Hammer on Anvil '

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”-Luke 2: 10-12

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30

This Sunday, I will have the wonderful privilege of singing praise to my Lord in my church. As I have prepared for this event, I struggled, as always is the case, with choosing the right piece. I want my choice to have meaning for me personally, but also to translate for the congregation who will witness. 

Throughout the Christmas season, I have fought to keep my eyes where they belong: on Jesus. Being bombarded with the cultural version of the holiday on TV, radio, and nearly everywhere I go makes it difficult to focus. There has never been less of a struggle to buy into the commercialization of Jesus's birth, but it's challenging to find peace with all the noise.

As I have walked through this time, I once again have returned to the idea that Jesus is not only important in December. He's not only important on that one weekend in the spring. He is the most important thing ever-every day of the year. My whole life is about Him. When I fail to remember that, all aspects of my life are negatively affected. 

My choice of music for this Sunday is a reflection of that truth. It's my reminder to myself not to let go of the wonder I experience when I think of all the miraculous things about Jesus. Here are a few of the lyrics; I hope they serve as a reminder to you as well.

The district didn't have school on Friday. Woot! This means the States (that's what we call our two children) and I had oodles of time to prepare for Christmas.This means attacking the playroom, which started to look like how my friends' dads described Dresden. Barricades and casualties everywhere. Egads. When my kids play, they play with fervor, my goodness. So we cleaned, really cleaned, the playroom. We cranked the tunes and sorted stuff (in this case, toys) into piles of specials, donate, re-purpose and trash. Halfway through the assorted disaster of the playroom, my daughter said, "We should donate my Barbie house."

Indie and I looked up, baffled. "But you love Barbies, sweetie," I said to her. "Yes," she touted, "I love Barbies, but I never play with that ginormous house."

She's right. She doesn't play with it ... and it is a ginormous house. She enjoys it, but she knows others would enjoy it more. I had no idea why we were holding on to it.

"Well, okay. I'll have Daddy haul it in the truck over to the D.A.V on his next day off," I said.

"Oh no. Don't do that, Mom. Christmas is coming. We need to give it away now," and with that she went to work sprucing up the old place, preparing for it to find a new home.

"Honey," I interjected, "I don't know who to give this to - or how to give it to them before Christmas. It's huge. But, it's a great idea ... I just don't think we can do it."

"Of course we can, Mom," she said confidently. "Can we get it to the street?" Missouri laid out her plan of hosting what sounded to be a drive-by free store. When her excitement was reigned back on track we all three worked to get that huge house out to the curb. We made a real fun FREE sign and taped it down to the toy's grand balcony. Then we all scampered away to the less blustery sun porch. It was freezing. The States then planted themselves on the floor and beamed, while watching every car drive by.

Then, without prompting, they BOTH began to pray. My daughter led the prayer by saying, "God, thank You for giving me toys." Then they took turns thanking God and prayed that God would use this as a gift and let the dollhouse bless someone else to believe. It was about the coolest prayer I have ever heard.

Without missing a beat, Indie looked up and said, "Excuse me. What if a ninja steals it?! And then no one gets the house present at all, ever?!" Missouri laughed and said, "Indie, we are supposed to give. It doesn't matter what ninjas do."

Well, that's it, friends. We need to give. It doesn't matter what anyone else might do or is doing. It doesn't even matter whether or not jerk ninjas take it away. We are just asked to give.

My concordance says the Bible uses the word give 13,501 times. Why? Clearly, giving is important!

So you guys are thinking, "Does giving just mean handing over my money?" No! God asks us to give what has already been given to us. "Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you" (Deuteronomy 16:17).

If you have been given food - Give food.
If God has given you lots of free time - Give your time to help others.
If God has given you extra funds - Give financially.
If God has given you mercy  - Give mercy.
If God has given you skill or a craftsmanship - Use that skill to help others.

It's really very simple. We were not asked to delegate where our gift goes or what others do with it. We cannot control what others choose to do or not to do. God has given them free will - but we believers are called to give. Give without reward. Just give. You don't get to choose what happens with that gift or even whether or not ninjas try to steal it. Just give. Give love. Give mercy. Give light. Give childlike faith. Give hope. Give because God has given us all so much.

This Christmas I hope you all had food to eat, a warm place to sleep and lovely people to share life with. And, cause I am a five-year-old at heart, I even hope you got something special to celebrate all that God has given us. (I got a pear in my stocking! I don't know the last time I ate a pear. It was super delicious.)

Friends, let's worry less about what others are doing, or what ninjas might do, and spend more time focused on what we were asked to do.

 Give more. Hope more. Love more.

I am happy to report that within an hour the dollhouse was taken elsewhere. We prayed it would bless whomever it was given to and we believed it was so. And then we enjoyed the open space with a stuffed animal dance party.

We have been given much. Now, let's get excited and creative and let's give more.

Happy Boxing Day everyone.

No, I'm not Canadian, although we did get a whole bunch of snow last night so I feel like I'm from a bit further north.

I've never really known what Boxing Day is, except that it comes the day after Christmas every single year. It is like Christmas's little brother that is just a little bit off. People acknowledge he's there, but they don't really give him any attention.

Just like with our uncertainty about Boxing Day, there seems to often be uncertainty about what to do after Christmas is over.

Do we leave the tree up til New Years or tear it down immediately?
How much time needs to pass before I can send my gift back and buy something I really wanted.
Is that fruit cake staring at me?

In all seriousness though, we often go right back to living exactly as we always have. We don't let the message of Christmas really change us all over again.

Christmas is not the only time of year where people are in need. People are going to be seeking shelters, food, and help with finances long after you put way your Christmas tree and soup kitchen ladle.

Our preacher has said several times this Christmas season, "Christmas without Easter is just a story about some baby born in a stable."

But that's not the story! The Christ came to this world, saved us from our sins and an eternity away from God, and He did it all because He loves us!

Make it a point to share that love with others. Seek out those in need and find ways to help them. Jesus' heart didn't break just one time a year for the hurting, and He didn't limit his service to that one time. He was always helping others who needed Him.

Let's do the same.

I’m sure we’ve all heard it before – As Christians, we are called to die to self (see these verses).  What a strange concept though.  I’m sure non-Christians overhear us talking about this and furrow their eyebrows in confusion while they consider us to be suicidal religious nuts.  In a way, though, we ARE suicidal religious nuts.  Dying to self is our living Christian Jihad; we are at war with powers and principalities in the spiritual realm (see Ephesians 6:12) and the way we battle is by laying down our lives as living sacrifices (see Romans 12:1-2).

 

But what the heck does it mean to be a living sacrifice?  I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately, especially as it pertains to myself.  Dying to self isn’t some instantaneous event that occurs once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  It is a process; it requires both time and effort.  It is finding those things that are a part of us that are not from God and laying them down, sacrificing them.  And it is finding those things that are from God and picking them up and making them a part of who we are.

 

This process is tough.  It’s tough to figure out which things are and are not from God, and once we figure it out, the sacrificing part is tough too.  And it’s personal.  We each have different things that need to be sacrificed.  Sure, we have God helping us out, and if we are wise we have accountability partners and/or mentors encouraging us along the way, but in the end it is you and you alone who has to step up and make the sacrifice.

 

One thing that I, personally, have been struggling to sacrifice lately is politics.  I wrote a post a few months ago entitled Why I’m Done With Politics.  What I’m learning is that sacrificing something is easier said than done.  I just get so fired up about the issues.  I want to weigh in on gun control, the fiscal cliff, Obamacare, gay marriage, debt, taxes, etc, etc, etc.  But for the reasons I stated in that post, I know that this is something I need to sacrifice.

 

Please understand that I’m not saying that politics is a bad thing in and of itself.  I have simply recognized that Christ had higher priorities and so I should too.  People don’t get saved by policies instituted by men; they get saved by God’s people (His Body) demonstrating His love and following His will.

 

Step two of this process of becoming a living sacrifice will be to take up my cross and follow Christ (see Luke 9:23).  What that means is that as I slowly sacrifice politics, I replace that way of thinking with God’s mentality.  Instead of seeing issues, I’m beginning to see people.  Instead of seeing hope in policies instituted by men, I'm choosing to see hope in the power of God.

 

So, that’s where I’m at right now.  As I mentioned, we all face different challenges.  What is God calling you to sacrifice?

 

“’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.  ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” – Isaiah 55:8-9

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light." Micah 7:8

In the aftermath of the tragedy in Connecticut, I’ve noticed something about many people in terms of how they think about God.  When times are well, we rarely think about God.  After all, if I am doing well, why do I need God?  But when times are bad, we think God must be bad for allowing it to happen.  It seems that many people are unwilling to see God no matter what circumstances they face.  I’m not sure yet what to take from this observation, but I found it interesting.

I was going to write a post about the tragedy in Connecticut, but then Mike Huckabee made a statement that I think said it more eloquently than I probably could.  Please take three minutes to watch this clip.

Good evening everyone! I pray that you all having a good weekend.

In light of everything that has happened over the past week in our country you maybe wondering what is going on. You maybe wondering why are all these horrible things happening, especially this time of the year.

We ask all kinds of questions, some of them will never be answered. One reason is, there is no answer or explanation. Another reason is, we are not suppose to know the answer to somethings that happen in this life. And the one reason I want to focus on tonight is, we don't ask the right person.

I had a grandmother and mother that hardly ever used a recipe. They just knew that it was right by the look, taste and feel of the food. I learned to cook by watching and asking them, what is that, what are you doing now, how does that work. I was asking the right person the right question to learn to cook.

If you want to know why you are here and what your purpose is in this life, go to the source. God is the author and finisher of our fate. He created us, so He knows what we are suppose to do. We spend all kinds of time and money trying to figure out what we should do with our lives, when all we have to do is get in alignment with the perfect will of God, He will take care of the rest.

So if you have questions about what you should do, ask the right person, go to the Source, God!!!

Have a very blessed weekend everybody!
Cheryl

As our church choir has been moving through the Advent season, one of the songs we've been rehearsing has challenged my perception. I have identified very strongly with Jesus' mother, Mary, in the story of His birth. As a young, inexperienced teenager, I feel her uncertainty at what lies before her. As a woman, I wonder what it must have been like to have a marriage arranged for me. As a mother, I know how difficult it would be to endure watching my child suffer the way Jesus did.

This beautiful piece of music reminds me that the story of Christ's birth, life and death contained even more dimensions for Mary than these things I can empathize with. The chorus truly sums up the unique position she found herself in, and is a wonderful picture of the heart of Jesus. "I'll hold you in the beginning, you will hold me in the end."  Enjoy.

"No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer." 2 Timothy 2:4

A few weeks ago my husband and I were enjoying a rarity in our home: A night alone, together. And like introverted nerds we are, this means we stayed in, ate leftovers and watched the History channel. There is this delightful program called I Love The 1800's. The show sorta highlights bizarre stories throughout history, and this particular episode featured military stories. I was moved by the story of 2nd Lt. Hiroo Onoda who was sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines in 1944 to foil the enemies attacks or advancement. He tried to take the mountains and lost a few soldiers along the way, yet his resolve and his mission did not weary. He fought the fight for 30 years.

That's 29 years after the war actually ended.

Search teams had been sent out to find and inform the Lieutenant of the wars conclusion and end, but even when planes flew over the jungle dropping flyers and news articles, Onoda did not back down from his original mission. Onoda would not give up, he would not surrender,  not until he heard from his commanding officer.

In 1974 the Japanese government located Onoda's superior officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who finally fulfilled his promise of, "Whatever happens, we'll will come back for you." Onoda was then relieved from his duty and he finally returned home. His 30 year war ended and his guerrilla tactics and attacks were pardoned by President Ferdinand Marcos.

Friends, what would the church look like if we quit getting involved in the hype and drama of whatever is in and now and actually followed through with our original mission? What if we quit listening to the people saying our fight is over, or to "take it easy" and we showed more mercy, more love, more compassion to everyone? What if we continued to fight the good fight until we heard from our Commanding officer?

I will tell you one thing, this chintzy "American dream" faith that modern Christianity abounds in, would not be here. Our churches would be united and our resolve would be absolute. Our bickering would cease and the real battles would be fought efficiently.

Believers, it's time we listen to what we were told to do and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing. Don't throw a fit because someone wished you a "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." It doesn't matter that Brother Burden doesn't allow Halloween in his home anymore, or that you do. These things have nothing to do with Gospel. Sure it might be your conviction, but your convictions are not replacements for our Command. You were not commanded to watch the "Know Your Enemy" series on Youtube. I mean you can, but the point is if you don't follow through with the original command your battle, your fight is useless.

 Friends, if Sally Sunday School "stands up for righteousness" by calling out other's sin on facebook, that's her choice, but our mission should speak louder than her status updates. Our resolve should be greater than any religious trend. Please, hear this: If love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self control are not apart of your mission - It's a civilian affair. Don't get mixed up in it! I don't care if you look silly - God gave us our commands a long time ago. Carry on with that mission until you hear from Him.

Go read the words of your Commanding Officer again in Matthew 22:36-39. It is your mission, if you choose to accept it.

You may or may not know this about me (I can't remember if I have mentioned it before) but I am kind of a nerd.

I know, I know. You are sitting back thinking "What?! I've read some of this guy's posts and they are so well thought out and straight forward. He seemed like such a normal guy.

Well I am...or at least I think I am. But I'm also a nerd.

I am so very excited to go see The Hobbit in theaters. I won't be one of those guys who see it opening day, or maybe even opening week, but I will see it.

I am also very excited to see the new Superman movie which is coming out in June. My wife and I watched the trailer for it yesterday and she said, "That looks pretty good." Then she looked over at me and saw my reaction and said "Don't cry." As I said...very excited.

Thinking through the emotions I feel about these movies and other nerdy things, makes me think about other stuff that captures my attention. Then I wonder if I display the same level of excitement for real events as I do for the land of the make believe.

The Word became flesh. Jesus "did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made Himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:7) Do you understand what I'm saying?!

God....became man.
God... made Himself a little lower than the angels (Heb 2:9)
God...loves us enough to die for us!

This is absolutely huge. I'm talking going outside, running around and making a fool of yourself huge.

In the Old Testament when the Ark of the Covenant was brought back in to the city, David danced around and made a fool of himself because he was so excited. His wife was embarrassed by his actions, but he didn't care. He wanted everyone to know his excitement!

People go to movies dressed as characters from the LOTR, Star Wars, or any superhero movie to show their excitement and devotion to these fake people.

I'm not saying that we should go around making a fool of ourselves. But maybe we should keep in mind that "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." (1 Cor 1:18).

Those outside of Christ are going to find our excitement foolish and maybe even down right stupid.

But our God came to this earth and has offered us salvation. Remember that as we continue in our Christmas season.


That is something to show some excitement for.

Good evening! I pray your weekend is going well!

Praise, we sometimes seek approval from others when we feel that we have done a good job or when want to please them, and when we don't get it, we tend to feel slighted and let disappointed.

But, in His word, God said to seek the rewards of Heaven. If you receive your praise here on earth, then you have no rewards in Heaven. Don't get me wrong, it is nice to hear someone tell you 'Good job!', 'Way to go!', but we are to give ALL the glory to God! He is the One who deserves ALL of the praise and glory that we have.

I have a friend who is very humble and always gives the glory to God. I admire him for it, because that is the way we should all be. In his best selling book Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren says that our main purpose is to please God and to give Him praise. Really, that is all we have to give Him, He has everything else, everything belongs to Him.

So, give Him praise! It is why we are here! Hallelujah!!!

Have a very blessed evening!
Cheryl

"The shepherds of Jesus' day were familiar with bad news. Generally regarded as liars and thieves, smelly blue-collar workers with a penchant for strong drink and faithless living, the shepherds were familiar with being shunned by society. They were not permitted in the Temple courts or the religious establishments of Jesus' day. Sheep herding was a thankless job, and these rough and tumble animal herders learned that isolation from high and holy things was a way of life."-Hope Arriving: A Personal Advent Devotional Journey-Dan Wilt

I am so glad God chose to send the angels to the shepherds. Of all the people society would think deserving of hearing the good news, the Lord chose the least likely group. The guys who slept in caves curled up next to animals for warmth, the people no one wanted to come into close contact with because of the smell were the ones God gave favor to. He picked them up out of their mundane, depressing lives and told them they were special.

I'm glad He did this because it reminds me that I am important to Him. I've got proof in this little detail that it doesn't matter what people think of me, because God loves me.

I love to stay up late in the summer and love to get up early in the winter. Those are the times that my house is the stillest. As a loud person, I have grown to crave the simple quiet of a calm house. There is something so precious about having a few minutes of peaceful solitude. For me those brief moments with my Mama's tear-stained Bible, a quiet house and a very big God are absolutely crucial to maintain a healthy head and happy heart.

When I was very little my parents were big Bill Gaither fans. They used to listen to a song called, "God Loves to Talk to Little Boys While They're Fishing." I know, but as silly as the title is, the point of the song was to say God talks to us when we find someplace quiet. Friends, I urge you to take a few minutes and find someplace quiet. Let God speak to you.

A few mornings ago I woke up around 5 a.m. to my beautiful little 6-year-old standing beside my bed. Blinking heavily, I sat up and asked her, "What's wrong?"  The conversation proceeded like this:

"Nothing's wrong. I just heard God talk to me," she says gleefully.
Amused, I inquired,"Oh.What did He say?"
"Over here."
"Over here?" I skeptically ask.
"Yeah! He didn't tell me right or left. He just wants me to find Him and stay close."

Oh friends. What can you say to that?

I am happy to report that I did, in fact, hold it together. We talked about hearing God and I told her the story of Samuel in the temple (1 Samuel 3.) She said, "Yeah, Mom. He didn't know it was God at first, but Mom, I totally know it was God." Her joy and confidence thrills me beyond words, but as soon as my little faithful believer was back in bed, I straight-up bawled.

To be six years old and just get it. Man, I am just in awe.

Friends, God wants you to find Him and stay close. Things are getting weird, people are so sad, and the world is weary. There are wars, there will be hurts and life is not always easy, but find time to find that peace. Seek peace, find God, let Him speak to you.

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." Psalm 34:14

Tonight at church we had an Elders meeting (I get to go since I'm on staff). This meeting went along much like any other monthly meeting. We discussed much of the same stuff that is discussed every month.

Have there been new people at church and what do we need to do to make them feel welcome?

What needs are there?

Small amounts of joking at the craziness of our lives.

But at this meeting something stuck out to me. Thinking about it, this isn't the first time it was brought up but it really struck a chord tonight.

There is an elder at our church who is now 80. This man has helped this congregation grow and has a great love for the church and for our Lord. He has a lot of wisdom that has been brought about by many years here on earth and I look up to him greatly.

Tonight he said, "I really feel we need to be praying about the young people in this church so they can come to a place to lead the church." Now when he says "young" that's a kind of relative term. After making the statement he referred to some people who are 10 or 15 years older than I am, but I guess that makes them 35-45 years younger than him.

Since being at this church (its been just over a year) I have noticed his passion for raising up "young" people to raise the church. It is definitely something I can jump on board with and I see the desperate need.

I've seen several churches cease to exist because all those who cared about it died and there was nobody left to take up the charge.

We need to be passing along the message of Christ and His cause. It is our duty to pass it along to our peers but we must also pass it along to those younger than us.

In Deuteronomy 11:19 God instructs the people of Israel to "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." He was talking about the commands of God.

I know not everyone has children but the principle stands. If we are not teaching God's commands letting our passion for Him pour out of our lives in everything we do, there will eventually come a time when there is nobody left to take up the cause.

Get involved in your church's children's ministry.

Volunteer to help with youth events.

 Read the Bible to your children and pray with them.

Find a person younger than yourself, and take them under your wing to help them along where you have been.

It may seem awkward to think about or even a little strange to start out if we are not used to it, but the need is there. Don't let the next generation (whether that is a person 15 or 50) pass by without you making an effort to guide them to spiritual maturity.

It really is up to you.

Our faith is worth fighting for.  We’re even told to expect a fight and to armor ourselves accordingly (Ephesians 6:10-18).  I’ll even go so far as to say that we should seek out a fight, and we should battle with tooth and nail to win.  But what we should be fighting is an area of contention among us.  Here are seven areas we should be banding together to battle and one battle we’re fighting that we shouldn’t be.

Good evening everyone!!! I pray that you have had a great weekend, I know I have!

Being a high school Special Ed. teacher, I find myself telling my students to watch their mouths a lot. I have noticed that they use very colorful language like it is second nature, my have times have changed. But I am not going to talk about the down fall of the English language in America.

I want to speak about what we say to ourselves. I have found myself saying and thinking many negative things about myself and my life. What we think and say is what we become. Plain and simple. I thoughts and words are so powerful that God said in His word '...the tongue is sharper than a two edge sword.' Words have power! God spoke and the world came into existence. Words have power!!! That is why we have to watch what we say each other and to ourselves. I am a living witness that you can speak to a situation in your life and it will come to pass, good or bad.

Speak positive things into your life. Think positive thoughts about yourself. It is a very difficult thing to do, because we are so use to thinking badly about ourselves and putting ourselves down that it has become a habit. Replace those negatives with positives and your life will change in a dramatic way. God gave us the spirit of love and a sound mind, not fear and confusion. "He saw the best in me..." See what God sees when He looks at us, THE BEST!!!

Have a very blessed evening everybody!!!
Cheryl

I am not a fan of reality TV. I don't want to hear the stories of gold diggers in Alaska, or Duck Dynasties (whatever that is!), or anybody who lives in New Jersey (no offense, Jersey...just not my thing). When it comes to my relationship with God, however, the more real the better.

I want to understand the mindset of God's people from Bible times. I feel closer to Adam, David and Paul when I put myself in their very real shoes. At Christmas, my desire for reality is stronger than any time of the year. For me, watching The Nativity Story and reading about Jesus birth are as much a holiday tradition as family gatherings and decorating the Christmas tree.

Because music is such a huge part of my life, songs bring pictures to my mind. This one, in particular, touches me with the majesty of Jesus. It fits in perfectly, in my opinion, with the words the angel spoke to the shepherds: "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:10-11 I hope you enjoy, and this music fills you, as it does me, with the beauty of what God has given us.

Last year we received dozens of glossy postcards from various churches proclaiming, and well, pimping their hyped holiday programs. Among the worst offenders were the flyers that boasted "face melting lasers," ample parking and comfy seats.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27).

Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name! (Psalm 103:1).

We just celebrated our national day of giving thanks. I wonder how many of us took the time to ponder the immeasurable blessings that have been poured out upon us by our heavenly Father. And I'm not talking about all the wonderful tangible blessings like treasured relationships.

God has blessed me with family, friends, mentors and mentees, and staggering ministry opportunities. I never cease to be humbled by the responsibility He seems to think I can take on. Beyond that, He has blessed my husband and me materially; we live in a nice home that He has enabled us to expand to meet the needs of people who come to stay with us on a fairly regular basis.

But even if I didn't have all these tangible blessings -- even if I lived alone in a tiny apartment and had no children or grandchildren, and very few material possessions, I have reason to bless the Lord as long as there is breath in me. Why? Because Jesus has delivered me from death! Ephesians 2:6 says, "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms" (emphasis mine). Think about that for a minute. We know that Jesus sits at the very right hand of God, and this Scripture states that we are seated right there with Him! Folks, if we had nothing else in our lives for which to give thanks, this one thing should keep us singing for all eternity.

I have a confession to make. For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with anger. Through lots of reading and sound counsel, I have learned that anger is often a defense mechanism when somebody lives in fear. That explains how it all started with me; my mother was very physically and emotionally abusive, and I remember waking up in the morning fearful of what sort of mood she might be in.

Because of the abuse, I had virtually no self-esteem growing up, which led to abuse in other venues -- most notably when a church deacon molested me. Other things happened, too, but it is not necessary to mention them all. Suffice it to say that many things have occurred in my life that would appear to justify my anger.

Now, though, my life is such that I have no legitimate reason to be angry. Yet anger from the past oftentimes rears its ugly head, and it is a constant battle to exercise 2 Corinthians 10:5 and take my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. I have to remind myself regularly to "Bless the Lord, oh my soul." And I am discovering that as I lift my voice in praise to Him, anger dissipates. It is slowly losing its hold on my life, and I covet your prayers that one day it will be completely gone.

If you are given to anger or a critical spirit, or if you find yourself complaining a lot, I encourage you to begin incorporating this Scripture into your life -- a hundred times a day if necessary. When you are tempted to lose control, take a deep breath, focus on God, and say, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name!" In this Psalm, David commanded his soul to praise the Lord -- leading us to believe that he did not feel like praising the Lord. But we are not to be ruled by our emotions. Oswald Chambers says, "Take yourself by the scruff of the neck and shake off your incarnate laziness," and that is precisely what we need to do when it comes to being formed in the image of our Creator.

This week, begin by making a list of everything for which you are thankful -- most notably the gift of Jesus Christ, who has redeemed your soul from death. Ask Him to give you a thankful heart, and begin to praise Him. Though many ugly things have happened in my life over which I had no control, and I myself have done things I am not proud to admit, I echo John Mark McMillan's wonderful sentiment: "I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that He loves us" (from "How He Loves").

Good evening everyone. I pray that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I certainly did. It was filled with family and friends and great food.

There are roughly 31 days until Christmas and I have to say that I was out with the rest of the bargain hunters looking for a good deal and I found some, but once again I heard disturbing news of people treating others with disrespect, hatefulness and disregard. These kinds of stories always hurt my heart because this is suppose to be the time of the year that we as the human race are to show loving kindness toward our fellow man. But it always seems to bring out the worst in folk.

So, I want to issue a challenge to everyone, 31 days of kindness. During this month, November, people have been writing about what they are thankful for on many of the social networks. In December, I would like for people to do a kind act toward another human being each day of the month and not tell a soul they have done it. Keep it between you, the other person and God. He sees your heart. He knows your spirit. There is no need to let everybody know what you have done. You will feel like a brand new person. Helping others helps you.

Have a very blessed night everybody!!! Love ya!!!
Cheryl

Yesterday evening, my husband went to Wal Mart. On Thanksgiving. Against both our better judgements. He was gone a total of 15 minutes when I received this from him:
He returned ten minutes later, empty-handed. "It was not worth it," he explained. "One guy told me he'd been there 30 minutes, and hadn't moved the entire time. All that for $20 off." In case you can't see very well, let me clue you in: the sign in the background proclaims "More Christmas for your money."

As the holiday approaches, relatives have begun asking the age-old question, "What's on your Christmas list this year?" I have been stymied, but also a bit proud, to see that my children cannot come up with substantial answers. Their mindset seems to be shifting away from "me" and more toward "others". I know a large part of it is their youth group--service projects abound in our ministry these days, and I can see the effect it has had on all our students. I also hope it is the product of their upbringing. I have very impatiently awaited the day when I could see evidence in their lives that they see the needs of others, and exhibit the desire to meet them.

The Lord has given us the best gift we will ever receive, and our lives are irreversibly changed by it. As we grow in Christ, may we expand our circle of influence, just has He did during His earthly life. Not out of duty, but because our minds have changed. May we begin to see people as Christ sees them, and live in such a way that we can lift others up. This type of life has rewards in store for us here and in heaven. The way service changes our lives is indescribable, and it pleases our Lord as well.

When I was growing up, singing and praying before dinnertime was a requirement. My parents wanted us to always remember that before we got to eat, it was crucial that we give thanks. I thought it was a lovely idea, because I love to sing, but I do remember how my teenage brothers snickered and rolled their eyes at this simple tradition.

Silly or not, I can still hear my Mamma's voice almost quiver as she sang with such conviction. I know now that it's because she and my Dad were still in awe on how Jehovah Jireh, God Our Provider, had so faithfully provided for all 9 of us once again.

Sure, we were poor, but in those moments, I never felt lacking. I simply felt thankful.

We stood around the table with food prepared by loving hands, and sang:

"Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now let the weak say, 'I am strong'
Let the poor say, 'I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us'
Give thanks."

Let's see, Thanksgiving it tomorrow, Black Friday is just two days away, and Twinkies are on their way out. There are really plenty of topics to pick from for this week's post.

I'm going to run with Israel though. To preface this, I am not going to be taking a stand on how our nation should be responding to the continued tension and war between Israel and Palestine. All of this talk about Israel did create a nice conversation between my wife and I though.

It ended the the conclusion that we are so glad Israel is no longer the only people who receive God's blessings.

I am grateful beyond words (look at that Thanksgiving made it in this post after all) to God for opening the door for Salvation to this lowly Gentile boy.

You see... I'm not Jewish. I have no Jewish heritage at all, which means, according to the Old Testament way of living, I was not worthy. I was not a part of God's chosen people. The nation of Israel was sacrificing to the One True God and living for Him (except when they weren't, which we find a lot of in our Bibles) while my ancestors were living pagan lives.

The only way for my ancestors to be "saved" would have been to become an Israelite. They would have had to abandon their people and adopted the Israelite way of life. Everyone else was unclean. Israelites did not talk to, touch, or look at Gentiles (anyone who was not an Israelite). We were outcasts.

Then Jesus came. He changed everything! He opened up the wedding feast for us. In Matthew 22:1-10 Jesus tells of a King giving a wedding feast. He sends his servants out to bring all the people who were invited. They decided not to come and some of them even killed the servants. The King was outraged and ended up offering the invitation to those who at one time were not invited.

That's me! At one time I was on the outside and overlooked. But the people God had chosen rejected His Son. They killed Him. They killed the people who followed Him. Paul (who wrote more books of the New Testament than any other author) spent his days preaching to those on the outside...the Gentiles.

As Christians, we are God's chosen people. What I am about to say often causes disagreement, but I'm running with it. Israel is no longer God's chosen people. They do not get a free pass into heaven just for being Jewish. Jews need Jesus just as much as anyone else on this planet.

Christians are not God's chosen. We are the "nation" blessed by God. No, we are not a nation in the way the world thinks of it. We do not have a specific plot of land to call our own, but none-the-less we are a people group of one mind and one heart focused on the Savior.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10

 That verse was said to us! How wonderful!! It is good news that God chose those who were once on the outside to now be His people. It is amazing to be offered Salvation and to have a connection with God that was unheard of before Jesus came.

This news cannot be kept a secret! Sometimes we act just like the Israelites did in the Old Testament. They were not out to convert everyone and to share God's news. Many times Christians do not go out of their way to share the wonderful news of Jesus either. We just sit in our pews (or chairs) and act content to know Jesus but not share it with anyone.

People need to know that God desires them! He desires them so much that they are now welcome into His Kingdom. What great news!

"Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23).

This story of Samuel amazes and humbles me. He boldly brought the word of the Lord to the Israelites, and usually it addressed their sin and idolatry. This particular time, they sinned against God by demanding a king to rule over them.

Samuel lets them know this sin is grievous, and they beg him to pray and ask God to spare them (again). Rather than lecturing them about how much they deserved God's wrath, Samuel encourages them to forsake their sin and truly follow God. Then he says, "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you."

Wow. Prayerlessness is sinning against the Lord. It's not merely an admission of, "Gee whiz, my week was busy and I just couldn't fit everything in." Samuel knew his prayers for the Israelites were vital, and did not neglect to intercede for them.

According to blueletterbible.org, the word "prays" occurs 117 times in the Bible, "praying" occurs 36 times, and "prayer" 106 times. That doesn't include other ways prayer is talked about, like "seeking God" or "asking God." Suffice it to say that prayer is high on God's "to-do" list. The Early Church "joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:14). Paul exhorts believers to be "faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12) and "devote" themselves to prayer (1 Corinthians 7:5; Colossians 4:2). James says "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (5:16). In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable illustrating that we should always pray and not lose heart.

The depth of our love for Jesus is revealed in our prayer life. Superficial relationship reasons that we have fulfilled our obligation if we pray brief prayers at the beginning and end of the day, and at mealtimes. If our relationship with Jesus is intimate, however, prayer is the pulse of our lives. We are entirely given to God and His purposes, and He is free to wake us in the middle of the night to pray if He chooses. We pray little for ourselves, because God has enabled us to see the "big picture." We intercede for ministers of the gospel and for all our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we cry out to God to save the lost. We don't necessarily have set times for prayer, because we genuinely "pray without ceasing." Lifting our voice in prayer is as natural to us as breathing.

Neglect of prayer, then, is symptomatic of a seriously deficient spiritual life, and one of the major reasons that many Christians walk according to the flesh instead of according to the Spirit. A casual relationship with God is one in which we have never really encountered His holiness, and therefore have never come to grips with the depths of our own sinfulness. But when we encounter God and get a glimpse of His glory, everything changes. His holiness illuminates our sinfulness, and we cry out as Isaiah did, "Woe to me! I am ruined!" (Isaiah 6:5). When we reach this point of desperation, we realize we need not only the salvation that God offers, but constant communion with Him.

It is interesting to note that in Ephesians 6, after Paul describes in great detail the armor of God, he says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions" (6:18). Though prayer is not listed among the pieces of armor, it seems to be how Paul wraps up this section on spiritual warfare. If we hope to be effective soldiers for God, we must not be guilty of the sin of prayerlessness.

Have you ever been reading the Bible and a verse just seems to jump off the page, slap you in the face, and yell BOOM!!! ?  I had that happen the other day.  It was actually eight verses in Isaiah and they’re pretty awesome by themselves, but what really got me was that they fit in with something I’ve already been thinking about lately.  Let me explain and then I’ll share the verses.

Hello everyone!!! It has been a great day! I spent time with my church family today, good times.

What do you do when you are tempted to do the wrong thing? Do you give and let it get the best of you? Or do resist it and pray through it? Temptation is very difficult to deal with and you cannot do it alone. God has to help you through it. That is why it so important to have a relationship with Him. You need Him everyday to make it, you need Him every second of everyday to see you through.

Prayer and faith are the keys to beating temptation. You must believe that He is and that He can help you. Yhen you must take action and resist, resist, resist!!!!

Have a blessed day everybody!!!

Cheryl

On Tuesday morning, after a few days of feeling like poo, Doug got up and went to go pick up his reserved copy of some game called Black Ops 2. It's apparently a big deal and my husband is really into his game right now. And yes, eventually this torrid affair will fizzle and he will go back to talking about the lawn or a new gadget he wants to save for, but for a few days, it's fun to watch a hardworking and incredibly faithful man act like a total kid about something he simply enjoys.

I love it! I love it when my husband gets caught up in a new video game. He gets enthralled. It's adorable. And I am not being factious here. I genuinely love watching grown people get really excited about something in their lives. It can be anything. Needlepoint, gaming, cosplay, barbecue, traveling, Christmas, Halloween, parades, Lord of the Rings, tools, coupons...I dunno, something. I love watching people get excited about something that brings them joy!

Sadly, though, some of us forget to simply enjoy life. We are so busy just living that we forget to notice that life, even when it's ugly, is still oh-so-wonderful.

This is not an opinion shared by most. I remember as I kid my love for all things cute was met with jeers and snide comments. "One day you'll grow up and see that Happy Meal toy is just a gimmick, sweetie," a counselor said to me while we stopped at McDonalds on the way back from a week of church camp. All my friends were ordering huge portions of nasty food. I decided to order a smaller portion with a nice price tag and added bonus - I got a wee Cruella de Vil toy with the food. Neat! Then I had four different people try to tell me how bizarre and immature my choice was. Really? Of course it is, but I was just a kid enjoying some junk for a few minutes. I knew brussels sprouts would be on the dinner table later, but I just wanted for a brief moment to be excited and enjoy the cheap toy and junk food my parents rarely allowed me to get.

A few months back, one of my dearest, best, good friends, Katie (from KatieMade Baked Goods & Confections) came over to bring her tasty baked goods, her brilliant wisdom and her much needed humor for my weary soul. (Oh friends, everyone needs a friend like Katie. She is a friend that makes even the heaviest of hearts rejoice.) In the middle of my over dramatic tangent about something absurd, she points out that I might not be crazy, but I may just be a personality type that is not often understood. She then found a web site and, like a shrink, began to ask me questions on how I feel about various things. Ten minutes later I read the results of a profile for a INFP personality. And let me tell you: It was the closest thing I have ever read to describing me. Way to nail it, Myers Briggs personality test. The weirdest part is that even my oh-so-accurate personality profile references Star Wars. Yes, I can't even get profiled without some nerdy charm. Like I was saying, it's me to a tee.

Anyway, the point is this profile stated something that I have always held dear to my heart as a great resource. Sure, it makes me seem a tad off, or a bit kooky, but I believe God gave me this personality for a reason. The beginning description for an INFP personality type states: "INFPs never seem to lose their sense of wonder. One might say they see life through rose-colored glasses. It's as though they live at the edge of a looking-glass world where mundane objects come to life, where flora and fauna take on near-human qualities."

Whoa. This makes me sound like Alice in Wonderland, but it's the truth. That's how my head feels. I am not all rainbows and butterflies all the time, but I try to keep my head as cotton candy and Disneyland as possible. Now, this does not give me a pass on hurts and fails, but in most cases I can look past the current struggle and find something magnificent.

Children are a lot like that. Despite what is happening around them, children have this inane ability to find something fun, something good, something to hope for, even when things are falling apart.

Last week our family was passing around some stomach funk. My son Indie had been dealing with a brand of tummy yuck for days, and despite the fact he felt gross, he was still up, ready to play and, as he says, "ready for an adventure." And in between jaunts to the toilet, he was still so cheerful.

Oh Pretenders, please find that childlike joy. Let's look for good in things, instead of always being on a witch hunt. That's the point, friends, we can stop searching and planning to see evil around every corner!  And we are supposed to. Philippians 4:8 says,"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Maybe it's time to take your statistics about this sick, sad world, and simply find something enjoyable. I hope that joy is in the Lord, but at this juncture, I will be pleased as punch to see you get excited about Black Ops 2. I just want to see that you are still able to feel, express and extend joy and excitement about something in your life. And the world needs to see that, too.

Oh honey, I get that there are evil things out there. I know there are bad people. I know good people do bad things. I further know that just because we claim to love Jesus won't stop us from being terrible humans sometimes. I know this. But this does not mean we need to stay planted in front of Fox News all day, writhing about how the world has gone to crap. Darlin', the world has been crap since people were put on it. It's nothing new, but the object of our faith is to show light and salt to a world that is so dark, bland and stale. We should try to shed light on the truth and then while adding flavor we will preserve that childlike faith in others. That's not easy, but it's vital.

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

I am a sinner. I am broken. I have grieved the heart of God far more than I care to admit in my five-plus decades on this planet. At times I feared that my sins were so onerous that I was beyond the reach of redemption.

The Apostle Paul might have wondered the same thing. In 1 Timothy 1:15, he marveled that, "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst." When he experienced the grace of God Cecil B. DeMille style, he realized he was indeed saved, and his zeal to spread the good news to others led him to exclaim, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16).

Yet the truth that we are free in Christ is one that many arrive at with much difficulty, if at all. We who have tasted His goodness should be walking advertisements of His joy and peace and freedom. Our light should shine so brightly that others are drawn to it, yet sometimes we forget how far we ourselves have fallen, and communicate judgment rather than love and mercy.

Christians as a whole, for example, come down very hard on women who have experienced abortion. In my years counseling these broken women, I have learned that it is difficult for them to accept God's forgiveness -- but it is even more difficult for them to forgive themselves. Satan has convinced them that what they did is so monstrous that they are beyond God's reach, and unfortunately this lie is perpetuated by church people.

The church I attend is a mosaic of colorful people, tattooed and pierced, addicted and broken. I love it because it reminds me that life is not always tidy, and that my view of what Christianity looks like may not necessarily be the correct one. As Mike Yaconelli says in his book Dangerous Wonder: "Christianity is not about learning to live within the lines; Christianity is about the joy of coloring."

It is my heartfelt and tear-soaked prayer for people to know the truth that will set them free. Not some manmade doctrine or ridiculous legalism, but the real truth -- the one that rises far above all the rest. The one that redeems their lives from the pit, when they never dreamed they had a shot at life.

May we, as Christ followers, be living examples of this truth.