Lose One Gain Seven

I am blessed this year with being the director of VBS (Vacation Bible School).  As I was looking over the list of volunteers for VBS I was reminded of God's greater provision. 

A few years ago L. was a Sunday school teacher in the room I was responsible for.  She was a great teacher who was responsible, on time, prepared and always happy.  We had a once every three month rotation and I was either helping or teaching the other two months.  Because of L.'s consistency I was able to get a break one month out of three.  I would get opportunities to talk to L. and she told me that she did not feel comfortable teaching the age group she was teaching.  She felt more comfortable working with the teens. Her and her husband are high school teachers.  At the time our church did not have much of a youth group.  Our church is rebuilding and there was not much of a need for a youth group or youth leader.  When L. would talk about working with the teens her eyes would light up and she would get so excited.  The thought of a youth group looked like a far away dream for her.

Then one Sunday (the Sunday before she was supposed to teach in my class) L. came to my Sunday school classroom all excited.  Her husband had decided that they should lead the youth group.  They were going to start the next Sunday.  She could not do her month.  I was very excited for her, but I knew that her leaving meant I would not get a break from teaching for a while. 

The youth group took off like a wildfire.  L. and her husband have seen God's hand of blessing upon their ministry.  From their blessing I have been very blessed and so has our children's ministry.  By L. moving from my Sunday school class to the youth group our children's ministry has acquired 3 helpers for Sunday school and seven volunteers for VBS.

I had no power to hold L. back from leaving my Sunday school room.  By her leaving I ended up working in the Sunday school room for about a year without a break.  I knew the extra work was temporary but I never would have guessed at the blessings that would come from L. leaving.

Sometimes God wants us to give up or lose one, but that one leaving can turn into more than you ever imagined.

Ecclesiastes 11:1  Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

Mother's Day

Today the kindergarten class got to make Mother's Day cards.  As I was watching them work hard on coloring the cards and writing the words they wanted to say to their mom it just reminded me of how important mom's are at any age. 

One little boy who we very seldom can get to write anything, asked me to write something on his card for his mom.  I told him I would write it in pencil and then he could trace it in marker.  I asked what he wanted me to write, it was simple but says it all "I love you Mommy."  I happily wrote it for him and he carefully traced the letters to make his card complete.

I was also privelged to have some of the cards read to me, slowly and phonetically one little boy wrote "Mom yuo are the bst mom evr I love yuo vere much."  He wrote that and some very similiar thoughts on all 4 pages of the card.

One little boy asked for a book that the teacher had read about Mother's Day.  He wanted it so he could copy the poem for his mom.  He sat for twenty minutes copying the poem and writing very neatly.  After he copied the poem he drew some nice pictures on his card.

A little girl painstakingly went through all of the stickers available for the cards to find a bunny sticker.  She could not find the bunny sticker she wanted so she walked around the class and found a little boy who had gotten the bunny sticker, she did a major trade in order to get her bunny sticker for her card.  Her mommy likes bunnies.

I usually don't disagree with the teacher, but today I had to disagree with her.  She wrote on the board "You are the best Mom ever."  I told her that the kids mom's could not be the best Mom ever, because my Mom is the best Mom ever.  She laughed and said that could not be true because her mom is the best mom ever.

If you have to send a card that has the words you want to say, find that special sticker (present) or do something that you really don't like to do to show your mom that you love her and that she is the best mom ever, your mom will love it just as much as she did when you were in kindergarten.  As you do that just remember that my Mom IS the bestest Mom ever!!!

Proverbs 31:31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Vengence is Mine

It happens to everyone sometime in their life, they are wronged personally.  It is not easy and friends and family members often come your rescue and give you ideas of how to get back at the person or persons who hurt you.  It is nice of them to support you, but often their advice is vengeful and unethical. 

As I have gotten older I have somewhat grown from taking vengence, or trying to take care of it myself, to giving them enough rope to hang themselves.  I thought that was a Biblical point of view; a man reaps what he sows.  When I have taken that point of view I have seen people reap what they sow. 

As I walk with the Lord he gives me new insight and makes me grow a bit more.  I was hurt by some brothers and sisters in Christ, and I thought that I would sit back and watch them reap what they sow, because I felt what they had done was wrong and it was hurtful to me.  God did not let me get away with watching them reap what they sowed, instead He made me go help them to succeed.  He arranged my circumstances and made me go and help the people who broke my heart.  I will be honest I did not enjoy it to begin with, and I thought God was going to let me see them reap what they sowed, but He didn't.  Instead God changed me and taught me some things.  A follower is not greater than his master, Jesus was hurt and betrayed by his friends.  Jesus came back for Peter, died for Judas as well as me, a follower is no greater than his Master.   Reconcilliation is very important to God, and if I have a brother or sister who has offended me then I need to go to them.  I need to pray for those who have hurt me, and the prayer should not be God get them (even though it is tempting), but it should be a prayer that brings glory to God and furthers his kingdom.  It is much easier to love those who love us, but true love is often seen when I love others who are not treating me justly.

I am somewhat on the otherside of the hurts, they happened a few years ago.  As I was talking to a friend she was telling me how some people were not treating her well and so she decided to take a course that would somewhat undermine the people who had hurt her.  It was not an unethical course, but it was not a productive course.  Her course is ending up making her look bad and justifying the actions of the people she is trying to undermine.  As I listened to her I realized that God says "vengence is mine" for a reason.  God knows the hearts and circumstances of all of the people involved and when I try to take action on my part it makes me look bad, but if I leave vengence to God and love those who treated me unjustly I bring glory to God.

Psalm 37:18  The days of the blameless are know to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.

Toad Lover

I was talking to my Aunt Judy on the phone today.  Some how the conversation turned to how her husband turned her words that were meant to have a little sting around to a positive.  She said if she called him a toad, he would say "so you are a toad lover".  It really made her think and it turned what might have been a negative to a positive.  My Uncle George has some wisdom too.

The words you say to your spouse reflect upon you.  Are you a toad lover or a prince lover?

Proverbs 25:11  A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Finishing the Race

My brother-in-law passed away about a month ago.  He died suddenly and unexpectedly.  My husband and I flew back to Chicago for the funeral and to hopefully bring a little comfort for my sister-in-law, niece and nephews.  All during the many activities that go along with death and laying someone to rest one thought kept going through my mind.  They finished the race.  They finished their marriage and completed their vows.

As I observed my sister-in-law I realized that she was not only faithful in his life, she was also faithful in his death. I watched as she stood for 6 hours at the wake, getting hugs from people she knew and loved and those she did not know, but who knew her husband.  She was a gracious hostess, sharing stories of her husband and introducing strangers to their 3 children.  She was exhausted at the end of the wake, both physically and emotionally.  She carried out her husbands wishes concerning his funeral and the way he wanted to be buried, even though her mother-in-law did not understand. 

Just like life, marriages eventually end.  Some end in divorce and others end in death.  Eventually they all end.  My brother-in-laws death is not a celebration, but I think the fact that he and my sister-in-law kept their vows and completed the marriage is a heritage their 3 children will treasure in years to come.  They finished the race, they kept their vows.

2 Timothy 4:7  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Why Bother?

Why Bother?

            It happens every Sunday.  I prepare a Sunday school lesson for the preschoolers at my church, I plan for ten, but I may only get two.  From Sunday to Sunday the numbers are never the same.  My church is not alone, it is a national phenomena.  23 million self proclaimed Christians in America do not have any church affiliation, and of those who do attend church 40-50 percent do so with a loose commitment.  (Stafford 2005)  Even though there is a lack of commitment to the church in America; the church is still as significant to God today as it was when it was founded.

            What was the church founded on?  Matthew 16:16 states Peter’s confession “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, (NIV) and that confession is the foundation on which the church is built on.  Jesus said in Matthew 16:17-18 “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  And on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  The church is the people who believe Peter’s confession.  To God, that has not changed.

            The purpose of the church is to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”  And “encourage one another---and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25. The purpose of the church is still the same. If the foundation of the church and the purpose of the church have not changed, why do Christians lack a commitment to the church today?

            Generation Yer’s (millennials) are “the first generation raised without God.”  (Hill 2011) This generation and the generations to follow have been raised to believe in evolution, and to question God’s existence or relevance.  They also have been brought up in a multicultural society, so whatever you want to do or believe is ok, and your belief is no more important than anyone else’s.  It is easy to see that the current generation is not going to have many foundational reasons to be committed to the church.

            The church is full of sinners, who have hurt others in the church.  I have a few friends who have been hurt by the church, and they are not alone.  The pain and offense are real. When a person has been hurt by the ones who are supposed to encourage them, the hurt is not easily healed, and the results are a lack of trust and commitment to the church.

             American Christians have been brought up to be consumers.  They no longer see church as a place to serve, but a place to be served.  They shop around for the best church to fit their wants and needs;  searching for something that makes them feel good, and costs little for them personally.  If the church begins to have any problems, disagreements or costs them more personally, they leave and shop for another church, or quit going to church altogether. (Stafford 2005)  

              People who go to church statistically “feel a real and personal connection with God”, 68%-78%, depending on the size of the church. (www.barna.org) As a Christian, “You are called to belong, not just believe.” (Warren 2002)  Belonging to a group of believers who “spur one another on toward love and good deeds…and encourage one another” Hebrews 10:24-25 brings forth fruit.  Fruit requires a commitment and willingness to grow and change.  Sometimes the problems in a church are God’s way of making Christians more Christ like.  Followers are not above their master; Jesus was unjustly accused, beaten and killed.  Jesus was perfect, and loved Peter even though he denied him 3 times. Sometimes God can use the church with its imperfections to make Christians more Christ like. American Christians need to remember who the buyer is, “You were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NIV), and what the cost was, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13 (NIV)  

            The foundation, purpose, buyer and cost of the church have not changed in over 2,000 years.  America’s culture and attitudes have changed in the last 40 years.  Even though America’s culture and attitudes have changed, the church is still as significant to God today as the day it was founded.

Sundays

About six weeks ago I woke up on Sunday morning remembering my childhood.  When I was very young, about 40 years ago, Sunday's were different than the other days of the week.  There were very few stores, restaurants and gas stations open on Sundays.  We went to church and my mom fixed a Sunday dinner or we went to my Grandma's house.  The TV was not on during the day on Sunday.  Then it all changed.  It did not happen all at once, but gradually. First Hy-Vee (grocery store) started being open on Sundays, then gradually more gas stations, restaurants and eventually retail stores were open on Sundays.  To begin with the hours were shorter on Sundays, but gradually the hours became more and more extended.  Granted many stores and restaurants are not opened as long on Sundays, but they are still open most of the day.

I have a friend who decided along with her husband that they would set aside Sundays to the Lord.  They would go to church and church fellowships, but when it came to work, they would not do it on Sundays.  My friend started this eight years ago, her husband since has passed away, but she continues to keep Sundays set aside to the Lord.

Since I woke up six weeks ago remembering what Sundays were like when I was a child, I decided to try to make Sundays special and set aside to the Lord.  I am a regular attender of church, so the going to church was no different.  What I have started doing differently is I cut back on my media on Sundays.  I check my phone, but not as often, I don't get on the computer or turn on the TV until Sunday evening.  I also try to get all of the laundry, shopping, gas etc.. done on Saturdays.  Now on Sundays I go to church, read Christian books, take walks, naps and just enjoy doing nothing.

I am still working on setting aside Sundays, but so far I really like it and I feel it makes my week much better.  This world is busy and crazy, by me setting aside Sundays and slowing down, it makes me rested and more able to listen to that small still voice.

Exodus 20:8  "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."