I have spent most of this morning switching out closets from summer clothes to fall/winter clothes. The summer clothes went into the cedar closet and the winter clothes (including Christmas clothes) moved to the other closet.
Everytime I move clothes, I totally forget how HEAVY the clothes are...especially the summer clothes. It really takes a lot of work to get everything sorted out.
You know, it takes a lot of work to move from one season to another in our own lives. The Bible tells us about the different seasons of our life, both chronologically and emotionally.
We start out as children. It's my belief that some never leave that season...at least emotionally. *"When I was a child, I used to talk like a child and see things as a child does, and think like a child; but now that I have become an adult, I have finished with all childish ways." ( I Corinthians 13: 11) Boy, do I know some people that are childish and refuse to grow up. Now understand, there is a difference between childISH and childLIKE. We are never to give up that childLIKE wonder, obedience and awe when we read about, talk about, or talk to God.
But you can see in that verse that we are not to remain spiritual children. In Hebrews the writer tells us, "On this subject we have many things to say, they are difficult to explain because you have grown so slow at understanding. Indeed, when you should by this time have become masters, you need someone to teach you all over again the elements of the principles of God's sayings; you have gone back to needing milk, and not solid food. Truly, no one who is still living on milk can digest the doctrine of saving justice, being still a baby. Solid food is for adults with minds trained by practice to distinguish between good and bad." (12-14). The writer us that we should be growing spiritually and not constantly going back to learn the basics of grace, fellowship, and obedience. We are supposed to leave that "season" behind and continue growning in the likeness of Christ.
There are also emotional seasons. Anyone who has grieved a death can tell you that there are stages of grief like shock, anger, and acceptance (there are more but I don't remember them). Solomon wrote of our "seasons" in Ecclesiastes 3, "There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven: A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing. A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them; a time for embracing, a time to refain from embracing. A time for searching; a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for discarding. A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking. A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace. What do people gain from the efforts they make? I contemplate the task that God gives humaity to labor at. All that he does is apt for its time; but although he has given us an awareness of the passage of time, we can grasp neither the beginning nor the end of what God does." (v.1-11)
The seasons of the year mark the passage of time. We women switch out our clothes from one season to another. There are also emotional and spiritual markers for the passage of time that those that call themselves Christians use to make sure they are maturing in Christ.
We are placed here to grow into the likeness of Christ. Both of my closets have double mirrored doors, so I see a lot more of myself than I would like to as I switch my clothes to match the season. Look into the mirror and if we don't see the likeness of Christ, then make plans to do whatever is necessary to mature in Christ.
*all scripture quotes are from "The New Jerusalem Bible."
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Where Will The Money Come From?
My husband and I got married in 1976. When we got home from the service, I had a receptionist job and he got a job with the National Cemetery (there was only one in Memphis then) and we weren't rich but we got by. Then I got pregnant with my second son and I quit my job because Phil had a good job and could support us.
My second son was born in 1980 and Phil lost his job several months later. I went back to work at Zayre's Department store and Phil got a job at the VA Hospital as a nursing assistant and we were able to earn enough money to qualify for a loan for a nice house in a small family subdivision. Then, because of the unreasonable hours and the never-ending pressure to be 100% right on the hand-counted inventory 100% of the time, I quit my job with Zayre's and once again became a full-time mom.
Phil's income alone was not really enough to support us both right then (he later moved up at the VA and I was able to go to school) and money was waaaaaay past tight. In fact, every meal we ate was surrounded with water to make it go farther. We were barely able to keep shoes and school clothes on my 5-year-old! Every expenditure, including all doctor's visits, became a nightmare of "What will we do without?" and "How will we possibly pay this?" The not-so-easy payment plan became our stock and trade.
We attended a little church that was in our neighborhood during this time and loved the people that were there. We didn't want anyone to know how badly off we were financially, so we kept "our business" to ourselves. We even donated half of everything we had in the pantry to a drive for a young couple at the church who were in financial trouble in order to keep our secret. You know, pride is a funny thing. We would rather choke than let anyone- parents, family, friends, church family- we were in desperate need of help.
We were miserable with worry during these times. We would pray and pray and pray and were beginning to wonder if God was even listening. We needed clothes and nourishing food for our children and still God was silent.
Then, one Saturday night, while I was cleaning up after yet another night of soup for supper, I began to cry out to God, "God, if you are really listening, please, please, give us five dollars so that I can serve my children just ONE meal that doesn't have water around it." As I continued to cry and wash dishes, I was totally unaware that my husband was sitting in the den praying for the exact same five dollars as he watched our boys playing so I could clean up.
We got dressed and went to church as usual that Sunday totally unaware of the miracle that was about to happen. After the service, one of the older saints, a true prayer warrior, came up to me and handed me five dollars. I tried to refuse it, mostly out of pride. I will never forget what she told me, "Honey, God told me last night to give this to you and I try to never disobey God. If you don't take this, you will be stealing my blessing." I had never heard of stealing a blessing before, but she was so insistent that I joyfully took the money knowing it was the answer to my prayer.
What I didn't know was that outside God was still answering prayers. As my husband hustled the boys to the car to go home, one of the deacons called out to him saying he wanted to talk to him a minute. The deacon went to shake Phil's hand and in his palm was money. He had handed it to him that way so as not to embarrass him in front of everyone. Phil tried to turn it down, but the deacon told him, "Boy, God told me to give this to you, now take it." So Phil took it keeping it in his palm until he got to the car.
I jumped into the car said excitedly, "Phil, you will never guess what just happened. I prayed last night for five dollars and LOOK!" I exposed the five dollar bill in the palm of my hand.
I started to tell him "the rest of the story" when he interrupted teary-eyed, "Susan, I prayed the same prayer last night." He opened his hand and there lay ANOTHER five dollar bill.
For a moment all we could do was stare at one another, eyes brimming with tears, in silent gratitude to a God who cared enough, not only to answer our prayers, but to answer them exactly as we had prayed.
We rejoiced all the way to the grocery store. We bought a chicken, roast beef, vegetables, ground beef, spaghetti, and tomato sauce, as well as milk, bread, and butter. (ten dollars went a lot farther back then). Our children got not one, but a week's worth of filling meals WITHOUT water surrounding the meat (well, maybe a little for the pot roast)! And every meal we thanked God for what He had provided.
I didn't learn learn my two life verses until long after this miracle had restored my faith in a God who not only listens, but cares. The first verse is found in the twenty-ninth chapter of the book of Jeremiah,*"'Yes, I know what plans I have in mind for you,' Yahweh declares, 'plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. When you call to Me and come and pray to Me, I shall listen to you. When you search for Me, you will find Me; when you search wholeheartedly for Me, I shall let you find Me,' Yahweh declares. 'I shall restore your fortunes and gather you in from all the nations and wherever I have driven you, 'Yahweh declares. 'I shall bring you back to the place from which I exiled you." (Jeremiah 29: 11-14) It is my belief that stopping at verse 11 keeps us from getting the full dose of encouragement available in these verses. God is telling the Israelites in Babylon that He knows exactly where they are, how they are doing and He cares and will bring them out of it. That is one of the lessons that God taught me through this situation.
The second verse was the benediction every Sunday in another church to which we belonged. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, "Glory be to Him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to Him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever." (20-21) God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is willing to sell the whole herd to fulfill your needs. He can do more for us than we can wrap our little brains around. All we have to do is trust WHOLEHEARTEDLY in Him.
When things are desperate and you feel there is no way out, look to a loving Father who wants nothing more than to instruct and help His children. During our dark times, God taught us the difference between what we NEED and what we WANT. Keeping up with our friends was not only impossible, but also not cracked up to what we thought it should have been.
God also taught us a lesson on prayer and faith. God ALWAYS hears your prayers even when we feel like He's not listening. Remember what a pastor once told us, "God is never late. God is never early. God is always right on time."
My second son was born in 1980 and Phil lost his job several months later. I went back to work at Zayre's Department store and Phil got a job at the VA Hospital as a nursing assistant and we were able to earn enough money to qualify for a loan for a nice house in a small family subdivision. Then, because of the unreasonable hours and the never-ending pressure to be 100% right on the hand-counted inventory 100% of the time, I quit my job with Zayre's and once again became a full-time mom.
Phil's income alone was not really enough to support us both right then (he later moved up at the VA and I was able to go to school) and money was waaaaaay past tight. In fact, every meal we ate was surrounded with water to make it go farther. We were barely able to keep shoes and school clothes on my 5-year-old! Every expenditure, including all doctor's visits, became a nightmare of "What will we do without?" and "How will we possibly pay this?" The not-so-easy payment plan became our stock and trade.
We attended a little church that was in our neighborhood during this time and loved the people that were there. We didn't want anyone to know how badly off we were financially, so we kept "our business" to ourselves. We even donated half of everything we had in the pantry to a drive for a young couple at the church who were in financial trouble in order to keep our secret. You know, pride is a funny thing. We would rather choke than let anyone- parents, family, friends, church family- we were in desperate need of help.
We were miserable with worry during these times. We would pray and pray and pray and were beginning to wonder if God was even listening. We needed clothes and nourishing food for our children and still God was silent.
Then, one Saturday night, while I was cleaning up after yet another night of soup for supper, I began to cry out to God, "God, if you are really listening, please, please, give us five dollars so that I can serve my children just ONE meal that doesn't have water around it." As I continued to cry and wash dishes, I was totally unaware that my husband was sitting in the den praying for the exact same five dollars as he watched our boys playing so I could clean up.
We got dressed and went to church as usual that Sunday totally unaware of the miracle that was about to happen. After the service, one of the older saints, a true prayer warrior, came up to me and handed me five dollars. I tried to refuse it, mostly out of pride. I will never forget what she told me, "Honey, God told me last night to give this to you and I try to never disobey God. If you don't take this, you will be stealing my blessing." I had never heard of stealing a blessing before, but she was so insistent that I joyfully took the money knowing it was the answer to my prayer.
What I didn't know was that outside God was still answering prayers. As my husband hustled the boys to the car to go home, one of the deacons called out to him saying he wanted to talk to him a minute. The deacon went to shake Phil's hand and in his palm was money. He had handed it to him that way so as not to embarrass him in front of everyone. Phil tried to turn it down, but the deacon told him, "Boy, God told me to give this to you, now take it." So Phil took it keeping it in his palm until he got to the car.
I jumped into the car said excitedly, "Phil, you will never guess what just happened. I prayed last night for five dollars and LOOK!" I exposed the five dollar bill in the palm of my hand.
I started to tell him "the rest of the story" when he interrupted teary-eyed, "Susan, I prayed the same prayer last night." He opened his hand and there lay ANOTHER five dollar bill.
For a moment all we could do was stare at one another, eyes brimming with tears, in silent gratitude to a God who cared enough, not only to answer our prayers, but to answer them exactly as we had prayed.
We rejoiced all the way to the grocery store. We bought a chicken, roast beef, vegetables, ground beef, spaghetti, and tomato sauce, as well as milk, bread, and butter. (ten dollars went a lot farther back then). Our children got not one, but a week's worth of filling meals WITHOUT water surrounding the meat (well, maybe a little for the pot roast)! And every meal we thanked God for what He had provided.
I didn't learn learn my two life verses until long after this miracle had restored my faith in a God who not only listens, but cares. The first verse is found in the twenty-ninth chapter of the book of Jeremiah,*"'Yes, I know what plans I have in mind for you,' Yahweh declares, 'plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. When you call to Me and come and pray to Me, I shall listen to you. When you search for Me, you will find Me; when you search wholeheartedly for Me, I shall let you find Me,' Yahweh declares. 'I shall restore your fortunes and gather you in from all the nations and wherever I have driven you, 'Yahweh declares. 'I shall bring you back to the place from which I exiled you." (Jeremiah 29: 11-14) It is my belief that stopping at verse 11 keeps us from getting the full dose of encouragement available in these verses. God is telling the Israelites in Babylon that He knows exactly where they are, how they are doing and He cares and will bring them out of it. That is one of the lessons that God taught me through this situation.
The second verse was the benediction every Sunday in another church to which we belonged. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, "Glory be to Him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to Him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever." (20-21) God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is willing to sell the whole herd to fulfill your needs. He can do more for us than we can wrap our little brains around. All we have to do is trust WHOLEHEARTEDLY in Him.
When things are desperate and you feel there is no way out, look to a loving Father who wants nothing more than to instruct and help His children. During our dark times, God taught us the difference between what we NEED and what we WANT. Keeping up with our friends was not only impossible, but also not cracked up to what we thought it should have been.
God also taught us a lesson on prayer and faith. God ALWAYS hears your prayers even when we feel like He's not listening. Remember what a pastor once told us, "God is never late. God is never early. God is always right on time."
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Be the Church
I went to my newest grandson's baby dedication this Sunday at Whitten Memorial Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. I knew it was going to be an emotional service because I had already seen the Powerpoint presentation of Tommy and Kathy's testimony. But I NEVER expected what happened in that service.
The pastor gets up and announces that today we (the members of Whitten) were going to BE the church. Well, my ears perked up and he certainly had my attention.
Right after that announcement, there was the baptism of a new believer. Okay, score one for the pastor because in speaking to the church in Ephesus Paul tells them to *"lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called. With all humility and gentleness, and patience, support each other in love. Take care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all." (1b-6)
Next in the service was the testimony of the sweetest older woman. She testified to how God changed her and her husband from grudging givers to cheerful givers. Okay preacher. That is one more way of being the church. In fact, Paul writes to the church in Corinth, "Each one should give as much as he has decided on his own initiative, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7).
So now there has been one testimony to the church. As the third point to the pastor's sermon, my son and his wife presented a Powerpoint testimony of how God sustained them through two miscarriages and the death of Kathy's father before God blessed them with Max. Both my son and his wife and that sweet lady have given testimony to the church just like John writes, "If we accept the testimony of human witnesses, God's testimony is greater, for this is God's testimony which He gave about His Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him..." (I John 5: 9-10b)
Then there was the Max's dedication. It was a lovely ceremony where the family professes to know Christ and to help raise Max in the knowledge of Christ. THEN, the church promises to do all they can do to help in that task. Paul again addresses the church in their responsibility, "to knit together God's holy people for the work of service to build up the Body of Christ, until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:12b-13)
As happens in all churches, then they took up the offering. Yes, that also is being the church. Paul continues in II Corinthians 9: 12-13, "For the help provided by this contribution not only satisfies the needs of God's holy people, but also overflows into widespread thanksgiving to God; because when you have proved your quality by this help, they will give glory to God for the obedience which you show in professing the gospel of Christ, as well as for the generosity of your fellowship towards them and towards all."
Finally the pastor sent the people out into the world to be a witness for Christ, "Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes to the end of time." (Matthew 28: 19-20).
Now that the church had BEEN the church, to borrow from the title of the pastor's sermon, the church left the building. Godspeed Whitten Memorial Church!
*all scripture quotes from "The New Jerusalem Bible"
The pastor gets up and announces that today we (the members of Whitten) were going to BE the church. Well, my ears perked up and he certainly had my attention.
Right after that announcement, there was the baptism of a new believer. Okay, score one for the pastor because in speaking to the church in Ephesus Paul tells them to *"lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called. With all humility and gentleness, and patience, support each other in love. Take care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all." (1b-6)
Next in the service was the testimony of the sweetest older woman. She testified to how God changed her and her husband from grudging givers to cheerful givers. Okay preacher. That is one more way of being the church. In fact, Paul writes to the church in Corinth, "Each one should give as much as he has decided on his own initiative, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7).
So now there has been one testimony to the church. As the third point to the pastor's sermon, my son and his wife presented a Powerpoint testimony of how God sustained them through two miscarriages and the death of Kathy's father before God blessed them with Max. Both my son and his wife and that sweet lady have given testimony to the church just like John writes, "If we accept the testimony of human witnesses, God's testimony is greater, for this is God's testimony which He gave about His Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him..." (I John 5: 9-10b)
Then there was the Max's dedication. It was a lovely ceremony where the family professes to know Christ and to help raise Max in the knowledge of Christ. THEN, the church promises to do all they can do to help in that task. Paul again addresses the church in their responsibility, "to knit together God's holy people for the work of service to build up the Body of Christ, until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:12b-13)
As happens in all churches, then they took up the offering. Yes, that also is being the church. Paul continues in II Corinthians 9: 12-13, "For the help provided by this contribution not only satisfies the needs of God's holy people, but also overflows into widespread thanksgiving to God; because when you have proved your quality by this help, they will give glory to God for the obedience which you show in professing the gospel of Christ, as well as for the generosity of your fellowship towards them and towards all."
Finally the pastor sent the people out into the world to be a witness for Christ, "Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes to the end of time." (Matthew 28: 19-20).
Now that the church had BEEN the church, to borrow from the title of the pastor's sermon, the church left the building. Godspeed Whitten Memorial Church!
*all scripture quotes from "The New Jerusalem Bible"
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