What Would You Do With ONE WEEK Left?

They made the announcement at churches and at schools.  They wanted everyone to hear.  The entire community had one week to make a significant changes in their lives:  in the way they cleaned their houses; in the way they looked; in their eating habits; and in their worship habits.  In one week, the judges would come and interview every person and if they hadn’t made a significant change, they would be killed immediately, no questions asked. Things were taken away for that week.  There were no food stores.  There was no electricity, no internet, no travel.  People were living on basic survival and what they had in their homes for one week.  Some tried to help others by writing on their doors “we have meat” or “Jeep to share”, hoping that others would come to them seeking help if they needed it.  One family did so, only to look across the street and see someone killing an old lady to steal her necessities.  Quickly the father said, “Erase that off the door, they’ll see!”  The mother said, “The paint is too thick!  Take the door off instead!”  As the teenage daughter sanded the paint off of the door, she said, “It’s not fair that my brother is away at college and doesn’t have to endure this hardship.” 

Many sought new beauty regiments, but only the well off could afford to do so.  Some wanted to change the color of their hair or their facial features, hoping that would keep them alive on judgment day.  One family tried to become more organized, finding a place in their home for everything neatly, until their 1 yr old son came through the room and overturned the organization bins , spilling everything across the floors.  Would the family be doomed?  They thought so, and immediately scrambled to find something else to better them.  The judges were coming!

Many flocked to churches to pray and worship at the last minute.  The sound of a loud voice came over the P.A., “They are coming!” and everyone started to worship harder and in ways they never have before.  “Perhaps my worship will make them spare me,” they thought.  “If I raise my hands or go to the altar they will see the outward change in me and I won’t be killed.”  The lady next to me ran to the altar she never had been to before and fell on her knees, waving her hands wildly, and swaying to the music that was playing, as the officials came down the aisles to evaluate the people and make their judgments. 

I don’t know how I knew.  I don’t know if someone revealed the secret to me in person or if I just knew.   A vision of a man came to me and said “It’s all a hoax; no one will be killed today. We just wanted to see if people would better themselves.  We just wanted to see if people would unify or fall apart.  We just wanted to see what people thought was “’better.’”  And that man was THE Judge.  So I ran to the altar myself.  I was right next to the lady waving her hands wildly, except I was actually worshiping something with my whole heart!  I was worshiping the Judge, the Lord!  I didn’t care what I looked like.  I wanted to worship with everything I had in me!  And then the Judge, in the form of a man, came to me, held my face, and knowingly looked into my eyes.  He said, “You knew it was a hoax, why did you come down here?  Why are you worshiping so wildly like these other people?”  I said, “Because I have to worship you.   I want to worship you!”  He smiled, I felt his approval, and then I woke up.

What does this dream mean?  Two nights this week, I've dreamt this same dream and the Lord asked me to write it down and to share it.  I think it's not really a coincidence that I've been writing a sermon called "A Church Jesus Wants to Belong To."

I believe the Lord’s message to me, to everyone, through this dream was His grace.  I believe the people in the dream were all Christians which is why they were all going to be saved in the end.  I believe that the Lord was showing me different people’s reactions to the Christian faith.  Some become helpful, inviting, wanting to let others in until they feel a threat and close their doors when they see the world creeping in.  Some want to look good on the outside, like those seeking beauty treatments or those trying to worship better before the judges came.  Some try in their own strength to organize their lives around the Lord.  God has his place, but not in all areas of their life.  Maybe he is in their church activities and their small groups, but he’s not with them at school or at work where they may or may not act like a Christ-follower.  Or maybe their organization leaves very little opportunity for the Lord to REALLY change them.  And then there are those that lock themselves in the church and just play church.  When a hardship comes they run to an altar, sometimes seeking to look good in the sight of others instead of the life-changing power that would be theirs.  If they believed in His grace; his undeserved, unmerited, complete grace; they would be saved!

God is ready and willing to meet everyone right where they are and to give the amazing grace that has already been bought and paid for on Calvary.  We don’t have to go to extraordinary lengths to better ourselves.  If we worship the Lord and seek HIS face, we will want to do the good works and actions that show others of our great love for Christ.  It’s when we worship him in our hearts, in full sacrifice, not caring about anything else, that He is pleased.  Everyone in that dream was trying SO hard, when all they really had to do was worship from their heart; it saved them and it will save us.  God wants to make the grace for sin exchange in our lives, but will we let him?   This doesn’t just mean that we believe in Him and “get saved”.  This means that we believe that everything that Christ was, we ARE!  Not we “can be”, but we ARE!  We need to believe that the power Christ has to raise from the dead, to heal, to know deep needs, to draw people in, even to offend the world, resides inside of us RIGHT NOW!  We don’t have to wildly beg at an altar for it; it’s ours NOW!  When will the church believe it?  When will you?

One Direction

So, I broke down and watched videos of "One Direction" this morning.  After hearing that "What Makes You Beautiful" song 1000 times at summer camp and seeing one of my youth girls look at herself in every reflective object in my house last night (apparently one of the members of the group made that a "challenge" this week), I decided I needed to check out this newest boy-band phenomenon.  I watched three of their videos on YouTube (well, just thank God for YouTube, huh?).  Anyway, I have several reflections based on my experience this morning that I want to share with the world...well, at least my youth girls (so I hope they read this)...

1.  I'll give you this...the music is peppy and catchy.  I'm going to be singing that beautiful song in my head all day (as much as I'm currently trying to replace it as soon as possible with a worship song).  What is is about?  Have you thought of that?  What purpose do those songs fulfill in your life?  The Bible teaches us to meditate on the Word of God and things that are true, pure, and lovely.  Are you listening occasionally or meditating (rehearsing in your mind all day) on these songs?

2.  They are cute, I'll give ya that too!  If I was a teenage girl, I would like them.  In fact, I was a teenage girl once and I believe I was absolutely OBSESSED with a group called "New Kids on the Block".  I had the posters all over my room.  I used the VCR (that ancient piece of technological equipment) to videotape EVERY TV show they were on.  I even learned how to play the piano so I could play their song "I'll Be Loving You Forever" whenever I wanted.  I wrote them fan letters and learned every single thing I could about their personal lives through the teen magazines I saw in every grocery store newstand.  I even went to 3 or 4 concerts and bought every t-shirt, cassette tape, video tape, earings, trading card, poster, and button I could find with their names or pictures on them.  I also remember that my thoughts were CONSUMED by fantasies about the 5 boys in the "New Kids on the Block" (Danny, Donny, Joe, Jordan, and Jonathan, who was my favorite). I think I truly believed that if I thought about them enough, I could someday meet and marry one of them and then be able to do what married people do (if you know what I mean).  Be careful ladies, that your thoughts stay pure in all of this because I know mine didn't.

3.  As I watched a video of one of "One Direction's" concerts, I saw them perform a song called "More Than This".  Again, catchy tune, but what captured me in this video was not what what they were doing on stage, but the reaction of the young ladies in the audience.  Many of them had their hands raised in the direction of the young men on stage, singing the lyrics of the love song with them, "I can love you more than this."  I couldn't help but see the similarities between this scene and what I've seen at youth convention worship sets.  Young people, in a room with lights and fog machines, holding their hands up to the sky, singing the lyrics of the band.  The only difference in this video I watched this morning is that those young ladies were worshiping something very different.  They were worshiping 5 teenage young men, instead of Jesus Christ. 

I'm not against anyone liking a band, especially "One Direction" which seems to have cute, catchy, mostly wholesome songs compared to a lot of the mainstream music that is out there, but ladies (and parents) let's guard our hearts while we watch and listen to this music okay?  They are just human beings; they are not gods.  They may be cute, but someday, you will think your husband is WAY cuter and sexier, so don't dishonor him with your thoughts!  And let's make sure that our worship is really placed in ONE DIRECTION....towards GOD!

Thanks girls, for giving me something to watch/ do this morning!  And I agree with the boys in the band on one major thing... many of you "don't know you're beautiful!"

LOVE YOU!
Pastor Rachel

Adding to your faith...

In 2 Peter 1:3-11, there is a set of characteristics that Christians should develop in their lives.  It reads, "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly-kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (NIV)

It's not enough that we just have faith in God; that is just the beginning.  We are to continue to grow into a life characterized by love.  The problem is that many of us get saved and then we want to get others to also have faith.  We invite them to church and we recite Bible verses to them and such (which are all good things), but we don't SHOW them the love.  We never took the time to become mature in Christ and live out our godly lives in front of them.  We didn't "win them over" with our compassion, love, and godly character first.  We have to remember that we will NEVER "make it" in our Christian walk until the day we see Jesus face to face.  We must keep trying to be more and more like Him until that day!

So many churches are looking for the special marketing campaign to get people to come to their church instead of focusing on these virtues and trying to expand them in the lives of their own people.  I'm convinced that if there were a church of people displaying the characteristics of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, godliness, brotherly-kindness, and love,  the world would FLOCK to our doors! 

So, what about you?  Where is your faith?  What about your self-control?  Brotherly-kindness?  What areas do you need to work on to be productive and efficient in the Kingdom of God?

Desires

Ever wonder if your actions and words make a difference?  Ever wonder if what you are dreaming of is actually going to happen?  Ever wonder if God's working behind the scenes, even when you can't see it? 

It's my dream to see students turn to Christ and follow Him with everything in them.  It's my dream to see a church full of people come to rely on Christ and each other, fully in unity and fully in relationship.  I'm starting to see it!  Last week, two students showed me the journal of Bible verses and thoughts they are keeping everything, evidence of their alone times with God's Word.  A week and a half ago, the we moved into our new house closer to church, where I've been dreaming of starting a small group to teach others how to host small groups in their homes!  God's plans and my dreams are starting to collide...what a beautiful moment. 

In Psalms you can find a passage that is very familiar to most Christians, especially those who are waiting for something significant in their lives: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  This isn't saying that God is some waiter who will bring you everything you want, but it is saying that God's desires become YOUR desires when you draw closer and closer to Him.  He puts those desires in your heart!  I recently spoke to a friend of mine who desires to be married.  She said, "maybe that's just not God's plan for me."  Friends, if you have a deep desire in your life, chances are, God put it there!  The key is to grow closer and closer to the Lord while you are waiting, and you'll begin to see everything fall into place as you become the person the Lord wants you to be.

Happy waiting!

Powerful Moment (in the shower?)

I've been getting up early (5:00am) to workout on the eliptical machine before work.  Wednesday, I did NOT want to get up!!!  It was the LAST thing on my mind, but I ended up doing it anyway.  While I was in the shower, I started praying for my youth kids and students I had just seen on a DVD called "Gospel Journey Maui".  All of the sudden, the presence of God filled my bathroom and I began to cry.  The Lord told me that many of the people I was praying for were running from him, just like I was running from trying to workout. 

How many of us know someone who is running from the Lord?  I would venture to say that almost all of us do.  Perhaps in many ways, we could be running from the Lord ourselves.  The greatest thing about our Lord is that he CHASES us!  What's more is that he wants us to chase others for Him! 

When was the last time you seriously prayed for someone in your life who is running from God?  When was the last time you took moments out of your busy day to chase someone who needs love or needs to know more about our amazing Lord?  God really broke my heart on Wednesday for a lot of people that I care about, but had not been too serious about praying for.  Will you let him break YOUR heart too?

In Prison

I woke up this morning remembering a dream that I had during the night.  In my dream, I found myself in a prison, sentenced to ONE day in jail.  I kept thinking that it was a mistake.  I hadn't really done anything really wrong; I just knew it.  They made me wear blue overalls and slippers.  I had to give up all of my possessions.  They took me through the jail looking for a cell that wasn't crowded and as I looked at everyone there, I kept thinking how DIFFERENT I was from them.  They were CRIMINALS!  All the while, I'm thinking it must be a mistake that I was there!  In each location in the jail, I saw people I knew.  There were students from school, kids from youth group, people from work--and all of them looked disappointed in me.  They couldn't believe that I was there with them, guilty, in the jail!  And I kept telling them it was a mistake, but as I walked further and further through the prison, I started to feel my guilt.  Could it be that I actually deserved to be there?

You know, I think as church-going Christians sometimes we have a temptation to feel better than everyone else because we think we are more "holy" or "righteous" but when it comes right down to it, we are just as guilty as everyone else.  The Bible says that we have ALL fallen short of the glory of God because of our sin.  ALL of us!  It doesn't matter what that sin is either--lying, gossip, murder, homosexuality--it is all sin to God and therefore makes us unclean UNTIL we place our faith in Jesus Christ as the savior and forgiver of our sins.

However, as Christians, we do have a responsibility to live different lives than the ones around us!  We have to "put on the Holy Spirit" and be Jesus to the people around us.  They shouldn't see us doing the same things they are.  We shouldn't want to live "in the world" and desire the things of the world like non-believers do.  We have something better to live for!  An evangelist at church today said that as Jesus was hanging on the cross, one of the thieves beside him was hateful and the other was accepting.  The accepting thief, the one who asked Jesus to remember him when He got to His kingdom in Heaven, must have seen the compassion in Jesus' eyes.  He must have felt the love Jesus had for him even though he was a sinner.  The same must be true of us.  People around us must be able to see Jesus in our eyes.  They need to feel Jesus' compassion through OUR actions and communications with them.  As our evangelist said this morning in church, the best way to witness is to live the life of a Christian that loves God instead of the fleshly desires of the world.

Making Room

In 24 days, I'm going to be Mrs. Nathan Deavers!  It's hard to believe that everything about the way I've lived for the past 33 years is about to change!  But it's also so exciting!  In preparation for that day, yesterday I cleaned out one of the closets in my master bedroom and made room in the walk-in closet for Nathan's things.  Soon, he will be living here too and I will not be the only one in the house with clothing...it has to go somewhere!  For so long, I've lived by myself.  I could put things where I wanted to put them.  I could sleep in the center of the bed.  I could pile things in closets and take up all of the room I wanted to.  But now, I have to make room in my house for another person who will be here with me very soon.

There are many things we "make room" for in our lives...some of those things are good and some are bad (just so everyone is clear, Nathan is DEFINITELY good!).  But how much room do we make for Jesus Christ?  Do we have so much stuff in our lives that we just give him a corner of our "closets" or do we really make room for him to take up residence in our hearts?  Do you know how you test this? Look at your time, look at your wallet, and look at your interests.  Is God to be found in any of them? 

Where do you spend the most time?  Is it having fun, helping others, or in prayer?  

How do you spend your money?  Do you tithe first and then pay your bills or just give the leftovers to God?  Do you joyfully give of what you have to those who may need it? 

What do you like to do in your free time?  Do you find yourself vegging in front of the TV when God is calling  you to read His Word or pray?

It's hard to step back and look at some of these areas of our lives, because we realize we haven't given him enough room.  It's so easy for me to be a "Martha", but God is calling me to be a "Mary".  He wants us all to sit at his feet from time to time and soak in His presence and His Word. 

I love spending time with my fiance.  There are times when we just sit together, snuggling--we just want to be in each others' arms.  God wants that for us too.  He wants us to CrAV3 (shout out to ALC) his presence and desire to be in His arms!  Make room in your life for Him today!

Be Careful Where You Walk!

The other day, my gorgeous fiance, Nathan, and I were hiking up to Annapolis Rocks in Maryland.  It was the site of our engagement last April and only one month until our wedding day!  What an appropriate thing to do, even it it was 100 degrees outside! :)  We thought of the dangers of the day--the high heat and humidity and the suns rays--and thought that we would take measures to keep ourselves safe.  We put on sunscreen and brought lots of water and set out on our way!

As we walked along the trail, we encountered a group of people who told us about a snake about a 1/2 mile down the trail.  They said it was a rattlesnake and they decided to turn back before making it to the cliff to see the spectacular view.  But we kept walking.  Of course, Nathan found a big stick and walked in front of me for the rest of the way.  We were careful, but we wanted to make it to the top!  The top is the reward for all the huffing, puffing, and sweating to make it up the mountain!  So, we were diligent to watch for the snake.  I looked on one side of the trail and Nathan looked on the other side, while he carried the big stick.  We made it to the top without seeing the snake!  And the view was gorgeous! 

After a while, we decided to go to the spring, which neither of us had ever seen.  It was just a short walk further than where we were.  All of the sudden, Nathan screamed at me to run, so I did.  I got a little way up the trail and I noticed Nathan ran the opposite direction.  In the middle of us, on the trail, was a northern  copperhead snake!  It's poisonous and VERY difficult to see with all of its camouflaged markings.  Apparently, I was just inches from stepping on him when Nathan spotted it and screamed at me!  Praise the Lord that he didn't bite me or Nathan!!  It would have been very difficult to make the 2.2 mile trip back to the car and get medical attention!

We both thought about this event later.  Not only did God protect us, but he protected us when we were not on guard.  On the way up the trail, we were watching for danger.  We were on guard to protect each other from the danger.  But somewhere along the way, we let our guard down.  We forgot that we were in a place with dangers all around us and we decided just to be "in the moment" having fun, which is when the REAL danger slithered in front of us!  What a great metaphor for life!  Those of us who are Christians get complacent sometimes.  I think we understand there are dangers all around us--temptations, etc.--but we forget about them.  We let down our guard.  We forget to protect ourselves and each other from the enemy's attacks.  But what's great is that the Lord never sleeps; he never stops guarding us.  When we are in tune with the Lord, we hear his warnings and we are protected.  If Nathan had not been with me or if I had not been paying attention to the sound of his voice, I would have stepped on the snake.  I could have died, actually.  But because I heard his voice, I avoided the danger.  In the same way, we have to hear the voice of the Lord, listen to his warnings in our life and obey what he says.  I didn't know why Nathan told me to run, but I did it anyway.  I trusted that he was telling me to move for an important reason because I know he loves me and only wants the best for me. 

Are you hearing the voice of God today?  Are you listening for the sound of his voice?  Are you obeying his direction, even when you cannot understand why he's telling you to move?

The Importance of a Moment

"Have you ever faced this kind of moment--a moment filled with opportunity and yet you let it slip away? Has it ever been in your power to do good, but you chose instead to do nothing? You didn't choose evil; you just chose not to get involved--you chose to be neutral, to be a nonparticipant, to do nothing. We have put so much emphasis on avoiding evil that we have become virtually blind to the endless opportunities for doing good. I am convinced the great tragedy is not the sins that we commit, but the life we fail to live. You cannot follow God in neutral. God has created you to do something. It is not enough to stop the wrong and then be paralyzed when it comes to the right. God created you to do good. And doing this requires initiative. Now it's time to do something." --Erwin McManus in Chasing Daylight

How many of us are paralyzed by fear? We fear what people might think; we fear what might happen; we fear that our past might be revealed; we fear being afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to push past it and do what God is asking you to do. God did not give us the spirit of fear as the Bible says, therefore we cannot worry about His plans for us.

Recently, I had to make a choice between something God wanted me to do and something I wanted to do. What I wanted to do would keep me in my comfort zone, whereas God's plan was going to make me rely on Him and not my own abilities. I was fearful just thinking about going down God's path, but once I centered myself on that path, there was a peace that surpassed all understanding! I pray the same for all of you--the peace that surpasses all understanding as you face your fears!

Expectancy & Gratitude

Here we are in the last few hours of 2009...WOW, time flies, doesn't it? The end of a year brings with it so many differing emotions in people's lives. Some are sad to see the year go while others are excited to leave the past and head toward a brand new future. We think about the historical events in the world and in our lives over the past year as we gently start walking toward the unknown in the next. I always get a bit nostalgic this time of year and I love the video montages that TV news programs put together of all of the historical events and people of the year that is passing. We saw many tragedies and many triumphs this year as a nation and world, but what about in your own life? What has happened this year for you?

Last night at youth group, I urged the students to start this year, this new decade, with a spirit of expectancy and gratitude. I told them to think about the best thing that happened to them last year and THANK God for it. I told them to think of the worst thing that happened to them this past year and THANK God for it. And I told them to think about their greatest desire and dream for 2010 and go ahead and THANK God for it. We thank Him for our blessings and our nightmares because we learn from both. We thank Him for the future because we know that it will be HIS perfect will for us and our growth in Him.

Are you expecting great things for 2010? Are you thanking God for the blessings and difficulties of 2009? Today's random act of kindness is to be grateful for ALL things in our lives and expect even better for 2010. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Leaving the 99

If you had $1000 all in one dollar bills, would you be that upset if you lost ONE? How about a bag of M&Ms...a HUGE bag...would you care if you dropped ONE on the floor? What's the power of ONE when you have a lot?

I heard a great sermon tonight at my cousin's church. In the gospels, Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd who left 99 sheep to find ONE that was missing. Jesus cares about the ONE. How often do we? In our churches of hundreds of people, how many of us care about ONE person who falls away from Christ or the ONE person we didn't see on Sunday morning? How often do we pick up the phone to make sure that ONE person is okay? Or what about the neighbor you haven't seen for a while or the relative that you don't really connect with that easily?

If Jesus can care about the ONE, shouldn't we? The thing is, if that ONE lost person was your best friend or your family member, you could care deeply about the ONE wouldn't you? God feels that way about ALL of his children. He desires that not ONE would perish! If we are to be the people after God's heart that He wants us to be, we have to care about the ONE lost sheep.

Let your act of kindness today be something that draws the ONE back to Christ...whoever that ONE person is in your life!

Gift Giving

For most of us this holiday season, we spend a lot of time focusing on giving. I know that many of my friends LOVE the holiday season for it's sales and shopping. The stores are all decorated, Christmas music fills the air, and we are full of the giving spirit! Then we rush home to put on more Christmas music, decorate the tree, fix the hot chocolate, and wrap the gifts we bought for our loved ones.

Last night, I was reminded that there is an even greater gift we can give than the ones under the tree this Christmas day. It's the gift of ourselves and our time. If we TRULY love someone, we need to be as involved in their lives as we can be. We need to give, not only of our time, but of our emotions, hearts, intellect, and spirituality. You see, loving someone is more than spending time with them or trying to bless them--loving someone is trying to be the person they need you to be. It's having a spiritual word or scripture to bless their day. It's understanding where they are and praying for God to move them to where they want to be. It's adding your faith to theirs for all of the things they want out of life. It's being an ear when they need to talk.

What would our Christmas season be like if those were the ONLY gifts we gave this year?

A Strong Cornerstone

I love it when God uses me! Do you ever find yourself in the right place at the right time, knowing that God is about to use you to speak into someone else's life? I had a moment like that last night.

My boyfriend's friend was having a spiritual crisis. Long story short, God orchestrated things so that I could help this person by just BEING WHO I AM. I was able to use my experiences to help this girl and together, my boyfriend and I were able to minister to someone who was lost.

Many of us focus on the tasks we have to perform each day. We focus on the content of our relationships with each other and how we can make those relationships better. We focus on bills that have to be paid or decisions that have to be made. But really, it's all about God's Kingdom! How do we get so easily sidetracked?

In the book of Haggai, the people were neglecting the house of God and focusing instead on their own houses/ lives. When they started working on the house of God again, he blessed them. Not only that, but he promised that even though the earth would be shaken, they would be blessed and protected! How do we have a blessed life? Is it by struggling and straining and trying our best? Is it by luck or chance? NO! We have a blessed life when we GIVE IT AWAY and focus on the works of God and building HIS kindgom! That is when we find true fullfillment in being used by the Holy Spirit to build our lives and the lives of others. That is when the true cornerstone of our lives rests upon the rock of Jesus!

Covered in White

I have a tree in my front yard that has finally let go of her leaves. They are everywhere. I tried to contain them in one large pile next to the tree until I have the time to get them up off of the ground. But for now, there's this ugly heap of leaves blowing around and making a mess, dirtying up all of the yards that surround mine. It's just yucky.

In Winchester, VA today, we had about 3-4 inches of fresh snow fall to the ground. It covered everything in sight with a beautiful blanket of wet snow. Even the mountain of leaves that is piled up on my front yard is now a beautiful mound of snow, all white and pretty. You can't see the ugly leaves or the spot in the yard that no longer has grass. You can't see the plants that have given up their life for the winter. All you can see today is a beautiful blanket of white.

Isn't this what happens when Jesus gets a hold of our lives? He takes the ugliness of our sin and covers it with his blood so that all God can see is a clean, white, beautiful creation. God's creation and our natural world are reminders of His amazing power or redemption. If it is snowing where you are today, take a moment to show kindness to the ONE who has made you clean and let every snowy day remind you of this amazing gift!

To the Root of the Issue

Today was a difficult day in schools all across America--the first day back after a long Thanksgiving weekend! Trust me, few students AND teachers wanted to be at school today, myself included. This morning, there was a young lady in my class who would NOT stop talking. It was SO frustrating! After several failed attempts on my part to stop the talking, I told her to leave my classroom and wait for me outside of the door. After a few minutes, I decided I would go to the hallway and give her a stern "talking to." But when I got to the hallway, the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask a question instead of state my anger. "What's wrong today?" I asked her. A flood of emotion came out of this young lady and tears came to her eyes. I knew that a divine appointment was awaiting me.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do for another person is to simply NOT react. Getting to the root of someone's problem can restore relationships instead of adding to the conflict. This young lady just wanted someone to listen to her--sure, she went about it the wrong way, but after I listened, she was fine.

Who in YOUR life needs you to listen today? Often, if you look around to find those who might be annoying you or frustrating you, those are the ones who are awaiting divine appointments with you.

Thankful in the Tough Times

I have to be honest, I'm REALLY looking forward to this holiday season. I have a new relationship, I'm going to get to see my niece, sister, and brother-in-law in Kentucky, and I'm seeing the dream of being credentialed finally come to pass. There are so many blessings in my life right now that I barely know how to contain my excitement. But as I look back over other holiday seasons of the past, there have been very different feelings as I've approached this time of the year. Even as I sit here blessed, I can remember and feel the emotions from years past when my life didn't seem as wonderful. It was in those years that I dreaded the holiday season because it would remind me of how UNHAPPY I was.

I think it is important for all of us to remember those during the holiday season who struggle with depression. As we are shopping, wrapping our gifts, and getting together with family and friends, we need to include those around us who are going through difficult times--and MANY people are this season. In my own family, my cousin Conor is battling a life-threatening form of pneumonia, reducing him to an ICU hospital bed while his family takes turns staying with him. Their Thanksgiving will not be like mine, with turkey and all of the trimmings. They will just be thankful that Conor is still fighting and that God is still working to heal him.

As we gather around our tables tomorrow, let us remember all of those around us who are in a state of struggle. Maybe those thoughts will even make us more thankful for what we have and help us to pull out of whatever low feelings we might be having this holiday season.

I pray blessings upon each of you reading this! May your Thanksgiving Day remind you of how special and blessed you are!

Quality Time

Time...don't you just sometimes hate the sound of that word? I do because I often don't feel like I have enough time. There are household chores to do, work to do for our jobs, dishes to wash, laundry to fold, a Christmas season to prepare for, and then there are relationships with people and God to maintain. Sometimes it just seems SO overwhelming!

Friday, I had a day off of work and I spent the morning running around doing errands, all in a rush. Then in the afternoon, I spent some quality time with a person in my life. I found myself forgetting about the time. I forgot about all of the things I HAD to do. I forgot about everything except the moment and the company, and it was wonderful. I even felt relaxed and happy. Do you know why? Because I gave myself over to some quality time.

Imagine what we would feel like if we could just give that kind of quality time to God! How much more would we feel refreshed and relaxed? Don't let this upcoming holiday season be a blur because of your busyness! Don't let the moments with friends and family pass because you are basting a turkey or trying to get that black Friday sale! Spend time in the moment with them and with God. Isn't that what the holidays are all about anyway?

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Penny

"See a penny, pick it up, the rest of the day you'll have good luck."

Have you ever heard that saying? My mom used to say it all of the time. Today I was walking through my classroom and I saw a penny (face up--I know that means something to many people) on the floor and I walked right past it. Why should I bend down for just one tiny little penny? It won't make me rich, right? What's the point? Then I thought, "What if the saying is true and I just passed up my 'good luck' for the day?" As I write this, the penny is still on the floor across the room from me, LOL!

Blessing...it's all around us. God has tiny ones and large ones just waiting for us to accept. But there's the key--WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THEM! We have to "unrap" the presents that he has waiting for us. So often we become complacent or lazy (like me not wanting to bend over to pick up a penny, ha ha) and we don't allow God to bless us. Sometimes we are afraid of finally getting what we've always wanted and so we back away from the most amazing blessing we could have ever wished for!

God has blessed me so much lately and I've been almost reluctant and scared to embrace it. Why do we pray earnestly for things and then become surprised when they finally happen? Maybe it's because in those moments, God becomes more real, more powerful, and more important in our lives. We have to accept the fact that WE are not in control.

So look around today for your blessing! It could be laying on the floor like my penny, waiting to be picked up! LET God bless you!

What are YOU Worth?

Yes, God is supposed to be #1 in our lives. And then our spouses, and then our children, church, places of employments... priorities are everywhere. But, where do you put YOUR well-being in that list of priorities? I had an interesting lesson today in watching out for myself and valuing the person that God created me to be. I had to stop and be kind to myself for a change instead of putting myself at the end of the priority list. I find myself often giving too much of my time. I have even gone without meals before just because something needed to be done. Who among us hasn't skipped a workout at the gym just because we were "too busy"? How many times has someone not valued you and you accepted it?

Here's the thing...we are glorious, one-of-a-kind creations by the MOST HIGH GOD! He values us above everything else in the universe, but we often do not value ourselves. We are more than a punching bag or someone else's "left-overs". We are ALL works of art from the Master!

So, the next time you are feeling less valuable or treated inappropriately, remember that God sees more worth in you than you see in yourself, and then try to ask him for HIS EYES when you look at your own life. You just may start to see more clearly and more positively.

The Kindness of Death

Most of us think of death as a horrible, miserable thing. We fear it, hate it, try to stay away from it, and do our best not to think about it. Today, I took a group of girls to a cemetary to have them think about LIFE. Seems strange, right? But being in that cemetary for only an hour or so actually made us feel alive!

Have you ever thought about why God allows everything in this world to decay? Why does he allow everything on earth to pass away? It goes back to Adam and Eve in the garden. There were two trees--the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life was theirs in which to partake. They could eat freely of that tree and ANY other tree in the garden, EXCEPT the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Think about it--God did not want them to have the knowledge of evil! They were created as perfect, holy beings in His image and God wanted them to stay that way. But when they sinned and ate of the forbidden tree, their eyes were opened and they now knew evil. The tree of life, on the other hand, gave them life and it would have been eternal. After they sinned, God exiled them from the garden and therefore, forbid them to eat of the tree of life, therefore dooming them to death one day. Their bodies would eventually decay because of their sin. God GAVE them death so they wouldn't have to live with the knowledge of evil forever. He GAVE them death as a way back to what they once were--one with God.

What if we lived our lives with our death in mind? What if we didn't care about what people would think of us or worry about how our life ON EARTH would turn out, but instead worried about the eternal life we will have when death finally comes? What if we welcomed death as the passage into eternity instead of the end? So many of us are afraid of death because it is unknown or because we don't know where we will actually end up, heaven or hell. But if we live each day with our death in mind, won't we dispel that fear? Won't we be able to take spiritual chances and do things to bless God more frequently? Won't we be able to be more kind to those around us, not worrying about our pride, what we will receive in return, or any other earthly desire? Isn't that truly what "dying to ourselves" means so we can take up our cross and follow Jesus? Thank you God for death, for it truly is so KIND.