Watch out!!... Your beliefs are showing!!!

In these last days, and I do believe we are in the last days, But I have heard that most of my life. Being a parent I am more aware of evil than I was a kid or teenager or even young adult.
I have a wonderful and awesome family, but my sister and I joke about how we put the "FUN " in dysfunctional for our family. As I grow older, I realize we all are dysfunctional. It is a wonder we can even do anything with all the baggage some of us have... That is where God comes in and begins a work on our hearts and minds... leaving nothing unturned..
I have really desired to raised my kids to love God with all their heart , mind ,soul and body and love others!!! but I wonder about what they really heard me teach.
You know people can hear ya but they learn from what you really believe.. example... We believe everyone is valuable but who gets our attention the beautiful ones, the ones who are high achievers.. We say no abortion yet, we do not support crisis centers or adoption..We want to reach the un-churched , saying God hangs out with everybody but don't expect to get close to me. We say we are not a racist, but my kid is not hanging out or marrying them!
That's where our hidden beliefs speak louder than our words. We can say we believe it but when the rubber meets the road, our beliefs come out!!!
I would like to believe, it's the world way of doing it and if that were true, we could explain it away cause look who the world's father is!! But it is in the CHURCH.. The body of Christ.. We say God forgives, yet, we don't! We say Jesus came to serve but we won't, We say the church is for the broken, yet let one of the leaders be broken and we all forsake them like the plague. We say God is in control, then we worry.....
No wonder people are confused about Christ.. They always believe the hidden belief rather than the words we say....
As a wife, mother, sister, friend and leader, I wonder what am I really Teaching????

It is scary to sit and ask God to search your heart and reveal to you , what you truly believe, I have even fooled myself in a lot of areas of my life. Facing what's hidden is not easy. It is like on that show "What not to Wear" they have a mirror that the women step in front of to see the whole picture.( glad I don't own one of those). While they can see a lot, they can not see themselves as a whole, directly... We have a mirror..." God's word" to show us truth and the Holy Spirit to reveal the whole Picture, inside and out!!
In every life their is a hidden and spoken belief. The spoken belief does matter and worth getting right. But, The spoken belief can not overcome a Hidden Belief, that is wrong and based on a lie.
Hidden Beliefs shape our souls and changes lives....mine and all who I come in contact with...
Listen to the voice of Truth!!!
Watch out!! Your beliefs are showing!!!!

Wrestling

When I was growing up , I wrestled with my brother and daddy all the time. I loved it. I was not much of a sissy girl. We would wrestle until either I had to go to the bathroom or could not get up and we had to claim a winner. Well.. God blessed me....I had two boys... my oldest son loved to wrestle w/ me and he would fight with all his might. We would wrestle until whoever pinned each other down had to say.. whatever the winner wanted them too. Like... if I was the winner I would make him say " Mom, you are the BEST mom in the world and YOU ARE the WINNER!!!!"
Both of my boys would laugh and try not to say it but I loved to hear it.I know most mothers hear it a different way but however I can...... Now that I am older and can't get off the floor,and they are a lot stronger than me, we play "King of the rug," .. it is standing and pushing each other off the rug... lots easier on the joints.
I was reading in Genesis 32:24-26 , Here Jacob heard that his brother was coming to see him....(remember what he did to Esau, stole His birthright and His blessing,I'd be scared too!) so Jacob divided His men and sent them ahead- Brave man he was! I can relate to Him.
Now he was left alone...he wrestled with a "man" Jacob later name that place"I have seen the face of God" Jacob wrestle w/ Him even to the point of dislocating his thigh with just a touch. Yet, Jacob, did not give up!!! He told Him.. "I will not give up unless you bless me" ...
Then God said"you will be known as Israel " For you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed"
You know, when I am alone, I can wrestle.. thoughts, doubts, fear, shame...... But reading this. Reminds me not to give up! but hold on to God, hold on to my time alone with Him. When I am alone with Him, He can speak to me without distractions, any influences of this world. When I am alone with Him I can pour out all my stuff! I can wrestle with Him and He teaches me (by pinning me down, I say, You are the winner and the best God in the world!!! )I have more of an intimate relationship with Him and My life is changed!
So in this busy life we all lead.. take time to be alone.....Spend time with Him...All wrestling is not bad!

Thank you President Bush and Welcome President Obama

I read this prayer from Max Lucado and wanted to share it with you. but before I did I wanted to say Thank you to President Bush for serving this country. ( I know he won't read my blog) but I wanted to say it out loud . I also wanted to welcome President Obama and to say I will be praying for you and your family.......

A Letter from Max Lucado
Dear Friends, I am a pastor, not a politician, so I can only speculate as to what awaits President-elect Barack Obama. The long-lasting benefits of good choices…the fearful consequences of poor ones…complicated social issues and relentless international problems.He needs our prayers. And it’s our privilege to pray for him. The Bible says: Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God. (1 Timothy 2:2)For that reason, I invite you to set aside a few minutes on Inauguration Day, Tuesday, January 20, and ask God to bless Barack Obama and his family. Join me and urge as many people as possible to speak to God on behalf on our incoming president.Good things happen when people pray.A few years ago I attended a meeting in the White House. While standing in the State Dining Room, I noticed some words engraved on the fireplace: a message from John Adams to his wife Abigail. “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” Here’s hoping that same prayer is offered and answered again.
Max Lucado

Loud and Often

I am reading a book by Lanny Donoho imagine "GOD"S BLOGS".
Since I start by accident, blogging, which is really nothing more than sharing what I am learning when I read God's word. Other blogs are about people's day, family, church, job, up coming events. I like reading other blogs. I like people and their stories , I guess you could say.. I am nosey! Does it help?, that I do learn from others.
In this book, he talks about God's favorite stuff He has done: Setting up the universe to spin like it does.. the red sea incident.. SURPRISE LAZARUS!! You're back!... Sent Jesus to earth!.. rolled away that stone so he could come out and show you who I really AM... created YOU in MY image(and you look good)......... It is a good book with refreshing thoughts on the life with God with a quirky author..... if ya need a book to read.
My daughter and I sing before she goes to bed, we sound pretty good.( I think) Well, in the morning, not so much singing is coming out of her, more like whining! She is not a morning person! but this morning she woke up singing "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,"I wish you could have heard her, she added the vibrato at the end of each notes, just like they sing it on veggie tales.. When she finishes a song, we always clap loud and often and say ..well done!! great job!!! sing it one more time!!! ( We might be those parents, that their kid is on American idol singing and Simeon, Paula and Randy ask Who said you could sing? and they say My parents!!!!(Well, to us she Can sing !!!!)
In my reading ,Psalm 105:2 "Sing to Him, sing psalms to him talk of all His wondrous works!"
Wondrous works....Think about that.. He loves me, he is always near me, He hears me, His eyes are always on me. He died for my sins !!!!Wow!!! Not to mention all the other great things he has done.. create universe, red sea, raise from the dead.......
What do I do?... I sing and worship God. Loud and often, clapping and saying, Well done, awesome job! One more time!!!! I need to worship Him and I need to do it more often....
and for heaven's sake, He does deserve it!!!!!!

He still working on me......

I guess you could say I have always been a daddy's girl. Even when I was going through the teen years and we argue about everything, I remember saying.. I NEVER will be like you!!!!!
(I was a little drama queen, OK, maybe I am still, a little)
Well, low and behold, I am just like my Dad. Funny thing is, I love it!!!!
Every time he calls me he sings, he makes up songs and sometimes he sings old ones .. I love to hear Him sing to me... I now realize that I too, sing to my kids , family and friends when I call them, Especially if I get their answering machine. I look at it as , an invitation for me to sing to them. This last week my daddy called me and He sang an old kids song to me," He still working on me, to make me what I should be....." There truth in that kids song, My daddy is 70 years old and saids God is still working on Him. He loves God and is one of the most praying people I have ever known, My Life is a product of His Praying!!! I thank God for giving me, my Daddy.
We,as a family are still working on this crazy puzzle.I really don't think they put all the piece in the box! or someone has taken them to drive us crazy, which I would not put it pass anyone in our family.
It is funny though, my kids have tried to make some of the piece fit, my little girl said she has a pink hammer that she could use to make pieces fit , this is after she hit it a couple of times with her hands... It reminds me of my Life....So many times I have tried to make the pieces fit ....MY self with MY ways!! Did not work out well, at ALL!
God has already told me not to lean unto my own understanding but in all my ways acknowledge HIM!!!
Exodus 35:35 He has filled them with Skill....Jer. 29 :11.... He has already prepacked us with everything we need for the pieces of our life... for the purpose which He has called us!!
He knew I would be born in NC, live in Tenn, and Florida , marry , have kids.. and be back in NC. He Knew it all.... good, bad and ugly!!!
He has given me a choice.. Psalms 119:30 I have chosen the way for truth,I have obeyed your laws.... This gift of choice that He has given me.. is a hard gift.. The choice to choose .. narrow gate or wide.. small crowd or big crowd.. Rock or Sand.....
Hard to choose in the moment.. to Obey or self- gratification, to choose... servant or Boss.... to choose MY way or His...The choice to walk in faith or take control.. the choice to surrender my will for His.. the choice ....to not hide anymore and allow Him to be seen in me.....The choice to listen to lies or Truth!!!
He has given us choices, eternal choices with eternal consequences....
I worship Him because....He is still working on me, to make me what I should be.......

Kindness of a Savior

In my life i have had many people mentor me, some did it with out even knowing it and others walk with me and taught me. My mother is the one who has poured most in my life,She has mentor me in ways she will never know. She has taught me with her words and deeds. I learned more from watching her handle different situations than anything. I will always be grateful to God for allowing me the privilege to have her as my mother. But as great as mother as she is, She hasn't always been there with me.... when I went to school, when I became a wife and moved 8 hours away, then became a mother.. She could not be with me, But there was someone who has been here to mentor me through it all.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
My dad grew up on farms , they were sharecroppers and he would often take us by the many places that his family lived. He would tell the stories , some were funny but alot stories were of major hard work , that he did as a young boy. I remember him showing us a old plow that they would follow behind the cow or mule or whatever animal they had a that time and plow up the land, it did not sound fun at all to me, so when I read this verse, I realized that I do not want to take any yoke upon me but as I have learned, that when farmers would train a inexperienced ox, they would yoke it with an experience one. The Yoke would be tighter on the older one and they would carry most of the weight.So the younger would walk along side of the older one but his burden would be light... Makes a difference in this verse now.. Jesus is saying"I will walk alongside of you, we are yoke together but I will pull the weight and carry the burden"
WOW!!!!! What kindness, a Savior who could say.. you know you made your bed, now lay in it!, you choose that road now walk it!!!, but not Jesus, he carries my sins, my shame, my hurts, disappointments, my sorrow, my confusion, my fears. I wonder how many things, He has carried, that I know not of, and given me peace when I did not know I needed it.
That is the Kindness of My Savior, that my soul finds rest in.

Things that puzzle me.. Hummmmm

I hope you have had a great start in the New Year. At our house, it has been a little hectic . Today is the start of... trying to get back on routine. For years I thought of myself as a spontaneous person , but once I am off my routine for a while I am itching to get back on it quickly, maybe it is a control thing.. Ouch!!!
I know many of people ,who over the holidays have puzzles started and when you come into their homes, you are welcome to work on it.
Well, this year we have one... our son Jacob picked it out and it has 1000 pieces!!! I would not suggest for anyone to start out this big, I think a 50 or 100 pieces is pushing it for me.
I have notice that we all look at the puzzle and work on it differently.. some walk by and grab a piece and place it right were it goes, ( I am not that one) some sit for hours and find only four pieces that fit together. It has been funny to see us all get frustrated with it and walk away!!!
Some of us never to return to the puzzle but some are up for the challenge and do it!!
With a couple of days that have gone by I can actually see the picture starting to appear, among the tiny little pieces of puzzles.
While we still have a ways to go, til it is through, it is encouraging to see the end in sight. It kind of reminds me of my life.... When I look at it , it can be over whelming and not look like much at all. Many of times people have walked away with pieces of me, I have wanted to walk away from myself too, but where would I go??
I thank God that He can be trusted... In Phil. 1:6 "He who began a good work in me will cont. it til the day of Jesus Christ." Looking through my own eyes or even eyes of another human being, I do look a mess but Looking through God's eyes.. He sees Jesus!!!!! And as Ps. 103:4 saids He.. loads me with love and mercy!!!
While, I might not see the big picture , I may only see one piece of the puzzle , I can thank God that, He never walks away from me and He going to finish what He started!!!!