God Moments

Have you ever had a moment where you knew that it was a complete miracle or a huge blessing? One of my friends recently called it a God Moment.

Well I've had two God moments this week.

Several months ago we received a free oil change from the dealership that we've taken our vehicles to for body work. Jon always changes the oil, but you can't really pass up free. So I took the truck in on Tuesday. After a few moments the guy came back out and asked me to come into the work area with him. When they put the truck up on the pedestal it allowed them to see a piece of the axle beside the back wheel had been improperly welded together. He told me that I could have done something as simple as hit a small pot hole and the tire would have blown, the break lines possibly snap, and the truck would wreck. If I happened to be going very fast it would have been a major wreck. It was something that would never have been noticed if I hadn't taken the truck in for that free oil change. God knew that issue was there and had them give us that coupon.

Today I was at Coffee Girls for our usual Thursday get-together. Several of the kids were playing under the table and I squealed because one of the little girls had grabbed my toes. The girls laughed at me and a few minutes later the mom asked where her daughter was. I thought she was still at my feet, so when we noticed she wasn't, none of us really panicked. A few minutes later after searching the yard and entire house we were starting to panic. One of the neighbors happened to be out in her yard and heard us shouting. She told the mom to check out another neighbor's pool. The baby girl had gone four houses down and was in the pool. Thanks to the neighbor, friends, and a quick response from the emergency people, she is going to be fine. If the mom hadn't thought to check on her daughter right then or if the neighbor hadn't been in the yard and told the mom about the pool, today would have had a very different outcome. It was definitely a God moment that had us all responding so quickly and efficiently.

Giving is a blessing!

I've tried explaining my concept of giving to God to people several times. It just never seems to come out right. Then last night I read something in a book I'm reviewing. He seemed to say the very words I was thinking. The book is not about charitable giving. But he had a few sentences that resonated with that I've been trying to say.

My thoughts on tithing and giving to God are pretty simple. I was raised to give 10% of everything I earned to God. What I gave after that was an offering of my own choosing. But my parents typically gave 5-10% more than their tithe.

I married a man who was raised the same so we've continued to tithe. But we also enjoy giving more as God leads us. Often times we'd hear of a need and Jon would get a raise, I would get a bonus or we would get a surprise windfall. We have been so blessed by our giving that it often doesn't feel as if we've sacrificed to give more than we were originally planning. But when I mentioned this to someone they made the comment that maybe I wasn't giving enough if it didn't feel like a sacrifice. Oh, I know that I'll probably never have some of the "things" that my friends and peers have because I've chosen to give a bit more of my money. But God has blessed us in so many ways that I can't complain and it ceases to feel sacrificial when He always out-gives me. How can it feel like I'm "suffering" when by my gift I've let God use me to help someone else. I think so often people think that sacrificing means we must suffer and play the martyr. But I can't be sad and down when my blessings can be passed on to someone else, thereby blessing us all.

Here is the quote from the book I'm reviewing -

"When it comes to giving, or tithing, you cannot out-give the Lord. He will bless you so much that it becomes almost selfish to give!"

R. T. Kendall

Well said, Mr. Kendall, well said.

Heritage

A couple of months ago my aunt came up with the idea of reminiscing via email. The idea was to pick a topic and discuss her memories about that topic from childhood. She then sends out the email to all of the family once a week. We are then to reply with our memories. She's putting all of these into a book for my grandparents. At first I was a bit skeptical about how much I would be able to participate or "benefit". I enjoy hearing stories about when my dad grew up, but these are stories from when my grandparents were my age. I wasn't sure I could relate very well.

I've been pleasantly surprised with not only how much I enjoyed the emails, but also how it seems to  keep us all more connected. My aunt adds details to each email about what is going on in everyone's life that week and our replies add more to this.

Today my aunt chose the topic of clotheslines. She added her memories of sun dried clothes and gave a parallel between the clothesline and God. She then asked us if we could come up with some parallels. I really liked my Uncle Tom's reply and asked if I could share it with my blog readers.

We are the clothes.   The line is Christ.  The environment around the clothesline is our life here on earth.  The act of washing is the experience of confession, repentance, and forgiveness.  After the washing takes place it takes a little bit of time to be fully ready to serve (being worn is serving).  The wind and the sun is the Holy Spirit.  We must allow the HS to work in us to get us ready to serve.

 

There are several kinds of clothespins, each representing the different ways we stay connected to the line.  One clothespin represents prayer, another the reading and study of God's word, and yet another is the influence of Godly people in our lives.  There are a lot of clothespins in our lives that give the impression that they will connect us to the line but they have litlle or no gripping power. 

 

If we use no clothespins or we depend upon weak clothespins we will fall off the line and get dirty.  If this happens we have to be re-washed (forgiven) and rehung. 

 

In this analogy trials and troubles come in the form of storms.  There are storms that come that can be so violent they can rip us off the line, or they may simply get us wet and delay our readiness to be worn (used in some way to serve).  We have nothing to worry about if we have the right connection to the line, the added wind may actually dry us out quicker (make us more ready to serve).

 

I guess the neat part is the fact that when we do fall off the line we can always be re-washed and re-hung, but it is only when we're clean and dry that we're in a position to serve in any meaningful way.

 

The world is so polluted that it is very difficult, even with the best clothespins to avoid some level of dirtiness, which is why we must be washed daily.  Once washed we need the wind and sun to dry us out quickly and make us ready to be worn (service).  Our reason for being is to be worn.  If we fail to get washed we cannot effectively serve. 

 

A lifetime of service through connection to the line and the HS preparing and allowing us to serve will eventually lead us to heaven, where there will be no dirt, we'll always be clean and we will continually serve.

 

I never realized that I would be blessed spiritually through emails reminiscing about a time I wasn't yet born to. I'm thankful tonight for my family and my heavenly Father!

The rapture that didn't happen

For the past week, but especially yesterday and today I've been hearing people joking about the world ending. I don't know anyone who believed that it would actually end last night so everything I heard was laughing and jokes. And at first I joined right in. Then I stopped to think about what we were doing and I began to be bothered.

This man honestly believed that the world would end and the righteous would be raptured last night. He braved ridicule and disappointment to let everyone know so that we could get ourselves prepared to meet our Saviour. Yes, he was obviously wrong! But as Christians what right do we have to make fun of him? Noah was laughed at for 120 years when he told people that a flood was coming. Jesus was killed when he preached a message that went against the mainstream theology of the day. Now I know that this man was really, really wrong Biblically. But isn't it our duty as Christians to pray for him and to search our hearts and the scriptures to make sure he's wrong before we say anything. And then we should never make fun of him. He's wrong. There is no doubt about that, but Jesus never, ever made fun of people when they were wrong. He always treated them with loving respect. And as Christians, isn't our goal in life to be Christ-like? Isn't that what the word Christian means? Correct me if I'm wrong, but as Adventists we should be extra careful not to poke fun. We were in the same boat 120+ years ago ourselves. We made a mistake. And as Adventists when we realized we were wrong we went back to the Bible to figure out our mistake. This man may very well do the same thing. But think of the disappointed people today who thought they were going to see their Jesus and have to live another day in this sinful world. They need our prayers, not our jokes and ridicule.

I'm not perfect and I made a few jokes myself. This blog is not intended to criticize any of my friends. It's about me and how I felt convicted. So please do not take offense, I was not talking about anyone specific.

A Confession

I'm going to make a confession. Feel free to judge, apparently others have been doing so. =)

I can't sit still. Even when I'm reading which absorbs my entire mind to the exclusion of all else around me, I can't be still for long. I'm moving my legs, changing positions, etc. If I'm talking to you on the phone I am doing chores, walking around aimlessly, doodling, or playing solitaire on the computer. I'm listening - I just can't be still. I certainly know where my oldest child gets it.

So here is the confession!

I can't sit still in church. It's really, really hard for me to be a good example to my kids when I can't keep the ants out of my own pants. I try very hard to be still, but I HAVE to be doing something. Before the age of technology (or at least before I could afford said technology) I use to doodle on paper. But then I got a Palm. And the Palm came with several different Solitaire games on it. And I found that I could hear the sermon while playing one of those mindless games. I can tell you all of the points of the sermon. I catch the stories and get the points because I'm really listening. I just don't look like I am.

Today it was my turn to be in adult Sabbath school class (Jon and I take turns with Caitlin). The discussion hit on many things, but one of them was acting appropriately during certain occasions - such as church, weddings, etc. Someone mentioned the cell phones that have gone off during these times now that almost everyone has one. The discussion leader immediately went to using the phone during the sermon to play games or text. He felt that this was rude and disrespectful to the person giving the sermon.

Now just this week I was reading in I Corinthians. Paul was talking about people doing things that might offend someone else. He said that to some people a certain practice might not be wrong, but that if it upsets or causes another person to sin then we needed to stop (at least while around them) because it was bothering them. That's a super paraphrase, but I thought about this in Sabbath school. I can concentrate on the sermon, but this guy has sat behind us at least once and what if my playing on the iPod bothered him enough that HE missed the sermon? What if he made the assumption that I didn't hear what our Pastor was saying? 

So today I turned my iPod off and tried very hard to sit still during the sermon. I ate tic-tacs and doodled on a paper. It was hard, but if it helps someone else pay better attention to our Pastor's great sermons then it was all worth it.

Easter

My Father gave me the greatest gift in the world.

As a parent, this gift is hard to even fathom for me.

How in the world could a father give away his child? 

How could He possibly do this knowing that I would kill Him?

He must love me more than anything else and this is a humbling thought.

My Father loves me so much that He was willing to make a sacrifice 

so I could come back home and be with Him. He wants ME to be a part of His family.

It reminds me of the song - 

Amazing Love (And Can It Be)
words by Charles Wesley And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that Thou, my God, should die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me?
He left His Father's throne above; so free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for, O my God, it found out me.
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me?
Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast-bound in sin and nature's night.
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke--the dungeon flamed with light!
My chains fell off, my heart was free!
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee!
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me?
No condemnation now I dread. Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

God loves me

Every morning when I read my devotions I'm taught or reminded something.

But yesterday I was reminded and re-amazed at how much my God loves me.

There are always the basic things.

He provides for me.

He gives me beauty around me.

He gave me my wonderful family.

But the two chapters that I read were both showing me again of His great and amazing love.

I usually read a chapter in both the Old and New Testaments each morning.

It's not rigid. It depends on what I'm reading or how much I can absorb.

The first chapter I read was the 23rd Psalm. Most people are familiar with it. 

And since I'm not a sheep person it has failed to move me a lot in the past.

But I am a parent and I read it in that context this time. Wow! That puts a whole new spin on things.

Like I said - this isn't something new. But it's always nice to hear I love you! even if you are sure of a person's love. That's how relationships stay alive.

So it was nice to know that my heavenly Father loved me.

The next chapter that I read was the last half of Romans 8.

Here are the two verses that provided that I love you.

Verse 31 -

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won't He also give us everything else?

Verse 38, 39 -

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries for tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in the creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He loves me and NOTHING is going to change that!

Life is Sweet!!!

My life is wonderful! I have so many things to be thankful for.

To start off the new year I thought I'd blog about some of the sweet things in my life.

In no particular order - 

Dominic is now reading simple books.

I'm thankful that I was able to be a part of this and 

thankful that the world of reading is now available to him.

My husband is pretty sweet!

 My children are super sweet as well.

My library gives me thrills every time I walk into it.

My really cool leather chair is a close second.

I'm enjoying all of the snow that we've gotten this year.

It's the perfect kind. Huge flakes that slowly float down.

Then it's gone within a day or two.

My husband and I are enjoying the financial ability to help some people and it feels really, really great.

I live close enough to my family that I get to see them often.

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed that until we moved closer again.

I'm still in awe of how God lead us so clearly to Cookeville. 

He performed so many miracles.

And the sweetest thing of all is my God who gives me these things to enrich and bless my life.

Jewelry Controversy

I've been having a bit of a controversy in my mind.

When Jon and I started dating we made a decision that we would examine everything ourselves to decide if we agreed with what we'd been taught by family and school before we believed it ourselves.

We went to a very strict, conservative school during high school and didn't agree with some of the things that we'd been taught.

Unless we could find biblical proof or a logical explanation then we would disregard what we'd been taught.

This worked well for us. It reaffirmed things we'd been taught since childhood and helped us to see where our family and teachers were coming from. It also allowed us to drop, guilt-free, some things that we couldn't find a reason for.

But for some reason I never studied jewelry. I'm not a big bling person. Turtlenecks annoy me. Why would I want something else around my neck. My wedding ring still bothers me and I've been married for 14 years. I've read the verses in the Bible about not putting holes in your body or permanent marks (tattoo) on your body. I'm okay with that. That isn't the problem.

The problem is the kind of jewelry that doesn't require something permanent.

Is is okay?

So I have decided to study it out.

These are the reasons that I've been given for not wearing jewelry.

1. It is vain. And causes a person to focus on self.

I get this. If I'm buying things to make me appear better, I'm focusing on me. I'm not focusing on others. And people can go overboard trying to accessorize and not be focusing on the real reason that we are here.

But what if it's tasteful and used just as a scarf or fancy buttons would be used? I do think we should take care to appear nice and neat and tasteful. Not ugly and doudy. (Is that a word?)

2. It's a waste of money spent on something that serves no purpose.

I understand this as well. There are starving people. Both spiritually and physically. The money that is often spent on jewelry could go a long way towards feeding the hungry, clothing the poor and helping those that are down.

What if the only jewelry that I purchased was charity jewelry? It's items are made by and for the poor. 100% of the money goes back into the charity to help those who are making it. Would this cancel out reason #2? And would it count if no one knew that I'd purchased charity jewelry?

3. The Bible says not to wear jewelry.

Here are the texts that I've found concerning jewelry. I will be paraphrasing some of them, but will give the texts. You can look them up if you want to.

Ezekiel 28:11-19

It talks about how Satan wore the most beautiful jewels. But the richness and beauty turned his head and heart and he became evil and vain.

 1 Timothy 2:9-15

It says that women should be modest and not draw attention to themselves by what they wear. It mentions jewelry and expensive clothes.

1 Peter 3:1

Women shouldn't be so concerned about their outward appearance, but should be more concerned with their internal beauty. The beauty of a gentle and calm spirit.

These three Bible verses are always the ones that are pointed out to me. And to my amusement it is often by people wearing a very expensive watch or outfit. They seem to miss the point of expensive clothing. I'm a pretty frugal person and will not spend excessive amounts of money on anything. So my clothing is (hopefully) well made, but inexpensive. My watch isn't the most expensive, but will hopefully last me even longer than my last one. I understand the point of not knowing where to draw the line so drawing it at no jewelry at all. But is that what God was really telling us? Does this mean no jewelry at all? Or does this mean that our demeanor, our actions should tell everyone that we meet that we are Christians and that we love them?

What about all of the examples in the Bible of jewelry being given to people?

Gen 24:47

Abraham's servant gave jewelry to Rebekah.

Gen 41:42

Pharaoh gave a ring and necklace to Joseph.

Luke 15:22

The father gives jewelry to his prodigal son.

Lots of other verses talk about brides or wives wearing jewels for their husbands.

I've been taught not to take one or even two verses and base a whole belief on those few verses. I'm supposed to take each verse and back it up with another verse. I'm to build on each verse.

I would like to conclude this with what I now believe, but I'm still not sure. I really understand the reasoning behind the people who say that jewelry can lead to sin or that it doesn't serve a purpose.

But on the other hand, I can't call wearing it a sin. I haven't found anything in the Bible that shows me that if I wear it I'm doing something wrong. 

The only thing that I can conclude is that I need to work on the spiritual aspects of my life more than the physical.

Peace at Home

I mentioned earlier about following a blog Women Living Well.

She will frequently have what she calls challenges.

Here is the first challenge for Making Your Home a Haven.

Go buy an extra large candle and light a candle everyday in your home. I will be starting mine in the morning! But you can start yours at dinner time. Do what makes sense for your family. I will be placing mine in the kitchen - the main hub of my home. Each time the candle catches your eye, say a prayer for peace in your home.

I know that I'm already doing the marriage challenge, but this one is easy and sounded like something my home could use. Often I find myself getting frustrated with my children because they aren't paying attention, are making a mess, etc. It's only the 2nd day that I've had my candle sitting on the island, but I've noticed that it brings the issue to my mind more. It also helps to remind me when I'm about to get super frustrated because my children have just unloaded the entirety of their dressers onto the floor or pulled all 100+ cassette tapes out of the goodwill box and left them all over the house. Having something sitting in sight reminds me to take a breath and remember that they are only children and it must have been so much fun making that mess. 

It also helps me not to worry. This seems to be a part of having peace for me. I'm a worry wart and since worrying doesn't ever help the situation I've been working on it. 

 

On another note, I've been getting up at 6am with Jon every morning. He doesn't wake up mentally until about 9am so it isn't for more conversation. =) It's so that my whole day starts out on a better note. While living in NC I would sleep until the kids woke me up. Then it was a rush to get out the door or accomplish the many things on my list. If I'm awake before the kids wake up I can be completely ready for my day by the time Jon leaves for work and then I can curl up in my library chair and have my devotions. Silly me was surprised by how much better my mornings were after this change. It's also inspired me to go to bed early. I'm just too tired to stay awake. =) 

 

 The chair is super comfortable and while the area around it is still messy the view from the front window is peaceful and I've been able to concentrate.

Attitude

I had a thought today while singing in church. 

 We've just moved away from our church that we've been attending for over 8 years. At first it was a fun and welcoming little church. There were plenty of people our age and we really enjoyed spending time at church activities. Our church had it's little problems, but overall it was a great church to belong to.

But over the past couple of years we've gotten very discouraged with our church. The same people kept complaining and not doing anything. The same people were doing all of the work and slowly being burned out. Most of our friends had moved and we weren't feeling the love of children that we had hoped was in the church. It's discouraging to hear your children say they don't like church. Listening to song service was like listening to a funeral procession - so depressing. It just felt like all of the love and joy had left.

And then we moved away. I have to say I was excited. But before we could hardly get settled we went to Canada for a wedding. We attended a very liberal church there. It would be called a celebration church by some. The music was upbeat and the kids had their own special church with singing and dancing.

The kids LOVED it.

During the song service Jon pointed something out. We couldn't find anyone with a smile on their face. Here was the service that we thought would be fun and more uplifting and even the song leaders were looking depressed.

Today we attended our new home church for the 2nd time. The people there are so friendly. We've been invited home for lunch both weeks. The songs were the same as our old church with one major difference. The people actually sang. And I noticed smiles and pleasant expressions. 

I've come to the conclusion -

It's not the song or the environment. It's the attitude in the heart that makes all the difference.

So I will be checking my heart's attitude each week before I enter the sanctuary.