Everywhere I seem to read lately brings me back to Obedience. Sunday before last, we discussed with everyone Luke 17 and just following along from the Parables we have been reading and continuing on in Luke. See below excerpt
7."Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'?
8. Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'?
9. Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?
10. So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

We do some work for the Lord and we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We are only simply doing what is required of us. That is what we are commanded to do. We are sometimes blamed for us having a works mentality toward Salvation when actually it is only our reasonable service to the Lord. We are not working for our Salvation as much as we are working to keep our Favor with the Lord. YOU HAVE DONE EVERYTHING YOU WERE TOLD TO DO, YOU SHOULD SAY WE ARE UNWORTHY SERVANTS. Imagine that being the thought process of Christians and how that would bring about a humbleness that would lead others to salvation, then again, Maybe not - as most people are looking for rewards and not for WORKS UNTO UNWORTHINESS. After sharing a little of this with Danny, he reminded me that in the parable of the talents, the wicked servant was cast into outer darkness for not doing what his Master required of him. Another great example of why obedience is required. Not just to avoid temporal judgment, but eternal.

Lessons from a Lost Diamond

I am posting this in part now, because the lessons are not over. With the help of a wise woman I have realized that through the loss of my diamond in my wedding ring, I have learned valuable lessons. I'll begin listing them today and add to it as God does.

1. Lesson 1 - My first reaction is still faith. Thank God. Sometimes I am afraid that when trials come I will react in the flesh and not by faith. When I first looked down and saw my poor little prongs bent over with a gaping hole in the center, I said "oh no." Although I was concerned, I immediately said that God would show me where it was. FAITH!

2. Lesson 2 - I went to my official prayer closet, which happens to be my closet! This is the only place that I can hide in and no one can find me when the light is out. I have learned that they don't look for me if no light shines from under the door. While I prayed, God gave me a vision. He still does that. Isn't it cool? No, I didn't find it yet, but I am sure I will understand the vision when I do. What I did learn from this is that God is so gracious to answer us when we ask.

3. Lesson 3 - The next day I swept my entire house and looked through the dust pan. Gross! I really worked hard even though I had a terrible cold. While I was sweeping, I remembered the parable of the lost coin that we had just studied. I felt like that woman. I also heard God asking me, " Have you searched for me this hard?" Tears...

4. Lesson 4 - This week I have been trying to decide what to do to fill the hole in my ring. I have spent hours visiting jewelers and searching the internet for a good deal. I don't have peace about any of it yet. Today's lesson came from our church meeting today. Jesus said to not give up, keep asking... I am asking God to use this diamond loss to give him glory and refine me. God's not done with me yet.

5. Lesson 5 - God may use someone else to bring Him glory. Casey had a dream last night that we found the diamond! Side note: If you know me at all, you know it is not about the diamond but the special memories with it. If the stone had been a rhinestone, I would still be searching just as persistently.

6. Lesson 6 - I haven't been thinking much about this. I know that God heard my prayer and has already taught me so much. Like other things that I have prayed for and have not seen the answer, I still know that He loves me. A sparrow does not fall to the ground apart from the Father's will. And He knows us so well that he has numbered each hair on our head! (Matthew 10:29) Having this knowledge, I trust Him in all things, including the end of this story.

Persistence = Faith

Today, we studied the parable of the persistent widow. The unjust judge finally gave her justice because she was "wearing him out." Jesus used this parable to teach his disciples to pray and not give up. So often we think that the answer is no when a request to God is not met. This parable shows us that we may be asked to have faith and continue asking. It is hard to keep asking when no answer is given; this is where faith comes in.



The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. God did this to "humble them, and test them in order to know what was in their hearts, whether or not they would keep His commandments." Deuteronomy 8:2 Some of the things we have been praying for has not been left unanswered for 40 years yet. Have we been passing the test, showing our hearts pure, humbling ourselves before God and man, and keeping His commandments? God is not done with us yet. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Surely He is still testing our hearts just as He did with the Israelites. In the parable of the persistent widow Jesus gives us instruction to never give up. I'm so glad that He said this, or we would have the mentality that God is tired of hearing us. Persistence in prayer is only possible if faith is present!

Even when we walk in the wilderness we are not alone. God is providing our needs. He fed the Israelites manna, gushed water out of a rock, kept their clothes from wearing out, and kept their feet from swelling. Miracles are present all around us, even though it may not be the miracle that we want right then. If you are walking in the wilderness, start thanking God for the provisions He has made then make your request with faith. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requsts to God." Philippians 4:6 "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8

Has Heaven Rejoiced Over You?

Today we studied the three parables in Luke 15. These are the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son. In all of the parables, Jesus is conveying the importance of the one lost. "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." Luke 15:7 Has heaven rejoiced over you?

We are praying for the spirit to be poured out on the body. A visitor asked today what is the Holy Spirit? I love answering that question! Also, one of our kids felt led to pray while we studied the Word. We are believing for miracles like this and more!

Wii Worship

We sang a few songs this morning together. One was a song called "The More I Seek You." After we sang, Mrs. Ginger used a coin to demonstrate that unless you look for Him, you won't find Him. Our kids have been taught the truth, watched us walk in the truth, and now must find it for themselves. We can tell them that the coin (Christ) is in the room, but unless they get up and look for it (Him) they won't find it for themselves. This was a great opener for our lesson.

Casey picked up with the parable from last week in Luke 14 and discussed what Jesus said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple." In this verse, obviously Jesus wasn't telling us to hate (which he later calls murder) our brother. He wants us to love them less than we love Him. We must put Him before our lives and the expectations of our parents. For some, becoming a Christian is dangerous if their parents were to find out. Thankfully, we live in a community where we aren't killed for our beliefs. The last part of the verse says that if we don't love our life less than Him that we cannot be His disciple. Do we really love our lives less? Are we truly His disciples? Hard questions...

In order to grab the attention of our kids, we turned on the Wii Fit. Yes, it did work! They suddenly became alert! As soon as it was on, it reminded us that if we want to maximize our fitness, we must us Wii Fit daily. Hmmmm, if we want to be fit, we must do this daily? Do you think that worshipping God is any different? Well, we found similarities with Wii Fit and began to use the term Wii Worship.

Wii Fit called it Strength training; Wii Worship calls it Praise. Strength training makes your muscles strong; praise also strengthens you. The disciples praised when they were in prison. Acts 16:24-26 You can find praise continually through Psalms. We focused on Psalm 71:14-24. If you have ever been in real turmoil, praise will see you through.

Wii Fit uses the term aerobics; Wii Worship is study of God's Word. Just as aerobics strengthens your heart, so does study. Study prepares you for the "long run." Our life is a long run. The more you exercise your heart, the easier it is to run. A good aerobic program is at least four times a week. The best program includes at least 10 minutes a day. Our study should meet and exceed this in order to be fit.

Next, Wii Fit has Balance Training. This may seem insignificant when you first begin, but without balance you could get hurt or do your other exercises incorrectly. Wii Worship calls this part, Prayer. Prayer brings your life to balance. When you feel like you are falling, you call out in prayer. Balance also reminds us that in prayer we should have a balance of thanks. Philippians 4:6

Lastly, but certainly not least is stretching (Yoga). Wii Worship calls this our works. Faith without works is dead. James 2:14-17 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 Yes, God has works for us to do. Sometimes you have to stretch yourself or reach in areas you didn't think you had the ability to do. Stretching brings oxygen (life) to all parts of your body. A young person is usually pretty good at stretching. As you get older, you tend to limit your body. Don't limit what God is wanting you to do. Stretching is usually a little painful, but when you are finished you feel wonderful. Good works can be hard too, especially if you are trying to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Don't let your faith be dead. Be doers, not hearers only.

Have you ever bought an exercise video, turned it on, sat on the couch, and watched it. I hope not. That did as much good for your body as watching someone else walk out a relationship with Christ. Unless you are an active participant, you are wasting your time. Our spirit is often neglected since no one can see it. If people could see your spirit, what would it look like? Would it be a picture of health or crying out for medical attention? If you need medical attention, go to the Physician. He alone can heal your soul.

You are invited

"For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding." Psalm 47:7 NKJV We had a wonderful time today during worship as we focused on praising with understanding. So often we just sing words or "go through the motions." Psalm 47:7 said to praise God with the understanding. From experience, this can bring much growth as you journey with Christ.

Today we read the parable of the great banquet. We read Luke 14:15-24. In this parable Jesus tells a story of a man giving a great supper and invited many. The servant (that's you and me) was sent out to call those who were invited. But the ones invited all had excuses. Then he sent the servant to invite those in the street and the disabled. When there was still room, he was sent to invite those in the highways and hedges. Notice that everyone was invited. It was left up to them whether or not to come. This was the RSVP that was needed for the invitation. Have you responded to the invitation?

In the next verses of Luke we find that to come to the feast means that we must first count the cost. "Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27

Chicken and Potato Pancakes

Yes, you read that right!! I made chicken and potato pancakes! Everyone was skeptical, but now it is a favorite. They are easy to make too, which is my favorite thing about recipes.

Chicken and potato pancakes

2 cups instant pancake mix

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded colby, mont.jack cheese

1 cup refrigerated shredded hash browns

2 T butter

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Country Gravy Mix (prepared)

1. Whisk together pancake mix and milk. Stir in chicken, cheeses, hash browns, butter, salt, and pepper. Stir just until blended.

2. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each cake on a 350 degree lightly greased non stick skillet. Cook until edges done, then cook other side.

3. Serve with Country Gravy.

Note: I make 2 recipes that feeds 3 adults, 3 hungry teenage boys, 5 little girls, and a lot of leftovers for me during the week!

**Note: I can't take credit for this recipe. I found it in Sara's "Southern Living" January 2009 magazine.

February 15, 2009

"No guts, no glory"

Today, we began by studying the story of Gideon in the book of Judges. Gideon was not the typical leader who was confident and strong. Although he acknowledged the angel of the Lord and even obeyed by tearing down the altar of Baal, he did this at night in the cover of darkness. Then twice he put out a fleece, sure that God didn't really mean that he would help deliver the Israealites from the hand of the Midianites. Thankfully, God is so gracious that He does give Gideon the evidence he needed to be sure. God uses the little people to accomplish His will to bring the glory to God. If another giant had defeated Goliath, rather than David, it wouldn't have made such an impression. If Christ had come in the form of a warrior ready for battle, would he have captured your heart? God knows what He is doing. He will call us out of our comfort zones to fight battles. Be ready to obey, knowing this. There's no reason to lay out fleece. This is how He receives glory. No guts, no glory.