…to myself

    The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they    shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand.

My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand.

I and the Father are One.  John 10:27-30 AMP

Thank you, Father, for your words of LIFE.

My, it has been a while since I have written here! Life has certainly gotten busy and I am finding my time just slipping through my fingers. We are in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl, which you can read about here and I am entering the end of my time in the school system. After the month of May, I will be walking a little bit lighter and how good that will feel!! Until then, I will sprinkle my sporadic thoughts here and there.

There are some thoughts that I would like to just put there really for the sake of getting them off my chest and if it provokes any thoughts in you, I would love to hear them.

I have read some thoughts recently about what the “biblical” Christian or church should be doing in the lives of others. Most of the content relies heavily on speaking biblical truths to people no matter how much it hurts, when–of course– speaking it in love, because the heart behind this biblical motivation is to encourage them in their relationship with God.

My question is this…

Should we be describing our way as “biblical”? Isn’t that implying that all other ways are not biblical—and isn’t that placing ourselves above others–and these are brothers and sisters in Christ, mind you–and making them feel intimidated, guilty and unloved? It seems that Jesus’ goal was to bring people to himself and love them unconditionally– wherever they are in their life.

I am reminded of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and was face to face with Jesus. Here is how he responded:

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:3-11

I read this as an example of speaking to another in love. I do not think that throwing people’s sin in their faces is an act of love. Jesus showed love to this woman and yes, gave her a direction to leave her life of sin, but after seeing the love come through the eyes of Jesus, why wouldn’t she?

In this same passage, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees very bluntly, which I believe is an example to make note of when people are judging others by human standards:

“Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” John 8: 14-18

Jesus backed up these words by not placing judgments on others. He sets the example for us…the life of a follower of Christ should not be to judge, but to show love. That is our role.

But let’s really get down to the definition of Christian….what does this mean? In my opinion, if we call ourselves Christians, we should be just that…..followers of Christ. A follower of his teachings, his example, his life. I’m not sure this means being a follower of a particular doctrine or procedure for living. If so, where does the Holy Spirit fit into our lives? What if the Spirit is speaking to us to accomplish something that goes against the grain of our structure? Do we ignore the voice of God?

My intent in this post is not to point a finger at anyone. I am simply someone seeking to know what it means to live a life in a deep and meaningful relationship with Christ and with those in my home and community. I just tend to believe that the idea of condemning and judging others with the label of a “biblical” Christian, goes against everything that Jesus taught and lived out.

“Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed and overflowing with gratitude” Colossians 2:6-7

As I am reflecting on this day of Thanksgiving that was spent with family and an overabundance of food and fellowship, my mind has drifted toward all that I am thankful to experience in my life.

I have a beautiful family.

I am blessed with all that I need.

Each day I am encouraged by at least one person.

I have a desire to love those around me.

And I am loved by those around me.

I have a very talented son.

I am surrounded by the beauty of the Father’s presence every day.

I have the most incredible husband.

I pray that your Thanksgiving Day has been an encouragement and a blessing to you. As you reflect on your day, may your focus be on the Giver of life and may you be thankful for all the great things He has so freely given you.

In Gratitude,

I was introduced to a wonderful blog recently, Wrapped Emotions. The author of this blog is encouraging others to use an artistic expression of their emotions and create something….anything….with their hands. In her words:

“So I created this blog to hold myself accountable to spend more time expressing myself creatively…connecting with my heart…creating with emotion. I want to encourage you to do the same. There is no better way to do this than working with your hands, your mind…connecting them with your heart. This blog’s purpose is to encourage you and me to do just that and share it with others.”

This is very intriguing to me. So, I have decided to join in the hope that the creative juices to begin to flow again!
I’d like to share the latest challenge on Wrapped Emotions:

“This week let loose…get edgy with your style…free your spirit…absolutely no fear. We had enough of that last week. This prompt is not associated with any tangible or figurative wrapper. I simply want you to experience the fun of creating. This week we’re working to feel the emotion of JOY. Not necessarily expressing the actual word or symbolism of joy in your art…you can celebrate shoe polish if you choose. But enJOY the process. Let’s create our own graffiti.”

I actually came up with two works. I first one is something that I created by starting with the word JOY. It actually just flowed from there. In the end result, I think I can see how I deal with challenges in my life. The mountains of patience, personality conflicts, misunderstandings, etc and the unexpected issues that seem to “rain” down on me at times, are all overcome by the light that exudes from the JOY that only comes from Christ.

The second work is one that basically evolved from my doodling. I had created several different shapes and colors with their own distinct expression. Beneath those shapes I used the same colors together unified in a beautiful rainbow. To me this symbolizes my thoughts about relationships within the body of Christ. We can live separate lives from those we call our brothers and sisters in Christ not giving a thought to what is really going on in each others lives. But when we make the choice to come together to encourage and support one another intentionally, the result is something more beautiful than we could imagine.

I would encourage anyone to do this activity. Whether you post your results or not, this is an activity that can give you a way to express your emotions and release the artistic abilities that are within you. I know many people would say that they have no artistic abilities to be released….I would disagree…I believe we all have emotions that can be released though creating art with our hands. There is no right or wrong way. It becomes something that is all you…it is something in you that is released on paper, canvas or whatever you desire to form your creation. So, be bold, express yourself!

I feel like I have really neglected this blog. It’s not intentional… I don’t have any reservations about writing, no desire to take a break from it…..it has just turned out to be on the lower end of my list. I also have other blogs that have been gathering dust as well. Our family blog, my homeschool blog, our foster adoption blog….all are being neglected at this point in time. It also is not that I don’t have multiple thoughts running through my head at any given time… they just end up being either thoughts that stay in my head or thoughts that I share with the person closest to me…and that is where it ends. So, if for some reason you have been waiting for me to share my thoughts, I am sorry the posts have been sporadic. I also thought I would share what is taking my attention at the moment:

In August, Steve and I made the decision that I would return to work half-time. I had taken a year off from my teaching job in the school system, so that we could homeschool our son. I had a desire to be with our son at home and a desire to use the skills and talents that I have acquired over the years with other children as well. So, going back into the school system half time seemed to be able to fill that desire. I could work in the morning (while Steve is teaching a few subjects to our son) and I would return after noon to complete the remaining subjects (when Steve started his day at ASU). Sounded great in theory, but it has actually been a hard schedule to accomplish. We’re doing it, but we are also exhausted. I had forgotten how much of your life is invested in the people you spend time trying to help. A half time teaching job doesn’t really exist. It does on paper, but in reality, I have brought work home with me many nights since August.

The other aspect of this schedule is that we don’t want our son to get shorthanded. We want him to be fulfilled and know that he is important. So, with this schedule, we make sure that we are spending time together. We’re taking a pottery class together and spending weekends as a family going on trips…it seems like we are always going somewhere!

So, this should explain my absence here on the blog. It is not wanted but it is needed at the present time. I am sure that life will begin to balance out soon for us as we adjust to new schedules and possible changes in our lives. I may have time to blog and yet I may not….and for now that is the reality of my live right now.

In all this we know that God’s love for us is real. He is showing us new opportunities and is blessing us all the time! I will look forward to sharing all that He is doing in our lives very soon. We continue to look for opportunities to love and bless others as we have been blessed by God. Sometimes it is a hard task, but looking for those moments of sharing the love of God with others is really what drives our thoughts and actions.

I really would like to continue writing about life in Christ from an artistic standpoint. I am reminded every day of the creativity of God. Hopefully, you will be reading a post about this soon!

Be blessed in your walk with Him,

I have always been attracted to reading non-fiction. I like reading about something that I can use in my daily life, whether it be self-help or learning a new concept or method of accomplishing a goal. I didn’t think that reading fiction would help me accomplish that desire inside. Until recently. My aunt encouraged me to read Francine Rivers’, The Mark of the Lion series. At first, I felt that it lacked a flow of the plot, but as I read more and more, the book was completely riveting. I could not put it down. Not only was it an encouragement for me to continue an intimate relationship with God, it really caused me to reevaluate my own life and how I live daily. By the time I reached the 3rd book, I was totally hooked.

There is an excerpt that I want to share because it really touched me.

In sharing information about her life with Atretes, Rizpah admitted to who she was and what she did in her past before coming into a relationship with Christ. Atretes was angered by her admission.

“I deserve death. I know that. A hundred times over.”

His chest tightened at her words and at the look of grief in her eyes. His mind filled with the faces of the men he had killed.

“It’s by God’s grace that my life is different,” she said.

He let go of her. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head, trying to deny everything that she has told him.

“I’m sorry, Atretes,” she said, trying not to cry and make it worse for him. “I never thought the choices I made mattered. My mother was dead. My father…” She lowered her head. “I didn’t care what happened. It was painful enough staying alive without thinking how I did it. But I was wrong, so wrong.”

“Jesus shed his blood so I could be cleansed of what I’d done. He forfeited his own life for every one of us, forgiving us all our sins. He opened a new path for any who choose to take it, and I did. And I will continue to do so, no matter the cost. I cling to Christ with all my heart. And I won’t let go.”

The interaction between these two characters is something I have had to face in my own life. Having made some disastrous choices, I have had to deal with the reality of the hurt that those choices have caused others around me. There have also been times of being rejected by others because of past choices.

I have felt the incredible peace of knowing that as I followed Christ, I was cleansed of my past. What I am sure of is this… Christ lives in me. He has changed me. I will cling to Him daily. I won’t let go.

*excerpt from As Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers

I was reading an article this evening that disturbed me. It is written about a church in PA that has created a Sunday school class specifically for special-needs children. At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a bad idea. In fact, you may see the idea as one that takes into consideration the needs of others. Give the child something they can do while mom and dad are able to worship without interruption. A few quotes from the article state:

“We have been finding that more and more families who have such a special child are not attending church because most churches do not have a program for them to attend”

Hmmm…

“Parents find themselves spending more time trying to redirect behavior,” “They are not really getting anything out of their weekly visit to church.”

To me this seems to be a problem of structure, not the child’s behavior. Why are we taking a child with special needs out of a situation that potentially would make us uncomfortable? And why did a whole different class need to be created for them? Were they not welcome in the typical Sunday School class? Why do parents of special needs children feel they cannot gather with believers?

Maybe the answers to these questions would be best left to the individual to decide. And honestly, this issue hits a bit close to home for me, as my child was asked to leave a Sunday School class because his behavior did not fit what was acceptable in the class. This left me feeling like the one place that I thought my child would be accepted was not a realistic desire on my part.

My thoughts are these: Give the child the love and compassion of Christ. Help him or her to feel accepted as a worthy member of the body of believers. If you have to change the structure, then do it. But don’t make the child feel that they are not welcome by separating them from their peers and the rest of the body. There is so much that a child with special needs can offer the church as a whole. They can encourage us to grow in ways that were not possible before. Don’t deny them or yourself the joy and the privilege of what God can do through them.

Read the article and let me know what you think……

Matthew 19:13-14

All of us go through situations in our life that are hard. Each day presents a new challenge the moment we awake. Some may see that challenge as trying to find the answer to the tough questions. Such as: “Will God heal me today?”, “Will I be able to find a job to support my family?”, “How will I face the person at work that is tormenting me?”, the list could go on and on. We all have very unique and interesting circumstances.

But I am wondering if maybe we are missing the challenge here. Could it be that the challenge is not in the specific circumstance, but how we deal with what comes our way each day?

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:6-7

We are encouraged to present before God our cares. Actually, it is stated we are cast ALL our cares upon Him. Are we really taking this seriously? How often do we attempt to take on our own cares? It is the natural inclination, is it not? To say “I need to do this to make things better” is such an automatic response for each of us. But…We have the freedom available to us that enables us to turn from our cares. Why do we not take advantage of the reality that was given through the cross of Christ? Are we telling Him that it wasn’t good enough and we need Him to do more?

There is a situation from my own life that I’d like to illustrate for you. My husband and I have been trying to conceive a child for 3 years without success. Every time we looked into the eyes of a pregnant teenager or of a woman that did not want the child she was carrying, we wondered why this was happening. We questioned ourselves and yes we even tried to find a way to “fix it”. But today, are walking in the peace of Christ. We are traveling through new and exciting experiences. Have we resigned ourselves to the idea of not conceiving a child? Absolutely not. We have chosen to embrace each day as an opportunity to show love to others, in whatever way God places those experiences before us. Right now, that opportunity is the possibility of being foster parents in our community. So, that is what we are embracing at this moment with the knowledge that new experiences could be placed before us as well.

So, I encourage you today to listen to this important advice:

“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” I Peter 5:10-11

My friend, Amy, has written a great post today called The Wall. Go there and be encouraged. Thanks Amy for rekindling the passion in which I wrote this post!

I have been pondering thoughts about “systems” and have discussed them at length with my husband. The first system that we have discussed is that of the church. We are currently out of the traditional church and are attempting to meet from house to house. (I will discuss my thoughts on other systems in another post)

But I am coming to the point of realizing, it is not about what we create “each week”. It is about being available to do whatever God is instructing us to do in “each day”. Letting go of some of the bondage of what is required according to church structure has been very liberating for us….also very difficult. We want interaction with like-minded individuals, desperately. But we also realize it is not about what we can create ourselves. We must be available to go as God guides us or wait when He tells us to do so.

So, today, we wait…

Alan, at The Assembling of the Church, has some excellent thoughts on how we can step outside of our box and be the church, in his post, The Church Meets Here… His thoughts on this issue have encouraged me today. I am sure they will encourage you as well.

So, today, I ask you. How can we be the church to others? In what ways can we come out of our comfort zone and be uncomfortable in order to love someone else?

What a invigorating feeling it is to spend time with other believers! That is just what Steve and I did this past weekend. We traveled to Wake Forest, NC to attend a conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary on Friday evening and Saturday morning. You can read what other bloggers (Lew, Steve, Theron and Alan) have written regarding the content of the conference. I will say this…I went to the conference not having any prior knowledge about the content of the topic discussed and secretly wondered if I would be able to get anything out of it, but I came away from the conference excited about what I had learned and wanting to learn more on an academic level. I do appreciate the tone at which the conference was presented and to quote Dr. Black, ” Regardless of the position we take on the ending of Mark, the important thing is to proclaim the Gospel Of Jesus Christ to all nations.”

When we arrived at the conference Friday evening, we were able to see Alan (and others) briefly before the presenters started speaking. Afterwards, we were asked to go to Rob and Brandi’s for coffee, in which we were able to fellowship with Alan, Rob and Brandi, Mael and Cindy, Leah and Samuel (her 7 1/2 month old cutie-pie!) and Theron and Cheryl ( I hope I spelled everyone’s names correctly!). We had a sweet time with them…until the hour of midnight! Afterwards, Steve and I went to Leah, Ed and Samuel’s to spend the night. Thanks so much Leah, for your hospitality. You are awesome!

The following day, we went to Starbuck’s (of course) and then attended another session of the seminar. Afterwards, we went out to lunch to an Italian restaurant in Wake Forest with Alan and his sweet wife, Margaret, Dr. Black, Dr. Nelson, Lew, Theron and Cheryl, Mael and Cindy, Jay Baird and Ray Clendenan (of Broadman and Holman Academic). It was an awesome time to be able to get to know each other better.

After our lunch, we (Steve and I, Alan and Margaret and Theron) went to Starbucks (yes, that’s twice in one day!). We stayed there until about 4pm talking with our new friends. We also went back to SEBTS to get a few pictures of the campus.

Then, back to Boone we traveled. I have to say that it was very hard to leave. The fellowship that we were able to experience was incredibly special to us. Not to mention that the weather was gorgeous!

Especially when you come home to this

It is amazing what a few hours travel to the western part of the state will do.

Thank you, everyone for a special time together. We were truly blessed by all of you and hope to meet again very soon.