Steps of Faith and VBS Thoughts

Next week I'll be taking a huge step of faith. I can't tell what it is until then because there's an order to who needs to know when and if I don't follow it I won't be dealing fairly with others.

But, second only to going into full time ministry, this is the biggest step of faith I have ever taken. I will be handing control of this thing over to God and quite honestly I am fairly frightened. Excited but frightened. More next week.

Last week we had VBS in Laurel and we were blown away with what God did out there. On the high day we had 95, our overall average attendance was 85, but total we had 115 different kids. WOW! Better than all that, however, is that 4 kids gave their hearts to Christ. It doesn't get better than that.

Last year our high was 50 kids so we were utterly amazed at what God did. He blew our expectations out of the water. But that's His specialty, right? And don't even get me started on the msision team. We so love them and they look forward to coming each year. They're already planning on next week.

We worked them really hard this year and they didn't complain once. They said they were privileged to do landscaping, building projects, and visit people in the community on our behalf. They represented themselves, their home church, our church and most importantly their Savior well. It's no wonder they were so refreshing to our souls at a time when we so desperately needed encouragement.

It's been a tough year, that's certain but in looking back, God has been faithful and there are evidences of that throughout this season.

Compulsive Shopping Tendencies?

I seriously think I have compulsive shopping tendencies. There are few things that make me feel as giddy or happy when I'm blue than to buy something. And it seems like the less money I have to spend, the more money I want to spend. No, I need to spend. I totally don't get it.

The other day as I drove home from work, the car drove on auto-pilot, stopping in the parking lot of Pier 1. I've been on the hunt for new canisters for the kitchen. I absolutely do not need them. There is nothing wrong with the ones I have. I'm just tired of them. I've been trying to talk myself out of buying them for a month now (this is huge progress for me). But this week I was mesmerized by the possibility of buying them and taking them home. There was only one left of the model I liked a lot. But I need 2. I currently have 4 of varying sizes but want to have just 2 of the same size. So I picked up my second choice which obviously had 2 available. I carried them throughout the store for 10 minutes finding other things to buy as well. It's like I couldn't stop. I kept telling myself, "you deserve them. You've thought about it long enough and waited. You work hard. Do it!" But then I countered myself with, "you don't need them. You have very real needs but this isn't it. STOP it."

But I couldn't. I was seriously tormented over it in my mind. I HAD to have them. As I fought myself in my brain, sense finally won out but not because I no longer wanted to purchase something. I finally decided if i was going to buy them, they should be the exact ones I wanted and not a second choice. I put them back and bolted out of the store while common sense reigned.

No, I'm not done searching for them yet and when I find what I want, I am so going to get them. This is the very reason I gave up shopping for 6 weeks a couple of years ago when I did the Daniel study. I was WAY WORSE before that but I could also afford it more easily then.

Yep, compulsive shopping tendencies is what I think. It's not my only compulsive behavior. Don't even get me started on multi-faceted light switches. I don't even know if that's the right term but it's the ones that have 2 or more grouped together. We have several in our house that operate the same set of lights. I cannot sleep if they are up and down together. Steve does it just to drive me crazy. I'm certain of it.

Sincerely Sorry

Earlier this week I had an almost conflict with my aunt. Almost? What the heck is that...well, let me explain. We're both on Facebook and one of the downsides of electronic communications and sharing is that it's hard to know a tone or expression in any particular statement. I think it's a generational thing because while I understand this, she really does not. I should have thought the whole process through first but in my little world, Facebook is just a light and fun little thing to do. I'm frequently a jokester on it. Obviously she had no way of knowing that.

So, she posted what was on her mind and truly, it was very sweet. An attempt to honor and bless her kids. What she was saying was also on target scripturally which is very important to her (and me). I responded to it, not in a belittling or rude way, but with a hint of humor. She didn't take it that way and responded back. Then me. Then her. By this time I realized something was a little off kilter and decided I'd better call her right away. In the meantime my cousin (her daughter) sent me a message kind of like this:

"Hey Jules, I don't mean to butt in but I need to tell you that I don't think mom understands you were being funny. I do and I tried to explain it to her but I just wanted you to know."

The first thing I picked up from that message is that my aunt was upset enough about it to call and talk to her daughter. I immediately called my cousin to let her know I appreciated her "butting in" and would be alarmed if she saw a train wreck coming and did nothing about it. I think it's a generational sin to be easily offended and S-L-O-W to forgive (if at all). I let her know I had already planned to call her momma and she was so relieved.

I finally got a hold of auntie and first explained how I view Facebook. Then I said this:

"You tried to honor and bless your children and my comment to your post was inappropriate. I never meant to hurt you but clearly I did. I'm asking you to forgive me."

She began to cry and my heart just broke. She said:

"Thank you for saying that." I just waited a minute on the phone and finally she said "maybe I just shouldn't do this Facebook thing. I guess I don't understand it."

I asked her not to stop on account of my insensitivity and walked her through how to remove the comments which she promptly did when we hung up. The thing is we're not only related but we're sisters in Christ too and this could have been a way for satan to effectually destroy two witnesses.

The lesson in all this for me is that I need to think through what I post and whether the person is ready for something like that and also to just STOP for a minute! What I am so grateful for is the progress God and I have had on this. Not too many years ago I would have just told myself that she need not be so easily offended and she'd just have to get over it. I never would have initiated a call and apologize for it? Hardly! As I said, it's something many of us struggle with but for me, I need to break the cycle in my life.

All in all, it's good stuff.

Remembering the Birth of a Great Nation

Happy Birthday America!

Anyone who studies the founders of our great country can't help but conclude they were great men of God. At a minimum they had righteous, social consciences. In many of their quotes they warn that turning from the precepts of God will result in the ruination of any country. We need not look further than our own cities to see this is true.

In spite of all that, I am an extreme optimist when it comes to patriotism. I am easily moved to tears by the thoughts of the thousands dead fighting for our freedom--and the freedom of other oppressed people groups. The vast majority of these individuals willingly give their lives for their country, for our country.

Nathan Hale put it this way: "I regret that I have but only life to give to my country."

I'm sure many of our brave dead would have said the same thing. I know Steve would say that. For him to give his life for his country would have been a great honor. He told me so the month before he went to Iraq.

I know I've posted this one before but it continues to be so fitting as many Americans choose comfort and socialist tendencies over the tough stuff that breeds liberty and freedom:

"If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both. Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a littlel security will deserve neither and lose both. He who gives up freedom for safety deserve neither." ~ Benjamin Franklin

God help us!

All this reminds me of another who willingly gave his life for the freedom of all who come to him in repentance and forgiveness. While I reflect on the great freedoms I enjoy every day (usually without really thinking about them), I am reminded that true freedom comes only through Christ. It is the freedom granted even in countries without the freedoms I am blessed to have.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand fir, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ~ Galatians 5:1

"...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners..." ~ Isaiah 61:1

Freedom & Liberty Quotes

From Noah Webster:

The principles of genuine liberty, and of wise laws and administrations, are to be drawn from the Bible and sustained by its authority. The man, therefore, who weakens or destroys the divine authority of that Book may be accessory to all the public disorders which society is doomed to suffer.

From Abraham Lincoln:

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

From Alan Keyes:

Freedom is not an unlimited license, an unlimited choice, or an unlimited opportunity. Freedom is first of all a responsibility before the God from whom we come.

From John F. Kennedy:

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.