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| Ever have one of those days...where life gets in the way?
Praise God that "this too shall pass" and that we, for certain, can't measure up to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If there was any way possible that humans could be perfect, I'd still miss the mark. By a long shot.
Call me a slow learner, 'tis what I am.
Call me human.
If we all lived in a bubble, praising God and speaking scripture all day long, would we be happy?
Is it just "life" that gets in the way?
Nah. I think if we lived in a bubble, some of us would be uncomfortable, b/c they don't work well in crowds...the whole claustrophobic thing.
Others would walk around telling others that they were off key and try to show them and teach them to sing better. Some would praise louder than others, possibly annoying their neighbor. Some others would just stop singing and praising b/c everyone else was doing it..what value was their little bit of praise?
And depending on which hour of which day it is, I fit into every category above.
I hate crowds unless I am in front of them. Perhaps it's a control thing. Perhaps it's an attention thing. Maybe a little of both.
When you are in front of a crowd, the attention is on you- and there is control. You won't get stepped on, spilled on, pushed around.
So I would not do well in a bubble.
And the teacher part of me loves teaching people- actually mostly kids. I get too nervous around grown up people and my brain stops working. Put me in front of 500 Kdg -3rd grade students and I feel at home. I know what to say, I know how to laugh, and I know they won't judge me.
Unless I wear a silly wig.
Then they'll just laugh and love me b/c I'm silly. And that's okay.
So would the teacher part of me try to teach adults how to sing? Maybe.
I could say I know a few adults who would love the opportunity to tell each other how to sing or live or whatever.
But I know I fit that description as well. Ever feel the need to point out someone's faults?
Or have yours pointed out?
The holier than thou teacher?
Yep, it hurts, it makes you mad, doesn't it?
Yes, show me how to potty train my 2 1/2 year old, b/c obviously YOU are the expert on not only potty training, but also my stubborn independent daughter. And then I'll show you how she chooses to use the potty in her play kitchen pots and pans.
Yes, this person would definitely try to tell others how to sing.
Am I guilty of this? Yep.
Does it make me mad when it happens to me? You betcha.
And sing so loudly they'd annoy their neighbor.
Okay...guilty. I like the way my voice sounds. Pride? Oh I don't know...I know it's one of my gifts the Lord gave to me.
Okay, okay, at times...yes...prideful.
I am thankful for not only the gift of song, but I'm thankful that my voice blends so beautifully with my husband. A match made only in heaven.
So I would be the one to probably praise a bit too loudly and annoy the neighbor beside me.
But in the same thought process, on a bad day, I can be the one in the corner. Not that I would think my voice is bad, but that I would think- what's the point? How does God hear my voice when everyone else sings so much better than I do?
We would be a mess.
Why? Because life gets in the way. Sin gets in the way. Our pride gets in the way.
So I'm glad we don't live in a bubble.
Some days I hate the fact that we have to live together on this earth.
People can stink.
I'd have a much easier time in the Garden with just my Father (okay, Jeff can come too)...but that's not my story.
And knowing me? I'd make Jeff eat the apple and we'd end up cold and bitter anyways. |
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| Ever look at someone else's life and have questions for God about them- or even your own life? Why do I have to have a C-section? Why can't I have a baby the \"normal\" way like so and so? Why does this person have kids who will sit down and behave in public, and I don't? Why does this person pray for this? Wouldn't such and such be better? Oh the questions...and God says \"That's Not Your Story\" to me spiritually saying \"mind your own business\" and \"I have the plan for you\"- said with the Father's love, of course |
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We had a tree fall into our yard two weeks ago.
This tree had become our "thorn in our side" so to speak.
It was big- it almost hit our house. We need to get rid of it.
The tree that fell into our yard was not on our property.
It became a frustrating experience - trying to be patient, but trying to figure out how to get this thing out of our yard.
This situation caused us to be in some pretty responsive communication back and forth with someone in our neighborhood that was helping us figure out a plan.
What we thought we were dealing with was a tree in our yard.
And God spoke pretty loud and clearly to me this past weekend that "It's not about the tree" That was what God had used to orchestrate his plan.
Not only was the tree an avenue to bring people into our lives that share our faith, but it was also the spark that lit the fire for the need for prayer of protection over the neighborhood and the need to bring the community together...to position us all for the next chapter. I have felt for some time that God was calling me at some point to bring the neighborhood together.
Knowing that there were believers, followers of Christ in our community, our subdivision, I felt the need to bring us all together and make an impact in our community.
Link arms, build our "Wall of Jerusalem" and protect our wall.
While building the wall of Jerusalem, if a neighbor was in need of help, they dropped what they were doing and rushed in to help. That is what I believe God wants for the Highlands of Brentwood. And it had to start with a tree falling on our yard. Without the tree, I wouldn't feel the urgency to act to bring everyone together. And so "It's not about the tree" Praise God |
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I started to write a song yesterday called \"Spoken For.\" I just kept thinking about how I'm spoken for. Jesus is my groom and I am, we are- his bride! I belong to him, it is orchestrated and planned out and he has my heart. And no one can take that away from me. I'm spoken for. He's paid the price for me, he has bought my heart, my soul, my eternal place with Him- all purchased by his blood. And unlike a marriage on earth where vows are far too often tossed around so easily- our vow, our promise from our Savior is solid. Our Promise Keeper. It just sounds so precious and tender, I think when we are \"spoken for.\"
I don't have it all down yet - so far I have CHORUS I'm spoken for He has my heart He's paid my price and he has bought my soul I'm spoken for I am waiting for my groom He has gone to prepare a place for me In His house there are many rooms, he tells me And he's coming back for me (Chorus) I am His and He is mine I live under his authority I willingly serve My perfect King and my veil has been placed upon his shoulders |
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Wow I am reading in Nehemiah chapter 3 where they are working together to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.
As I read along the many names, it almost started to bore me. Then I took a step back and really read it. I underlined the words of the significant pieces and places in the wall, I underlined professions of people who worked together. I am wowed at what I am reading.
You've got priests working, daughters working, perfume makers, merchants...people of kinds of different trades, working alongside each other rebuilding this wall. (Of course, their sections were wide, so it may not have always been close in proximity, but the sections were neighbors.) \"for the people worked with all their heat.\" vs. 6 Just for a minute, image the scene. It's rubble, it's destruction. It's not pretty. It's dirty, muddy, messy. It's depressing.
And it sits like that until God puts the fire in Nehemiah's heart and gives him a passion for bringing his people together not only to build, but to unite them. And you've got neighbors working together, HARD work, sweating, grunting, pushing, pressing on! And they are working on their part so diligently, and then perhaps for a minute, they step back enough to look around them and see everyone around them at work, and seeing how it will all come together. The work in progress.
How it must have have looked to see everyone working together!
And the wall is being rebuilt, but as it is being rebuilt, it is being reconnected
Is your neighborhood, is your church, is your community disconnected? How about your family? Your marriage? Even the best and most healthy marriages have a break in the wall at times. Some have been completely destroyed. What do you do? If you walk away, you most likely are leaving quite an awful mess of rubble behind. I can think of times where Jeff and I have been disconnected. And sometimes we haven't realized that our marriage wall has had some wear and tear in it, until a big wind comes. And so we have an argument, or whatever, and we look at the hurt. We look at the rubble on the floor.
And together we lift the first big boulder, if you will...and we together put it back into place.
And in Nehemiah, he had them rebuilding it while guarding it at the same time. And he posted guards to protect it. If our relationships would be like this...rebuild, maintain, growth, all the while on the lookout for any wind or enemy that would come to destroy it, and we are equip to battle them off. And if we could only hear the trumpet of one in need, and we pause our building for a minute as we join together to fight for each other. |
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