Red and Yellow, Black and White

 

Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red and yellow, black and white

They are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world

 

I remember singing these words as a child.  I've thought about those words a lot lately.  Without going into detail (because I do not want to draw attention to any of these groups) it seems that racism is alive and well in our country and our town today.  Groups of every skin color and religion are spewing hatred for people that are different from them. I just do not understand how one human being can have hatred for another human being based solely on the color of their skin or what they look like on the outside. It is ridiculous really. The body that we are in is no different than a suit of clothing.  The only thing that matters is who we are on the inside of the suit.

 

 

 

  How absolutely absurd would it be for me to say..."I hate that guy because he is wearing a green suit.  I have never met him, but I hate him. And not only do I hate him, but I want you to hate him, too.  As a matter of fact, I hate anyone that wears a green suit."      

 

Ridiculous, right?  

 

And what is even more ridiculous? When people use God's word to promote hate.  My bible says that God created ALL human beings.  It also says that Jesus died for ALL human beings. 

And more importantly, it says this,

 

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.   If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."  Galatians 3:28-29    

 

God is love.  He loves every person that he created. In fact, we are all created in His image.  He sent His son to die for us, that is how much He loves mankind.  And through our acceptance of the death of Jesus, we become brothers and sisters with one common goal.  

 

^" Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Ephesians 2:19-22

 

Red, yellow, black or white we are ALL precious in His sight. Therefore, we should be precious in the eyes of one another. 

 

 

 

Straddling the Fence

During a sermon at church one day, our pastor talked about Christians who were “straddling the fence”.  This brought to my mind one particular afternoon in my childhood when my brother and I were out exploring behind our farm house.  There were barbed wire fences outlining all of the separate pastures, so to get across the fences we would take turns prying two of the prickly strands apart for the other to crawl through. This took patience and precision!  On this particular day, I let my brother through first and then he pried the strands of wire open for me to crawl through.  I carefully bent over at the waist and put one leg through, placing my foot on the ground on the other side.  As I attempted to pull the other leg through, I realized that my long pony tail was caught on the top strand and that I was stuck…I was literally straddling that barbed wire fence! 

 

 

 

 Now just imagine how uncomfortable that was being trapped there atop that razor sharp barbed wire with one leg on each side.  I couldn’t go back the way I came from and I couldn’t move forward to the other side.  Isn’t this just like the Christians that want to keep one foot in the old way of life and one foot in their new life with Christ?  They are stuck.  They cannot be fully surrendered to either side. 

 

 

Imagine that one side of this fence is the old sinful life…pre-salvation.  Sometimes newly converted (and sometimes not-so-newly converted) Christians try to hold on to their past lives of sin, even after giving their heart to Jesus.  But because the Holy Spirit is residing in them, they do experience conviction.  This makes it pretty miserable for them every time they slide back into their old ways.  As a Christian, going back to visit the sins of the past will never make them happy.  Therefore, they are not fully surrendered to sin. 

 

John 16:8 NLT “And when He comes [Holy Spirit], he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”

 

On the other side of this fence is a new life in Christ…post-salvation.  Many Christians see others that have peace and joy and seem to flourish in the Lord’s work, but they just can’t get to that place in their walk because the old familiar sin keeps them tied to their old life.  They are afraid of change; afraid to step over into the unknown.  Therefore, they are not fully surrendered to God.

 

Romans 6:22-23 NIV “ But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 This is a very uncomfortable position to be in.  The bible tells us in Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.”  Christians straddling the fence are trying to serve two masters and they are miserable.  Why would anyone choose to live this way? 

As I crouched there that day, stuck between those strands of barbed wire with my hair holding me in place, all I wanted was to be free. I think that’s what “Fence-Straddling Christians” want too…they want to be free.  My brother was there to help me and untangle me from that fence.  He pulled me through to freedom on the other side.  I believe our job as Christians is to help our brothers and sisters get free. We need to stop judging and start praying…just as scripture instructs us to do.

I John 5:14-16 NIV “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life.”

Are you straddling the fence, stuck between two lives?  Ask the Lord to rescue you today.  Move forward with Him and He will give you peace and freedom like you have never known. Or maybe you know someone that needs your help getting off of that fence?  Commit to pray for them today. Help them get untangled from sin by loving them and being a good example.  Freedom is waiting on the other side of the fence. 

 

50 Shades of What?

I first saw the title, “50 Shades of Grey” on Facebook a couple of years ago.  It seemed to pop up everywhere after that.  Now there is even a movie.   When I first saw it mentioned, I googled the title to see what all the fuss was about.  My face turned red just reading the synopsis. This is what Wikipedia stated, “It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM).”

Yes, you read that correctly. 

I have tossed around the idea of blogging about this topic several times, but something kept holding me back; I did not want to associate my name with the title of this book/movie.  I did not want anyone to even search for the title and read ABOUT the book or movie, much less read the actual book or watch the actual movie.  But someone had to say this and I guess it will be me. 

The fact that our society has embraced something like this does not surprise me, but the fact that Christians have embraced it shocks me to my core.  And even more heartbreaking… the fact that parents are letting their teenagers read/watch this.   Just thinking about what it could do to their still developing minds is very frightening to me.  I have read in several reviews where this series of books (and now the movie) is being called, “Mommy Porn.”  (Those are two words that do not go together.)

“This is not pornography, this is art,” you say?  

noun: pornography : printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.

50 Shades is most definitely pornography. Pornography in the form of a novel is still pornography…and this pornographic novel has sexual violence and emotional abuse as its theme.  We need to beware of what we approve of and make available to our children.         

“Pornography can reach out and snatch a kid out of any house today. It snatched me out of my house 30 years ago.…The most damaging kinds of pornography are those that involve violence and sexual violence. The wedding of those two forces brings about behavior too terrible to describe.” Ted Bundy on Dr. James Dobson, “Fatal Addiction: Ted Bundy’s Final Interview,” Video, Focus on the Family Films, 1989. 

The acceptance of this novel and the movie are just the end result of how satan has used the entertainment industry to slowly entice us into thinking that this is all good.  (Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20 NIV)  He has masterfully bombarded our minds with sexual impurity through media for so long that when something as damaging as 50 Shades of Grey came out…our society embraced it as healthy and fun.  In 2012,  author E.L. James was even listed as one of Time magazines’s   “100 Most Influential People in the World.” As Christians, that fact should disturb us immensely. 

 

With God, there is no “grey” area.  There is good and evil.  There is darkness and light.    If we are a true child of God and His Spirit lives in us, we know right from wrong.  We KNOW that we should not fill our minds with the immoral junk that the entertainment industry calls “art”.  We have to guard our hearts and minds and the hearts and minds of our children.     

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.”  Colossians 3:5

If we as a society say this type of sexual behavior is not only acceptable but encouraged, we are creating our own Sodom and Gomorrah.    

“And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.”  Jude 1:7

I am not writing this because I am claiming that I am so holy and have never watched, read or participated in anything that was not pleasing to God.  I am writing this because I have done all of those things, and I know the effects that they can have on the mind and on our witness and on our relationship with Jesus.  We have all fallen into the traps that the enemy has laid and have gotten entangled in various forms of sin, so we must remember these words from 1 John 5-10…

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

...and we must fix our eyes on things above...     

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  Phillipians 4:8 NIV

Is the Grinch Stealing Your Christmas?

We all know and love the timeless Christmas classic,

 “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” 

 

 

 It’s the story of a disgruntled “Who” who was sick of Christmas and everything that went with it- the noise, the presents, the feasts, the singing, and just the pure joy of it all-so he decided to steal Christmas.  He wanted to take away everything that brought happiness to the Whos down in Whoville.

       

Do you know that we have a “Grinch” that is trying to do the same thing to our Christmas?  He hates the joy of it all and is stealing it away right before our eyes.  Jesus warned of this in John 10:10, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

 

 

I have spoken with several people this Christmas season that have absolutely no joy.  Actually, they are frustrated and are dreading Christmas.  Their joy has been stolen by satan, the awful Grinch himself.  He has convinced them that Christmas comes from the store and if you have no money, you cannot possibly have a good Christmas.  He is a liar. 

    “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

Just take a look around you if you want to see how successful satan has been on his mission to destroy Christmas.  I guarantee that if you talk to 5 people, 3 out of the 5 will speak negatively of Christmas. The saddest thing of all is the fact that most of the negativity comes from Christians. We have lost sight of the true meaning of the season. 

Why do we celebrate Christmas?  Because JESUS, our Savior, was born.   He came down to this world, God in the flesh, so that He could become the sacrifice for our sins.  That sacrifice, if we choose to believe,

 buys us eternal life in Heaven with our Father. 

 

 The celebration of this amazing gift is the reason for the Christmas season.  Every time you take your focus off of Jesus and start worrying about how you will afford Christmas, satan does a happy dance.  Even he knows what this season is really about, that is why he tries so desperately to ruin it.

My husband and I have two grown children.  I bet if you asked either of them to name a gift that they received for Christmas in the past, they would have a hard time remembering.  What they CAN remember are the traditions that we upheld as a family each year, the food, the games, the Christmas movies, the love, the joy, the time spent with family, the songs of the season and the story of Jesus’ birth. These things produce a feeling of joy that will not be forgotten. 

   The author Maya Angelou once said,   “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  That is so true. 

 

 

This Christmas, don’t let the Grinch steal your joy.  Focus on Jesus and the gifts that He brings: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These produce memories that will last a lifetime.

 

“He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?"

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!"

"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store."

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

Taken from How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

 

Where Are You Going, My Little One?

Where are you going,

my little one, little one?
Where are you going my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two,

 turn around and you're four,
turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door.

Author: Recorded by Harry Belefonte, N. Griffith and K. Loggins



My daughter, Maddie - Senior 2014

 

Yes, another "last". 

Last Homecoming. 

My beautiful princess...

headed out the door.

 

 

I pray that today you feel beautiful,

because you're more beautiful

 than words can say.

I pray that today you feel cherished,

because you are...every minute of every day.

I pray that today you feel favored,

because you're a chosen child of a King.

I pray that today you feel blessed,

because you bless everyone you meet.

 

Love, Mom

 

The Last “First Day”

Today is my daughter’s last first day of school.   Bittersweet is the only word I can think of that describes how I feel.  I realized on my way to work that it was the first time in her life that I had not dropped her off on her first day.  Actually, I think it was a little easier not having to drive away and leave her behind.  Today she drove away and left me behind. 

 

 

I guess that is something that I will have to get used to now; her driving away and leaving me behind.  Part of me can’t breathe when I think about her leaving one day soon.  The other part of me is jumping for joy that she has the opportunity to live her dreams and reach her goals.  I would never, ever hold her back from that.  Loving means letting go.

 

 

So today, I begin the process of letting go.  One “last” at a time.   Last first day, last football game, last mum, last time to cheer, last day of high school…

 

I will cherish each and every minute.    

And I will look forward to all of the “firsts” yet to come! 

Happy First Day of Sr. Year my angel. 

 

 

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

A couple of weeks ago we took 39 teenagers to church camp.  It was a glorious time! We saw lives changed and hearts set on fire. Our camp theme this year was “Called Out.”  We focused on being called out of darkness into light (salvation), called out to be different (holiness), and called out onto the waves (faith). Today I want to share the message with you that God gave me to show our teenagers when we returned from camp.  I reminded them that the first few days is always the hardest time for anyone returning from a spiritual get-away.   The enemy attacks with full force because he knows that you are on fire for the Lord.  We have to remember to keep our eyes on Jesus. 

In Matthew 14, Jesus’ disciples had just witnessed a great miracle.  Jesus had fed over 5,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.  I can imagine that their faith was strengthened and their hearts were set on fire!  In verse 22, immediately after this great miracle, Jesus sent all of the people home and sent his disciples out in the boat while he stayed back to pray.  While Jesus was praying, the disciples were experiencing high winds and heavy waves.  In the wee hours of the morning, Jesus decided to go check on them.  He walked out to them on the water.  When the disciples saw Him coming toward them on the water, they though He was a ghost. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” vs 27

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:28-31    

 

 

What I want you to see in this story is of great importance.  Jesus didn’t just stop the wind and calm the waves immediately.  He wanted to use that moment to increase the disciples’ faith even more.  When Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water he looked to Jesus to keep him from sinking.  He put his complete trust in Him.  But the moment he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to focus on the storm around him, Peter began to sink.  The key is to keep our eyes on Jesus.  In the middle of the storms that are guaranteed to come, that is the only way we will not sink.  The wind is going to howl.  The waves are going to toss us back and forth.  We have to learn not to turn our eyes away toward these things.

But just like Peter, sometimes we will look away.  We will hear the thunder in the distance and turn our eyes toward the storm.  But the beautiful thing is, all we have to do is cry out, “Lord, save me!”  Immediately He will reach out His hand and pull us back up.

Already these past couple of weeks I have had to refocus my eyes several times.  Harsh winds have come.  Lightening has been striking all around me.  I have been tempted every day to look at the storms.  Each time I have practiced consciously keeping my focus on Jesus.  I have prayed. I have read His word.  I have listened to praise music.  I have remembered all that He has done for me. It is sometimes difficult, but I know that as I continue to practice these things, it will get easier and easier. 

Today, I encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus.  The storms will come, but I promise you will not sink if you focus on Him!!