His, hers, and hours

This past Sunday's bible study lesson was on giving. It is a challenge to communicate to 11th and 12th grade girls as it is, but especially when they only had three hours of sleep the night before. Prom was Saturday, and the two girls that made it to Life Changing Bible Study were barely coherent at best. It was a good lesson, though, out of 2Corinthians. We talked about giving with the right motives and the right attitude, and making sure that our hearts were in the right place so that our giving would truly be an expression of our worship. And my personal favorite, that God would be glorified and praised because of our generosity. Good stuff!

I know that this lesson is referring to material wealth, but my mind tends to turn towards time. For some, parting with the cash is a big thing. But I think many people can very comfortably put a few dollars into the collection plate each week, even with a cheerful heart, but regard their time as a precious commodity. And it is just that. A very precious commodity. We only have so many hours on this planet, and then we're out of here!

Time has really been on my mind lately. As I am going through all of these changes (as mentioned in my previous post), I am really trying to reevaluate where my time is spent. I love to give my time to serving. The ministries that I have the pleasure of serving in are awesome, and right where I need to be, I'm sure. I feel like I was hand-crafted to be in creative arts and working with youth. But my heart is aching for some other groups lately, and I am confused a little by all of it. And not only is my heart pulling me that direction, but the opportunities are there as well.

First of all, addicts have been on my heart. I have personally experienced addiction. Not as deep as some, but probably deeper than a lot of folks. And I come from a family that has been plagued with addiction in one form or another. So I guess I have an understanding and a sympathy for those who suffer with addiction. And it is suffering for some. I have friends and family members and know of many others who have sincerely wanted to get off of their crutch. They hate who they are. They are miserable on it, but feel like they are dying without it.I have been attending meetings with a group of people who also have a heart for addicts and want to do something about the drug problem that has saturated our area. A friend also mentioned starting a service or small group at our church for those who have addiction problems, and that I might be a good person to be involved in that, and that idea has really stuck to me.

Then there is the next group. Children. I have no particular calling to teach or work with large groups of young children. I am good with my own girls, but I admit that we've got our own thing going, and it works. However, I am very drawn to children who have rough lives. Poor living conditions, abusive or negligent parents, etc. At one point, I was dead set that, if I was chosen, I would join the Jr. Axillary this year. They do so much for the kids through DHS! They supply clothing, toys, school items, and many other necessities. It is an excellent organization!

But then I came across opportunity #2 in the children's department. C.A.S.A. I don't know what that stands for yet, but they are an awesome group! They are volunteer advocates for children who have been sent to foster homes. You spend time with these little children to learn the details of their home life. Then you talk to their doctors and schools and gather all the information needed to represent them for their court hearing. It keeps the child from having to testify before a judge and possibly stand face to face with their perpetrator. You stick with your child throughout the process until they are either reconciled with their family or placed in adoption. I love this whole concept. I cannot imagine a 6 year old being pulled out of their terrible home, taken to a total stranger's house, and then the court battle begins. These advocates really keep these already hurting children from going through more trauma. Wow, I want to do that, too!

That's my problem, I want to do all of these new projects without giving up the others! And I still have a family, oh yeah......and a job. However, that is a part of my change. I have officially cut back to three days a week, and we'll see what happens from there! WOOHOO! So there's 16-18 extra hours per week. But, we are also opening the Coffee House again, and Beyond Walls (our outreach band at church) is kicking it into high gear starting next month.

So help me pray for clarity. I am really trying not to commit to anything new, yet. I want to be the very best I can be for the Kingdom, so I am trying to understand where exactly that is.

I found these two verses in 2 Corinthians, and they gave a lot of hope and peace....

3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.

7But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Just Thinking Aloud

At our last leadership meeting our pastor brought up a very interesting theory on the generational connectivity needs of Christians. For example, the older generation looks to the intellectual aspects, the baby boomers started the movement in search of an experience with God, and so on and so on. So potentially, you can have a single congregation looking for an encounter that meets the needs of the intellectual, experiential, those who want something real, something that changes them, and something to act upon. Wow! What a challenge for leadership!

I am a self proclaimed arty-farty, so anything that appeals to the senses, anything I can experience is great for me. However, that doesn't cut it. I want to know God and understand more about him.

I read blogs that discuss this kind of thing, and there are basically three major categories.

First, you have the traditional church, that has been around for eons. Some claim it's broke, I don't know about that. Most of us over 25, as well as countless others throughout the ages, met Jesus Christ to the sweet old tune of "Just as I am". That being said, people are looking for something different, and many of those churches are struggling and closing their doors.

Then you have the experiential charismatic churches founded on the "Jesus Movement" as I have heard it said. They have experienced AWESOME movements of the Holy Spirit. They have changed the face of worship forever. I gather that they gave birth to the mega-church that has seeker services for the lost in which a rock show performance is given and the gospel is presented in a non-threatening fashion. And it works, thousands are being saving!


Now I am hearing more and more about this third group. They are somewhere in the middle, I guess. They are tired of the huge performance based services because they lack the meat of traditional service. They want to be connected with other members of the body of Christ and feel that 36,000 members in a church are a few too many (ya think?). They feel like it is too manufactured and superficial. But they are not necessarily on board with the traditional church either, they want to experience God in a tangible way. They want the manifest Holy presence that they found in the charismatic church. Tricky!

And this group is growing like crazy.

I am reading more and more material all the time that God's people want a real encounter with him in all of these areas. Which makes since, considering Christ told us to love him with our minds, bodies, and our hearts. I think that's the key, the heart.

I just think about these things in perspective to my home church. How do we meet the needs of all of these people? How do we reach the lost, stay connected to the saved, keep everyone well fed on the word, and in the tangible presence of the Almighty?

We serve an awesome, sovereign God. Let's just pray that he will make us the glorified body of Christ that we are meant to be.

World In Motion

I apologize to all of you who have checked my blog in the past weeks and nada!
Here's the deal.....
My whole world is in motion. Even more than normal.
Things that have been the same for years are being completely rearranged.
It's awesome to sit back and watch what God is doing. He really has this timing thing down!
Another really interesting aspect of all the changes is that God rearranged my priorities not that long ago, and I am at peace and even taking pleasure in changes that would have been devastating to me before.
Cool, huh?

Stay tuned.....

I tell you more later!

Glory,Glory All Around

God's Glory.

Everything seems to center around that this week. It started when I downloaded our praise and worship songs for Sunday morning.Then one of my friends and fellow praise teamers had a word for us at rehearsal about how important it is to God that his name is glorified throughout the earth. And then I went to the Clarity Youth Conference with our youth group. And you'll never guess where his message went.

His message started and centered around the statement that

"The purpose of God's Word is to reveal how God redeems his people for HIS glory."

He proceeded to lead us through scripture after scripture spanning from cover to cover of the bible showing God's desire is to show his glory to his people.

We were all very convicted as he began to show us that we have turned even Christian faith around to be all about us, as is the good ole' American way. He asked us, "What would we say is the number one statement of Christianity?" I think probably 99.8% of us came up with the same essential answer. God loves us, Jesus loves me, Christ died for us. Then he pointed out that if that is the main idea of Christianity, then it's all about us, and not him. What does God do for us?

While God's love is a pivotal truth, God's main point is to reveal his glory to the ends of the earth. God is love and to reveal his glory will include sharing who he is with us. So love can't help but be a part of that. But his greatest commandment tells us to love him with everything we are. And his great commission says to spread his glory.

It was very convicting for us all, and just awesome for a youth group to hear, as they are a generation who are programmed to be completely self-indulgent and self-absorbed.

Side note:

We saw Leeland in concert. Woohoo!!!!! My friend Terri and I love his music so we were jubilant! He is just such a spirit filled, humble kid with a huge heart for God. And he is excellent live!

We also saw Charlie Hall, which we didn't even know would be there, so that was an added bonus.

We did sleep (if that's what you call dozing off and on for 4 hours) on a very hard floor,though, so there was some sacrifice involved.

Until next time........

Blindside

Mark 8
22They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"
24He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."
25Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village."
Hebrews 13
11The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.


These are the verses on my mind. As you can see they all have a little something in common. I think I'm supposed to be stepping outside the familiar. I love Hebrews 13:13, go to him outside the camp. That's where he'll be, waiting.

I'm also partial to the blind man story, as lately I felt as though I was being lead around like a blind man. I'm not complaining. It's awesome. I am the kind of person that wants to see the big picture (according to my very good friend), and that's not what I'm experiencing right now. I take a step at a time, trying my best to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit. I just pray that he won't let me stray to the left or to the right, just forward.

I heard a sermon recently that painted an awesome portrait of the blind man for me. He said that this man allowing Jesus to lead him outside was a huge step of faith. For those that are blind, familiarity is everything. Twenty steps to the door, ten to the refrigerator, the couch is to my left, the table on the right. You take a blind man from his comfort zone, and he is completely vulnerable. And that's exactly where Christ lead this man. That's also where he was restored.

So........ I'm just holding my breath.........

Baby Step of Faith

I think 2007 is going to be a big year of change for me. Not that I didn't experience a lot of growth and change in 2006, but I just have the feeling that I'd better hold on tight for'07.

Yesterday, I lead worship at our church for the first time. It's been something I have felt lead to do for some time, but never persued it. I have always felt inadequate, still do, but I am beginning to realize being adequately educated and experienced is not neccessarily required if that's where God wants you to be.

I have a tendency to question myself, which is not always a bad thing. It keeps your motives straight. But the day before I was supposed to lead, I really began to question everything.

Why are you really doing this?

Is this really where God wants you, or are you forcing this along?

So I just threw myself back into prayer.

Then he showed me that he had lead me right up to this place. He has guided my steps, aligned me with certain people, and worked all of it to this point. I looked back and even upon my first "audition" with our worship pastor, I did not go out of my way to make it happen. My very good friend and #1 encourager grabbed him and said,"You must make her sing for you!" And there is no doubt in my mind that she has been a Godsend in my life.

I felt like I was at a cliff, and had to choose to step off and let God carry me the rest of the way.

Well, I felt very good about the whole thing. Of course, I was scared and very uncomfortable, but it fit. That's the only way I know how to say it.

It fit well.

Silence of the Lamb

I am facing a decision, I am confused, and who hasn't been there, right?

And while I have served as chief advisor for my family and some of my friends, I find myself searching for a little counsel myself.

Our sermon Sunday was great for me. He preached from the book of Isaiah, that declares Christ as "Wonderful Counselor" amongst other titles, and reminded us to seek Christ in all of our decisions. Good stuff!

I have been prayerfully weighing the pros and cons, even though I am still waiting on most of my decision making criteria to be revealed. I am looking for God to illuminate the way I should go, and am diligently seeking an answer, and it's been really quiet. Or maybe I'm not hearing properly. That could be it.

So I'm watching my morning programs and lo' ...... something catches me. He spoke about the Hebrews in Egypt and how they lived in silence for 400 years. They were enslaved and persecuted and waiting for deliverance with no word for half of a millennium. They must have felt deserted and started to question if the God of their fathers was even there at all. Then out of the blue, the Lord sends his man and delivers them ultimately to the land of milk and honey.

Then he quoted Exodus 19:4-5

4'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.
5'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;

He said God delivers us for Himself. For His purpose. And I love the term used in verse 5, I don't know why, "You shall be a peculiar treasure ..."

Today I went out from that story and found Exodus 13, where after God delivers them from pharoah, He then leads the way to the promise land. And not one of those "we feel like God is leading us in this direction....... maybe.....".

21 The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

Now that's illuminating the path.

The other thing that has come to my attention is that when Christ hung on the cross, he accomplished much in silence.

So that's it for now, just waiting. I'll keep you posted.

Get Your Own Personal Jesus

So have you seen this guy?

The Jesus action figure. Hmmmmmmm......

I guess it's just hitting the market because I have never seen him before. And just in time for CHRISTmas! Apparently he quotes scripture, and is it me or does he look very much like Val Kilmer.

I am afraid that I am a little torn on this one. You can look at it from two different perspectives really.

1.) There are tons of negative influences on our children today. Violent video games, scantily clad fashion dolls, and some of these cartoons are just over the top . But here we have the Jesus action figure that spouts scripture and provides a positive alternative for that parent who is looking for just the right Christmas gift.

2.) Have we reduced our holy, sovereign Lord to the likes of a children's play toy? How is a world full of sin supposed to take Christianity seriously when we mass produce plastic saviours and slap 'em on the shelf between G.I. Joe and Barbie?

I may be opening a can of worms, but I am curious as to how the rest of you feel about this?

Talk to me........

What are the Odds?!

I just thought I would share this lovely photo with you. We looked out the back door of the office one day and saw the Oscar Meyer Weiner-Mobile. I couldn't resist the photo op! Like I said.....what are the odds?

Save the Drama fo' yo' Mama!

I have no idea why I picked that title. Sara has a t-shirt that says that, and it sounded good, I guess.

I am actually very excited about drama. I just have to say that I never cease to be amazed at the God-given talent in our church body!

For the two of you that read my blog that do not attend First Baptist Clarksville, we are about to start a new church-wide campaign called "40 Days of Community". The whole goal being to connect with other believers and reach unbelievers and unchurched outside our walls. We will be doing missions and outreach programs, and I am so pumped about all of it!

So where does the drama come in? Well, I have the pleasure of being a part of the weekend services planning team, and we are attempting to pull out all the stops and make our worship services completely different. We have decided that drama is something we want to add to our services. So last night we rehearsed with a group of folks, mostly youth, who are going to try to pull this off, and I am just impressed. They are really going to be great!

There are so many gifted people hiding out there in our congregation, and I am always pleasantly surprised to see who God puts into position.

So that's it, that's my praise today. I have so much fun in this ministry, I am a little guilty some times. I guess no one ever said serving God couldn't be fun. Hence finding the joy of the Lord!

Drive-Thru Miracles

Okay, I know you guys can relate. Sometimes I have a tendency to be just a little impatient. That being said, let me tell you a story.

The other day my husband was visiting his mother at her shop in Lamar. While he was there, this lady drives by. A lot of you know her, but since I don't have her express permission to blog about her business we will dub her "Singer". So Singer drives on by.

Now Singer knows my mother-in-law as they have done some business together in the past and have become acquainted.

Singer had planned on stopping by my mom-in-law's shop the following day, but as she was driving by said she felt the Holy Spirit tell her to stop right then. She ignored it for a few more seconds, but as she became more and more convicted, she decided to turn around and go back, not having any idea why (I didn't find out all of these details until I spoke with my mom-in-law a few days later).

So Singer comes in, and is introduced to my husband. My mom-in-law tells her that this is Jacob, married to Spring (apparently we know several of the same folks, because she has heard my name some, although we have never met). She begins to talk to Jacob about music as she has heard that I sing some, and that's how the conversation goes. She tells Jacob about this class in Little Rock that teaches the basics on ProTools recording equipment and tells him we should go. She gives him her email address and I guess that was about the end of it. So no major prophetic words or anything, just information about a class.

So much to my surprise, Jacob really wanted to go. I didn't think he would, but he did, and he wanted me to go with him.

I wasn't crazy about the idea, and tryed to wriggle out of it for a while. The baby wasn't feeling well, I had to rearrange my whole work schedule for the day, we wouldn't get back until 10:00p.m., blah, blah, blah. I finally agreed to go the next day, and made the arrangements.

So the morning of our trip, it hit me. "Wait a minute...... if God told Singer to turn around in her tracks to come and tell Jacob about this class, and Jacob for whatever mysterious reason has decided he wants to go, then maybe God is planning a major move!" So I got really excited. I started letting my thoughts run wild with all the awesome things God might do that day. I was expecting to see fireworks for sure!

So all day I waited and watched. We had a great day. We were actually getting to spend some one on one time together which hasn't happened in a long while. We had some extra time to kill, so we had coffee at the River Market, went to the art museum, just enjoyed each other. Still waiting and watching............

We went to the class, most of which was completely foreign to me. Jacob seemed to get it though, and was really glad we went. He is really excited about setting up our recording studio, and can't wait to get started.

But..........no fireworks.

So what was all of that about?! I don't get it. I wasn't really disappointed or anything, I trust God and his timing, but I was just sure something great would happen.

This morning, as I watched my 5:00 a.m. televangelist t.v., I heard something that made sense. T.D. Jakes said that we, as a nation, expect everything to come so quickly. We want everything fast and convenient, and we don't ever want to wait for anything, even if it's better than the drive-thru version. But God doesn't usually move like that. He moves over time, sometimes months, years, and sometimes over generations. We think that just because we don't see instant results, that God isn't moving, but that's just not so. Be patient!

There's that word, patient. I am trying.

So anyway, I am still really excited to see how God is moving in Jacob's life. I have a feeling that years from now I might be able to look back at the time Singer stopped by and gave Jacob some information that started a transformation in his life, and give God all the praise!

Delirious

Ever have one of those non-stop 'till ya drop kind of days, but then you crash into bed with a big smile on your face?

Hello! That's me, this weekend. I love where God has me right now! I am going ninety miles an hour, but I am getting to do so many things that I love to do. Ten years ago, I would never have thought that I would be were I am today, praise GOD!!!! I guess I am really starting to understand the satisfaction of pouring into others what God pours into me. All I can say is that it is amazing. We sang that in church yesterday, and that's right where I am. Lord, I'm amazed by you...how you love me.

All in one weekend, God blessed me with the ability to spend time with my husband and daughters, help plan with the 40 days committee, be there for some friends, exercise, eat steak, worship Him, teach Sr. High girls, dance, sing, write music, and practice some new chords on my guitar(in chronological order, not by priority). Wow! I was so tired last evening, I got a little crazy headed. Sara gets such a kick whenever I get like that. You know, delirious! We laughed all the way home.

As I fell into bed last night, I just realized that I am really happy. And I have been for a while, regardless of the circumstances of that particular day, week, month, ect.

Thank you, God, and thank you to my family, too (biological and bros and sisses in Christ),
I LOVE YA!!!!!!

The Tip of the Tongues

I read a most interesting article tonight called "Divinity of the Mind". It may bore some of you into a good nights sleep, but I found it quite fascinating. It was essentially an interview with a completely non-religious scientist that has been studying the activity of the human brain (via bran scan) in subjects during prayer and meditation.

Of course to keep things variable he studied three groups...... Franciscan nuns, Buddhists, and Pentecostal Christians. Wow, what a crew!

During the Franciscan nuns' prayers their frontal lobes were highly active which is the part of your brain that is used during intense focus. Makes sense. But the part of their brain that identifies the body with its surroundings became very inactive. Which the scientist said would make the person feel slightly transcendent or oceanic. Similar activity was present during the Buddhist meditation. The major difference was that the nuns had activity in the part of the brain that controls language (they were chanting prayers), while the Buddhists' visual sensors were active (Buddhists focus on an object in their hand).

Then along came the Pentecostal Christians. The scientist was shocked by what he found. They were moving around, dancing, and speaking in tongues. Their brains were very active, but not in the frontal lobes. They seemed to be completely unfocused on praying and singing. And yet consumed in it. And while they were speaking in tongues the language parts of their brains were totally inactive (obviously that should have been the area of the brain that was highly active). He seemed fascinated by the fact and said he guessed it made perfect sense if you were to believe that tongues were being spoken from an outside force.

He was intrigued by how active our mind is during spiritual experiences. I think he was surprised by his own findings. He knew he was definitely on to something.

Unfortunately, the scientist remained uncommitted to any final hypothesis. He is determined to continue to search for evidence of God in the human mind.


Hmmmmmm........very interesting.

Spouting Poetry

My very good friend left this poem by Maya Angelou in my box yesterday. Loved it, thought I'd share........

Christians

When I say... "I'm a Christian"

I'm not shouting "I'm clean living"

I'm whispering "I was lost."

Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say "I'm a Christian"

I don't speak of this with pride

I'm confessing that I stumble

And I need Christ to be my guide.

When I say "I'm a Christian"

I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak

And I need His strength to carry on.

When I say "I'm a Christian"

I'm not bragging of success

I'm admitting that I have failed

And need God to clean my mess.

When I say "I'm a Christian"

I'm not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are far too visible

But, God believes I'm worth it.

When I say "I'm a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain.

I have my share of heartaches

So I call upon His name.

When I say "I'm a Christian"

I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner

Who received God good grace, somehow!

Have a BLESSED day!

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Two really odd events happened this weekend that brought this verse to mind.

Event One: My daughter had a birthday sleepover on Friday. Her "party room" was beautifully decorated with a winter theme. Blues and silvers and sparkles everywhere. We were set with makeup and fingernail polish and all the supplies preteens need for a makeover.

She had invited nine or ten girls and seven showed up. So far, so good. The evening went great. They had a blast and stayed up very late. I finally forced the lights out after midnight. When the thunderstorm came, I waited for them to come squeeling into my room, but the storm blew over with no drama. I thought to myself, "They are really growing up."

Little did I know, there was plenty of drama taking place in the party room! Saturday I got quite the earfull. One of the little girls from school claimed to have become a witch, and during the storm proceeded to pray to some foreign god, chanting incantations, and calling the corners. Whoa!!!! Right under my own roof!

I asked my daughter what they did, and her response made me very proud. She and two of the other friends began witnessing to her, they prayed for her (which made her very agitated), and finally got her talked down I guess. I was upset that no one came and told me what was taking place, but I couldn't have been happier with them immediately turning to God.

The really sad part is that there is a very disturbed and confused eleven year old playing with some very dangerous concepts. I am honestly still debating on how to proceed. Talk to the parents? Are the parents the source? Do I want to even go there? No! But I am sure that it's my responsibility as a Christian to do something.

Event two: One of my closest friends attempted suicide and came very close to succeeding. This is not the first time. To be honest I don't even know how many times this makes. Maybe five? It was pills this time. Some kind of pain killer/anti-anxiety, I don't know. She took enough to do the job, but she got sick and didn't keep it all down. Thank you Lord!

I have never understood her. While she had a very tramatic childhood, she now has a great husband, two beautiful kids, no major concerns of any kind. Just her past. Which haunts her more than I know, obviously. I want to just grab her and say, "Think of those kids, think of your husband, what if you accidently do it one of these days?!". Actually I have said it, many times. But it never helps. She told me once that she sometimes doesn't feel alone. She has heard whispers that terrify her. My immediate reaction.... spiritual attack. I went to see her today and am going to give her my very best effort to help her get right again with God and get her life back. He did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind. Those whom Christ set free are free indeed, right!

These are the things on my mind today. Pretty heavy.

Seven Characters We Need In Church

I found this on Christianity Today.
It's long, but I thought worth the read.....

Romans 12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-31 compare the church to a body. In order to function, a body needs a lot of different parts. And each part needs special abilities. What kind of abilities? I thought of seven characters who'd fit in well. In fact, I think every church needs a …
Professor X
In the X-Men films, Magneto believes that mutants must take care of themselves in a world that hates them. Professor X believes humans and mutants can and must live together.
Magneto's plan doesn't sound that evil, really. But Professor X is able to see the lie behind Magneto's thinking. Just because a path seems easy and attractive, it isn't always right. Knowing the difference is discernment. We need people like Professor X in the church because of their ability to know right and wrong.
In church, Professor X would help his congregation stay on the right track and discern what the Bible says about certain issues. God would speak through him in distinguishing truth from error and deciding if teachings really come from God. We see this a lot in the Bible. My favorite example is in Acts 5:1-11. Ananias and Sapphira tell lies from Satan, but God uses Peter to discern the truth.
Other discerners: Morpheus in The Matrix and Yoda in Star Wars.

Mrs. Beaver
The first time Mrs. Beaver meets the young heroes of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, she says, "Come inside, we'll get you some food." From there, she works to provide for them while Mr. Beaver tells them all about Narnia. She stirs the pot on the fire. She feeds the kids. Keeps them all warm.
She is the behind-the-scenes server and helper. In the church, these people do tasks—however small—to free others to use their own gifts for ministry. So who's Mrs. Beaver in your church? It's the person in the kitchen washing dishes after a big fundraiser. Or the guys setting up chairs. Or the people working in the nursery. In John 13:1-17, Jesus gave the ultimate lesson in serving when he washed his disciples feet. Jesus (who modeled many gifts including teaching and leading) modeled humbleness by doing the small tasks for others. This is shown in a neat way in Bruce Almighty. When Bruce first meets God, he is a humble janitor. That's Jesus—a helper and server. Like Mrs. Beaver, this janitor knows that every church needs those who do the dirty work.
Other servers/helpers: Jin from Lost and Edna 'E' Mode in The Incredibles.

Pierre Dulaine
In Take the Lead, Pierre Dulaine is able to reach rough, lost kids considered unteachable. How does he do it? By dancing.
Through basic dance principles—like leading and following—Pierre teaches his students about life. He makes his lessons relevant to their daily experiences. He spots their talents and skills and not only encourages them to use those skills, but shows them how.
At your church, Pierre would be the youth pastor who uses great illustrations, tells powerful stories and offers understandable and practical ways to live out your faith. He'd have the gift to make God's Word come alive and make sense. He'd also care deeply about each student and encourage them to find their own role. This is what Ephesians 4:12 means when it says that God appointed teachers "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
Other teachers: Hank Hill from King of the Hill and Coach Boone from Remember the Titans.

Summer Hathaway
When fake substitute teacher Dewey Finn forms a band out of his class in School of Rock, he makes ambitious, responsible and organized Summer Hathaway the band manager. "I'll be busy rocking out," Dewey tells her. "It's up to you to make sure everyone is doing their jobs." And she does. With a clipboard and many checklists, Summer makes sure everyone is where they need to be, schedules gigs and keeps track of the band's gear.
In your church, Summer is the person who keeps everything in order and on schedule. This is the gift of administration. In the original Greek, "administrate" means to steer or guide. Administrators in your church, like Summer, keep things running so the leaders can concentrate on doing what God has called them to do.
Other administrators: Alfred in the Batman films and C-3PO in Star Wars.

Will Turner
When the governor's daughter, Elizabeth, is kidnapped in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the commodore wants to play it safe. But a lowly peasant blacksmith, Will Turner, steps up with a new plan. Before it is over, Will becomes a trusted leader. When being chased by pirates, Will commands the crew to take a stand. Though Will's plan seems crazy, his crew trusts his leadership and guidance.
Why? Because Will has the leadership qualities of confidence, decision-making and courage. He models trustworthiness and shows what it means to work hard. Will doesn't lead like a dictator, but works as a team with Captain Jack and Elizabeth. He isn't always the first to speak on issues, but he guides others—sometimes quietly—to address them. He presents an example of what is right and just. This is a big part of what leadership in the church is about: standing before people to direct and motivate them to accomplish goals. Hebrews 13:17 says that leaders "are watching over you, and they must answer to God."
Other leaders: Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings and Peter Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson is so smart that she used to change her own diapers. And now, even though she's only 8, Lisa often uses her wisdom to guide others. Whenever something in Springfield is not right, Lisa is the person always popping her head up and saying, "We need to fix this!"
When Homer joined the Stonecutters club, Lisa discovered they only concentrated on power and fun. Lisa told her dad, "Getting what you want all the time leaves you unfulfilled and joyless." Her warnings help Homer see that the group should actually be helping other people. Like Lisa, people in the church with the gift of wisdom make their knowledge practical and useful by helping others understand how it impacts their daily life and decision-making.
Other wisdom-lenders: Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid.

Hagrid
Romans 12:8 says that if a person's gift is "showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully" (NIV). Nobody displays that better than Hogwart's groundskeeper/professor Hagrid. There are few people with a bigger heart than Hagrid. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, he has compassion for animals no one else would go near, and does it all with a big goofy grin. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Draco Malfoy does everything he can to make life miserable for Hagrid. What's Hagrid do? He does his best to be nothing but kind to Malfoy.
At your church, Hagrid would offer genuine sympathy, speak words of love and compassion. He'd be everyone's shoulder to cry on. And that's one big shoulder.
Other mercy-givers: Rachel Dawes from Batman Begins and Lucy from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Who are You?
You may not have any cartoons or talking animals in your congregation, but you do have people with lots of roles and gifts. Who has a gift of teaching? Who is serving? Who offers mercy? How do they all work together?
And how do you fit in? What gifts do you have?

Nothing I Will Ever Do

Whew! Had a very busy week. Sorry to drop off the face of the earth for a few days. I've got a few minutes of downtime, so I thought I'd jot down a thought or two.

This past weekend I went on a girlfriends trip with some of the lovely ladies from church (see Kathy's blog for graphics). We had a lot of fun, did quite a bit of shopping in a very short amount of time, and stayed up late talking. It is always good to get away.

We also went to a women's function at the Second Baptist Church of Conway. They had brought in a speaker/singer named Kim Bolten. I had never heard of her, but she gave a lot of good insight. To me she was very tame, as I am completely spoiled to our loud and lively worship at home. Lisa and I got tickled at the ladies of Second Baptist. You could tell that was probably the most rambunctious worship music they had ever experienced. Funny how diverse we Christians are.

She said many things that touched and convicted me, but as always, there was one thing that really got me. She said, "Nothing you will ever do will make God love you more, but nothing you will ever do will make God love you less." I know, it's a very simple concept. But I don't think I knew that. I think I have been under the illusion that if I made all the right moves, was a servant, and faithfull, that God would love me more than He does right now. The other side of that is that if I screwed up too bad, He might not love me as much. Not that He would stop loving me altogether, just less.

But that's just not true, is it? How could God ever love us any more or any less when GOD IS LOVE ? And the love He has for us is perfect.

That's it, gotta run!

Known to be Wrong

Did I mention that I am known to be wrong about things from time to time? 'Cause I am.

I made a post on August 28th titled "The Rock and the Hard Place". You can read it if you want, but the jist of it was about being willing to expose yourself to the negative influences of the world in order to connect with lost people and hopefully establish a relationship in which you can witness to them. I quoted the 1 Thes. verse about seperating yourself from the appearance of evil, and questioned what degree of seperation that requires. I have been of the opinion that if you are a strong enough Christian, you could go into these worldy places and be okay and would have an excellent opportunity to reach people that you might otherwise never reach. Maybe I'm an optimist.

I haven't completely changed my thinking on that, but at the risk of completely leaving myself exposed for critisism, I am going to share my recent experience.

I went out with a group of friends that I haven't been around in ages as well as my brother and husband. We went to Altus to have a nice dinner and drinks. I volunteered to be the designated driver. Dinner went great, and I was glad I had decided to come. I thought to myself, "What's the big deal? I am having fun with my old friends. No guilt in this." When the time came to leave the restaurant, though, they weren't ready for the evening to end. So it was decided that we would walk down the street to the little pub and have more drinks. Okay, no big deal, we'll stay for a bit and go home, right? Not exactly.

I was okay for a while, the bar was relatively empty and it was karaoke night. If you have ever witnessed karaoke, you know it can be very entertaining. But of course, my group insisted that I sing something for them. I held up the resistence for quite some time, but as the group drank more and became more and more demanding, I caved and sang them a song. And that's when the guilt starting creeping in. My mind went ninety miles an hour! What are you doing in a pub singing karaoke!? What if your Sunday school girls could see you now!? Although I wasn't particulary committing any mortal sin, I knew that the Holy Spirit wanted me out of there.

So what did I do? I told my group I was ready to leave, but they weren't, and since I was the driver, I stayed a little longer. I am sure I was quite the site, sitting there like a little knotted up prude, completely out of my element. Finally, when the entire room began chiming in on the chorus of the ever popular song, "She f@#*ing hates me", the Holy Spirit yelled in my ear, "GET OUT!" I told my group I had to leave and drove home with the other non-drinker in the group who was also ready to leave and feeling uncomfortable.

The night was not over quite yet, but that's where I'll end the story.

So..... I told you all of that to say this.

Maybe I am not ready to be out there just yet. I didn't fall off the wagon and go nuts, whoop-ity-do! But did I really accomplish anything at all for the kingdom? I guess I tryed to set an example, but other than that, nada. All I know is that I'm really glad God loves me, and that He is merciful.

That's it, the lines are open.

Carnivale!

The Johnson County Fair is in town! It is a one of a kind event that brings out a colorful plethora of people marching down the fairway to a symphony of gospel singing, merry-go-round tunes, and the oh-so alluring bellow of the carnies. Throw in the pungent aroma of funnel cakes, farm animals, and overripe humans, and you've got the full mental picture. The funny thing..... I haven't missed it in years!

Last night, my eldest daughter and I decided to make our annual visit. As we made our rounds, I did what I always do, people watch. I don't know why, I just like to take it all in. I scope them out from head to toe, analyzing every detail. I listen to their conversations. I watch their body language. And since the fair crowd is made up of such a diverse group of people and many of them are teenagers, you see it all.

The main thing that caught my attention last night was the large amount of preteens and just barely teens (probably twelve to fifteen) that were headed down a dangerously rebellious path. It's like they were out there to prove to their peers how bad they could be. They were cruel and degrading to each other, chain smoking, using curses at any given opportunity. I kept moving Sara away from their groups to try to prevent her from exposure. All this was just standing in line for a turn on the tilt-a-whirl!

I thought to myself, "Where are these heathens from?", "Where are their parents?". The sad thing is they're from right here. Right where we could influence them. It really made me aware of the task at hand. We have an awesome youth ministry at our church. We have great leaders, and great kids that have been raised by great parents. Great! But there are still so many kids out there that are way off in left field! What are we as Christ followers going to do about it?

I have decided that someone needs to do a documentary at the fair. We need to interview these kids, and find out where they stand spiritually. Although I think I have a pretty good idea. Everything about them tells me that they are just searching for acceptance, someone to notice them, and care. (A documentary would make a great witnessing tool, too.)

When I think about what a monumental undertaking it is to try to reach this newest generation of teens, it is overwhelming. But there is always hope! Just this morning I woke up thinking about them again, and God brought something to my attention. He reminded me that I was just like them at that exact age. I was searching and going crazy, and there was probably some adult that was worried that I was frightfully out of control (Her name was probably Granny). He pulled me out of all that, and they are not beyond His reach, either. So I am recharged with a new conviction to reach the hellions of Clarksville. I just don't know exactly how yet.

Here's a start..... and a plug. Our band, Beyond Walls, plays at the fair on Saturday at 2:00p.m. Outreach ministry is our goal, so hopefully their will be some little ears there that can be influenced by some people who love Christ. And we can always pray!

(The awesome art piece is by one of my favorite artists, Mark Ryden)

Whoa...too much information

How much do you let others in? This morning, that was the question on my mind. For years I had the opinion that if you don't let others in, they won't hurt you. I know a lot of people who share that opinion. Have relationships, but don't get too close.

I have made many new friends in the last couple of years, and as you read in my previous post (Ice Queen...), I am trying very hard to be real with everyone. I want them to know me, and the real me, not the person you put on for church and parent teacher meetings. I am really enjoying myself, too. It's great letting your hair down, so to speak. Even if it is not 100% all of the time.

So back to the question of the day. Should we discuss issues with friends deeper than weekend plans, funny life stories, and struggles with kids? Do we dare discuss the things that God is revealing to us, the changes that the Holy Spirit is urging us to make, visions that God has given us for our futures, ect.? Scary. Or at least it is to me. That is a very vulnerable position to be in. In Luke, the bible says that when the wise men were telling about what God had done in their lives, Mary kept those things to herself and pondered them.

I had convinced myself this morning that it was fine for me to keep my God stuff to myself. People aren't really comfortable talking about that anyway, right? Then I read my friend's blog (kathyhickey.blogspot.com). She quoted an email she got from Rick Warren. The article addressed just this issue and it says that we should discuss the deeper life issues with our friends and let them know what God is doing in our lives so that they can support and offer guidance (or at least that's how I took it).

So which is it, keep and ponder? Or do we lay ourselves out there? This is a tough one for me. I am just not sure. I know that God has called us to have real and meaningful relationships with our brothers and sisters. However, when I do open up in that area, I often feel like I've said too much. On the flip side, lately I have the need to talk to some great and wise person that won't think I'm crazy and ask a few questions. The most great and wise person I know and trust is God, so here we are again.

Just curious, how open are you to your friends?