3 Meals

3 Meals

How many times have we been told to never skip a meal? And further, the meals we do choose have to be balanced and nutritious; not just a fly by kind of meal. You can't just grab the first thing you see and consider it good, Snickers and Tootsie rolls just don't count! If you know that your eating habits aren't the best, you will probably agree with me when I give you the symptoms of what will happen to you if you don't listen to what you've been taught all your life. Weight gain, feelings of being bloated, crabby moods, no energy, etc. Sounds great doesn't it? There is nothing about missing your daily fill that sounds appealing.

Why is it that many of us would never skip our food, but daily, weekly, monthly, even yearly, we skip out on feeding our spiritual lives? How many of you would tell me that there is NO way that you can "fill up" spiritually 3 times a day? A lot of you may not even find it possible to do it once! There may be some that are reading this and will confirm that they checked Bible study off of their list today. But my question to all of you is that when you sit down to a "meal", is it meat, vegi's and fruit that you are eating, or is it candy and junk food? Do you really get fed or are you just getting by?

We all know what happens to our physical bodies when we don't eat right, what you may not have thought about before is what exactly happens to us spiritually when we don't.

Jesus says:

John 6:35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."

How many of you feel that hunger ache all the time? I am not talking about your physical bodies, I am talking about that ache that you just aren't satisified with life but yet you just don't know how to be. You find yourself looking and searching for "the answer". But everything new you buy, or weight you accomplish, or friend that you make, or promotion you get, etc…just doesn't seem to cut it. You, sooner than later, find yourself dissatisfied and hungry once again.

So are you ready to stop searching? Want me to tell you the secret you have been dying to hear? Go back up to John 6:35…see it mixed in between those words? Yep… there it is…JESUS. Amazing how He seems to be the answer for everything huh? Now imagine for a minute filling up on Jesus 3 times a day! Not just open your Bible and read something quickly without digesting it kind of Jesus. I am talking about real conversation, pouring your heart out, hands wide open, surrender kind of time with Jesus. Imagine taking every single care, worry, and problem of your day and laying it at His Feet! Not just once a month…I am talking about all during the day.

Jesus says that HE is the bread of life. He is not just another bread of life…He is THE one and only. He says that if anyone comes to Him and believes in Him, they will not be hungry or thirsty! But there is a catch in that verse that we can't overlook. The word COME. You have to COME to Him!! It is not enough to just believe (even the demons believe). NO!! You have to come to Him to receive the bread!

I don't know about you, but I am feeling hungry! Want to stop searching for other avenues to walk down and walk down the path that leads to Him? I'll go with you…let's go fill our plates!

I'm Yours Lord…take me, shape me, fill me…I'm done running and I'm done searching! You are it for me!

Wet Waders

Wet Waders

Many of you have heard the story of my husband and his little swim last weekend. We can joke a little about it now, but at the time, I assure you, it wasn't anything to laugh about. The reality is it changed our lives forever! Our perspective has been slammed into place and not anytime soon will I take for granted just how powerful and in charge MY GOD is!

I will recap a little bit for you…

Luke was stranded in the middle of a lake in December (we are in Indiana…which equals...FREEZING!)!

Luke was wearing waders. Not just hip waders but rather chest waders with boots. He has assured me that even when they are dry on land, the waders are super hard to get off; being wet while still in the water, the waders became impossible to remove!

While simply sitting in the boat, the waders aren't extremely heavy. I mean, they obviously add more weight and are bulkier, but nothing unbearable. It became quickly obvious though, that when submerged in water, the waders became a huge problem. The problem didn't occur at first. The problem occurred the longer he sat in the water. As they began to slowly hold more and more water, the waders became so heavy, Luke new that eventually they would pull him under. Even with a lifejacket on, he felt sure that the waders would be what caused him to drown if he did not secure another way to stay afloat. Praise the Lord (I do not say that lightly!) that he was able to swim 40 yards and grab a couple bags of duck decoys. The decoys were able to hold his weight and keep him afloat until help arrived!

I was struck with the similarities between this story and the story that every one of us face when we deal with sin. It really isn't that different!

Just go with me a moment as a draw a mental picture. Imagine that sin is like those waders. You fall into sin and choose not to get rid of it. You "put" sin on like Luke put on those waders. They may seem funny to walk around with at first, but after a while, they get comfortable. You may even forget that they are heavy. This is exactly where satan wants you! He wants you to think that it is no big deal and that you can handle holding onto whatever is actually weighing you down! But it doesn't stop there. Eventually the weight of sin will increase. As you get more and more tired, the "waders" become heavier and heavier. Sin will be so sneaky just like this. It won't just drown you instantly; it will be a slow fade. Sometimes so slow that you won't even notice it until you are at the point of drowning. You may think that you have things in place to help you out. You put your "lifejackets" on and feel a false sense of security. You bank on the fact that you won't drown because you can handle it! The truth of it is: you need a savior. Luke would not have survived if he was not rescued and to be honest we are the same way!

Listen to me carefully…you cannot get yourself to shore when satan has his claws around you! The
only way to freedom is by accepting help from Jesus!

What is weighing you down? Do you have something that you are hiding in hopes that you can just ignore it and that no one will ever find out? Do not be the fool who thinks that they will be fine no matter what. Sin will eventually take you under. And if you have walked around with it for any amount of time, I am sure you will understand completely the weight that I describe. Aren't you sick of it? Don't you just want to strip it off and "run with perseverance the race marked out for you?"

It teaches us in Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw of everything that hinders and sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS…"

This is a loaded verse! We have people watching…your life can either be one where people watch you drown or they will watch you run to Jesus. Each one will powerfully affect others and possibly lead them down the same path that you choose!

So what are you going to choose? Are you sick of treading water yet? Are you sick of feeling that heaviness on your chest? Doesn't solid ground sound good about now? Then fix your eyes on Jesus…the author and perfector of our faith! The answer is simple and it will never change…if you want freedom, if you want to rid yourself of the heaviness that is weighing you down then you have to make a choice…life or death?

It's time…Reach out your hand and take His!

Flickering Light

Flickering Light

I got the privilege of putting lights on our Christmas tree today. Many of you will gasp when I tell you this, but today is December 17^th! Yes, I know, there is only one more week before Christmas! It never fails in our household though, the days fly by and before we know it; we have to get our tree up before it's too late.

I am the kind of person that doesn't like to fuss much with decorating. I have walked into people's houses where their trees are absolutely perfect, the decorations all match and the lights are like a million little twinkling stars. Our tree will never be that. But it reflects us so much I wouldn't change it for the world! As I watch my kids hang their homemade decorations, I see holes where a decoration could go, but I keep my mouth shut and just enjoy the masterpiece they are creating!

Before they went to work, I took 2 strands of lights and started wrapping. I hate doing this because I get poked a million times trying to put the lights where they should go. But the most annoying part is when you come to the ones that are burnt out! But even that was not what made me stop and think. My focus was caught on one little yellow light; a little yellow light that was flickering. We do not put up flashing lights, or blinking lights. We put up colorful lights that stay on all the time. So to have one flashing, made me wonder what was wrong with it. I watched it for a few seconds and tried to wiggle it to make it come all the way on, but my attempts were worthless. In the end, the light burnt out.

And just like that it made me wonder if this is what it's like when one of our spiritual lights "burn out".

Mt 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

 

Do you let your light shine so brightly that men can actually praise God by just witnessing it? Or do you find yourself flickering? Will people walk into a room and know that that there is no way that you are burning out or do they not even realize that you love Jesus?

 

Where is your walk at right now? Plug yourself into the source that will continually power you to show His Light! The longer you are away from Him, the quicker you will burn yourself out. Don't be flickering on and off, don't be satisfied to be anything other than full wattage!

Chosen

Chosen

What do the following names mean to you?

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali

Now what does this name mean to you?

Joseph (the coat of many colors)

All of the men that are mentioned here are brothers. They all were born to Jacob and they all ended up in Egypt. But there is one word that separates the first 11 from the last one: CHOSEN. (You can read about this account starting in Genesis 37.)

Joseph was the brother that no one liked, so they sold him into slavery. Thinking that they would never see him again, they covered up what they did by lying and telling their father that he was killed. Never in a million years would they have thought that God would turn what they did into the biggest miracle they ever witnessed!

Hard times came and the brothers had no option but to go in search of food. What they found was much more than simple grain. They came face to face with the reality that God had chosen one of their own to work a miracle through. All HE had needed for that to happen was ONE person saying yes to Him even when things weren't going their way! Joseph was that man.

A really amazing friend of mine told me recently that he wanted to see a miracle this year. But more importantly, he not only wanted to witness it, he wanted to be a part of it! He doesn't want to be one of the brothers, he wants to be a Joseph.

Which brother do you find yourself most like?

Can you see the vast difference between the two? If a miracle is to occur, many of us will find ourselves as mere observers. Sadly, a percentage of those people will be content to be just that. Can you believe with me for even just a second that our amazing God wants to blow you away with something that can only be explained by His power? More than letting you be just a witness, though, He wants to use
you for it!

This is exactly what God wants to see happen in all of our lives! But He won't use just anybody. He wants to use people that are willing to give Him their whole lives, no matter what, saying "Use me for Your Glory!" That is when you will find yourself smack dab in the middle of a miracle! Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God---this is your spiritual act of worship."

I want to challenge you to rethink how you want to live your remaining years on this earth. If you are happy not seeing anything amazing happen, or don't really care to see how big God can be, then there is nothing more that you really have to do…it will probably happen just like that for you.

But if you are anything like me and my friend and want more, you want to see things happen that can only be explained by God, then say yes to HIM right now! Don't get caught doing things your way, but surrender everything to God's plan and purpose. Every step of the way!

Say yes to God in everything He asks, and you will find yourself standing in awe of what He will do with you, through you, and to you. No doubt you will also find yourself repeating the words of David in 2 Sam. 7:18 "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?"!

Don't waste an opportunity and don't get caught being left out! A miracle is waiting for you!

Happy Birthday Jesus

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

Have you ever watched a child on Christmas morning get so excited to open presents? There was one year when my oldest was the only grandchild, and he literally had a stack to open that was taller than he was. Sadly, that was only one house…he had more to come from other places. By the end of the day, he didn't even feel like unwrapping anymore things.

 

Can you remember what you got for Christmas 5 years ago? How about 4? Oh come on….surely 3 years ago? If you are like most people, you probably can't recall at all. My son wrote down candy, but that doesn't count. The point of that line of questioning is to show all of us what Christmas has become.

Every year I try to get my shopping done before Thanksgiving. I hate the rush, the crowds, the pushy people. It all just gives me a headache. So it is much easier if I just avoid it all by shopping early. Inevitably though, it gets to be about 2 weeks before Christmas and I begin to feel that "I haven't gotten my kids enough" feeling. So I go back out and get them the little things…you know…movies (which we can rent), more candy (that gets thrown away), little $1.00 toys to fill their stockings (they always break). Just useless "stuff". I can bet a million bucks that they can't name what I went out and bought them last year either!

 

Why do we do this? Why is it such a thrill for us to give worthless gifts? Is it really worth that 30 seconds of excitement that lights up their faces? As I have gotten older, I realized that my parents always tried to make Christmas really special. But you know what I remember most about my childhood Christmas's? I remember being really excited about a game that I had gotten, and I even remember playing it for a little while, but most of all I recall a huge cardboard box that gave us endless hours of fun! A cardboard box! I know that many of you are shaking your head in agreement right now. You know that it is true! A simple cardboard box would have been all that my parents would have had to give us!

 

Besides reading the title, how many of you have thought about Jesus throughout the story so far? My guess is that your minds were probably going back to bits and pieces of memories that are floating around in your heads. But Jesus…yeah, happy Birthday Jesus, I guess.

 

Have you ever had a party or been to a party where some guest totally upstages the host? When everyone is supposed to be celebrating your big day, and instead, all attention is on someone who is just being louder than everyone else?

 

How do you think Jesus feels?

 

Especially about those who call Him Savior?

We praise Him for giving His Life, and count on Him to pull us through the hard times, but when it comes down to the ONE specific day that we get to actually proclaim as His, we make it about ourselves. Are you depressed yet?

 

We had a sermon on Sunday that had an awesome quote in it. Imagine God asking you to "redeem Christmas like I have redeemed you!" What a challenge! Every year I hear people say things like, "I spent so much money on toys that aren't even going to get played with", "I can't believe I have to give a gift to that person", "maybe I can just give her something out of my closet, she will never know". We spend so much time rushing, griping & wanting, that we forget the most important question yet: "what do you want Jesus?"

 

You know what His response will be? It's the same whether you ask it in July or in December…He will undoubtedly answer "your heart". I can easily have a dialogue with Him about this one. "You have my heart Lord…", "No, I want it ALL, hold nothing back from Me!", "But Lord, I love You, and I live for You daily!" He takes both of my hands in His and looks me directly in my eyes and whispers. "Then feed my sheep…" (John 21:17). Whoosh…all the air goes out of my lungs as I realize my mistake. I am not feeding His people. I am leading them in a way that says: "stuff will make you happy, you need more things to make Christmas special!" Sure we teach our kids that Christmas is Jesus' Birthday, but really, is that what we make Christmas all about? If we truly love Him, we will feed His sheep…not feed our selfish hearts! Not feed our need for just wanting more! We will fill a need rather than fill our toy rooms and closets!

 

Let's really do it this year! Don't just agree that something needs to be done and vow to do it next year!

Please don't take this the wrong way and not give any gifts what so ever…I am not telling you to do that! I am just challenging you to change your mind set on what Christmas really is about, and how we can reclaim it to be the holiday that celebrates Jesus, the ultimate gift, not robo-man, the gift that will break and get thrown away in 3 weeks.

 

Christmas time is about giving, but make sure that first and foremost, you give Jesus what He wants! A completely surrendered heart will in turn celebrate this upcoming B-Day the way it should be celebrated; Christ as the honorary guest, with no one upstaging Him!

So how about it? Is this the year to change things up a little bit?

 

Instead of Merry Christmas you…what about Happy Birthday Jesus?

My Husband's Voice

Yesterday could have been such a horrific day.  It could have been one that changed our lives drastically for the worst.  But instead, i got to watch my husband walk back into our home with our kids swarming him on both sides and his nephew in his arms!

All of my blog posts come from inspiration from God.  I will never claim to be anything but a vessel.  This post is no different.  Without God's powerful Hands of protection, this post would not be happening.  The following will be the story from my husband's eyes.  Please remember that there is so much more to add when you consider each of the guys' perspectives.  There may be a day in the future when I can write theirs also, but for now, this is Luke's.  Please also note that this is the "quick" version with some details left out here and there. 

Duck hunting in freezing cold weather, with windy conditions=perfection.  The guys went out for one last really good hunt before the season ended.  On board was Luke, Jay and Ray.  They had a successful hunt and was ready to load the boat back up and head home.  On their way to the boat launch Jay started yelling that they were taking on water.  Luke, without any sense of fear, turned around to throw the boat in reverse and hit the bilge pump.  As he turned back around he found that Jay was halfway under water.  Luke remembers that it wasn't just a little water coming in, but rather gushing over the nose.  Less than 10 seconds, and the boat was gone.  Luke describes the feeling as if the boat just dropped out from under them.  Thankfully they had their lifejackets within reach, because that is all they had time to grab. 

The icy water literally took their breath away!  Luke immediately grabbed his phone and dialed 911.  The call got cut off, but then they called Luke's phone back.  Unfortunately Luke couldn't open the phone and answer it!  With virtually no hope around, Luke starts looking for a way to get out of the situation.  Jay and Ray were closer to each other than Luke was.  Jay immediately grabbed Ray and helped him get into his lifejacket.  As Jay was yelling for Luke to help hold Ray up, Luke knew that the only chance for him to stay afloat at all was the drifting bags of duck decoys.  Luke was the one out of the group to have waders on that day.  In one sense, he believes that the boots and neoprene helped keep his body temperature warmer, but all of that wouldn't have mattered if he didn't get to those decoys, because the waders were taking on water and becoming extremely heavy.  With no hope of getting them off because they virtually suction cup to your body, Luke had to start swimming because he knew that his lifejacket wouldn't have held him up.  As he reached the bags, he turned around to take them back to the guys and realized that they had floated 50 yds. apart.  Luke starts back paddeling.  He is being guided by Jay's voice.  He gets to within 10 feet and simply can't get any closer.  If you know Jay and Luke at all you will understand how tired they both had to be to say that they simply couldn't get any closer.  Luke's arms had gone numb at this point and all he could do was drape himself over the bag, pray, kick and wait.  They start screaming for help and wonder if anyone can hear them. 

At this same time, I was at home doing the office work, and a physical feeling came over my knees, prompting me to pray.  I had no idea what God was prompting me to pray for but i just kept praying, going a couple times back to Luke and protection over him.  It dumbfounds me how much God was in control.  Something i totally know, but in a moment like that, ALL of His Promises become a reality!

Finally they start seeing people on shore.  They are desparetly trying to get some sort of boat in the water to get to them.  One boat was without oars and the other was chained up.  They were helpless to just watch.  Finally the rescue team showed up with a boat and they were able to drag all 3 men on board.  At this point Ray was unconscience so they flew him immediately to a bigger hospital.  Jay and Luke rode in the same ambulance to the nearby hospital.  Upon arrival, Luke's core temp. was at 86.1.  The doctor assured me that it was "close" for Luke.  He said that he hasn't seen too many people as cold as him. 

All three guys took a couple of hours to warm completely back up. But by the grace of God, they all 3 went home that same night! 

As I layed beside him last night, him and i both had the same thought, "what if this was the first night without him."  what if this and what if that!  The reality of it is, God just said "not today boys".  Luke will tell you without hesitation that it is nothing but God's Hand that pulled them out of the water.  Nothing else can explain why for 20-40 minutes in freezing cold, Luke was completely coherent, and Jay was able to hold a man up along with himself.  All of these men wearing layerrrrrrssssss of clothing!  I have talked to an ER doctor friend of ours and he said he can not believe that they were able to do that!  ME EITHER! 

I pray that through this story, God is glorified over and over...i am thankful beyond words as well as the rest of all of our families that we get to hear their voices ringing throughout our homes tonight!  It is the best sound i've ever heard!

Keep Fighting

Keep Fighting

Do you think that Moses ever got sick of fighting? What about the Israelites themselves? Do you remember the conditions that they were living in when Moses came to rescue them? SLAVERY. Not just slavery for a couple of months. No…slavery for years!

So Moses shows up and they take a whole bunch of stuff with them. They get out of their bondage and start their escape route. Not long after, they realize that they are being followed. Once again, God comes through and rescues them. 3 days later, they begin to grumble about the bitter water. It was 3 days after God parted a whole entire sea for them to walk through that they begin to grumble about water!! The pattern continues from there! God provides, they are satisfied, things get tough, they grumble. Finally, at one point they wish that they would have just died back in Egypt. They even question Moses as to why he ever rescued them in the first place.

You see, the Israelites had lost the desire to fight. What were they supposed to be fighting for? Their freedom!

You and I do this same exact thing. I look at the Israelites and question how they could have been so stupid. I have caught myself several times saying that "if I would have seen that sea part, then there would have been NO WAY I would have ever wanted to go back to slavery ever again." But the reality of my situation is that I have lived in bondage and God has set me free. Over and over again, in fact. He parts my sea, and I walk on through. But just like the Israelites, when the thrill of the victory goes away, I find myself not wanting to fight for the freedom that Jesus died to give me.

I read a quote yesterday that said "sometimes you have to fight the battle more than once to ensure the victory." I couldn't amen that statement more. There are struggles in my life that have held me captive for years. During those years, I would win little victories here and there, but for some reason, at some point, I would just quit fighting and feel a comfort in slinking back to the pit that I was continually stuck in. Do you know what I mean? I would find myself stuck, frustrated, and useless. Then I would wake up and pick the sword back up. I would fight my way back out…I could taste freedom. I would be pumped for a while, and then something would distract me…again I would forget to fight. The cycle can be endless!

How do we break the chains?

First get a desire to live out Romans 12:2

"Do not conform any longer to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds."

Then (here's the action part) do 1 Peter 1:13-14

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, DO NOT CONFORM to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance."

It is all about the fight you guys! God has made a way and has ensured us victory! We have to decide every single day to never start grumbling because grumbling leads to defeat…defeat by surrender.

It's hard to fight; it's harder to keep fighting and still harder yet to never stop. It's a decision that is made every time you come to that battle line, whether you realize it or not. You make that choice over and over and over. The next time you come face to face with your chains, choose to cut them and run, just don't let yourself look back.

Your reward is coming…the battle is close to being over for good! Don't quit…and one more thing… I have a secret to tell you…

GOD WINS!!…keep fighting!