The Cost of Liberty

There are so many things that are on my mind this Independence Day, but this isnt the time or place for a novel :) So I will try to share the most important thoughts as briefly as possible. The main thing I want to share today is this: liberty always comes at a cost. The freedom we have in our country today came at the cost of the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers. I think todays generation (myself included) has forgotten that price that was payed. We have become accustomed to everything we have and just take it for granted. We arent appreciative of it like we should be. As someone who has worked with  young people, I can personally attest that it is getting worse and worse in the generation coming up. We must do something about it or we will lose this country that our forefathers toiled to build. We must get back to the character, integrity, fortitude and hard work that it took to found America. In closing, I also want to point out that the ultimate freedom was payed for by the blood of Christ. All the freedom that we can enjoy in this life does no good if we dont accept the freedom from sin that Christ offers us.
 John 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

Where Ive been

Wow, I knew I had been on kind of a hiatus but I didnt realize it had been quite this long! Sorry to leave you haning (those of you that were hanging that is). Where have I been? Well, I have been dealing with a lot. On February 22, my father called me after having only ever seen him once that I was old enough to remember (and I barely remember that). Just a few short weeks later, toward the end of March, he came to visit.  There has not only been that to process, but I have had a lot of other things on my mind as well. Its strange that my husband and I have had such an open and honest relationship and I could tell him most anything, but for the first time, Im feeling things that I dont even know how to adequately express. I guess some times God just works in our heart so deeply that words just arent enough to express it. Im reminded of Romans 8:26, wich says,  "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Sometimes, even in prayer we cant even express to God what we are feeling, let a lone make another human understand. I will try to see in the coming days if I can form some thoughts out of it all. Until then, good night and God bless.

Charity: A GIving Love

Today is Valentine's Day. Everyone's thoughts are turned to love and their hearts are all mushy-gushy. So lets take a few moments to look at what love is. Many people would probably say that it is just a warm fuzzy feeling you get when you are around someone. Scripture has a lot to say about love so lets look at it. First of all, lets look at the greatest demonstration of love. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Lets also look at Ephesians 5:25, which says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" When we put these two verses together, we get the idea that ture love is a giving love. God's love is pure love, and He demonstrated it by giving His all for us. Next, lets examine I Corinthians 13. It has been referred to as "the love chapter."

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Charity here is often translated "love". While that is what it means, it goes deeper than that. It is a giving love. We aare shown here what true charity, or love is. It is patient, kind, and humble. So much of what is called love today is merely infatuation. As soon as the warm fuzzy feeling wears off, the relationship is discarded like yesterday's garbage. Scripture says that charity "beareth all things" and "endureth all things". This means that it puts up with the bad and stays through the hard times. As our precher preached on this subject yesterday, I know I was certainly challenged that my love for others is not anywhere near God's standard of true charity. How about you?

Dear Diary

Today's entry will sort of be a diary entry, written to just sort of let some things out, and you will get to look on.


     Since I started on my journey with Christ  nearly 14 years ago, God has done much work in my heart and life, but none has been as intense as the last couple years. Its kind of like an onion. God has been slowly peeling back the outer layers. Now He is getting down close to the very core. This process over the last couple of years has been very emotional. I have not only been dealing with various spiritual issues and questions, but also with the grief of infertility. I feel like I have changed. I was once called "happy-go-lucky".  This is not the case anymore. I have become very emotional, melancholy, and introspective. I have withdrawn from people that I used to need very much. But, I have to have faith that (even though at times it may be difficult and painful) if I continue to walk with God and allow Him to work in my life, I will emerge from this "cacoon" a beautiful butterfly that will glorify God in an amazing way. Lord, I may not always understand, or even like this process of growth and change, but I entrust my fragile heart to you.

Where are the Mr. Smiths?

Last night we watched the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".  This movie is from the late 30s but it was truly amazing how timely it is for today. I will summarize the movie quickly for those who have not seen it. Mr. Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is a young man thrust into politics when he is chosen by the governor to replace a senator that died. The reason he is chosen is that the "politcal machine" made up of the governor, the senior senator from the state, and a lobbiest. The lobbiest is really the force behind the machine, who is controlling things for his benefit, and he owns much of the business in the state. Mr. Smith goes to Washington and is filled with the awe and wonder of an innocent child. He is soon given a rude awakening to reality when he disovers that the senior senator is involved in dirty dealings. They make up lies about him and try to get him kicked out of the senate. Mr. Smith takes on the "machine" and spends 24 hrs on the senate floor speaking non-stop to maintain a filibuster.  My first thought watching the movie was Chicago, which has long been known for corrupt politics. I know that there are probably some of the same things going on throughout the senate. I do believe there are some good ones in there too.  The point that I want to make here is that we need some Mr.Smiths who will boldly and fearlessly take on the corrupt political machine of today.

Gadgets controlling your life?

Well, it was pretty obvious what God's message was for today. I had something on my mind already and then I was listening to a program on the radio on the same topic I was thinking about. The topic of the day is what gadgets are controlling your life. Technology is a wonderful thing, with many wonderful uses. We can keep in touch with people that are across the country, and even the world, at the click of a mouse. Any information that we could possibly need is right at our fingertips. If we break down on the side of the road, we can just pick up our cell phone and have someone right there. But, technology can also control our lives. How much time do we spend in front of the computer? How much of it is wasted time? How many quality  moments do we miss out on with the ones that we love because we have our nose in the tv or computer screen? I will admit that I spend way too much time playing meaningless games on Facebook, when the purpose of being on it in the first place is to connect with people. So what gadgets might be controlling your life? Lets all make a commitment this year to spend less time with our faces burried in a screen and more time face to face with the ones we love.

Positive Memories

This wont be very long today, but I hope it will be meaningful. I was listening to a radio program the other day and I wanted to share the general idea of what it was about. They were talking about the power of positive memories. The point is that you can choose to dwell on positive memories or  negative ones. In the Bible, God has a lot to say about remembering. The word "remember" is found 148 times and "remembrance" is found 53. We should take time to dwell most especially the things that God has done in our lives and how He has been faithful to us. Even if you arent Christian, dwelling on positive memories is much better than negative ones. So what are you dwelling on today? As we begin this new year, lets all take time to think about some positive memories.

Whos the judge?

As I prayed about what to share today, the answer came through a wonderful family member. I dont usually include a portion of Scripture this long, but I just felt it necessary to convey what I wanted to get across today. 

Romans 14 

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

This whole chapter speaks to what I want to talk about today. Im afraid that we as Christians can turn people away with our judgmental attitudes. I know that I myself have been guilty of this far more than I wish were true. God has pointed it out as  a problem in my life, and I have been working to correct it. This passage tells us that we are not to judge others based on what they do or do not do. Each of us have to answer to God and God alone, and what we do or do not do is between us and Him. I believe we have good intentions. We are trying to stand for what we believe is right, and according to Scripture we may very well be right. Sadly though, I think we forget we are not under the Old Testament law. Jesus came to fulfill the law, and we are not under bondage. Now, Im definitely not for the "anything goes" Christianity that seems to be prevalent today that says God doesnt care what you do. God still has a certain standard of conduct that He lays out in His word. But, what I am referring to is the attitude that we are the judge; when we look down our noses at each other and think "Well, they cant possibly be a good Christian if they do that". We can be critical of non Christians as well. We can talk about people like they are just evil because they are like this or like that, instead of looking at them through Christ's eyes and loving them the way He does. There is nothing wrong with teaching someone God's way when we are given the opportunity to do so, but lets do it gently in love, and remember that God is the judge, not us.

Heart Surgery

Warning:  This includes some graphic material

What I want to share today comes from our pastor's sermon on Sunday morning. Dont tune me out if you arent Christian because some of this will apply whether you are Christian or not. In Jeremiah 4:4, the Israelites are told to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts. Our pastor related this to letting the cares of life harden our hearts. We need to take a knife and cut out those spots in our hearts that have become hardened or calloused,  have grown a "thick skin" or whatever metaphor you want to use for it. In Joshua 5, after the Israelites were literally circumcised, they stayed at the camp until they were whole. Pastor related this to taking time to heal properly from the pain of the "surgery" of cutting the necessary blemishes from our hearts. The last point I want to share is from Joshua 5:3 where is says that they used sharp knives. The pastor made the point that to do the delicate surgery a sharp knife will hurt a lot less than a dull one. This reminded me that Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. Gods word is the best tool for doing the necessary surgery on our hearts. So how about you? What are the areas in your heart that need to be cut out? Are you willing to let God's word perform the delicate surgery?

Marriage committment

This wont be very long today. I just have a short and simple thought. In the last couple days I have heard of two different situations where a woman has within the last year up and left her husband. Also in the last year I know of two others where the man has left. My question is why? What has happened that we have such an epidemic of this going on? I know the surface answer is that people dont have the sense of committment, but I believe that is only a symptom. There is a deeper problem that has caused the lack of committment. As a Christian, I have to believe that it started back in the 60's when we kicked the Bible and prayer out of our schools. If you dont have an absolute standard of right and wrong, then what are you left with? We need to once again become people of our word like we used to be.

When God is late

I have wanted to share this for some time now, but somehow just never did. We listen to a southern gospel program on the radio on Sunday mornings and they played this song several weeks in a row. Here are the lyrics:    


  "Four Days Late"
 The news came to Jesus please come fast.
Lazarus is sick and without Your help he will not last.
Mary and Martha watched their brother die
They waited for Jesus- He didn't come.
They wondered why.
The death watch was over; buried four days.
Somebody said He'll soon be here
The Lord's on His way.
Martha ran to Him and then she cried
'Lord if You had been here- You could have healed him. He'd still be alive.
But You're four days late; and all hope is gone.
Lord we don't understand why You've waited so long.'
But His way is God's way.
It's not yours or mine
But isn't it great when He's four days late- He's still on time!
Jesus said, 'Martha, show Me the grave.'
But she said, 'Lord You don't understand- he's been there four days!''
The grave stone was rolled back.
Then Jesus cried, 'Lazarus! Come forth!'
Then somebody said, 'He's ALIVE! He's ALIVE!'
Right know you may be fighting a battle of fear
You've cried to the Lord 'I need You now!' But He has not appeared.
My friend don't be discouraged
Cause He's still the same.
He'll be right here and He'll roll back your stone and He'll call out your name!
When He's four days late and all hope is gone
Lord we don't understand why You've waited so long.
But His way is God's way it's not yours or mine
But isn't it great when He's four days late- He's still on time!
Oh my God it's great when He's four days late- He's still on time!!!

This song touched my heart particularly because of the pain of infertility that I am dealing with right now, but you can apply this to any area in your life that it might be needed. When we think "God what are you waiting for, why arent you doing anything?", we can be assured that God knows what He is doing, and He will always be right on time.

A fresh start

I have mentioned before that I am a perfectionist. I am also very sentimental. Special events are very important to me. Because of this, it has been important to me to ring in the new year by counting down. Well, our church has a watch night service where we have preaching, etc, and then stop just before midnight and pray in the new year. Of course this really irritates the perfectionist in me. Last night I learned a very important lesson. I had had a very bad attitude about not wanting to be at the service, but be at home and ring in the new year. After fussing and fuming and arguing all the way home with my husband, I realized that all I did was cheat myself and him out of a blessing. So what I decided we would do is just go to bed and watch the ball drop which I had recorded and start fresh.  God reminded me of  Lamentations 3:22-23  which says "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." We dont have to wait just for the new year to start over. We can have a fresh start each morning, because His mercies are new each morning. The theme for this year is going to be getting victory over perfectionsim. Before closing, I just had to add here how ironic that as I was writing this entry, I got frustrated because I wanted to have it posted before midnight. Oh well, its still before midnight somewhere, right? LOL