Strength for the Season- Psalm 18

Psalm 18 (click to read)

I will love You, O Lord,

The first time I read this verse I missed one simple word that changes everything.

Will.

I will love you.

That's different.

Just this morning my sweet littlest child told me he loved me. In fact, he loved me super duper much. And my heart melted. Like it does every time.

I am not sure, however, that I would have had the same reaction if he would have said “Mommy, I will love you.”

You will? Like, when?

This whole passage is future. You will do this, and I will do this.

And that is so good. You may not feel it now. But take hope. God is going to deliver you, and you will love him.

my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

We all need supernatural strength. All of us. For different reasons. But none of us can do it on our own. If you think you are doing fine on your own, I guarantee you the people around you might beg to disagree. But this is the good news. He is our rock. Our strength. In whom I will trust. 

My God, my strength, when I blow it again.

My God, my strength, when my will is weak. 

My God, my strength, when the answer isn't clear.

My God, my strength, when my doubts are overwhelming.

My God, my strength, in WHOM I WILL TRUST!

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

Prayer.

The action is simple, but the result is profound.

I will be saved from my enemies.

We all have enemies. Can you think of any?

No, not your boss. Not your ex. Not your (fill in the blank.) Don't be confused. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. Sometimes we can feel like people are against us. But the Bible tells us in Ephesians 6 that our battle is not against flesh and blood. This is the most exciting news. If we can remember that, we are so home free. The devil's best offense is to set us against each other.  You see, we cannot change people. We try. We manipulate. We punish. We conspire to get people to change their offensive ways but all to no avail. Here is the good news though. Despite what you may have been told, you CAN change people. Namely, but not limited to, yourself. Prayer changes everything. And everyone. Can you change someone by nagging? Not likely. With passive aggressive behavior? Doubtful. On your knees with humbled prayers ? Oh yes! But be forewarned, if you truly spend time on your knees with a humbled heart, the person that will be changed the most is you!

So shall I be saved from my enemies? Yes, because oftentimes, our greatest enemy is our own self.

 

Ok, now read the next part slowly, and drink it in because it is so good. And it is all for YOU!!

For You will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
30 As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
31 For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
34 He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
36 You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.

The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

That portion needs no commentary, but it probably needs to be read again. Slowly.
FOR BY YOU, I can leap over a wall!!

THE WORD OF GOD IS PROVEN!!

HE IS A SHIELD TO ALL WHO TRUST HIM!

IT IS GOD WHO ARMS ME WITH STRENGTH!

Alright that's it. This one is going on the wall. I just love it!! Who is God, except the Lord? Not me, that is for sure! His gentleness has made me great! Let Him enlighten your darkness!

This time, this season, although it brings great joy, for some, it actually brings great pain. My prayers are with you. My heart is holding you up. I bear these burdens with you and bring you before my God. I pray that you would feel His support, that you would feel His right hand holding you up, and that your feet would not slip. This is a great time of year to meditate on a verse that can hold you up and this passage is full of great ones. Choose one, write it down, hang it up and hold on to it.

The Word of God is proven!!  

And tell someone! Allow them to bear your burdens, share in your story, and be Jesus' arms around you.
What verse do are you needing to meditate on? Tell us in the comments :)
My verse,hands down, is "My God My Strength."  Because I blow it a lot. Like even moments after typing "Publish" on this blog. And I need to know that it is His strength, not mine. And He is proven! Amen!!

All I want for Christmas is a grateful child.

We are about to launch into that season where parents and grandparents (that's right, I'm going there) are about to spend copious amounts of money in hopes of making children happy. "Slow down," we plead as they rip through present after present with barely a moment to notice that gift purchased with blood, debt, and tears. Or worse, if they stop to enjoy one present, they are encouraged to "Keep going" and "play with that later, we have a lot of presents to get through!" And then, after the ripped up Christmas/Hanukkah paper has settled, we imagine we will see and experience this elusive emotion evoked from said little ones.

Gratefulness.

Yet more often than not, moments, days, or weeks after this grand display of affection, we find ourselves saying the same thing.

"You should be grateful!"

Similarly, this same fruitless attempt at producing gratefulness is utilized at popular theme parks. Thousands of dollars are shelled out for a week of extreme delight, yet this sacrifice is quite often met with temper tantrums, melt downs, and requests for more! A visit to see Mickey isn't enough. We want a special Mickey ice cream too. A picture with Elsa isn't enough. Next comes the request for the Elsa doll. All is given in pursuit of the sought after grateful child. Yet no matter how much is doled out, what do we find ourselves saying?

"You should be grateful!"

Here's the reality. We have it all wrong.

Things of this world, even something you always wanted, will not satisfy.

You may feel thankful, in that moment, yes. But it doesn't last. I have attended many churches that told us that healing and prosperity would lead people to Christ. If I was healed, people would see that, marvel, and be saved. While this absolutely can happen, it is actually not the norm. Take this example from the Bible in Luke 17. Against all odds, these 10 lepers received the one thing they all craved with every fiber of their being. Healing. All ten! Healed. However, what was the result?

15 Then ONE of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not TEN cleansed? Where are the NINE? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Getting doesn't garner gratefulness.

Like almost never.

True heartfelt gratefulness decidedly comes from want, not plenty.

This concept clearly resonated with me a few years ago while listening to Pastor Doug Sauder in a parenting class. "If you want to make someone grateful for hot water, take them on a missions trip where they will get one cold shower for the whole week. When they get home they will feel more grateful for that hot water than ever before."

Prosperity without perspective can never produce gratefulness.

I do not think that I am unique in my desire to make my children happy. I want them to open their presents and discover that present they were dreaming about. I want them to have that moment of sheer bliss when their dreams are fulfilled but at what cost? Because more than wanting them to be happy, I want them to be grateful. I want them to find joy rather than pursue happiness. Godliness with contentment is great gain. This is what I want for my children. This is what I want for me. I want to be content. I want to be grateful. I need to remember that I am indebted. I am indentured servant. I deserve nothing but have been given everything.

However it is uncommonly easy to forget these goals and trade them in for a momentary feeling. Case and point: I sat there watching my 4 year old son launching hot wheels into the air on a loop-da-loop contraption yelling "AWESOME!" and thought...."I need that. He needs that. Look how happy that would make him. I know I said that we had enough toys, but that should be an exception. Clearly."

 But then I remembered. We have no room. We don't need it. He doesn't need it. This moment is a moment, and he can experience it whenever he is at someone's house that has this toy, and it will be special.

I want him to be grateful. I want him to be content. This goal is more important than that momentary, and I do mean momentary, happiness that will come from opening the "perfect" gift.

This point was reiterated to me on Facebook with a map showing the unique things for which people were thankful. People that had experienced drought were thankful for rain. People that had experienced power outages were thankful for electricity.

Here is the point.

Take a deep breath. Step away from the internet. Put down the credit card. And pray. Ask the Lord to show you how to cultivate gratefulness in your own heart and your children's hearts. If you can't afford those sought after toys of the season put down that mom-guilt right now. God has a plan and a purpose for this season of your life, and it is not for you to acquire debt or ignore other financial responsibilities (like saving for a rainy day) simply to chase the ghost of false joy. You can take confidence in the truth that if your children have less, you are likely closer to the ultimate goal of gratefulness. On the other hand however, if you can afford whatever your heart desires, pray even harder to keep from indulgence which is the enemy of a grateful heart.

This is not another post about Thanksgiving. It's not even necessarily about Christmas. It's bigger than that. Grasping gratefulness and cultivating contentment is a year round adventure. Living in the world we do, this is no humble task. Every commercial, every friend, every Facebook status tells you ....you need this!!! Fight it. Do not accept it. The only thing you need more of is Jesus. And he will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory.

If you are a Christian, you have prayed for God's will to be fulfilled in your life. If you are a parent you have prayed for God's will to be fulfilled in your child's life. That is why this lesson is so important!

I Thessalonians 5:18 tells us in no uncertain terms what His will is!! Gratefulness!

Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

But how?

Read this powerful point in Job 20:20 in two versions:

For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite;
he does not let anything he desires escape.

“Because he knows no quietness in his heart,
He will not save anything he desires.

If you are not satisfied in Christ, you will grasp at everything!

The apostle Paul was able to be content in everything. Why? Because of his great prosperity? His easy life? No. Because he was satisfied in his appetite, in the quietness of his heart with Christ. That is how we produce gratefulness. When our hearts are filled day by day, moment by moment, with God's word, when our mouths and hearts are filled with praise, there we will find gratefulness. The best gift you can give your children and/or yourself is a thirst for Christ and His Word, at every age and stage. Amen!

Sweet November-From Bratitude to Gratitude! *

November 2000 I met a boy. Cute laugh. Piercing green eyes. Just so handsome. He made me laugh. He made me feel special. He made me hope. And he loved Jesus. Four months after meeting and already falling for him, he dropped a bomb. He had forgotten to mention that days before we met, he made a vow to the Lord that he would not date anyone for a year. Having just gotten out of a long and "unhealthy" relationship, (because this is what wives say about all prior relationships)  he was encouraged by a mentor to get His relationship with the Lord right, and take a year to do that. And he was just telling me now, four months into this friendship. So in March the countdown began- to November. I remember flipping through my CD collection (so archaic) when I found the soundtrack to a movie called Sweet November. On that CD was this song by Enya, and I thought of it today.

"Only Time"

Who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows, only time
And who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose, only time

It was so true. God knew, but only time would tell. It was the perfect song. I couldn't believe it. On a Sweet November CD of all things! Only time would tell. Well, long story short, and 5 kids later, November is still a very sweet month to me. If I close my eyes, I can still remember the day he told me it was me that he wanted. I can remember the feeling in my heart as I held his hand for the first time. I can remember so many sweet moments- moments that I dreamed of, all coming true.

But when I open my eyes, there is a full trash can, a crashing computer, an unfinished bathroom, and a toilet roll hung the wrong way. Their are obstacles, difficulties and failures. My heart forgets that I am living a dream. My heart forgets how I begged God for this man. We are imperfect people needing grace. Over and over again. Seventy times seven times.

I know I am not alone because I have heard your stories, the amazing God stories that need to be written down and published. My mother who saw a spray painted letter from God on the subway wall “Choose Bill.” My friend that pointed to a football players face on an FSU flyer and told her mom she was going to marry him and years later did just that. These beautiful stories that make the creations of Nicholas Sparks look woefully small, can so easily be forgotten amidst the monotony and difficulties of everyday life. And discontentment grows.

The eye never has enough. The ear can never hear enough. There is nothing new under the sun.

No matter how many dreams God fulfills, we always want more.

It is so popular to “vent” to let out your frustrations. But maybe instead of a venting partner you need a gratefulness partner. Never are we told to confess other peoples sins, only our own. Of course we need to share each others burdens, but when the majority of our conversation is a burden, we have a problem.

Be grateful. You cannot be grateful and discontent at the same time. You have to choose.

Colossians 3:15-17
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Do you want peace? Be thankful. Do you want to be thankful? Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs! And whatever you do- do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus!! AMEN!!

November is a month that we all focus on gratitude. I pray that you would do more than make a list, but that you would close your eyes and remember. Remember the prayer that you prayed ,remember the dream in your heart that the Lord fulfilled and walk in gratitude. Remember the love that you felt and don't let the enemy steal that from you. Remember the person you dreamed of and how they are standing in your kitchen, perfectly imperfect. And be grateful. Remember the child you prayed for, acting like a sinful human, and be grateful. Remember the job you fought for and be grateful. Remember the parents that raised you, the siblings that played with you, the friends that loved you, and when they inevitably do something to annoy you, be grateful. In everything, give thanks!

* Title credits go to the one and only Jewel Keefe 

A Critical Critique of Criticism- I Samuel 31

So the craziest thing happened this week. I was being critical of my husband.

I wish I could say that was the unusual part, but sadly it was not. I'll get to the crazy part in a minute.

But first, confession time.

More often than not, my problem solving, black and white, over analyzing brain comes in handy. However, on the “not” side I struggle with being critical. The strange thing is I am more critical of my own self than I am of anyone else. God is freeing me, little by little.

Being critical is obviously wrong. Except when it's not so obvious. For instance, often times we may have good motives. Take my beloved, late, great-aunt. Truly, her motives were good. She legitimately wanted to help. But her methods could appear critical. Here's an example. Just today my mom and I were remembering how I finally got braces. My teeth weren't awful. They were mostly straight, but I had this one tooth that did not quite fit. One tooth. Of course that was enough for which the boys to tease me.

Sabe. Short for sabor, as in the tiger, with the teeth.

Nice nickname huh? I like to believe the teasing I received during those years taught me grace and compassion. But as a middle-schooler, it just really stunk. Anyway, my sweet, well intentioned aunt would ask me weekly if that tooth had settled in. After the 36^th time, during my senior year, I finally smiled and said, “I think this is as good as it gets. But if you would like to sponsor some braces, I will gladly make an appointment.”
“Make the appointment.”she declared without hesitation. “ I'll take care of it.” And that was it. I got braces.

Was she critical? Yes, but her motives were true, and she was willing to help.

So I guess I come by it honestly. Critiquing. It's human nature. Monday morning quarter backs. Blogs criticizing any and everything. Editorials. It's what we do. But it can kill any marriage, any relationship, or any church, and on the grand scale, make this bride of Christ look less than bridely.

And I was doing it.

Again.

“Lord,” I thought. “I don't want to do this anymore.”

Knowing my strength comes from God's word,  I decided
decided  to grab my Bible.

What are the chances that in I Samuel 31, my next chapter, God would have a lesson for me? I remembered reading about being an armor bearer  earlier this year and wondered, would that concept be revisited.

A little discouraged, but mostly determined, I picked up my Bible and read. Tears in my eyes, and an overwhelming feeling of being loved in my heart, I could not believe what I was reading. How, over and over, does this keep happening? God's word. My daily bread. Just what I need.
 This is what I read. This is the crazy part.

 The Philistines fought against Israel, and Israel’s men fled from them. Many were killed on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers caught up with him and severely wounded him.[a] 4 Then Saul said to his ARMOUR_BEARER. “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me.” But his armor-bearer WOULD NOT DO IT ….

Saul had an armor-bearer. He was trained to do whatever Saul commanded. And in his moment of utter despair Saul asked his armor-bearer to take his life. But he couldn't. In this moment,when it came to choosing between following orders, or preserving his master's life, Saul's armor-bearer chose the latter.

He would not and could not take part in destroying the man to whom he had committed to serve.

Even if it made sense. Even if his motives would have been right.

And this is the power of God's Word. I started writing this a week ago and have been meditating on it ever since. If you only knew the number of times it has come to mind, how many times God reminded me of what I had read, and how many times these words stopped me in my tracks, well, it would be embarrassing.

But the point is not my weak nature, the point is the power of His Word to change.

It's easy to say, “Don't be critical.” But there is no power in my words. Thankfully, however, you don't have to depend on my words. You have better than that. You have God's word. And it does not return void.

The next time you are tempted to be critical of anyone, yourself included, take it to God first. What is the point of your criticism? To make yourself feel better? Going to God will solve that! Is it to “help” a person or situation? Going to God will solve that too!! Of course there is a time and a place to step into someones life and lovingly address an area that in so doing would bring them closer to God. But that never looks like harsh or angry criticism.

I want to be a true armor-bearer.

For my husband, my children, my friends and family. I pray that we would go to our knees when our reaction is critical. I pray that we would take our concerns, our burdens, our plans to Him first. And that we would go to God's word which is active and living and sharper than any two edged sword. Always. And watch the light of the Lord dispel the darkness of sin every time.

I've never.....

I recently found out that this was a "drinking" game. Funnily enough, the first time I played it was at a women's Bible study, except you earned toothpicks instead of chugging alcohol. Let's say I start off the game with a statement "I've never broken a bone." Anyone playing who HAS broken a bone before must give me a toothpick. Then the next person gives their "I've never _________." statement and anyone who has ever _________ will give that person a toothpick and so on and so forth until one person holds all the toothpicks. Technically that person is the winner, but winning isn't the point of the game. It's about having a hilarious time getting to know all your friends' dirty little secrets.


Recently I came up with a twist on the game. It doesn't involve toothpicks, yet it is more scandalous than drinking. Instead of giving someone a toothpick, you give someone......dun dun dun duunnnnn.... MERCY!!! And instead of doing this when someone declares what they *haven't*  done, you give it when there is something that they *have* done.

Let me explain.


Scenario #1

Someone cuts you off in traffic. Your blood starts to boil. You may even consider cutting them off. But wait....it's time for a rousing game of "I've never!" Here's what you do. Think carefully. Can you say....I have never cut someone off. Ever. Or made any driving infractions. No Mistakes. Never taken a wrong turn. Never Fallen victim to a blind spot. You have? Okay here's how you play.  At that point, forget about drinking or toothpicks. Pull out a large helping of mercy and give it out.

Scenario #2
 You try calling your spouse/friend/cousin/daughter/sister/neighbor. And they don't pick up the phone. In fact, they NEVER pick up the phone. UGH!!! Especially when you need them. Like NOW! Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. No. Nothing. So annoying!! Wait......right when you feel that temper tantrum kicking in (yes, that's what I called it) it's time to play "I've never_________"  "I have never been unreachable when someone tried to call me. Ever. Never left my phone home. Never left the house without the charger. Never been on a call and not clicked over. Never been in the bathroom when the phone beckoned. Never not once." Nope. Not likely.  Okay, pull out some mercy. And give it up.

Scenario #3
You get an email. And immediately you "hear" the persons tone. They are so rude! How could they "talk" to you like that! So disrespectful. But wait. Before you get ready to blast them back an email, or share this one with all of your friends....it's time to play...."I've never!" Have you never had someone misunderstand your written word? Or taken something you emailed the wrong way? Because that has definitely happened to me. You see, I am a pretty straightforward person. I have to really try to add a "Bless your heart" here or there in emails, because I have learned that my "Get to the point" nature can come across as rude in writing. So much so that I was once kicked out of a Freecycle group (I kid you not) because of my "tone" in an email. If you are not familiar with Freecycle, it is a group where you can give away items, and even ask for items. Their one basic rule is that you can't "ask" for an item until you have given something away. After giving a ton of items away, I decided to test the waters and post a "wanted" ad.  The powers that be refused to post it because they said I had never given anything away. "That's easy," I thought, and I quickly emailed them all of the "evidence" I had of the items I had given away. They then accused me of "only giving away items so that I could get items." Lord have mercy. These people are crazy. I tried to resolve it quickly though and just got to the point. I emailed quotes from their rules that showed I hadn't broken protocol. Next thing I knew I was kicked out. When I asked why, they wrote that my "tone" was aggressive.  I read and reread these emails, even had my husband read them and we could not figure out what "aggressive tone" they were talking about. So yeah. I guarantee that your intentions for an email have been misunderstood. You just may not know about it.  Knowing this little tidbit from my life however, before you assign "tone" to an email, it's time to give it up. Mercy.

Scenario #4
 You hear of how someone has been wronged. You hear all the sordid "details." You are furious. How could that person do that to them? Don't they know that such and such is wrong! Just plain wrong. That's it. You are never talking to them again, and you are going to make sure everyone knows what a jerk they are for behaving so ungodly. But wait! This is the perfect time for "I've never!" It is amazing to me how popular the saying "There are two sides to every story" is, yet how quickly people are to dismiss this reality. And like wildfire rumors are spread. Assumptions are formed. Character maligned. All because we latch on to one side of the story. I used to be the first one in line to do this. Until, that is, God put me with a man who never did. I would tell him these atrocious stories that should have evoked the same outrage in him that I was feeling, and he would be slow to jump on board. He knew there was likely another side to the story. That attitude used to frustrate me to no end. Mercy. How could he extend mercy to someone so clearly in the wrong?  Until it was me to whom he was extending mercy. Then I got it. It took me too many years, but I finally got it.

What is my point? We live in a world, where people get incredibly bent out of shape over the smallest offenses. And not only are these infractions not worth the anger they provoke, but they are also sins that we commit ourselves, regularly. Thoughtlessness, selfishness, pride, carelessness, laziness, distractability, forgetfulness. No one is immune to this list. And when we are the offenders? We want Mercy. We expect Mercy.

Ok fine. Not you. You don't do those things, or at least not as bad as that other person. But let us remember the enormous debt that we all have accrued, illustrated best in the story of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35. We have all received an immeasurable amount of mercy. And to those who have been forgiven much, we must love much. This truth is emphasized beautifully in James 2:13

For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy.

 Mercy triumphs over judgment.

I dare you to play the game tomorrow. I guarantee you will have an opportunity! Comment here if you do! I would love to hear about it. I am sure I will have a chance also, and I pray that God would flood our minds and hearts with His mercy, and that we would faithfully extend it to others!

The top 15 reasons it's tough to be a lefty.

 In honor of Left handers day I thought I would try to educate 90% of the world on what it's like for a minority like me. If you're a righty, I don't expect you to understand. But if you are a lefty, I know you will be nodding your head, and reliving tragic childhood memories with me. Seriously people. My grandfather had his hands smacked with a ruler for using his left hand. But because of it, I think his genes doubled down and produced a ton of lefties, including both of his children, and all three of his grandchildren! My poor right handed mother. The craftiest woman known to man had to teach two lefty daughters how to knit, crochet, and needlepoint backwards! One hundred percent of her children were lefty! Can you imagine? The social implications? In our house it was the opposite of the rest of the world. In our house 75% of the population was lefty! For my sister and I, it was a utopia of sorts. But I guess my mom could have used this this:

Yeah, there is a whole book dedicated to helping parents raise lefty children in this right handed world. So here ya go. I know that only 10% of my readers will be interested in this list, if that! But for once, there is something designed just for us, and not the other way around. So I dare you, my fellow lefty, share with pride! Let's stand in solidarity! Go lefties!!!

1. Erasable pens.Yes they are in our past, thank God, but what about my memory? That is permanent, and so are the ink stains on my hand.
    
2. Teachers lamenting that my handwriting skills are doomed.
    
3. 3 ring binders- These are like some kind of medieval torture device. Could you write neatly with your arm stuck in between 2 giant metal hoops?
   
   
4. Spiral bound notebooks- ouch
   
   
5. Desks- Where does my elbow go?
   
   
6. Scissors- I always had to fight that other lefty for the rusty pair of left scissors. Or share. That works good. 
    
7. Realizing your belt buckle is upside down.
   
   
8. Dealing with traders- people who write with their left and play sports with their right.
   
   
9. Feeling used- "Oh you're a lefty? You can hit to right field, right??"
   
   
10. Never being associated with a correct answer. “You're....... not right” Who wants to be “left” out?
    
    
11. Always being associated with liberals. “Those lefties”
    
    
12. Lame jokes to help us cope. “At least I am in my right mind”
    
    
13. Nobody wants to sit next to you at meals. 
     
14. Spending 90% of your life using doors, cup holders in cars, computer mouses, knives, pens, pencils, belts, pant zippers, can openers, playing cards, etc. that have been specifically designed to NOT work for you. 
    
15. Googling " famous lefties" and realizing Justin Bieber is a lefty.
     (because everyone knows that the best way to invoke sympathy is to link yourself with Justin Bieber)

Two things that should scare you more than flesh-eating bacteria in the water and dry drowning!!

Whenever someone posts anything dramatic on face book, I am instantly skeptical and have to check about three websites before I will believe it or even think about sharing it!  Google people. It is your friend! Statistics bring amazing perspective.

Living in Florida, I have seen two headlines hitting my newsfeed over and over.

Flesh eating bacteria in the water 

and 

dry drowning.

 If I am going to be honest with you I have to admit that my first reactions were a typical knee-jerk response. 

Like this:

FLESH EATING BACTERIA AT THE BEACH??? BUT I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE BEACH TOMORROW!!! NOW WHAT???

Then I remembered this one small fact. Please, if you take anything away from this blog, remember this. We live in the most sensational country ever. People actually NEED you to click on their article to make money. Therefore, (here comes your “takeaway”)

***The headline of an article is rarely 100% true.****

 In other words, it is likely 99% misleading.

The blog post that reads “10 reasons why I don’t homeschool,” is written by a homeschooling mom who is going to tell you a bunch of reasons that aren’t the reasons why she homeschools, and then she will tell you why she does.

 “Israel Violates Ceasefire” is the title of an article that will likely mention that Hamas had actually never even observed the ceasefire to begin with, so technically there was no ceasefire for Israel to violate.

Or even this from a “Christian” website:

 “Bob Coy update: Cocaine addicted, alcoholic….”

 and that is all you seen on the homepage.

   That one made my blood boil!! Because what does it sound like? It sounds like they are giving you an update. But that is his actually information that is 30 years old that they are chronicling in said article, not an update. But they got a bunch of people to click on their link and made money. Pretty disgusting if you ask me (Christiantoday.com. ) But I digress.  

My points are the following:

1. Never believe a headline.

2. Pay attention to the details.

Which leads me to the sensational (but 100% true) title of this blog post.

What is *more dangerous* than going in water where you could contract a flesh-eating bacteria at the beach?

 Driving to the beach.

Yes. Let’s look at the numbers that prompted the headline...

 “Florida Officials: Watch out for flesh-eating bacteria” from Florida Today:

Wow, I have to watch out for it? Ok. It must be everywhere!

Of course I had to google to find out how many people had actually died from this ailment in Florida over the course of a year. The answer? 11.

Now, please understand this.  I believe that every one of those lives is important, and I am not dimishing their value. My question is merely this, do the headlines and fear mongering match the likelihood that it will actually happen to you.  And furthermore, are their suggestions for avoiding this disease practical?

So how do you avoid flesh eating bacteria? Don’t go into the water during the summer with a scrape or open wound or if you have a low immunity. Like, the whole summer? Any scrape? What if I don't know I have one? Full body scans for all of my 5 children before letting them in the water??

 Because...11 people...in the whole state…. over the course of a year?

Let’s contrast that now with the number of fatalities that have occurred during that same year in Florida from driving accidents. Over 2,300.

So mathematically speaking, you are 209 times more likely to die on the way to the beach, then actually from a flesh eating bacteria at the beach.

What does that mean?

Go to the beach for the love of Pete.   But be careful on your drive there!! That’s what the headline should have read! Or maybe this:

“Stay in the ocean this summer to avoid being killed in a car.”

But instead we get:

“Watch out for flesh eating bacteria.” Oh boy.

Next, let’s cover dry drowning. Dry drowning occurs when a person inhales a small amount of water during a struggle. The results can be fatal. But you know what else is fatal? Real drowning. In fact, of all drowning cases, 99% of fatalities are typical drowning cases. But if you could see my face book feed you would think it was the opposite. Maybe one or two people mentioning that it is a good idea to get swim lessons, and everyone else is making sure I know about dry drowning.

 *Once again, the warning is not proportionate to the risk.* 

A better use of everyone's newsfeed would be to encourage others to make sure their kids learn how to  swim, like really swim, not with floaties.  Here is a statistic that actually should scare every single person in Florida. Drowning, the real kind, is the number one killer of kids under 5. Number one. Not cancer, not vaccinations, not flesh-eating bacteria, not even car accidents. Drowning. You must have your kids vaccinated to get them into school to make sure they don’t spread polio. But polio isn’t what is killing our little children. Water is.

There are a lot of people clamoring for our attention. And trust me, as an information junkie, I think information is absolutely important. I just think it should be proportionate to how it affects us and the world at large, and also what we can reasonably do about it.

This may surprise you, but I actually do believe that for safety reasons certain people should stay out of the water at the beach. But unlike Florida officials, my reasons aren’t because of flesh eating bacteria. The reason that people, kids especially, should stay out of the water is if one cannot swim!  Do not despair though, because “not being able to swim” is curable!! So find a good teacher. A good teacher can get your kid swimming in a week, not over the course of a million weeks. Do it now. Do it fast. Yes, it costs money, but seriously people. What is more important?

***Check out Miss Leigh's Swim School on FB  We used her on all five of our children. This is the youngest last summer. 

Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale......The Revolution Is Still On!

So you might have heard that our former pastor, Bob Coy, resigned 4 weeks ago.

 Four weeks ago.

 Tonight, when I heard how much time had passed, I thought two things.

“Wow, that went fast!”

 And also:

“That's it? It has felt more like 4 years!”

Calvary is my home. I went to youth group, singles, missions trips, helped in youth ministry, nursery ministry, Bible studies, was married and dedicated all 5 babies there. I have so many memories. And many of those memories include Bob Coy. But a lot can happen in a month. Information starts to surface. Grieving gives way to growth, and reality begins to take root.

Which brings us to today.

Today was an epic day for me and my mom.

Here's why. :)

Anyone who has attended Calvary for any length of time has asked themselves this one question. Who would succeed Bob if he retired/stepped down/ moved on? Because with a church so blessed to have powerful, scripture-infused sermons, one would be hard pressed to match that intensity. Until someone did. And it was that day, some time ago, while cooking our regular Sunday brunch for the fam, my mom and I came to the same conclusion in her kitchen. Doug Sauder could be that man.

I have thought of that day often in the last month. However, years ago, when we came to that conclusion, I have to say that I didn't really know much about Pastor Doug, other than he preached the gospel with such intensity, such truth, and such conviction, that if the criteria went on sermons alone, this was our guy.

However, now I know better. Since that time, I, along with countless others, have witnessed Pastor Doug and his family walk out their faith in true conviction. The gospel isn't something he simply preaches with power. It is something he and his family actually live out with such intentionality, that one can't help but take notice.

So this is where it gets kind of cool. I remember that day- that sermon, so clearly. Yet whenever I thought about it, I kept thinking it was only a few years back. I didn't remember the exact sermon title, until someone on Facebook, someone who was apparently as impacted as we were, referenced the title from that day. As soon as I saw those words in the comment stream it all came back.

“Is the Revolution still on?”

Yup, I thought. That's it. That was the sermon. So with my investigatory skills, I started looking in the sermon archives to confirm. However after searching for a minute, I thought that maybe I had the wrong title because the only sermon with that title was from 2007. Surely it couldn't have been that long ago. So I clicked on the link and started listening- and couldn't stop.

That.was.it.

Is the revolution still on?

Pastor Doug reminded us about John the Baptist. He was stuck in jail. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. John had baptized Jesus. He had seen him walk in power. What was going on? John had to know. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus.....Are you really the One? Because this should not be happening. Looking at his circumstances made John doubt what he knew to be true.

Can anyone relate? 

I cannot tell you how many times this past month I have thought, “This should not be happening.” Whether it is in my church, in relationships around me, or in the news (hello!!) the fact is, we are headed into unprecedented territory, at an alarming rate.

Doubt creeps in. And we can start to wonder, Is the revolution still on??

Tonight our church announced that Pastor Doug will be our lead pastor. And what was the reaction? Standing ovation. Overwhelming support. Why? Because thousands have seen the fruit of God using Pastor Doug to further the kingdom, and we gladly welcome him as our pastor.

But before we turn this page, fellow Calvary Chapel attendees, we need to have a conversation.

You see, the rest of Doug's 2007 sermon, tells us we are to be the revolutionaries. We are to usher in the kingdom. We. Not he. Not Bob, not Fidel, not Chet. But us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is our church. Gone are the days where you go to church to be served. Now is the time to serve. It is time to stop focusing on the messenger and start listening to the message. Instead of asking "How was the sermon?" How about asking "What are you going to do about what you just learned?" because we are living in a time like no other. There is no longer a place for a casual Christian, because if you believe it, and speak it, you had better be ready to defend it. 

This in a new time.

But take heart!  God is doing a new thing!

I am praying for Bob and Diane Coy and the children. And I am beyond grateful for the many years that they gave to our church.

But this one thing I know.

The Revolution is still on.

And I am more excited than I have ever been to be a part of this church. There is such a revival going on that you just cannot miss. Seriously, I thank God that I get to be a part of this.

Oh, and one more thing. Since I am a numbers nerd. I couldn't help but think this was cool. That sermon preached 7 years ago, by Pastor Sauder, calling us to be revolutionaries?

The date was 05/06/07.

God is in control people. And He watches over His word to perform it! Jeremiah 1

Click here for the sermon referenced. Really.... Click here :) :) :)

Secrets of a Mega Church From an Insider.

With so many articles and blogs showing up exposing the dangers of "Mega Churches,"  I felt compelled to finally come out with all of the secrets that I possessed. You see, I have gone to Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for over 20 years. Who better to show the hidden world of the .....dun dun dun......MEGA CHURCH...then me. I have even obtained video footage!! You won't believe your eyes!


Did you know that my mega church  ministers to those with special needs? Every week! Volunteers come and serve weekly just to give the parents a break???? How dare they! Watch this video and see if you aren't outraged! (sarcasm intended)

 

Not only that, but some other people at that church dared to start an amazing radio station that doesn't just play the same top ten Christian songs on regular rotation! This mega  radio station uses worship songs and gospel messages to uplift and encourage the community! Outrageous. And if that isn't bad enough, a listener of this radio station named Miguel heard the need of a caller on an afternoon radio show, and Miguel actually tracked this man down to meet his need!!!! WHA????? Yes, it's despicable, I know. (Watch this only if you would like to cry like a baby)

And then one day Christians from that mega church opened a school where the gospel is taught daily, hourly even! So reckless. All that gospel has resulted in serious transformations. Exhibit A: This student published an incredible, unbelievable children's book and gave the money to help orphans! Orphans!  What are they teaching them at that mega school!!! (Watch this only if you want to be really really proud of the ministry of Calvary Christian Academy)

As if all of that wasn't enough, that pastor, of that mega church, began a foster kids program, and those people that go to that church? They take in children. Over 17,000 kids have been helped in the last 15 years. Psh. Figures right???

 

And lastly, the attendees would bring their friends to this church for these mega Christmas and Easter services. Then that mega pastor, who thought he was so funny,  would preach the Word, the uncompromising Word of God, and his hilarity brought clarity. People let their guards down, and God's Word did not return void.The evidence is right here. This Muslim couple was invited by a friend, and frankly, you won't believe what happened next. You just have to watch. Ugh. So typical!

So there you have it folks. I told you it was shocking. However, if you are like me, maybe you didn't even watch any of the videos, you just read to the end. But seriously, you have to watch these videos. At least one. Any one. They will all leave you feeling the exact same way.

But wait there's more!

I couldn't upload all of the video footage, so if you click here, you can watch the story of a woman with panic attacks that found peace and now helps others, a drug addict now clean, a suicidal woman stopped in her tracks and now living in victory, a Liberian child soldier that was adopted by one of our pastors. Yes you will find story after story of lives changed by the power of the gospel.

But that's not even the half of it. There are more. There are thousands and thousands of people whose story has not been captured in video form. If you are one of those people, like me, whose life has been forever been changed through the power of God working through the people at this mega church, than for the love of all that's good and right.....start telling people! We have to get the word out. God is good, and we have been blessed. Don't keep it to yourself. Ready......set...go! And make disciples!

(P.S. I am in no way insinuating that my church or pastor were perfect in anyway. Far from it. Obviously. But I am just tired of all the negativity from all the Monday morning arm chair quarterbacks. So if you would like to comment on all the pitfalls of a mega church, then find a different blog. There are hundreds of them.)

 Matthew 7:20

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.