Life

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noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:58:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:45:00 +0000

Look Up 316

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:49:00 +0000

There’s always a lot of hype about Super Bowl commercials. One commercial was rejected by Fox Sports this year for containing too much “religious doctrine.” Yet, just before the 4th quarter, up it popped to the surprise of many. The commercial actually didn’t air in all the markets, and its audience was quite small in comparison to being broadcast nationwide, but boy, what an impact it had!

The commercial drew so much traffic to its website, www.lookup316.com, that it was difficult to load the web page. Before anyone knew what had happened, the whole thing had gone viral on the internet.

What kind of commercial could draw so much attention? A message of hope with no preaching. The website offers a simple explanation of John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life.”

When God decides to do something big, get out of the way. Even Fox Sports can’t stop Him.

MLK, Jr - Dreaming the Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 05:34:00 +0000

Do you ever dream about things you want to do? Many great things accomplished in life have started with only a dream. It’s a good thing to analyze our dreams to see if they are within the will of God. If they aren’t, don’t waste your time dreaming about them. The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will so don't let your dreams get you off-center.

So, how do we find the center of God’s will? Years ago there was a story told about the ship channels in Italy. It was dangerous for ships to travel the long channels inland from the sea since there was little room on either side for navigation and they were at risk of running aground. Therefore, a system was designed using three lights to guide the ships inland.

As a ship entered the channel, three lights could be seen. The goal of the ship captain was to line up all three lights until only one large light could be seen. Then and only then would the ship travel safely through the channel and not run aground. If at any time the captain saw two or three lights, he had to quickly make adjustments until all three lights were lined up again into one large light. The system never failed and the three lights that became one light guided many ships inland to safety.

In Bob Mumford’s book, Take Another Look at Guidance, he tells about the three lights that will guide us safely into the center of God’s will. The first light is The Word of God. The second light is the Holy Spirit. And the third is our circumstances. Unless all three lights line up, we should stop and consider if we are on course and in God’s will. Very often we allow our circumstances to dictate the direction that our life should take. In reality, our circumstances are the lesser of the three lights. God’s Word and the Holy Spirit giving us God’s peace are the most important. When all three are in line, we can be sure God is guiding us safely.

Are all three lights in your life lining up into one large light? Do your dreams take God’s Word and the Holy Spirit into account? It’s never too late to make adjustments. Let the peace of God rule your hearts in Christ Jesus... Colossians 3:15-17

Pulling the Wrong Latch

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:48:00 +0000

Did you ever do something stupid, and then acted as if nothing had happened? I remember a story that the illustrious Erma Bombeck told about her husband. It seems that he rented a car while in Pittsburgh and accidently pulled the “open hood” latch rather than the “brake release”. Instead of getting out of the car, closing the hood and driving off, he got out of the car and spent five minutes under the hood adjusting wires that didn’t need adjusting - just so he could save-face.

I thought of the many times that I’ve done dumb things just to save-face. God never minces words. We call it saving-face, but He simply calls it PRIDE. We’ve all got it, but God hates it. He tells us in 1 John 2:16, “For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting or what he has or does (the pride of life) – comes not from the Father, but from the world.”

Could it be that our willingness to let go of our pride and admit that we’re wrong could even lead to our healing? In James 5:16 it says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

I want to be powerful and effective, don’t you? Let’s remember this the next time that we pull the wrong latch.

Rescued Miners

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Who has not been glued to the TV set over the last few days as the 33 Chilean Miners were hauled to the surface one by one? We have been astounded that these men could be held captive underground since August 5th, yet emerge alive and well. Many of the freed miners are sharing their spiritual experiences. God was doing a mighty work while they were entombed over 2,000 feet underground, in the depths of the San Jose mine.

As the last miner emerged, church bells were ringing and car horns were honking as people throughout Chile celebrated the rescue. Everywhere, people were weeping and laughing because the miners were set free. There was reason to celebrate; they were given up for dead, yet they’re alive!

In John 3:3 &16 Jesus says, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

We’re all sinners and like the trapped miners we need to be set free. It took a ton of people and equipment to free the miners, but it only takes Jesus Christ to set us free from our sins. The payment for unrepentant sin is eternity in hell – but Jesus paid a ransom that we may be set free from sin and the punishment of hell. He died on the cross over 2,000 years ago to pay for your sins, my sins, and the sins of the world. Anyone who believes in Jesus in their heart, will not perish, but have eternal life.

What is your part? Accept Jesus Christ’s payment for your sins, turn away from your lifestyle of sin, and ask Him to come live in you and guide you. Then the angels in heaven will be praising God and shouting Hallelujah! You, who were once dead in your sins, is now alive – you’ve been set free!

What if...?

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 03:45:00 +0000

Have you ever played the game “What if…?” You know, you think of something good that happened in your life or the life of others. Then you think of a slight change of circumstances that would have altered the outcome of the situation entirely. The scenarios are endless. An example would be taking a different route to work one day and later discovering there was a fatal accident that you avoided. What if…?

I love the fact that God is in control and not me. Proverbs 3:4-6 LB says “If you want favor with both God and man and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”

When I’m wondering “What if…?” It makes me see the wonderful hand of God in everything I do. His way is perfect and He directs my path. I can’t depend on myself because I make too many mistakes, but I put my life in His hands and it’s amazing the way He leads me.

What are some of your “What ifs…?” Leave me a comment; I’d love to hear from you!

Choose Wisdom, Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 05:31:00 +0000

Do you have trouble forgiving others for wrong things they’ve done to you? Or perhaps you have trouble forgiving those who have hurt or offended, not you personally, but someone you love. Refusing to forgive causes broken relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, sons and daughters, friends and extended family members. The list goes on and on.

Unforgiveness causes all sorts of health problems, such as stomach ulcers, and brings you into Satan’s bondage. The person you’re not forgiving may not be affected by your unforgiveness – it’s you who is suffering. Let your pride go and forgive as God forgives you.

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1

A wise woman readily forgives a wrong when it happens to her or to those she loves. She knows that God will take care of the matter if she gives it to Him. She follows Jesus’ example when He hung on the cross and said, “Father, forgive them for they don’t realize what they’re doing.” Because of her forgiving spirit, she is loved by everyone.

A foolish woman is offended easily and holds grudges against those who hurt her. She is bitter and people avoid her. She gossips about those who have offended her and she lashes out in anger at the smallest thing. Pride is more important to her than anything else.

A Word to the Wise - Jesus commands us to forgive, but it’s easier said than done, isn’t it? If you have trouble forgiving, remember this: Forgiving is not saying that the wrong is okay - It’s realizing that you’ve made a lot of mistakes and you choose to forgive the person and let it go so that God can forgive you. Matthew 18:32-35

Choose Wisdom, Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:06:00 +0000

Faith is interesting. It’s not believing that God can, but knowing that He will. When we pray and ask God for something, we must add faith to our prayers and have an expectation that He will answer them.

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1

A wise woman prays and expects God to answer. She looks and waits for His answer with excitement, but she’s not surprised because she was expecting it.

A foolish woman may pray, but she really doesn’t expect God to do what she asks. When the answer comes she wonders if it was just a coincidence.

A Word to the Wise - Allow God to answer your prayers not according to your will, but His will. His answers may be packaged differently than you would expect. Romans 8:28

Choose Wisdom, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:46:00 +0000

Baby birds aren’t very quiet about it when they’re hungry. In baby bird talk, they squeal and holler until their parents feed them. While they’re still young, the parents begin teaching them where to hunt for their food and how to feed themselves. If the baby birds don’t learn this, they will starve.

Like baby birds, we must learn to feed ourselves spiritually from God’s Word and not expect others to do it for us. We are each responsible under God for our life and how we care for ourselves spiritually.

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1

As wise women, we must feed ourselves from God’s Word, and not expect others to do it for us. We must spend time in the Bible regularly, thinking and meditating on it. Our wisdom will be increased as we fill our hearts and minds with spiritual food. If we eat regularly from His Word, our wisdom will increase and we will be able to rightly judge situations that present themselves daily in our lives. Only by taking in spiritual food can we grow spiritually.

A foolish woman neglects the reading of God’s Word. She searches her own mind for the answers to life’s problems. She doesn’t know the Word of God and she thinks she doesn’t have time to read and learn from it. She justifies her busy schedule as the reason she can’t make time for learning spiritual things. A foolish woman lacks discretion because she pours into her heart and mind the things of the world. What pours forth from her lacks wisdom.

A Word to the Wise – Take a moment and open God’s Word to 1 John, chapter 1. Spend 5 minutes reading, and then ask God to help you read 5 minutes more tomorrow, and the next day and the next day, etc. Just 5 minutes reading God’s Word every day will change your life forever!

Choose Wisdom, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:30:00 +0000

The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands. Proberbs 14:1

A wise woman builds her house by starting at the foundation. She wisely accepts Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and He becomes the cornerstone of all that she builds on in the future. She is careful to always stay fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ and lets Him have His will in her life.

A foolish woman puts off accepting Christ, thinking she will do it later. Meanwhile, she is building her house on the things of this world. Unfortunately, her foundation won’t hold when the storms of life come and wash it away.

A Word to the Wise – It is never too late to surrender everything to Jesus. You can start today to build a new life with Him as your foundation. Pray this prayer, “God, I’m sorry for leaving you out of my life. I repent and turn away from my sins. I invite you to come into my life and live in me. I accept Your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior. In His name I pray. Amen.”

Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:50:00 +0000

For decades no one worried about bed bugs, but for the last few years the problem has escalated and now its making headline news. Bed bugs were so prevalent back in the 1920s and 30s, it was common for people who stayed in hotels, (even nice hotels) to strip the beds and check the mattresses for the pests before they settled into a room.

Well, the bed bugs are back with a vengeance and some people are finding that they’re not an easy problem to get rid of. When hotel rooms become infested, management has to bring in exterminators who pull out base boards and treat them in the walls. Mattresses and box springs are thrown out and when the room has been fumigated, they replace the beds with new ones.

If hotels didn’t take extreme measures to get rid of them, you and I would take them home in our luggage. What do these little pests thrive on? Would you believe human blood? It’s a pretty serious problem, wouldn’t you say?

We deal with a similar enemy on the spiritual level. Job 1:7 says, “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ and Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.’”

Just like checking for bed bugs, we have to check our own hearts and see if there is anything we are hiding from ourselves. We have to strip back the masks we wear and let the light of the Lord and His Word shine inside us, exposing any hidden sin. After all, even our own hearts will deceive us.

We have to surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit and let Him exterminate the sin in our lives. He will cleanse us and restore us like new. “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:8-9

Let Go

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:41:00 +0000

We often hear the phrase; Let Go and Let God, but how do we do that? Paul L. Tan wrote about a college student back in the nineteenth century who “took six postcards and wrote a large letter on each one of the postcards; L – E – T -- G – O – D

He then put them on the mantelpiece in his room where he was living at school. One evening a draft blew through the window and the card with the “D” blew away. As he picked up the remaining cards, what he saw seemed to be a message from God, and the secret of the Christian life; LET GO. Only by letting go can you let God carry out His will in your life.”

Letting go and giving everything we have to God should be a daily practice for Christians. Why? Because we tend to hold on to “things” and take back “things” that we’ve already given to Him. Actually, we don’t own anything anyway. Everything we have is simply “on-loan” for a while. Well known author, Corrie Ten Boom understood this. She once said; “I have learned to hold everything loosely. That way it doesn’t hurt when God takes them from me.”

I have my own way of Letting Go and Letting God. In prayer I tell the Lord that I am giving Him what I’ve been holding onto - I name it. It can be one of my children, my husband, or another family member. It may be a person I’m angry with and haven’t forgiven. Instead of a person, it may be a sin. You fill in the blanks.

Then I picture myself picking up the person (or the sin) and laying them at the feet of Jesus. I give to Him what I’ve been holding onto, what I’ve been worrying about and brooding over. He takes my burdens away when I let go. “Cast your cares on the Lord…” Psalm 55:22

Pulling Together

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:28:00 +0000

A great marriage is all about pulling together. But married or not, some things are hard to accomplish unless we have someone helping us. We worked in Mexico for 20 years and during that time we ministered with Pastors and Churches in poor areas sharing Jesus Christ among the people. Not only were the people in these areas poor, but the Pastors and their families were as well.

Our ministry brought in resources that helped the Churches spread the Word of God. Pulling together, we were able to reach thousands of people with the Gospel that would not have been reached otherwise.

One Pastor in particular touched my heart. His name is Pastor Guerra. His flock loves him so much and he loves them. He is an excellent Pastor and a powerful preacher, although he is poorly educated. Many have come to know Christ as their Savior through his faithful work for the Lord.

So what is so special about this man? His shortcoming is what makes him special. He’s totally illiterate. He can’t read or write. So, what miracle has God wrought that enables this humble, uneducated man to prepare his sermons? It’s the miracle of a loving, patient wife who can read.

Every night, sometimes for hours, Senora Guerra reads the Bible to her husband. God has given this Pastor an excellent memory and he has committed much of the Bible to memory just by listening to his wife read.

It makes God smile when we come together with others and lend a helping hand. Who do you know that needs you to come alongside and pull together with them? What are you waiting for? Go ahead, make God smile. 1 Corinthians 3:7-9

Truman: Doing What's Right

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:01:00 +0000

In David McCullough’s book, “Truman,” there are many insights into the life of our former President. I was only ten years old when this outspoken man stepped out of the office of Vice President and into the office of President following the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Even though I was young, I remember a lot about him.

President Harry S. Truman was a man who lived by his convictions. Everyone always knew where they stood with him because he was never bashful about taking a stand on anything he believed in. He was a professing Christian and a member of a Southern Baptist Church, however, his salty language was an embarrassment to most Christians.

McCullough tells about President Truman visiting Mexico in 1947. At that time, anti-American feelings were rampant among the Mexican people and there was justified concern in Washington about the President visiting there.

During his trip to Mexico, the President unexpectedly changed his itinerary and announced that he would visit Chapultepec Castle, which is the West Point of Mexico. His advisors were against it; all the protocol experts said “you can’t do that,” but President Truman went anyway.

The reason his advisors said he shouldn’t go was because 100 years earlier, during the war between the U.S. and Mexico, U.S. troops captured Chapultepec Castle. They killed everyone except six young Mexican cadets who took their own lives rather than surrender to the U.S. The Mexican government erected a monument at the castle to these six young men.

There at the monument to Los Ninos Heroes at Chapultepec, President Truman placed a wreath and bowed his head in prayer. Then a strange and wonderful thing happened, the cadets in the Mexican Color Guard burst into tears and wept openly!

It’s been said that in the history of the two countries, nothing has ever been done that was so helpful in cementing our relationship with Mexico. In Mexico City, for many years following that incident, taxi drivers would weep at the mere mention of President Harry Truman’s name.

Doing what is right will always be pleasing to the Lord, even if others don’t understand. 1 Chronicles 11:15-19

Miracle In The Fog

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:10:00 +0000

While serving as missionaries in Latin America, we had many opportunities to trust the Lord and live by faith. I remember one time in particular while living in Honduras. The roads there are sometimes dangerous and the government does very little to keep them up. It was early one morning and we were traveling on a road high in the mountains. It was a typical mountain road where the mountain is on one side and it’s straight down on the other!

As we came around a bend in the road, we found ourselves engulfed in fog so thick, we could only see a few feet beyond the car. There were three things that made the matter worse; the road was extremely narrow with a lot of switch-backs, there were no guard rails, and there was no shoulder where we could pull over and wait for the fog to lift!

The moment we entered the fog we began praying for the Lord to protect and guide us through it. We drove slowly, inching our way along. Suddenly, it appeared the road was making a curve, but the fog was so thick we couldn’t be sure that we could follow it.

Then we saw one short yellow strip dividing the road - then two. Visibility was so poor we could only see one or two stripes at a time, but what a blessing they were because now we could keep the car aligned with the road!

We filled the car with praises to God as we traveled slowly through the fog. Finally, the sun broke through, and as the fog lifted we noticed that there were no more yellow stripes. We laughed for joy and thanked the Lord for having the Honduran government paint those yellow stripes on the road to guide us through!

After our trip was complete, we returned home via a different route. Several days later we were talking with a fellow missionary who regularly traveled the road where we experienced the heavy fog. We told him about how we would have never made it through those mountains without the yellow striping on the road.

With a puzzled look on his face, our friend said, “I just traveled in that area and there are no yellow stripes anywhere on that road – you can ask anyone who lives there and they’ll tell you the same thing.”

My husband and I looked at each other in silence. The Lord had miraculously taken us through the fog with yellow stripes that He placed there just to get us through.

Don't Sweat It!

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:17:00 +0000

Remember the deodorant commercial with the line; “Don’t let them see you sweat!” Or, maybe you’ve heard the saying, “Don’t sweat it,” meaning, “Don’t worry about it.”

One of Webster’s definitions for sweat is, “To labor or exert oneself…” I think we all agree that hard work and sweat definitely go together. My Grandmother Smith worked hard all her life and when she’d give me a job to do, she would say, “Now a little hard work never killed anybody.”

But did you know that God doesn’t like sweat when it comes to serving Him? In Ezekiel 44:17-18, The Lord is giving instructions for the Priests serving in the Temple; “And it shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court. Linen turbans shall be on their heads, and linen undergarments shall be on their loins, they should not gird themselves with anything that makes them sweat.”

God hates sweat because it’s a sign that our work for Him is of our flesh and not by His Spirit. When we’re sweating, it means that we’re trying to do it instead of giving it to God and letting Him do it through us.

Not only is our sweat not pleasing to the Lord, but we can get more done by resting in the Lord than we’ll ever do by “sweating it.”

Worry Is Like a Rat

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:39:00 +0000

Do you worry? One thing I’ve discovered about worrying, it doesn’t help the situation, and sometimes it makes it worse. One thing for sure, it’s a bad habit. A very bad habit.

You may have heard the story about the pilot and the rat. It’s been around a while and although no one seems to know who wrote it, it’s a great illustration that shows us how to deal with worry. It goes like this:

Years ago, in the pioneer days of aviation, a pilot took off from an airfield. After he was in the air about two hours, he heard a gnawing sound. He realized that a rat must have gotten inside while his plane was on the ground. The gnawing continued. It was a very serious situation, and he was worried.

At first he didn’t know what to do. It was either return to the airfield he had left two hours before, or continue on to the next airfield which was over two hours ahead.

Then he remembered, “The rat is a rodent and it’s not made for heights – it’s made to live on the ground and underground.” So the pilot began to climb. He went up a thousand feet, then another thousand, until he was more than twenty thousand feet above the earth.

The gnawing ceased. The rat was dead. It couldn’t survive the heights.

Worry is like a rat. It gnaws at us and can eventually cause serious damage, physically, mentally, and spiritually. But worry can’t stand the heights our prayers go when we take our worries to the Lord. Worry can’t stand the atmosphere when we praise Him, when we thank Him, when we mediate upon His Word and quote His promises.

In God’s presence, the gnawing ceases. Worry is dead. It can’t survive His lofty presence.

Leaving a Legacy, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:58:00 +0000

There are two things for certain in life; we all will die one day, and we can’t take anything with us when we do. For those of us who don’t have much material wealth to leave to our loved ones, what kind of legacy can we leave to those who come along behind us?

I’ve been reading in 2 Timothy 1:5 about the legacy of faith that was left to Timothy. The Apostle Paul is writing the letter and he says; “I have been reminded of your sincere faith (Timothy), which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you.”

Sincere faith is a wonderful legacy to pass on. I did some research on the word “sincere” and found that it’s possibly taken from two words in Latin; sine (without), and cera (wax). Without wax.

I was curious why the word ‘sincere’ had such a meaning. One of the stories going around is that stone workers during the Republic of Rome, would cover imperfections in stone by applying wax in crevices, much like homemakers or unscrupulous antique dealers might rub wax into wood to hide a scratch (About.com). For dealers to say that their product was “Sine Cera” meant you were getting an honest deal and the stone was of the finest quality, pure, with nothing hidden.

That’s the kind of legacy I want to leave behind, a faith with no wax added. I invite you to join me in praying this prayer; “Lord, purify my faith, make it sincere with nothing hidden, that I might leave a legacy of sincere faith to those who come behind me.”

Don't Look Back

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:44:00 +0000

I learned a lot on the mission field. Many times, scripture came to life when I saw people living like they did in Biblical times.

In Costa Rica for example, oxen are still used to plow fields. The people there paint the oxen yokes with bold colors and create interesting designs that have been handed down from generation to generation. Many times we would see farmers plowing with their oxen on the side of a steep mountain and marvel at how they could do it. It’s definitely an art.

Once they start to plow a row, they don’t stop until it’s done. They must keep their eye on where they’re going. If they look back, they’ll get off course and the row will be crooked.

In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus is urging men to follow Him. First one and then another had an excuse. They said they must do other things first and then they would follow Him. But in verse 62, Jesus tells them, “…No one after putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus was comparing people to a farmer plowing a field. He wanted to show them that they would get off course if they turned around and started taking care of every day things instead of following Him.

Everyday cares still draw us away from the Lord and what He is calling us to do. We have to press on toward Him and what He has set before us if we’re to be fit for His kingdom.

Have you set out to follow Him? Then don’t look back, it will get you off course.

Idols and Other Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:12:00 +0000

There comes a time when you’ve got to get rid of “stuff” or your house won’t hold it all.

Ahh, but just getting ready for a garage sale brings up all sorts of emotions. Trust me, I know. I just had a garage sale.

What about that vase that Aunt Emily gave you? You can’t get rid of that, what would you tell her when she comes to visit? Or that tool that hasn’t been used in 5 years? You may need it, you never know! Or, you can’t get rid of that stack of magazines, remember all those recipes?!

The Israelites had a similar problem. Because of their incessant complaining, God sent serpents among them. Then he told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a stick. Anyone who looked upon it would not die from the snake bites.

Seven hundred years later, the Israelites still had the bronze serpent. It had become an idol and they were worshipping it. (Numbers 21:5-9 & 2 Kings 18:4).

It makes you wonder, where does "stuff" end and idols begin?

Did I Hear You Honk?

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:45:00 +0000

Most things don’t work unless a team pulls together to make it work. Years ago I read an article from an unknown author about Geese and Teamwork.

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird behind it. By flying in V-formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.

The Lesson? People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier when they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot-down, two geese drop out of formation and follow him down. They stay with the goose to help and protect it until it is able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out with another formation to catch-up with the flock.

The Lesson? If we have as much love as geese, we will stand by each other.

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

The Lesson? If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.

The Lesson? It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.

The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

The Lesson? We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging and helpful, not discouraging and critical.

“Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them…” Matthew 7:12

Can You Wrap Your Mind Around This?

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:06:00 +0000

An unbelievable course of events had taken place. Jesus Christ died on the cross and on the third day His body was gone from the tomb, but His burial clothes lay undisturbed. A large number of His disciples actually saw Him and talked with Him; on the road, in a room... It staggered the minds of His disciples and they struggled to piece together what was happening.

Actually, before He was put to death, Jesus told them all that was going to happen, but they couldn’t wrap their minds around it. I think we are often like that. We have God’s Word, but sometimes we find it hard to wrap our minds around what it’s saying to us.

A case in point is Jesus’ teaching about giving the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:26-27.

When Jesus ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to live in those who accepted Jesus’ death on the cross for their sins. If you are a Christian, have you thought about the POWER that lives within you? It’s hard to wrap your mind around it, isn’t it?

Do you realize that with all that power, God expects you to use it for good? That puts the power of God in your hands to reach out to friends and enemies alike with God’s LOVE.

Can you wrap your mind around this and purpose to show God’s love?
“I will extend God’s love to those I know, those I meet, those I’m estranged from, those in my family, those in my neighborhood, those I work with, those I live with, those I go to Church with. I will extend God’s love to my enemies as well as those I love. I have the power of God living in me to do good and I will!"

Fixing the Fix

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Wed, 19 May 2010 06:29:00 +0000

Have you ever been in a fix and couldn’t fix it? I often talk to people who are in that place. They are so far down; the only way they can look is up! But looking up is exactly what we should do. We should look up and ask our Father in heaven for help.

After all, He’s our Maker, our Manufacturer and only He can change us, fix us and restore us. He will maintain our peace, comfort us, enable us, protect us, defend us and empower us to do everything He calls us to do. But we work against Him when we try to fix our problems without consulting Him, waiting on Him, and obeying Him.

Some Christians I know find the Christian life pretty hard. They’re in the habit of taking control of their life and running everything…and making a mess of everything! They don’t realize that when they gave their life to Him, He took it seriously and He has control whether they realize it or not.

They’ve formed habits that are hard to break. They keep looking for another fix to fix their fix instead of giving it all to God and waiting on Him.

They don’t realize that the fix they’re in is there to teach them something and they will never fix it outside of giving it to the Lord.

A Pastor friend used to say, “If you fix the fix God fixes for you, He’ll have to fix another fix for you.”

Many of us have a habit of trying to fix the fix instead of giving our fixes to the Lord. But if we are faithful to yield our habits to Him and ask Him to change us, sooner or later we’ll learn that it’s an exercise in futility to even try and we’ll begin trusting Him more to fix our fixes for us. Thank goodness He never gives up on us!

Hmm, it’s so simple to come to Christ and be born again. But becoming mature and growing up in Christ - that’s the hard part!

Laugh

noreply@blogger.com (Barb Leonard) — Sat, 15 May 2010 21:10:00 +0000

It seems like the harder I tried to find the time to write, the more things got in the way of writing. So here I am, with numerous obstacles out of the way, back to blogging!

One of the things that got me off track was some day-surgery to remove a small skin cancer and a benign cyst, both on my forehead. It turned out to be a bigger deal than I imagined. Thank the Lord the cancer was not threatening, and they got all of it! What I discovered in the process was my vanity.

You don’t know how vain you are until they start cutting on your face! After the surgery, they put a big bandage over both the surgery sites. To apply pressure, they piled cotton on top of that and then applied tape to the whole thing. I wore that big, bulging bandage for almost a week.

I looked like I had a big growth on my forehead that was covered with tape! I assure you, make-up did not help my situation. I had a feeling God was snickering at me. He knows how to deal with our pride, you know.

The big, bulging bandage has been replaced with a big, flat bandage which will be coming off within a week or less. I will probably have a whole new set of pride issues to deal with when I have no bandage at all!

I am in awe of the Lord for the unique ways He operates in our lives. While He’s been hacking away at my pride, I’ve come to realize how silly pride is. I actually got a big laugh at a teenager who looked at me in horror and said, “Oh my goodness, what happened to you?!”

Laughing is good - especially when you laugh at yourself.