so many people displaced, I just got this in my inbox from the SBC:

"

Caison said SBC DR feeding teams are committed to serve 250,000 meals a day for The American Red Cross and another 160,000 meals a day for The Salvation Army -- for a total commitment of 410,000 meals per day.
State units activated, en route, staging or on-site in Texas include:

Texas–SBTC Texas–TBM Virginia–SBCV
Virginia–VBMB

Louisiana California Florida North Carolina

South Carolina Arkansas Alabama Georgia

Michigan Tennessee Illinois Arizona

Iowa Kentucky Mississippi New Mexico

Northwest
Utah/Idaho

"

410 thousand people who are needing meals! Think of the families who have loved ones staying with them and churches and other organizations who are serving and helping! We fed 2500 a day here after our tornadoes and I cannot even imagine what they are doing.

So, the question is, what can we do to help?
Well, since I have some friends who are experts on raising money using Facebook, I was all ready to add it to my facebook page to help raise money for the cause, however, what I found was an unclaimed page, and several SBC causes by people who don't look like they work for the Southern Baptist Convention At All!

What is the problem? If my friend, Beth Kanter, can raise $2500 in a thirty minute presentation for Cambodian Orphans, can I not raise money to feed 410,000 people right here at home! So, I sent this letter to the SBC disaster unit, a group that is probably too busy to "mess with" this, however, I am helpless to do anything to help.

"I want to help raise money for what is happening with this on facebook, but the SBC has not set up an official "cause" so I can promote it and get donations!

Please, is there someone on staff that could set this up -- the other "causes" are not by official members of the SBC and I'm concerned money is being raised without it going to the SBC.

I have a friend who raised $2500 for cambodian orphans in 30 minutes at a conference -- and we should be using facebook to raise money for the work of the SBC. Please help!

See - http://apps.new.facebook.com/causes/10495?recruiter_id=10280939 and someone w/ a facebook there needs to click on this page and claim it:

http://apps.new.facebook.com/causes/beneficiaries/5147?m=0b1f7"

So, does anyone know someone at the Southern Baptist Convention that I can reach to help solve this problem? This is frustrating!

I went to the "technology channel" for information on integrating technology into ministry and this was the page I got!

OK, SBC, I love you, but we have some work to do on the technology side. Why not harness the thousands of technologically savvy out here to help with this sort of thing? A new way to be a missionary. Technology missionaries who live at home, support themselves and help on the weekends and nights.

We are to be everywhere for the name of Christ and that includes Facebook.

facebook Southern Baptist Convention technology

Cool Cat Christian's Links of the Day 09/14/2008

2008-09-14T05:30:00.001-04:00

Remember The Milk - Blog
How to add your remember the milk tasks to netvibes. I use the igoogle widget, but the netvibes widget is very powerful also -- you'll get more out of this handy tool if you add it to your start page. It is much easier to work with this way because the add feature is much better than in remember the milk.
tags: education, ccc
Remember The Milk - Help / FAQ / Sharing & Publishing / How do I share a list with a contact?
Remember the Milk has very powerful ways to share lists. We spent some time setting up our list for Flat Classroom, Digiteen, and the conference in remember the milk. If you have a virtual team, I highly suggest that you set up a list. There are many services, but this is my favorite. Go through this and click next - this is how we did it.
tags: education, ccc, timemanagement
K-12 Online Conference 2008 Marketing Flyer on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
K12 online marketing flyer -- this is going to be so exciting!

The K12 online conference is a FREE conference for people who teach kids at the K12 level. You'll find tons of great information about how to teach today's kids and information on new tools and classroom best practice. Julie and I are working with the strand "kicking it up a notch" and are very excited!
tags: education, edu_news, ccc

A New Direction Here: We're Now Cool Cat Christian!

2008-09-13T08:37:00.000-04:00

OK, this change has been brewing for quite some time.

I'm so tired of many mainstream Christians demonizing the new tools like blogs, wikis, and even 3D worlds like Second Life. I have friends holding Bible Studies in Second Life and people can come to them there that could NEVER do it in "real life." (For those of you who don't know what second life is, it is a virtual world almost like a video game -- but NOT a video game -- if you say it is, there are people who will become very angry.)

So, I've felt like I needed to take the many tools I'm teaching in my classroom and bring them to Christians around the world. You may find SOME similar content with Cool Cat Teacher, but not always.

I want to have a place where Christians can know about the tools and also find some inspiration. I'm not a theologian, but my Best Friend is.

Flawed human though I be, knowing and understanding technology is one of those things that I was born to do. Jesus Christ is my Best Friend and Savior and I HAVE TO SHARE HIM.

The truth is, we have a way to reach this whole planet if Christians would take to their keyboards. You can literally blog and reach the deepest darkest jungle that has internet access.

Do we always get through the filters? No, of course not. However, we should also use these tools in our professional lives and behave in such ways as for people to ask what is different about us. Online spaces need kindness, love, and patience... particularly during this heated election season. So many people are angry and acting unkindly it is bothersome!

I always tell educators that I feel that it is our job to civilize the Internet -- we are to bring forth the rules and how we should act kindly and with love. Well, that message is for Christians too. We are to be the salt and light of the Internet.

Do not demonize the tools. They burned books in the Middle Ages and yet, books have brought the gospel to many places that humans couldn't go! These tools are our friend and not the devil incarnate.

I've been asked how I could be a Christian and blog. Some dissapproval by non family members has slowed my blogging over here. But I tell you, I'm done with that.

This is my Christian Blog where I will share my faith, cool technology tools, and yes, even some things about teaching that apply to teaching Sunday School and Missions because I teach teenagers BOTH of those things right now.

I live and breathe teenagers -- both at school, at home, and at church. And if you want to connect, you'd better learn to text message, use online tools, and get a facebook just in case. I connect with my former pastor on Facebook and enjoy the connection. I admire him more because he uses it!

Who are the people I don't admire?
People who mistake a new tool for a new message. We are sharing the Ancient of Days, the old message with new tools. And if we don't, the very widgets we use will have to do it for us.

Bloggers, Second Lifers, wiki-ers, and any other web 2.0 people should be encouraged by their churches and allowed to happen. And yet, it is something that people in authority don't understand. Blogging means that I can connect with any Christian anywhere that has Internet, and the number is growing daily.

In my opinion every church should have a blog, a subscribable Google Calendar, and perhaps even a private planning wiki. Youth groups should set up private networks on Ning for their youth ministers and youth to connect, discuss and plan things. (Sort of like a private Sunday School room on the Net.) Pay the $5 and take the ads off.

Definitely, larger churches should be setting up places in Second Life and broadcast their services into there.

I'm not quite worked through all the issues and criticism I've gotten for embracing these tools. I will say this -- my feet, my hands, my fingers, my toes-- all that I am and all that I have are HIS to use. His to direct. His to teach and use to take the gospel to the world.

And when He says to, He means it. It doesn't mean that on my other blogs that I have to "beat people over the head" with my faith -- my faith is there, it is part of my life and it does come out sometimes. I'm going to spend my time dedicated to being the very best in the world at what I do, with God's help and calling and let Him handle the rest.

Does this blog hurt my professional career -- I guess it could. However, if I'm passed over because of being a Christian, then, that will be another little tiny glimmer on the crown when I kneel before the throne one day.

I love the Lord and I love the people He made and put on this planet. I am to be his hands and feet and not his instrument of judgement. I will share with all who ask and will listen.

Can you?

Feeding the Hungry in the Midst of the Storm: What is happening with Ike

2008-09-12T10:22:00.000-04:00

From the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Update Email. When we had our tornado in Camilla, the Baptist Feeding Station was a powerful and amazing service that was one of the first on the ground. No questions asked, take care of needs, and get down to business. They represent what is good in disaster relief and I am very proud of their work.

I get these updates from the Southern Baptist disaster relief agencies. If you want to help, my two FAVORITE disaster relief organizations are the SBC and the Salvation Army just from personal experience.

"

Disaster Relief Update - Thursday, September 11, 2008

“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)

With recovery work still going non-stop in Louisiana post- Hurricane Gustav, Southern Baptist disaster relief workers now shift their attention to Texas, where Hurricane Ike is predicted to cut a swath between Port Lavaca and Bay City, Texas early Saturday morning.
Port Lavaca is 80 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, while Bay City is 70 miles southwest of Houston.
Chugging along toward the west-northwest with maximum winds at 100 mph, Ike is predicted to strengthen considerably before Saturday, when it could slam the Texas coast as a deadly Category 3 or 4 hurricane, according to weather forecasts.
FEMA representatives said Ike could produce a storm surge somewhere between 14 and 22 feet – possibly as high as 27 feet if Ike takes a more northerly path as it appears to be. Houston could experience winds between 80-110 mph with gusts up to 120 mph. Officials said some 3.5 million Texans could be without power as a result of the storm.
FEMA has compared Ike to a Category 3 hurricane that struck the Texas coast in 1983, killing 23, injuring 3,100 and causing $2 billion in damages.
Feeding – up to 80,000 meals a day -- is already under way at evacuation sites in San Antonio (Kelly Air Force Base and Brookhill Baptist Church), Laredo, and the Bryan/College Station areas.
The American Red Cross has requested Southern Baptists to provide a total of 500,000 meals per day, while The Salvation Army has requested another 70,000 meals.
Eleven feeding units already have been activated for Texas, including units from Arkansas, California, Florida, North Carolina, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and Virginia Baptist Mission Board. Even more feeding units will be put on alert or standby following Ike’s landfall.
Still serving in the wake of Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana are 18 feeding units, 11 shower units, five communications/command centers, six laundry units and 50 recovery teams.
Since Gustav made landfall in Louisiana on Labor Day, Southern Baptist volunteers have prepared almost 770,000 meals; completed 275 chainsaw jobs; provided 7,903 showers and 1,138 loads of laundry; made 9,122 ministry contacts; and recorded 72 Gospel presentations and 75 professions of faith, according to statistics kept by NAMB’s disaster operations center.
Texas and Louisiana are not the only locations where Southern Baptists are staffing up for disaster relief.
Under the SBC’s Baptist Global Response (BGR), an SBC disaster assessment team will travel to Cuba the week of Sept. 15 to consult with local Baptist partners about relief efforts needed there after both Hurricanes Gustav and Ike struck that nation earlier.
Gustav struck western Cuba on Aug. 31, with maximum winds reaching 200 miles an hour. News reports said 130,000 homes were damaged and crops were wiped out – even before Ike followed on Sept. 8.
Southern Baptist relief funds have been released – with the permission of the U.S. Treasury Department – to purchase food and re-building supplies, and to help with clean up in Cuba, according to Jim Brown, U.S. director for BGR, a Southern Baptist international relief and development organization.
Southern Baptists on the assessment team will work with representatives of the Cuban Baptist Convention to evaluate what additional relief efforts are needed and to conduct training for local disaster relief volunteers, Brown said.

National Disaster Relief Leadership

Terry Henderson, National Disaster Relief Director
Mickey Caison, Disaster Operation Center Manager

To contact the Disaster Operations Center, call 1 888 462-8657 or e-mail dr_offsite@namb.net"

Cool Cat's Christian Links of the Day! 08/28/2008

2008-08-28T06:30:00.002-04:00

Help Free Pastor Bike
This pastor was arrested 2 days before the Olympics in China. voice of the Martyr's is supporting this effort. Voice of the martyr's co-wrote "Jesus Freaks" w/ DC Talk and highlight modern day and historical martyrs for the faith. China has traditionally been a horrific persecutor of Christianity and consider them to be "feeble minded" and worthy of reeducation.
tags: geeks4post, dailywalk, Christian

He sees on the Heart-level

2008-06-08T10:09:00.000-04:00

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Psalm 139:1-3

This makes me so happy,the God of the universe loves me and knows me intimately. There is nothing I can hide from Him and I perform for an audience of one.

The problem is that perform doesn't even say it correctly... perform implies I can do something on the outside that I do not feel on the inside which is untrue. God sees our heart and truly, the sorry state of our own heart can negate all that we do!

So many superstars and politicians and pastors seem to be apologizing for what they have said... but truly, I think most people aren't sorry they said it, they are sorry that they were caught and others didn't like it.

We tend to say what we mean and the human heart is pretty mean. Are most of them truly sorry... maybe for the consequences but I don't know about what they said.. that is for God to judge.

It is getting past the facade that it the challenge.

Knowing that God sees our heart and we cannot hide a thing from Him. He sees what we are when we lean back in our bed at night and look at the ceiling and think for a moment... that is where he sees. The other stuff doesn't really matter a lot -- he's not a macro level or even micro level observer... he is a heart-level observer and that is the scary part.

When we realize that, we know that nothing we could ever do would be good enough for God and that we are in dire need of a Savior. We know that we need God.

I'm so thankful for a heart-level God that loves me as I am and helps me through this struggle of a life because yes, this life is a struggle.

Keep the Faith in the One who Answers Prayer.

tag: Jesus, God, Christian, faith

When does He heal?

2008-06-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.
29Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you";
Matthew 9:27-29

Oh, what words. These words have caused many tears and consternation for many and when I come across them, sometimes I have to pause and look.

Always look at the context

These men were in the presence of Jesus - They were right there. He was there.
The Will of Jesus - The way Jesus asked the question showed that Jesus was willing to heal them. Jesus would never have asked this question and then said, "Psych" and rubbed his hands through his hair and walked off. Jesus doesn't do that.

Sometimes Jesus doesn't heal because "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment," (Hebrews 9:27) - Death will not be eliminated until the return of Christ. Sometimes he doesn't heal because it is time for that person to die.

Living forever in this current, corruptible body isn't an option. The thing is it is NEVER Ok with us for someone in our lives to die. We love them and we want to hold onto them forever. Granny died last summer and it is NOT OK with me.

Poppa D (my husbands father) died a year and a half a go and my son and I cried about it two days a go. It is NOT OK. Death is never OK. We hate it and we don't like it.

It comes down to God's will. I do not profess to understand it. I do profess that He can heal whomever He wishes however He wishes. It is His choice.
It was private - I'm not saying that the loud healing services don't happen. I just find it very interesting how Jesus never healed out of showmanship... he was very wary of making a spectacle and didn't like an audience for his healing. Healing was a personal, private thing that was through faith in Christ.
It was semipermanent - I don't see either of these men running around today... they died eventually. Healing can happen but often because it is not permanent we negate that it happened at all. God may heal for a season because He has a further purpose for a person and then he calls them home.

This is such a personal issue because it comes squarely in the face of two things that both we and God detest: death and pain. Death and pain are a result of sin in this world and our sinful natures. We hate them and yet we know that God will help us through that.

" 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints."
Psalm 116:15

"the day of death better than the day of birth."
Ecclesiastes 7:1

I don't understand it and yet I believe it. My view of death changed fundamentally when I went through labor and delivery of my first child and each child after that (I have three) I came to a closer realization that Jesus Christ will NEVER leave me nor forsake me.

When one has a child, you truly feel as close to death as you could be. And yet, God was with me -- I felt his presence. He did not leave me. I was never alone.

And the day I die, it will be the same. He will be there beside me, holding my hand and I will not be afraid.

That is easy for me to say now, as I sit here in my office chair getting ready to go on vacation and waiting to have a conference call. And yet, the truth of it is burned onto my very soul.

My God is faithful to accomplish what concerns me today. He just is.

tag: Jesus, Christ, Christian

Know Thine Enemy (it is not who you think!)

2008-06-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:10-13

Know against whom you struggle.

When you can see that it is not people who are your enemy but rather, it is Satan, our ultimate enemy, it is freeing.

It is not that person who is so hard headed and arrogant that he will not listen to you nor acknowledge your presence.

It is not that person who "hates your guts" and no matter what you do will not even think there is a shred of decency in you.

It is not that person who misunderstood something you did and saw it for true evil incarnate.

It is not that person who is just selfish and will take everything from everyone.

It is not that shortsighted corporate executive who closes plants just because that is what he was taught to do in business school.

It is not that boss who passed you over for promotion because she wanted you to continue to be her personal lackey.

It is Satan.

We must remember that how we act towards others as a Christian is how people judge Christ. If people know we are a Christian (as they should) -- people paint Christ with the brush we use.

We must continue to be kind, decent, patient and have all of the fruits of the spirit as we deal with others, but how?

At the toughest times in my life, I literally wrote down all of the armor -- studied it and prayed through it, something like this:

Lord, help me know that my true enemy is Satan and to know that I must love people as your creation. Help me to stand.

Put upon me the shield of faith that I may deflect the flaming arrows of doubt, unkindness, and struggle that come my way today.

Put upon me the helmet of salvation so that I may know in my mind the assurance of my salvation and not doubt. Help my unbelief!

Let your breastplate of righteousness cover my sinful heart because truly, there is nothing good in me and I do not deserve to go to heaven.

Let me have upon my feet, the shoes of the preparation of gospel of peace so that I am always willing to go wherever you wish me to go to share God's word.

Let me know your word so that when I have to go on the offensive it is in your power and your words and not mine. (sword of the spirit) For it is only through your name that I can be saved and through your name that the enemy must flee.

The darkest times of my life have often been cloaked with such prayers.

See:

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:14-17

tag: Jesus, Christian

Texas–SBTC	Texas–TBM	Virginia–SBCV	Virginia–VBMB
Louisiana	California	Florida	North Carolina
South Carolina	Arkansas	Alabama	Georgia
Michigan	Tennessee	Illinois	Arizona
Iowa	Kentucky	Mississippi	New Mexico
Northwest	Utah/Idaho