Tag: Christian Life

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A Broken Tooth

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As juicy and delicious as Tootsie Roll Pops are, I haven’t had one in about twenty years.  My reason?  One day I was enjoying my favorite flavor (chocolate) and I had gotten past the hard sucker part and was enjoying the Tootsie Roll in the middle when I felt something give way in my mouth.  It was part of my tooth!  I literally got sick to my stomach.  Curious, my tongue felt the area of the strangeness and realized that I had just successfully pulled the crown off my tooth with the sticky candy.

I made an appointment at the dentist to have it repaired, but up until that time, that tooth was a source of much discomfort.  When I ate, I had to chew on the other side of my mouth since that back tooth was now useless.  I tried to keep any kind of food from floating to the broken tooth, to avoid any more decay or trouble.  I totally overused the other teeth, just trying to avoid the one that was out of commission.  I was so relieved after it got repaired and I could use it once again!  However, my personal rule is –  NO MORE TOOTSIE ROLL POPS!

When I recently read Proverbs 25:19, I was made to think back to my injured tooth incident.  The verse reads,

Confidence in an unfaithful man (or woman) is like a broken tooth…

Why?

  • An unfaithful woman brings discomfort to others because she can’t be counted on.  Things that should be done are left lacking, causing difficulty for everyone else.
  • An unfaithful woman can’t be used.  She’s not trustworthy.  She’s not ready.
  • An unfaithful woman is avoided.  Why call and ask her to serve in a ministry or lead this or help with that…it’s better to find someone else.  She’s made a name for herself.

But, like my tooth, an unfaithful woman can be “fixed!”  Simply by seeing her sin of unfaithfulness, and confessing that to the Lord, God can equip and use her once again.  Her life can be steady and sure, bringing eternal rewards One day at the Bema Seat!

I’m proud to say, that I know a woman who is NOT a broken tooth, but a faithful, solid trustworthy servant of the Lord.  We just recently honored her at church; her name is Reva.  She has served in our church nursery for over 45 years!  You could count on her to be there!  You could be sure she would let someone know if she was going to be out due to sickness or vacation.  You could trust her to be a loving worker and doting on those babies.  You could bank on her week in and week out!

She is moving away, and she will be missed greatly at Boones Creek Bible Church, but I know that wherever she attends church, she will carry her faithfulness with her!  We love you, Reva!  May your tribe of faithful women increase!!!

Are you considered faithful, or more like a broken tooth?  It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves and our Savior.

With love,

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Don’t Zone Out – Tune In!

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I just got back from a trip to town.  Things I saw have gotten me to thinking about how we all tend to “zone out.”  We’re so busy, so frantic, that when whenever we can, we find our way to check out on life.  Here’s how I’ve seen it recently:

  • People in their cars, talking on their phone while trying to make a left turn onto a very busy road.  They’re oblivious to the fact that they’re blocking both turn lanes.  Zoned out.
  • Shoppers push their cart out into the middle of the aisle without ever considering that someone might have to come to an immediate halt to keep from hitting their buggy.  It’s okay; they never see anyone else, never acknowledge that someone else is in the store. A believer misses the opportunity to serve others or to speak or encourage with a word or smile.
  • Parents are caught up in conversation or their phone, or a ballgame and miss seeing what their child is doing or what they may be up to.  The child speaks and the parents hears, but isn’t listening.
  • Christians sit in church “listening” during a service,  all the while thinking of a hundred other things during the announcements or message. Afterwards there’s no memory of what was said or of the Lord speaking to their heart.  They’re also out of the loop about what’s coming up on the church calendar.
  • Spouses don’t take time for one another to have an eyeball to eyeball conversation.  They give “air kisses” as they part in the morning or return at the end of the day.  They miss details of the other’s life because they’re zone out.

Okay, so we’ve all seen it and DONE IT! Right? I certainly have! What’s the remedy?  How about following the principle Jim Elliott is quoted in saying,

Wherever you are, be all there.  Live to the hilt any situation you believe to be the will of God!

When you’re driving, put the phone down.  Be a present driver!

When you’re at the store, keep your head and eyes up.  Be a present shopper/witness!

When you’re with your children, listen to them.  Inspect what you asked them to do.  Have a consistent, watchful eye on them. Be a present parent!

While sitting in the church service, keep your notebook out.  Write down the announcements the pertain to you!  Write down any questions you may have if you didn’t understand the details.  Take notes about what God is saying to you during the message.  Be a present church member!

Be intentional about spending time with your spouse when you see one another.  Greet him at the door.  Mark out ten minutes just to talk with him about his day and things he needs to hear. Be a present wife!

Zoning out involves thinking about one person – ME.  Tuning in involves everyone around me. Life is a greater blessing when we stay tuned in to others around us!  Let’s tune in to others and zone out to self!

Are there other scenarios in which you find yourself zoning out?

With love,

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A Peek From My Porch

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A Peek Into My Life This Week

20150303_120036 I spend a lot of time with my husband as he makes hospital calls. When I was a child,  I dreamed of walking the hospital halls as a nurse.  The Lord had other plans, and now for all these years, instead of being called “nurse,”  He’s given me the title of “Pastor’s wife.”  I get to stand alongside my husband as he enters room after room to comfort and encourage. I have learned to love these times at the hospital for so many different reasons. One of those is that we always go to be a blessing, but we always come away having received a far greater one.

Yesterday was one of those busy days visiting at the med center.  One of our visits included the former pastor of our church; a dear man who loves the Lord, His Word and His work.  As I stood at the foot of the bed and listened to my husband minister to this former pastor, the Lord revealed three important truths to me.

  1. I thought about how at one time this patient was the one standing beside the bed giving the comfort.  Now instead, he is listening, drinking in and receiving the encouragement from God’s Word.Time to serve God is short.

  2. I sensed this man’s keen knowledge of God’s Word as, even in his weakened condition, he made a connection from the passage my husband read in the psalms to one in Revelation.  Time in God’s Word is evident.

  3. I thought about his wife, at home, unable to be at his side because of her own physical limitations.  I’m sure she had ministered with him in years past, just as I was doing now.  Is she wondering where he is?  Is she calling for him when he cannot come? Time with our spouse is a privilege not to be taken for granted.

So while some folks loathe visiting the hospital, the Lord has given me a joy – not in other’s sickness – but in what they always teach me. What a wonderful privilege is mine to be called “The pastor’s wife.”   I pray I will serve as faithfully as this dear man and his wife did. Then when the Lord sets me aside and I can no longer serve in this capacity, I pray that I will encourage others who visit with me as much as I was encouraged yesterday!  If I take these lessons to heart that will be far more likely.

Of the three truths the Lord showed me, which one strikes a chord in your own heart?  Listen to what the Lord wants to say to you through this faithful former pastor!

With love from my country porch,

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Tell the Next Generation

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On Sunday I was standing in the choir loft at church while all the congregation was doing one thing that I love ~ reading Scripture together.  The passage on the screen was Psalm 145.  As one voice, we read the passage.  When we got to verse four, it was as though the brakes were hit and everything came to a halt.  The rest of the congregation read on, but my mind was mulling over one phrase:

One generation shall praise thy works to another…

The thought the Lord brought to my mind as I read that was, “That is mentoring and discipleship!”  One generation should tell the next

what God has done,

how He has answered prayer,

how He guides,

how He loves,

how His Word has the answer for all their questions.

The whole chapter tells all the mighty acts of the Lord that the psalmist was going to share.  You and I have our own “chapter” of what God has done for us!  The question is, Who are we telling? Am I praising and sharing God’s goodness?  I don’t know about you, but for me it’s easier to complain.  Griping comes natural to my sinful heart.  I get forgetful of all the wonderful acts the Lord has done on my behalf.  I worry about me instead of pouring into another person. When I focus on me and my gripes, I’m not praising the Lord.  In short, I’m not obeying this passage!

Do you have a younger person (or persons) with whom you are regularly sharing what God is doing or has done in your life?  If we’re keeping it to ourselves we’re not only disobeying, but we’re also missing out on the joy of encouraging them!  How might you and I go about telling others?

  • Share these blessing in a brief sentence on your Facebook status (Sure beats griping about the weather or the pokey driver on the interstate!).
  • Give a testimony at your church.  Don’t worry about tripping over your words or saying the “wrong thing.”  Give God the glory; that’s always the right thing!
  • Call a young friend who might be struggling in the area that God has worked in your life and share what He’s done so that He would be glorified and they would be encouraged!
  • When someone asks you “How are you?”  Tell them how wonderfully good the Lord has been!  They asked, so tell them!
  • Instagram a picture that would represent your answer!

“One generation will praise they works to another.”  Will you?

Lovingly,

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Prayer

Drive-Through Window Prayers

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I don’t pull through a drive-through real often, but the times I have in the past have been little frustrating.  Oh, I can manage the car right up next to the little box where I’m to

  1. Wait for someone to know I’m there
  2. Hear me speak
  3. Hear them speak back to me.

Image result for drive through speaker

The issues come in the communication.  I usually end up shouting talking way louder than is necessary and looking into the speaker, as though the hearer might be standing in that little box. “Did she say $10.32 or $10.52?”  It’s hard to know.  I attempt to be ready to meet the attendant.  I then drive around to pick up the item I asked for.  The whole thing is over quickly and I’m on my way, hopefully with what I ordered.  The drive-through is used because it’s convenient ~ not necessarily effective.

I’m afraid many times we approach praying and getting an answer from God much like the drive-through window at our favorite fast-food place.  We’d like the convenience of getting what we we want in a fast,  timely manner rather than “going to lots of trouble.”

Here’s what a “Drive-through window prayer” looks like –

We pull up (bow our head), give our order (give God our list of requests for that day) while the engine is still running (while we’re ready to dash off to the next item on our “to-do” list), and give a salute to the window attendant, (say “Amen”) and hope the order in the bag is what we asked for (get from God what we asked).

Most times, however, Drive-through window praying leaves us confused about the message we were hoping to hear.  We scratch our heads, wondering if we got a message…or not.  But the truth is…

God doesn’t answer us on the run.

When we pray, we need to pull off and park.  We need to turn off the distractions of the world and be still before God so that we can hear His voice and so we can really focus on Him. Prayer isn’t about just getting my needs met – prayer is entering into a relationship with my God.  It’s there at the Throne that I learn more about Him and even His Word.   As we stop and draw near to Him, we will clearly hear His voice.  The answers will be unmistakable and sure.  Oh, they may not come right away, but as we continue to pray, He will answer. Jeremiah 33:3

Are you looking for answers today?  Don’t look for them at the drive-through. Park and go inside.  God will always hear exactly what you’re asking, and He will answer you in a clear, distinct way!

Can you remember a time of prayer in which God spoke to you in His still, small voice and revealed an answer to you?

Refresh your prayer life by slowing down long enough to really listen.

With love,

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