Friday, September 20, 2013

Who do you know?

You know that saying, "it's not what you know, it's who you know. " It's so true right, you watch it in the world all the time and it makes you mad...

Bet it's happened for you too....and it's nice when it does. As humans that only can see one side of something or one element of a person life and work at a time it's hard to remember...Yes it might look like a person gets everything they want.

Maybe I have only been working here for two months, maybe I don't deserve this job, this pay, those Ipads, let alone this class room with a manageble size of students in it...but there are only a few who know what I delt with last year and the year before that....and who really deserves anything they have anyway?

"For we all have sinned and fallen short of the glroy of God"

Sometimes I wonder in other seniros of my life where this has been said if my "getting away" with out wearing a work appron, is less of a who you know and more of did you even try? Did you even ask? Maybe I got because I asked, maybe God wants to bless me or any other person becasue he knows that in another area of thier lifes and often a more important one...they may never get what they want.

They may never merry,
They may never get to stay home with thier children,
They may have a child of thier own.
They may never get thier dream job
They may never get out of debt
They may never know thier real mother of father

What you can see of a person's life is what they show and share, You have to remember thier is Always more. Some share to much some probably to little (like myself) but I trust God with the future and thank him for what he has givevn me in the present. So maybe some stuff for a classroom is just a lilttle battle won in a life full of big ones that are being lost at lesat for the time.

No, life is not fair we can thank Adam and Eve and a the Devil disquesed as a snake for that. You may look at one part of my life and say" I want", while all the while I'm looking at yours and saying...I want.  If your not careful you spend you whole life pineing for what others have or bitter about what others got that you didn't and you fail to see what you have that they dont.

Every blessing comes with it's share of curses...and vice verses....

We all do it, I've said it so many times...and I'll probably say it again...and feel justified in my heart. But one day at a time God leads on.

I'm stuggling right now with jealous, and bitterness as ovbiously others are as well. It's a battle and it rages on.....

So before you get mad that someone says you got something because of who you know stop and think...who are you saying that about right now? Maybe thier is truth in it but maybe thats how God planed to bless you.

God's got it what ever "it" is.










Sunday, September 15, 2013

Where do you go for help?

Responding to trials...

I'm going to tell you right now, I'm worlds better then I was years ago, but sadly my first response to emotional turmoil is not "talk to God. "

Today in church pastor asked the question, when things go wrong who do you turn too first? How many of us run to the phone call your best friend and cry or complain because you just have to get it out. Or if you are a man do you just ignore it and not talk about it...but also not deal with it.

It's such a thought, such a simple thought, that I've heard many times before yet I brush it of, "surly I don't do this". Oh, but I do...I know I do maybe I don't call someone but I mope around, I cry and I dwell on stuff sometimes for days, weeks, months and depending on what "it" is apparently years.

Why is our first reaction to blow up, talk, go off...complain..

Why not find our bible, hit our knees, and cry out to our Lord, our best friend who loves with a love that won't end. Who loves you even when you turn elsewhere for comfort.

I say it again we are nothing but children throwing tantrums on this earth refusing the peace and comfort our Lord promises us.

Is God you 911 call or your everyday comrade?

Next time you feel upset, angry, wronged...stop, think and maybe instead of living by your emotions and feelings hit the breaks and call out to the Lord..be an example of Jesus to the world, to your co-workers to your family, to your friends.

I know a song by Laura Landon called "I see God in You" I strive to be that person...someone sees me and thinking I see God in You. One day at a time and who know someday....

For he is your strength and your shelter....and he can raise you up on eagles wings...


   Church today was wonderful, and that was needed. Also on a related note I feel like I have to apologize for the poor wording and job I did on my last blog about praise.  Reading it again I realized how bad of a job I did explaining myself. In my statement about my church being boring that is MY opinion and in comparison to St. Marcus and there are very few church's like that one anywhere so it wouldn't have mattered what church I moved too it would be boring in comparison.

However I say that to explain that the service I want to at St. Marcus many of my friends did not like and preferred the old style service over it. So my new/old church is not a bad church and to anyone else probably not boring.. it's a shrinking church that's for sure, set in its ways and holds true to tradition's, which isn't necessarily a bad thing...but maybe that's why we had the time we had at St. Marcus to take the traditions we love and the service we loved and help reach the community.

  Church was wonderful today because people actually sang with us...because we sang hymns that people knew. It's the little things. I need to focus on the little things that heal my soul.

Amen.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Valleys and Mountains

Valleys and Mountains..you have to praise God in the valleys as well as on the mountain top.

Praise, 

Over the last 6 or 7 years I've worked on "praying continually" "filling my life with good and righteous things",  not complaining (or the power of my words), and my self image.. a beautiful Child of God.
.I've come a long way on all fronts and still have more to do...however recently I've been thinking about praise and again maybe my list will grow.
Praise: Worship:
Sure I go to church, and maybe this is on my heart now because it's hard to "Praise God" during a service at my new/old church. It's just.... well... for lack of a better word, boring or, not a very moving service. Not like St. Marcus was...Oh dear St. Marcus this has been harder then I thought. 

Yeah God's word is preached and I am being feed BUT that's not praise. 

But who says I need to praise God only in church...

Think about Praise: we are to praise the Lord in the Valleys in the heart of turmoil or suffering for It's the day the Lord has made. How many of you facing unemployment or finical struggles or death in the family says "Praise the one who breaks the Darkness I am so thankful for my savior"  But why don't you? Why is it so easy to be negative and upset and so hard to be peaceful and trusting? 

So, I've started adding praise into my prayers: "I praise you father please help me"....etc...

It's a small step but I want it to be habit. 

Now lets talk about the Mountains? how easy is it to be so blessed in life you can just hit cruise control when you think you have it all figured out. God kinda fades to the back, not intentionally you don't even realize it. Why is that?  I still tend to use God for 911 calls. Life's going good I don't need the comfort of my bible I don't need to pray...then something goes wrong and I'm like oh shoot I need God....my bad.

I haven't decided if I''m in a Valley or on a Mountain right now. I know I'm on a journey and my first week of teaching went great "Praise God" One week down, one step at a time...God's my Strength and my Song!

Praise.Peace. Hope.


Sunday, September 8, 2013

On the Wrath of God.

    If I had a penny for every time someone picked out the stories in the old testament and threw them in my face.  The one's were Gods Wrath is apparent. The ones that are hard to look at and think about. But such a great reminder of the fact that our God is a jealous God to be feared....AND loved!

Exodus 20:5 
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealousGod, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;


It's a hard verse to read, but it's such a good reminder, such a powerful version of God.

and offset with hope.

Romans 8
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

    Even more then that though I find it really hard not to get angry, when someone who doesn't believe in the bible and just uses it to prove a point by taking things out of context or focusing on one verse with out using scripture to interpret scripture. Or who lacks the courage to ask others who might know more then they about it; actually has the audacity to tell me to read and look into some of the "terrible" things my God has done in the Old Testament. As if I haven't bothered to read those stories as if I wasn't raised on those stories as if I pretend like so many other "feel good Christians" you know the God is Love an Love Wins types that those stories don't exist that the Law is not relevant like we can't learn from Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, Issac and Esau, Abraham and Sarah, Easter, Job, etc...or even more so the Israelite's mistakes.

     Oh, and I read these accounts of God wiping out nations, and sending plagues and opening the earth and burning down city's and wiping out the entire world in one flood. I think of how much sin those people were doing in God's eyes to make him burn with anger...and I thank God...I thank God I have the bible at my fingertips, at my side, ,I have Christian music, and church and the passion story. I have God's word I don't have to hear it from a prophet or a judge or a king. It's mine. I just thank God that I live in the time After Christs resurrection. Where I have a personal and real relationship with Jesus. When I mess up and boy do I ever mess up, I can come before my Lord and instead of the death I so deserve can find forgiveness and peace.

   I don't want to follow a God who is all love and nothing else where is the power in that? Where is the wisdom. Tolerance please...Respect, sure...Tolerance I've come to dread that word...who has the power to do what my God can do. I have a fear for my God and a respect. There are consequences when you break his commands...all the bad in the world it's a consequence of a broken command to not eat the fruit. It's a consequence and even then he gave them hope...and a promise...Praise the Lord he promised them Jesus...and here we stand.


Psalms 33:8 - Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.


Deuteronomy 10:12 - And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,


Psalms 19:9 - The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.

Psalms 34:9 - O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want to them that fear him


     So yes, there are some brutal stories in the Old Testament, and yes a lot of people claiming to be Christian either ignore them or pretend like they have never heard it before.

  From a world with so much concerned about tolerance it's a wonder there is so much violence. If you have nothing to compare good too, you have no good. Just as the shadow proves the sunshine...If you have no fear of your god, you have no reason to obey them. Just as a child disobeys when they have no fear or respect for their parents. We to are nothing more then spoiled children throwing fits and yelling for mommy.

  I'm no better no smarter, no more above anyone. I'm most certainly not a bible scholar.

BUT you have never found a post from me on facebook stating such, nor have you seen me write a post on someones page accusing them of being; close minded, blind, stupid, or un-knowledgeable. For who am I to judge? Who are you to assume.

World....Lets dance you and I.