My Church Family

At church this weekend, our Pastor opened the mics up to anyone who wanted to share a "Thank you".  I just had to say that I am thankful for my family and my church family.  Of course, my family is awesome.  Anyone who has known any member of my family knows how blessed I am.  Wonderful parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sister-in-laws, nieces, nephews, not to mention my fantastic children, and grandchildren.  What did I ever do to deserve such a family?

But I have to admit that I am just as blessed when it comes to my church family.  Without them I do not think I could have made it through these past 19 months.  They are a constant source of strength and courage.  They pray for me relentlessly.  They encourage me regularly.  I cannot imagine going through life without them.

Of course, Mom and Dad always encouraged us to be an active part of a good local church.  I know I would not be where I am in my walk with the Lord today had it not been for all the churches I have been a part of in various parts of the world throughout my life but I am especially grateful for First United Methodist Church in Springfield, IL.  Even though I definitely grew up Baptist and do not believe everything the Methodist Church as a denomination teaches, I love my church!  I am grateful that God led me to this church for this phase of my life.

Mom and Dad loved this church, too.  They tried to plan their visits with me so they could attend services if at all possible.  In particular they had come to the Easter services here for several years.  Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 was the last church service they attended in this world and it was here at my church.

If you do not have a church home, I urge you to find one.  If you live in the Springfield area, I invite you to visit my church.  While we are still in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I just wanted to give a big "shout-out" to my church, my Sunday School teachers, my Bible study gals, my pastors ~ too many to name here personally!  Thank you for all you have done for me and for carrying me through the most difficult time in my life!  I love you all!

Ephesians 1:20-23 (The Message)

All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

Thanksgiving

Sometimes people ask me how I can be happy, go on with my life, smile, etc since Mom and Dad were murdered.  Sometimes I do not but for the most part I do.  I have so much to be thankful for...really.  I am not just saying that.  I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

God keeps using me and blessing me in huge ways.  I have an amazing, loving family.  I have good relationships with my children and grandchildren.  I have wonderful friends.  I have a job I enjoy and fun people working with me.  My church is a blessing to me.  My pastors care about me and pray for me. 

This blog would be very long if I tried to name everyone who has blessed me and supported me.  But without them I doubt I would even be writing this at all.  God has provided richly for me. 

God knows what I need long before I have any inkling that I even need anything.  Nothing that happens to me comes as a surprise to God.  Where would I be without my family?  My church?  My Christian friends and mentors?  My fellow Bible study ladies?  My workplace?  I cannot imagine going through the past 19 months without them.

It does not matter what my circumstances are in this broken world.  My joy is in my Lord who loves me with all His heart.  After all, He gave His only Son to save me!  If you are going through difficult times this Thanksgiving season, I implore you to examine your life and make a list of all the things you can be thankful for.  If you start with the little things, it will not be long until you see the big things that God has provided for you as well.

Psalm 100 (The Message)

A Thanksgiving Psalm

 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.

 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep. 

 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him.

 For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever.

Journaling

I had an opportunity to spend a little time talking to Sherry Pittman late this afternoon.  She called me yesterday to see if she could interview me about the jail ministry on her TV show, "Survive and Thrive with Sherry".  I have known Sherry for a number of years as a fellow Christian and Realtor but I did not know that she had a TV show.  Of course, I was thrilled to be able to share the blessings God has poured out on me through the jail ministry.

I was just as excited to get to know Sherry a little bit better and learn some of the interesting things she was doing with her life!  Sherry is a remarkable woman who has accomplished a lot.  One of the things she is doing now is life coaching.  As we talked she shared that she is planning an upcoming seminar and one of the things she wanted to include was a segment on journaling.  She asked if I might think about sharing some of the ways writing has been good for me.

Little did she know that not only is writing a wonderful way for me to deal with losing Mom and Dad in such a horrific way but their journals have been a great comfort to me in the months since they were so abruptly taken from us.  I literally have boxes of notebooks and journals that Mom and Dad both wrote in on a fairly regular basis.  In their writings, they each shared daily events and spiritual awakenings.  How powerful to see how God worked in their lives!

I am truly grateful to have this rich resource.  It was a big part of what inspired me to begin this blog.  I now realize the importance of recording my own journey.  Not only is it healing to me but it helps me to keep a handle on reality.  I trust it will also help my children and grandchildren as they grow in the Lord.

If you don't journal (or the old fashioned term - write in a diary), please consider regularly writing down just one or two things that speak to you.  It does not have to be lengthy and it does not have to be daily.  Just a sentence or two every few days can help you a great deal.  If nothing else, at least keep a prayer journal.  Jot down the things you are praying for and when you see an answer to that prayer make a quick note of how it was answered.  Not only will it help you to remember everything you want to pray about, it will increase your faith as you see answers to prayer.

Psalm 102:18-22 (The Message)

Write this down for the next generation
    so people not yet born will praise God:
“God looked out from his high holy place;
    from heaven he surveyed the earth.
He listened to the groans of the doomed,
    he opened the doors of their death cells.”
Write it so the story can be told in Zion,
    so God’s praise will be sung in Jerusalem’s streets
And wherever people gather together
    along with their rulers to worship him.

Cry Out to God

In my ladies group, I am leading a study on prayer.  In our meeting tonight I was struck at how much we are all growing in our prayer life and in our walk with God.  As I drove home I was thinking about the daily prayer guide that Dad and I wrote together for my church several years ago.  There was one segment that Dad wrote and sent me that I did not include in the guide.  Not because I did not like it but it just did not fit into the book that the guide was accompanying.  I would like to share it with you.  Here is what Dad wrote in his e-mail to me:

MY DEAREST DONNA; It seemed to me you may have taken material from different sections. Thats OK, I will just send you what ever I get done and you can redo as needed to fit your program. Here is one I wrote today: (you may recognize it)   IN TIMES OF CRISIS - CRY OUT TO GOD   A killer storm was brewing out in the Pacific, heading toward the Island of Guam. The missionary and his family boarded up their windows and made preparations as best they could. Family devotions were being conducted when the raging winds began ripping the roof off and the ceiling lifted up and waffled before settling down again. The missionary knew the roof, ceiling and all was going to go and began to make preprations for his family to be safe, when his daughter came running up to him saying, "Let's pray daddy, let's pray." The missionary told her to pray and pray she did. She cried out to God asking Him to save us, and protect us from the howling wind.  He felt it necessary to get mattresses nailed into place with books stacked up forming pillars to hold the mattress up in case something fell on top of the children. The last nails were driven and the children safely under the matress when the roof was completely blown away by winds that exceded 200 MPH. The wind blew the back door in, cabinets flew open, and a big piano was flung across the room. But God kept the family safe from all harm. In times of distress, CRY OUT TO GOD! The Israelites did it numerous times and God saved them. Apply Psa. 107:6 and 107:31

Of course, this was autobiographical.  The missionary in this story was my Dad and the little girl was me.  God brought us through that harrowing night as only God can! 

Psalm 107:6 (New Living Translation)

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he rescued them from their distress.

Psalm 107:31 (New Living Translation)

Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

Actively Waiting

I think one of the most important things I learned from Mom and Dad is that there is always more to learn.  Mom actively studied her Bible and one of her favorite ways was through Bible Study Fellowship.  Not only did she do that very intense study every week but she spent time in the Word every day.

Dad, too, spent hours every day studying and praying that God would teach him more.  They spent time in the Word together nearly every day as well.  It was important to them to remain in the Word.  Both of them would readily admit they had a lot to learn.

That is one of the beautiful things about the mystery of God.  There are so many layers to uncover!  As I have contemplated the subject of faith the past 10 days or so I have been reminded of the fact that I can never become complacent in my studies! 

I thought I knew a lot about faith.  After all, Mom & Dad taught me a lot about faith just through the way they lived their lives.  I have done my own studies on faith and I felt I had grown a lot in faith thought the past 55 years but I still have so much to learn!

After writing a few blogs recently on the subject of faith requiring both action and waiting God began speaking to me about actively waiting.  What?  Wait actively?  How does that work?

Dr Henry Blackaby said, "Biblically, waiting on the Lord is never passive; it is always active.  Waiting require us to cease our own pursuits and give God our complete attention.  We may have to give up some of the activities we have allowed to inundate our lives.  We may need to take an entire day to sit quietly before the Lord.  If we ask Him, God will show us the resources He has provided to help with the work we have been attempting on our own.  God may address feelings of guilt that have motivated us to do things that he has not asked us to do.  Jesus carried more responsibility than you do.  More people needed Him than will ever need you.  Yet He was never overwhelmed or inadequate for the task.  Now Christ offers to guide you so that you will fulfill your heavenly Father's will and gain the strength necessary for each day."

Hmm, I may be doing things, perhaps many good things, that are not things God has called me to do.  When I feel overwhelmed I really need to examine what I am doing.  Am I in God's Will for my life?  If I am doing the things God called me to do, am I trying to do it in my own strength and not actively waiting on God?

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Wait? Act!

One last thought on the WAIT or ACT controversy.  My son said, "Mom, I'm confused.  You had me all ready to ACT and then you said WAIT.  What do I do?"

It's pretty simple, really.  God promised Joshua he would win the battle.  In order to win a battle you have to show up for the fight, so Joshua started marching.

When David could have easily taken Saul's life, he would not.  Yes, it would have been a shortcut to becoming king and it would have saved David years of fighting for his own life.  But David did not want to become king that way. 

If your action would at worst go against Scripture and at best it would be questionable or find yourself justifying your action, most likely you need to wait.  However if God promises you victory in a battle then show up for the fight with your weapons cleaned, sharpened and ready to go.  And if you need to march all night to get there, take your pj's off, put your hiking boots on and get moving!

Want to follow Christ?  ACTION is REQUIRED!

Matthew 25:34-40 (The Message)

 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Faith Needs Action - But Wait!

I know that in yesterdays post I talked about the importance of putting our faith into action in order to see God moving powerfully in our lives but I want to add a caution ~ WAIT!

Most of the time when God is calling us to something it requires us to step out in faith - ACT!  But sometimes God says wait. I have been re-reading a daily devotional book that Mom and Dad gave me for Christmas in 2005.  It's entitled Experiencing God Day-By-Day by Dr. Henry Blackaby and Dr. Richard Blackaby.

In today's reading they talked about how we can be tempted to take shortcuts to God's will for our lives.  Sometimes we think we need to help move things along because God's timing is not our timing.  They referred to 1 Samuel 26 when David and his men had an opportunity to kill Saul.

The background to this is that God had called David to be the next king of Israel.  The only problem is that Saul was still king.  Because Saul knew David had been anointed as the next king by the prophet Samuel, Saul wanted to kill David.  He had been relentlessly pursing David.

In chapter 26 David and his men had entered the kings camp while Saul and his men were sleeping.  David's comrade, Abishai held his spear above the king and begged David to let him kill Davids enemy.  But David refused.  What would have been so wrong for them to kill the enemy when David was chosen by God to be the next king?  David knew it was against Scripture.  You see, God will never call you to do anything contrary to His Word.

So how do we know when to act and when to wait?  We must listen to Gods voice and be in the Word, hide it in your heart, and listen.  God will speak to you.

David could have killed Saul right then and there and become king right away but David wanted to be in Gods will and in Gods time.  Resist the urge to help God out ~ wait on Him.  But when God calls you to step out in faith, act.  

1 Samuel 26:7-11 (The Message)

So David and Abishai entered the encampment by night, and there he was—Saul, stretched out asleep at the center of the camp, his spear stuck in the ground near his head, with Abner and the troops sound asleep on all sides.
 Abishai said, “This is the moment! God has put your enemy in your grasp. Let me nail him to the ground with his spear. One hit will do it, believe me; I won’t need a second!”
 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t you dare hurt him! Who could lay a hand on God’s anointed and even think of getting away with it?”
 He went on, “As God lives, either God will strike him, or his time will come and he’ll die in bed, or he’ll fall in battle, but God forbid that I should lay a finger on God’s anointed. Now, grab the spear at his head and the water jug and let’s get out of here.”