1 Peter 2:21-23 ~ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who when he was reviled, reviled not again: when he suffered, he threatened not: but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.
Following in the footsteps of Christ can seem daunting most days. For me, it's especially difficult when it comes to justice. Lately, I have experienced the overwhelming urge to set the record straight in a couple of circumstances in my life. I keep telling myself that I have every right to make certain that the truth (at least according to me) is laid out. At a minimum, 'those people' would have all of the information to ponder. Furthermore, last night I had concocted an eloquent response the would present the facts. Thank God for a good night's rest!! This morning I woke to an uneasy feeling that doing this would actually produce more drama than it solved. My desire for justice was fulfilled in the verses of 1 Peter 2. Jesus set the example for me to follow. Here was a man who is God in the flesh, sinless, one who could accurately and truthfully present the facts. A man who didn't deserve the suffering He experienced. What did He do? He leaned into His Father. He understood a saying that I heard just yesterday ~ "Truth and time walk hand in hand." In other words, the perfect timing of our Heavenly Father has a way of shaking out the truth of a matter. Jesus knew that His Father was allowing the suffering for His glory and our example.
So, this present irritation, which pales in comparison to my Savior's suffering, I will endure and lean into my Father. May He use it to grow me, to make me more like Him, but ultimately, to bring Him glory.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Adventures in Sunday School....
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Jen asked me if I would be willing to help her in Sunday School. Notice the word willing. You see, Jen knows that I am not big on teaching Sunday School. I love kids...in small doses and on my time. Yes, I know how that sounds, and yes, I am not proud of that statement, but I am in the business of trying to be real. I said yes thinking two things...it's only one Sunday and it's serving with Jen. I love ministering with Jen. We have done so many things together for Jesus, made mistakes along the way, have had SOOOOO many laughs, have shed some tears, have been bluntly honest with each other, and have a friendship that defies words to adequately describe. I could do this.....
Week one turned into two weeks. There were laughs, there was some frustration for this Type A personality, there were fifteen 3-5 year olds at various levels of development, temperament and attitude and there was masking tape....lots and lots of masking tape! The first week I walked upstairs after class with masking tape stuck to the bottom of my shoe and the guy behind me making fun of me because of it. The second week, Jen's husband Chad was back to help, but I decided to stay and help because they could use it...and I am glad I did. At one point, Jen dumped two bags of plastic animals out in two piles and told the kids they could choose what they wanted. Fifteen kids dove for the coveted toys as my left eye began to twitch in nervousness. I told Jen that would have played out differently had I been in charge. I can see it now as the kids stand in line while General Carla doles out the booty! As I taped (I am beginning to love masking tape by this point!) lids for 'shaker noise makers', I had four of the kiddies 'biting' me with their animals (Noah's ark theme) and one having her horse eat the 'hay' off of my arm all while I pretended to react from the snake and fish bites. There were shoes to tie, songs to sing, and lessons to learn, especially by me.
Yep, the assistant teacher got schooled this past week. I got to see again just how magnificent our church is at ministering to children. Yes, our VBS is a fantastic event...but our Sunday School is better yet! It's all about pouring Jesus into a child at every age. Whether it's changing diapers, tying shoes, wiping runny noses, teaching Bible verses, teaching a lesson on obedience to 3-5 year olds in a way they understand...it's all pointing them to Jesus. While Mom and Dad are upstairs getting Jesus poured into their lives by our Pastor's teaching, their children are seeing Jesus with skin on downstairs. These folks LABOR for Christ and do it with a smile and love for the kids and their parents.
So, what did I learn? That my reluctance to help was merely an excuse because I would rather be upstairs, sitting in a pew, being comfortable. That there is a great need for help in our children's ministry. That people who say they don't know where to serve need to talk to Beau and see if this is a fit for you. That we have incredible servants of Christ doing a wonderful service for the Kingdom! Thank YOU!
Week one turned into two weeks. There were laughs, there was some frustration for this Type A personality, there were fifteen 3-5 year olds at various levels of development, temperament and attitude and there was masking tape....lots and lots of masking tape! The first week I walked upstairs after class with masking tape stuck to the bottom of my shoe and the guy behind me making fun of me because of it. The second week, Jen's husband Chad was back to help, but I decided to stay and help because they could use it...and I am glad I did. At one point, Jen dumped two bags of plastic animals out in two piles and told the kids they could choose what they wanted. Fifteen kids dove for the coveted toys as my left eye began to twitch in nervousness. I told Jen that would have played out differently had I been in charge. I can see it now as the kids stand in line while General Carla doles out the booty! As I taped (I am beginning to love masking tape by this point!) lids for 'shaker noise makers', I had four of the kiddies 'biting' me with their animals (Noah's ark theme) and one having her horse eat the 'hay' off of my arm all while I pretended to react from the snake and fish bites. There were shoes to tie, songs to sing, and lessons to learn, especially by me.
Yep, the assistant teacher got schooled this past week. I got to see again just how magnificent our church is at ministering to children. Yes, our VBS is a fantastic event...but our Sunday School is better yet! It's all about pouring Jesus into a child at every age. Whether it's changing diapers, tying shoes, wiping runny noses, teaching Bible verses, teaching a lesson on obedience to 3-5 year olds in a way they understand...it's all pointing them to Jesus. While Mom and Dad are upstairs getting Jesus poured into their lives by our Pastor's teaching, their children are seeing Jesus with skin on downstairs. These folks LABOR for Christ and do it with a smile and love for the kids and their parents.
So, what did I learn? That my reluctance to help was merely an excuse because I would rather be upstairs, sitting in a pew, being comfortable. That there is a great need for help in our children's ministry. That people who say they don't know where to serve need to talk to Beau and see if this is a fit for you. That we have incredible servants of Christ doing a wonderful service for the Kingdom! Thank YOU!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
A bit too much drama...
I saw this on Facebook earlier in the week and re-posted it to my page, but have not been able to shake it from my mind. The past couple of weeks have had some very dicey moments of being misunderstood, having words attributed to me, believed to have been said by me and were never verified by me, being lied to and about. Basically, the fun stuff of drama...which I hate...or so I thought. As the week wore on, my mind was constantly barraged with thoughts of the issues du jour. I was thinking, rethinking, having imaginary conversations with various people, and winning any arguments, by the way! :D I know, ridiculous. Then I got laid out with some sort of allergy/cold thing that made me sick enough to have to miss work...which meant being at home...thinking.
During one of my thought fests, it occurred to me that I had become one of the very kind of people who frankly annoy me to no end. I'd become sucked into the lair of drama. I had allowed the enemy to not only sneak into my thoughts, but to build a condo with a pool there! And I knew right when it started...it was that first thought of "I can't believe they did that...". I knew right there to capture that thing and lay it at the foot of the cross. But no, I decided to let it move to the next realm of, "Do they know how unprofessional/hurtful/wrong that is?" And then the proverbial horse was out of the barn and off it went. Ugh.
Fortunately, I have made it a priority to have some take no prisoner, "I love you too much to let you go there" friends in my circle and was talking to one of them this week. She said something so simple, but it rocked my world... she said, "Maybe they are doing the best they can do with where they are in life". Whoa. Someone who doesn't know Christ isn't going to be Christ-like. I can count on them to live life for themselves. Period. Someone who does know Christ, like me, maybe needs me to understand that they are learning, trying, endeavoring to be all that He created them to be...like me. Like when I mess up, or unintentionally hurt someone, or act selfish. That set me back on my heels and kept weaving through the attempts that the enemy was making to start me up again. Today, the Lord took me to a precious chapter in Hebrews for some incredible healing. He knows, He understands, He still forgives, He never gives up on me.
This life with Jesus is not easy. Sometimes I have to learn to just take it on the chin, offer forgiveness for the hurt and move forward. Sometimes, He brings things full circle and forgiveness is asked and received by both of us. Always, it's for His glory and our healing.
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Spin on Sin
Last night I had a most cool opportunity to serve as the Public Information Officer for an emergency drill for the county I where I work. As a PIO, my job was to deal with the media and get a message out to inform the citizens of the disaster, safety issues and rescue efforts. My main focus was to get factual information out without creating a panic. Tough stuff to do in a drill...even more difficult in the midst of a real disaster. I could see how easy it would be to put a 'spin' on something in an effort think one was calming fears, or appearing to have it all together.
This got me to thinking about life as a believer. Recently, I have become more and more convicted about what I shall coin the 'acceptable' sins that seem to erode the effectiveness of our testimonies. The issues that we tend to gloss over because it isn't one of the 'big' sins listed in the Bible. The sins we tend to put a 'spin' on to make them sound not quite so bad. Yet, a simple study shows me just how out of whack that line of thinking is from a biblical standard. In Proverbs 6:16-19, we are told there are seven things that the Lord hates. As I peruse through that list, there are several on there that I know I have personally treated as not big deals...a 'white' lie here, a proud look there. Oh, and sowing discord among the brethren... yep, my gossiping has certainly caused problems between other believers. How easy it is to get sucked into the worldview (and, I believe mainstream religious view) of patting ourselves on the back because we haven't committed one of the big sins. It seems we are in some kind of ranking system and assuring ourselves that we are doing ok, and quite possibly better than the person sitting next to us in the pew on Sunday.
But not according to His word. Galatians 6:7 says, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, so shall he reap." And verse 8 explains, "for he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption..." God takes sin seriously and He is not playing when he says we will reap what we have sown. I am convinced that He expects me to be serious about calling out sin in my life and repenting of it. That means I must walk away from it. And in His name and power, I have the capabilities of doing just that.
Just this past week I had coffee with my friend, Shannon, and I shared that I have been convicted about this. I shared one particular issue that has been bugging me. I will admit, it was hard confessing such a weak area of my life. As I said to her, I am old enough that this ought not be an issue, yet it is. There were two reasons for sharing with her: first, I know God's word in James 5:16 tells us to confess our faults one to another so that we can be prayed for and healed, and I know Shannon will do that for me. Second, I wanted her to understand that even though I've known the Lord for a long time, I realize that I don't have it all together, that this is a lifelong process, and that the Lord is so gracious to use me in spite of my weaknesses. Oh the humbling of confession...and the peace of it as well.
Hugs ~
This got me to thinking about life as a believer. Recently, I have become more and more convicted about what I shall coin the 'acceptable' sins that seem to erode the effectiveness of our testimonies. The issues that we tend to gloss over because it isn't one of the 'big' sins listed in the Bible. The sins we tend to put a 'spin' on to make them sound not quite so bad. Yet, a simple study shows me just how out of whack that line of thinking is from a biblical standard. In Proverbs 6:16-19, we are told there are seven things that the Lord hates. As I peruse through that list, there are several on there that I know I have personally treated as not big deals...a 'white' lie here, a proud look there. Oh, and sowing discord among the brethren... yep, my gossiping has certainly caused problems between other believers. How easy it is to get sucked into the worldview (and, I believe mainstream religious view) of patting ourselves on the back because we haven't committed one of the big sins. It seems we are in some kind of ranking system and assuring ourselves that we are doing ok, and quite possibly better than the person sitting next to us in the pew on Sunday.
But not according to His word. Galatians 6:7 says, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, so shall he reap." And verse 8 explains, "for he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption..." God takes sin seriously and He is not playing when he says we will reap what we have sown. I am convinced that He expects me to be serious about calling out sin in my life and repenting of it. That means I must walk away from it. And in His name and power, I have the capabilities of doing just that.
Just this past week I had coffee with my friend, Shannon, and I shared that I have been convicted about this. I shared one particular issue that has been bugging me. I will admit, it was hard confessing such a weak area of my life. As I said to her, I am old enough that this ought not be an issue, yet it is. There were two reasons for sharing with her: first, I know God's word in James 5:16 tells us to confess our faults one to another so that we can be prayed for and healed, and I know Shannon will do that for me. Second, I wanted her to understand that even though I've known the Lord for a long time, I realize that I don't have it all together, that this is a lifelong process, and that the Lord is so gracious to use me in spite of my weaknesses. Oh the humbling of confession...and the peace of it as well.
Hugs ~
Friday, September 7, 2012
The Silver Lining
Ugh. As I prepared to head to work this morning, I happened to look out the kitchen window only to notice that my sunroof on my car was completely opened. Not a problem most days, but we had a heavy duty thunderstorm that started in the wee hours of the morning. I raced out to close it to find a few inches of rain in the cup holders and everything else drenched. Great. It has been a stress filled week and honestly, this did not help matters in the least.
However, I am choosing to look at this as an opportunity. First, I need to take a serious look at my schedule and eliminate some activity. That window was left open because I was in too big of a hurry to get to the next thing last night after being late from the last thing I had to do. Not a good way to live life. Second, it's just a car. Yes, I want to be a good steward of what I've been given, but it's just a car. It will dry out, hopefully not have damage to deal with, and if not, well, it's just a car. Third, I will have the chance to visit with my mom as she drives me to work, God bless her! We don't get to do that often enough, so I will take advantage of it today! Finally, it was a great added bonus to my reading this morning in 1 Corinthians 15-16. The Lord wants me focused on the eternal, because that is what is important. Who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He will do is truly what is important. Not a car, or a delay in my schedule, or the annoyance of it all. Jesus.
Thank you, Lord, for silver linings!
However, I am choosing to look at this as an opportunity. First, I need to take a serious look at my schedule and eliminate some activity. That window was left open because I was in too big of a hurry to get to the next thing last night after being late from the last thing I had to do. Not a good way to live life. Second, it's just a car. Yes, I want to be a good steward of what I've been given, but it's just a car. It will dry out, hopefully not have damage to deal with, and if not, well, it's just a car. Third, I will have the chance to visit with my mom as she drives me to work, God bless her! We don't get to do that often enough, so I will take advantage of it today! Finally, it was a great added bonus to my reading this morning in 1 Corinthians 15-16. The Lord wants me focused on the eternal, because that is what is important. Who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He will do is truly what is important. Not a car, or a delay in my schedule, or the annoyance of it all. Jesus.
Thank you, Lord, for silver linings!
Monday, September 3, 2012
More Questions, Less Answers
1 Corinthians 8:2 ~ If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
This verse was my humble undoing this morning. I have found myself in week three already panicking over grades for graduate school. I sat here at my desk this morning and poured out the ugliness of my heart attitude to Jesus. I confessed that I had already broken my vow to myself to seek excellence, not perfection. I want to truly LEARN, not go through the motions for the sake of a grade. I must be willing to humble myself and admit that I do not know.
The truth is, I am a recovering 'know it all'. Now some may say that I haven't recovered enough, but that's a blog for another day. ;) I was one of those who hated to ask a question for fear of looking stupid. Little did I realize that by not asking, I confirmed that I was. A dear friend of mine, after assessing the downward spiral anothers life was taking, made a profound assessment: too many answers, not enough questions. It perfectly described the situation. Too many times, we believe we have correct answers, when in fact, we couldn't be farther from the truth. Sad truth is, that could be said about portions of my life.
I see this in all stages of life. Young adults who think that they are far brighter than anyone around them, middle-agers who think that because they've walked a few more miles that they have more answers, elderly who think the other two groups are completely clueless. However, the truth of this Scripture drills it down to this point...we ought to be asking far more questions than giving out answers.
Believers in Jesus Christ, this is especially true of us. It's so easy when we get a bit of the Bible under us to get in over our heads with 'counseling' others. We use lofty jargon or pat 'christianese' answers to address them. Sometimes we are guilty of beating others up carelessly with the Word, without giving a moment's thought to whether this really answers their need. The verse today should remind us that we must be very careful with our words, understanding that we may (probably) don't know as much as we think we do. I know I have been guilty of this so many times that it makes me cringe. So thankful that He is changing me, little by little!
Heavenly Father, thank you for your not so gentle reminder today that knowledge puffs up. Thank you for reminding me that I don't know nearly what I need to and that it is only by submitting to You and Your Word that I will really understand anything at all. Please remind me daily to ask more questions than to give out answers.
This verse was my humble undoing this morning. I have found myself in week three already panicking over grades for graduate school. I sat here at my desk this morning and poured out the ugliness of my heart attitude to Jesus. I confessed that I had already broken my vow to myself to seek excellence, not perfection. I want to truly LEARN, not go through the motions for the sake of a grade. I must be willing to humble myself and admit that I do not know.
The truth is, I am a recovering 'know it all'. Now some may say that I haven't recovered enough, but that's a blog for another day. ;) I was one of those who hated to ask a question for fear of looking stupid. Little did I realize that by not asking, I confirmed that I was. A dear friend of mine, after assessing the downward spiral anothers life was taking, made a profound assessment: too many answers, not enough questions. It perfectly described the situation. Too many times, we believe we have correct answers, when in fact, we couldn't be farther from the truth. Sad truth is, that could be said about portions of my life.
I see this in all stages of life. Young adults who think that they are far brighter than anyone around them, middle-agers who think that because they've walked a few more miles that they have more answers, elderly who think the other two groups are completely clueless. However, the truth of this Scripture drills it down to this point...we ought to be asking far more questions than giving out answers.
Believers in Jesus Christ, this is especially true of us. It's so easy when we get a bit of the Bible under us to get in over our heads with 'counseling' others. We use lofty jargon or pat 'christianese' answers to address them. Sometimes we are guilty of beating others up carelessly with the Word, without giving a moment's thought to whether this really answers their need. The verse today should remind us that we must be very careful with our words, understanding that we may (probably) don't know as much as we think we do. I know I have been guilty of this so many times that it makes me cringe. So thankful that He is changing me, little by little!
Heavenly Father, thank you for your not so gentle reminder today that knowledge puffs up. Thank you for reminding me that I don't know nearly what I need to and that it is only by submitting to You and Your Word that I will really understand anything at all. Please remind me daily to ask more questions than to give out answers.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The Diva goes fishing....and learns something!
I had a truly excellent weekend. What I had originally planned as a time of having no company at the house ended up being just the opposite. I am getting used to God doing that to me...even if I still bristle at changing 'my plans'. However, the bristling is becoming less and less because of how He has changed me in the past 8 months. I am s-l-o-w-l-y learning to hold my plans, dreams, and future with open hands. You see, I don't want to miss one single opportunity/blessing/lesson that He has for me. They've been that good! This weekend was no different.
One thing I've learned is that I want to make the most of pouring Christ into my nephew and nieces lives whenever I can. It started Friday night when Logan wanted to watch 'Courageous'. I love that he is open to spiritual discussions, and this movie brought about many throughout the weekend. I am thankful for men like the Kendrick brothers who will risk the ridicule of not being 'Hollywood enough' with their productions but will make movies with incredible themes. I am thankful that Logan enjoyed it so much that he wanted to watch it twice!
On Saturday, we decided to go fishing at my neighbor's pond. Now, I can hear the giggles...yes, I am a bit of a girly girl or diva. Yes, I like hair product, make-up, and perfume. However, I would NEVER have survived growing up in the family that I did if I hadn't had some tomboy in me! I rode go carts, motorcycles, played softball, and learned to shoot a gun ~ really, really well! :) So back to my story...Logan and I took our night crawlers, stopped and picked up the fishing gear at Bill's and made our way to the pond. The hour that we spent down there was a prime time for the Lord to
teach me a valuable lesson about fishing...for the souls of men and women. As we got the lines baited and started casting in, I quietly prayed for the Lord to open doors for discussion with Logan. Those doors never came during our time there. What did happen were a lot of laughs...especially when I snagged my line on a branch, pulled it hard only to have the line come flying up and wrap itself around me. Logan looked at me with a straight face and said, "Aunt Carla, this isn't nice, but that was really funny!" Then we both cracked up! There were also periods of being quiet and patient as we waited for bites. There were moments of Logan being impatient and reeling in too quickly and losing his catch. There was a moment that I got a bite and he encouraged me to reel in and I told him that I would wait until it really bit...which it did and I caught a big mouth bass.
My "God moment" in all of this? As I was sitting there waiting for a bite, it dawned on me that I am often too impatient to wait for the bite in ministry. I will cast my line out and often reel it in without giving the person a moment to really take a bite and get ahold of the hook (the Word). I want the other person to accept Christ on the first cast or I want those I disciple or influence to get understanding on the first hearing of a lesson or counsel. Too often I am worried about the end product instead of just being in the moment! More often than not, it's not on the first cast that I get a bite. It's a process of casting, waiting, letting them nibble (or watching them swim away), watching them move around it, then take another nibble, until finally they decide to take a bite. What my prayer became at that point is that I will have the patience and mercy to allow them to process it, to figure out what the question is for their life, all the while keeping the focus of my responsibility to be ready with the Word. What a wonderfully, wild balancing act that is....
Thank You, Lord, for three incredible beings that are a part of my life! Thank You for giving me a deep desire for them to know You. Thank you for all the times You have shown me mercy when I haven't 'gotten it'! I love you, Jesus!
One thing I've learned is that I want to make the most of pouring Christ into my nephew and nieces lives whenever I can. It started Friday night when Logan wanted to watch 'Courageous'. I love that he is open to spiritual discussions, and this movie brought about many throughout the weekend. I am thankful for men like the Kendrick brothers who will risk the ridicule of not being 'Hollywood enough' with their productions but will make movies with incredible themes. I am thankful that Logan enjoyed it so much that he wanted to watch it twice!
On Saturday, we decided to go fishing at my neighbor's pond. Now, I can hear the giggles...yes, I am a bit of a girly girl or diva. Yes, I like hair product, make-up, and perfume. However, I would NEVER have survived growing up in the family that I did if I hadn't had some tomboy in me! I rode go carts, motorcycles, played softball, and learned to shoot a gun ~ really, really well! :) So back to my story...Logan and I took our night crawlers, stopped and picked up the fishing gear at Bill's and made our way to the pond. The hour that we spent down there was a prime time for the Lord to
teach me a valuable lesson about fishing...for the souls of men and women. As we got the lines baited and started casting in, I quietly prayed for the Lord to open doors for discussion with Logan. Those doors never came during our time there. What did happen were a lot of laughs...especially when I snagged my line on a branch, pulled it hard only to have the line come flying up and wrap itself around me. Logan looked at me with a straight face and said, "Aunt Carla, this isn't nice, but that was really funny!" Then we both cracked up! There were also periods of being quiet and patient as we waited for bites. There were moments of Logan being impatient and reeling in too quickly and losing his catch. There was a moment that I got a bite and he encouraged me to reel in and I told him that I would wait until it really bit...which it did and I caught a big mouth bass.
My "God moment" in all of this? As I was sitting there waiting for a bite, it dawned on me that I am often too impatient to wait for the bite in ministry. I will cast my line out and often reel it in without giving the person a moment to really take a bite and get ahold of the hook (the Word). I want the other person to accept Christ on the first cast or I want those I disciple or influence to get understanding on the first hearing of a lesson or counsel. Too often I am worried about the end product instead of just being in the moment! More often than not, it's not on the first cast that I get a bite. It's a process of casting, waiting, letting them nibble (or watching them swim away), watching them move around it, then take another nibble, until finally they decide to take a bite. What my prayer became at that point is that I will have the patience and mercy to allow them to process it, to figure out what the question is for their life, all the while keeping the focus of my responsibility to be ready with the Word. What a wonderfully, wild balancing act that is....
Thank You, Lord, for three incredible beings that are a part of my life! Thank You for giving me a deep desire for them to know You. Thank you for all the times You have shown me mercy when I haven't 'gotten it'! I love you, Jesus!
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