LITL: The hardest post I've ever written.

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; [...] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:6, 8-9)

"And the Lord said to Job, 'Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God let him answer it.' Then Job answered the Lord and said, 'Behold I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice but I will proceed no further.'" (Job 40:1-5)

Last night I had a Job moment. I was angry and bitter towards God. I was demanding he give me an answer. How proud and foolish I am. Who do I think I am to demand something from God?

Brief back story. One of our Mixtecan families had their 2 month old daughter rushed to Children's Hospital in Birmingham. She is having seizures, which are getting longer and more intense over the last few days. The doctors she may not survive much longer, and if she does, she will most likely never go home. She will need to stay in a home for disabled children, because half of her brain is underdeveloped. Above: Her tiny hand clings to my friend's finger as she watches over her after one of these seizures. 

My church and friends have been praying so intently for healing, comfort, wisdom, the whole package. Last night I reached my wits end. I was angry with God. I wanted him to just hurry up and heal her or take her. The uncertainty was killing me. My answer from Him came much like that to Job.

I realized God didn't owe me anything. He doesn't owe me an explanation. He doesn't owe me an answer. He doesn't owe this baby girl anything. He doesn't owe the mother her child. He doesn't owe the child her health. 

He doesn't owe me my own child or her health. 

I was way out of my place to demand anything from God because He is the creator. He gives and takes away, as we sang in church Sunday. He has a reason for what he does, and for no reason do I need to know what it is. 

My job is not to heal or to judge or to decide or to understand. My job is to pray and to trust and to love on this sweet family and the friends that are ministering to them.  

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30)

LITL: Paradise Today and Tomorrow

"Therefore, while the promise to enter His rest remains, let us fear that none of you should miss it." Hebrews 4:1

 The other day, I turned my bible app on and began listening to (what I thought was) a random passage. But God had something to teach me. As He always does.  :P

A little history lesson. Just for a second. When Moses led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, under the guidance of God, we all know it was a bumpy ride. There were attacks, long waits, and the constant murmuring. Just the way I hear that word in my head makes it sound annoying. :P I don't know how Moses did it. As punishment for their unbelief and complaining, God declared that that generation would not see the promise land. They would know what it was to rest in the rewards of their long journey. 

This is the background to this passage in Hebrews. In contrast to the punishment of those Israelites, we can know what it is to rest in God. We can have peace if we have belief. "A Sabbath rest remains for God’s people." (hebrews 4:9) We can rest in God like he rested after he created the earth. How many times do I let myself get so wound up and stressed out, when it is so easy just to stop. rest. "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) But instead i run around like a chicken with my head cut off and become all too aware that I am human. 

This passage in Hebrews 4 reminded of two things. 

LITL: Joyful noises... lots. of joyful. noises.

This is my sweet, wise little girl. At the time this was taken, she was telling me very important things that I could not understand. Partly because I don't speak baby and partly because she was speaking in a pitch I almost couldn't hear. 

Yes my baby girl has found her voice. And it's a big one. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. :P

But other than making me wish I had earplugs, her ... lovely... voice :P reminds me of something. It reminds me of how beautiful of a creation we are. Yes rotten with sin, but beautiful created. "Wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)

Bekah is discovering the way her lungs, windpipe, vocal cords, diaphragm, lips, and tongue work together to make range of noises that she can make. Although she is still working on understanding how to make or understand the noises we do, and she is years away from understanding the why of any of it. 

Then I wonder why myself. Why did God invest such time and ingenuity into such a flawed creature? Biology always blows my mind. Getting down to the tiny little details. the way God perfectly knit all of our piece together to function just the way they do. The way he created our bodies to make sounds and our minds to make language. Our bodies to find rhythm (some not as well as others :P) and our hearts to detect the music all around us. 

God is so good. :)

We are all familiar with the verse, "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation." (Psalm 95:1) I pray that I will find joy in my Savior every day. I pray that my daughter would know joy. 

I am also constantly begging God to bless me with his wisdom. I pray that my daughter also would find wisdom in the word of God. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16)

So "sing to the Lord." (Psalm 96:1) Find joy in his wonders, one of those wonders being you. And seek wisdom in his word. Praise him. :)

LITL: Love has a new address.

"The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

I am here to tell you what love is all about. Twister. That's what.

I have two dear friends. Like sisters. I have known Hallay since she was born and Hannah since she moved here from New Orleans in 2005. We have worked together. I've even taught them in classes. Now I feel like they are teaching me. Or at least reminding me. (But more about that later.)

Because this isn't about Hallay and Hannah. Or about me. It's about Jesus and the example that he set for us to follow. As John says, Christ came down and lived among us. he didnt yell down to us from heaven, "Hey! y'all down there! (Because he wouldve had a southern accent.) I love you!" He didn't get in a bus and just pick us all up, haul us to the pearly gates. He came down to us messy, unreliable humans. He became like us. 

LITL: An odd prayer

The other day, In my quiet time, I was reading Ephesians 3. One verse in particular stood out to me. 

"In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him^. So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory." Ephesians 3:12-13

Paul is speaking to the church in Ephesus of the great power and blessings that God has for those who believe. Obviously we should be bold in revealing to others the mystery of the gospel, the birth, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the free gift that is salvation. 

So in response to this verse relating to being bold, what did I do? I prayed for meekness. I prayed for God to help me to be timid. For those of you who know me, this is a God-sized request. :P

But I am not saying I'm shutting up. God has areas in my life in which I needd to be bold to share, like Paul. But that is easy. What God is truly breaking me for is to be able to discern when to be bold, and when to step aside and let someone else speak. 

Be in prayer. This won't be easy for me. But I am already seeing the blessing God is bringing about through it. :)

Strangely, I think God will show something in order to teach us the exact opposite.

LITL: Full of It

Last week I posted about something my pastor said about prayer and missionaries. As I said in that post, this greatly convicted me on my daily walk with the Lord. I wanted to further explore this as I work to realign myself with daily communing with God and seeking his will.

The same Sunday my pastor said this, he spoke on a passage from Ephesians:

"For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:14-21)

As I read through this passage, so many things stand out to me. I picture Paul kneeling, not just beside his bed before bedtime, but on his face before the Lord as he intercede for the Christians of that day. Do I also come to God in such humility? I was struck by something author Francis Chan said in his book Crazy Love. He instructed the reader to stop praying. "Stop talking at God," but just to start listening. Wow. That will certainly change your daily time with God.

LITL: Beauty is in the Eye of the Record Holder

While reading through one of my Fitness magazines, I ran across an ad for Oakleys that featured Olympic gold medalist, Lindsey Vonn. The headline of the ad read "Beauty is in the eye of the record holder."

Many people have aspirations in life. Some hope to be rich, famous, attractive, athletic, etc. The world has so many things that it labels as beautiful. For some it lies in complexion, size, shape, accessories. These labels have changed over time, and have been used to describe not only people but many aspects of the world around us. The Romantic movement in literature hinged on a term, "sublime," that referred to something's beauty, not due to aesthetic pleasure, but to its ability to intimidate or terrify. I say all this to reitterate that beauty iof fleeting, not in its presence, but in its definition. 

This of course results in the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

However, I particularly love the headline of this ad, because it places the ability to judge beauty not on the person looking, but on oneself. The record holder would normally be the object of beholding. But the one beholding you does not decide how or why you are beautiful. You determine that for yourself. 

I am pretty sure Linsay Vonn has days when she wakes up, looks in the mirror, and thinks, "Man my hair is rank." But even when she does, she still know she is looking at an Olympic Gold Medalist. While this may not necessarily be the most important think to her, I am pretty sure it ranks up there, or she wouldn't train or compete as hard as she does.

I say all this with this question in mind: As Christians, where do we find our own worth or beauty? What drives us to so determinedly live the way we do?

LITL: A communication barrier bigger than you expected.

A while ago, I wrote about communicating: understanding the other perspective as well as admitting flaws in your own perspective. 

Shortly after, I became stuck on something even more difficult. What if the barriers aren't in your speech. Or theirs. What if the other person IS the barrier?

There have been many situations in my life when I have avoided the obvious answer to my problems. Or maybe I wouldn't even admit that I had a problem. When we know we are not living right, we avoid those things and people that are going to convict us. 

Have you ever gone through a day when you just couldn't listen to praise music? Even if it was a song you knew you liked. It just rubbed you the wrong way. Or avoided a good friend because you knew they would see right through you?

We have all been there. It goes back even to Old Testament times. In 1 Kings, Adonikah, brother of Absolom and son of King David announced himself to be king, despite David's still living and Solomon's known appointment as the next king. Adonijah was not alone when he did this. The bible tells us "Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah." <sup>Adonijah knew who would be opposed to his plan, thus he avoided those people and told them nothing of it. 

Like Adonijah, we do not like to be alone when we are doing wrong. We will search far and wide to find someone to "be on our side."</sup> 

Proverbs 25:11-12
"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear."

 Isaiah 9:6
"For a child will be born for us,a son will be given to us,[...] He will be named Wonderful [or Wise] Counselor." (Even stuck some Christmas in there for you. :)

Is there someone you have been avoiding, for of their wise counsel? Have you been avoiding the Word of God for fear of conviction?

SANTA!!!! I KNOW HIM!

No. This post is not about Elf. Not really. 

First, it was inspired by a Christmas song I heard on klove radio the other day. The lyrics went like this:

"Empty manger, perfect stranger, about to be born. Into darkness, sadness, desperate madness, creation so torn. We were so lost on earth, no peace, no worth. no way to escape. In fear, no faith, no hope, no grace, and no light but that was the night before Christmas. Warm hay, cold sweat, a mother, not yet." The Night Before Christmas, by Brandon Heath

This song, contrasting out lost state before the coming of the Messiah to the hope we now have in him, got me to thinking. Immediately I was so grateful that Jesus is not a stranger to me. In the words of Buddy the elf, "I know him!" We are familiar with each other. We communicate daily. He knows my name, my fears, even my favorite color. (See what I did there? :p)

The other day, our advent devotional featured this verse:

John 15:14-16 "You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.  You did not choose Me, but I chose you."

God wants you to get to know him. He wants a personal TWO-WAY relationship between you both. He says through Jeremiah, "But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me— that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration."

Is Jesus your friend? Do you know him? Are you seeking to know him better, as he sought you?

Time doesn't just tick.

God made time. Have you ever really stopped to think about that? Although we know that God exist outside of space and time, he did create our sense of time, years, seasons, months, days, minutes. 

Genesis 1:14 - "Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years."

God gave us signs so that we could mark the passing of time, look back on that time, even to have dead lines. Crazy huh? God makes the sun descend in the evening to show you that, yes, that midnight due date is coming. 

God gives us time like he gives anything else. He gives and he takes away. "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of Yahweh." (Job 1:21) The time he has allotted to us is precious. And some he has allotted more than others. 

He is almighty and able to manipulate time. He blessed Caleb with a longer day to battle for the Israelites. Joshua 10:12-14 "On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Isn’t this written in the Book of Jashar? So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed its setting almost a full day.  There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man, because the Lord fought for Israel. Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal."

So if God provides all we need, and he has also provided with markers of time, then God has given us all the time we need. Do we use that time as well as we use other resources the Lord has given us? 

The Bible speaks in may places about the way we use those things with which God has blessed us.
Luke 12:42-44 "And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions."

Are you a faithful steward of the precious little time God has given you? Do you live in the urgency of the Gospel? And even in meeting the most seemingly insignificant of deadlines, do you seek to glorify God with efficiency and punctuality?

LITL: See Instruction Manual

Unfortunately there are many things that do not come with instructions. For some people this isn't a huge problem. Take my husband for example. He can take a look at some pieces or the inside of almost anything and figure out how it works and how to fix it. 

Me? Not so much. I like to do research and be prepared going into a situation. I have to feel like I can control the situation if I want.

Lucky for me, God knows this. He created me. he knows how I tick. Is that an excuse? Not a chance. God often asks me to step out in faith, blindly,with out question, and I have found great joy in doing so. 

But every once in a while I remember that God also gave us specific instructions. Very recently, I studied the passage of the flood in Genesis. I would never have imagined how much it would mean to me to read through what seems at first to be obscure detail on building a massive boat, details I would never need. I prefer canoes, anyway. Less pieces. 

But for someone who gets terrified and incredibly discouraged when I find myself in the middle of a situation for which I am competely (or seemingly so) unqualified, details nad instructions pull from me a sigh of relief. 

Lately, I have been stuck in this terrifying sense of ineptitude. And it wasn't until reading through those specific instructions given to Noah that I realized that God had been pointing me towards the instruction I needed all along. Laid on my heart had been the answer I was avoiding. 

I can't imagine the that Noah found his task easy. I am sure this job God gave him was nothing if not overwhelming. In the same way, looking over the instruction God has given me can also be quite overwhelming.  But hey. God could have just told him to build a really big boat. I'm sure that would have been maddening. 

So I take courage from the fact that God did give me instructions. And I am eventually going to man up and read them. :P (hey give a girl a break.)

Genesis 6:9 "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God."

Psalm 37:4,7 "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."

What instructions has God given you? Have you manned up and read the manual yet? What's keeping you?

LITL: The Answer is always No

Yesterday I had my first ministry support appointment. It went very well. I got the opportunity to sit down with a Pastor with whom I am quite familiar through various involvements with the ministry already.

At the end of the meeting, I jokingly asked him "So how did I do?" His response was very encouraging: "You did great. Just relax and don't ever be afraid to ask." This is similar to the idea that the answer to an un-asked question is always no.

This later brought to mind a passage I have recently read in small group, the one when God gave Solomon wisdom. 

"At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?”

 

And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 

 Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life. If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.” (I Kings 3:5-14)

Solomon's response to the Lord's question shows a great faithfulness and longing for the Lord. Often we are too caught up in our lives and our problems to even notice that God is trying so hard to bless us. We won't sit down for two seconds to enjoy the things God has given us, or to hear his voice. We just keep on trudging through our daily lives because that's the way its always been and always will be. 

WAKE UP! Yes, God calls us to some pretty mundane and difficult things sometimes, but he is still our Father and still wants to bless us. If we are willing to follow him wholeheartedly, he will bless us as he blessed Solomon. 

"All these blessings will come and overtake you, because you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. Your descendants will be blessed, and your land’s produce, and the offspring of your livestock, including the young of your herds and the newborn of your flocks. Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." (Deuteronomy 28:2-6)

So in all things, seek the Lord's blessing. He may not bless everything you do, but if that is the case, then maybe you should change what you are doing. But when something is laid on your heart, don't ever be afraid to ask. God loves you and wants what is best for you. Better than anything you could dream of.

LITL: Invincible

"No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you. Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5, 7-9)

Last night, my husband and I watched Remember the Titans. (my favorite!) So many bits and pieces of that move will be engrained in my brain forever. It doesn't help when daddy and I would watch it EVERY time it came on TV.

But this morning when I randomly (or not so much) turned (clicked. on my kindle :P) to the above passage. As I read about the assurance of victory that God gave to Joshua, Julius Campbell rang through my head:

Coach Boone: "It's all right. We're in a fight. You boys are doing all that you can do. Anybody can see that. Win or lose... We gonna walk out of this stadium tonight with our heads held high. Do your best. That's all anybody can ask for."
Julius: "No, it ain't Coach. With all due respect, uh, you demanded more of us. You demanded perfection. Now, I ain't saying that I'm perfect, 'cause I'm not. And I ain't gonna never be. None of us are. But we have won every single game we have played till now. So this team is perfect. We stepped out on that field that way tonight. And, uh, if it's all the same to you, Coach Boone, that's how we want to leave it." 

Just like the coach expects a certain level of performance from his team, God expects a certain level of performance from us. He asked Joshua two things: to trust that God would always be with him, as he was with Moses, and to follow God's commands. Joshua couldn't have won all of those victories or become the famous warrior he is to the church today with his own power. He was not perfect. None of us are. 

But God is perfect. God has won every battle he has fought since the beginning of time. And with God,  his team can be perfect. We may mess up, but God's will will always prevail. If we are walking in HIS way,  performing the way HE expects us to, we will win. If the Titans had played the way the world around them expected them to, they would have lost every game they played, and that's IF they made it our of camp alive. 

So, are you playing the game the way God has instructed you? Then you will win. Because your power comes from God, and he is perfect. If you aren't, then what in your life needs to change?

LITL: Reaching for a life preserver

Take it from some one who knows from experience. When you're drowning, you'll pretty much reach for anything that might pull you above water. Anything that might help get some air in your lungs.

So what about when we're drowning in something that isn't water? What about pain, grief, sorrow, guilt, disappointment, loneliness, bitterness, fear? What do we reach for then? I came to this same question last night when I realized that the things I was reaching for were just sinking with me. When one would fail to fix the problem, it only increased my dispair.

It is so easy to rely on the things of this world for support or rescue. You see it all the time with anyone who seeks a substance or activity to escape from their day to day problems. For me its people. I rely so much on the people around me. However, I forget that people are just that... just people. They aren't perfect.

I've had some problems with a friend recently. These problems have left me sad, hurt, and sometimes even bitter toward the source. I keep thinking the friend will stop doing what they're doing, and everything will be OK again. I talk to my husband about it and more often than not I'm left more upset, because he doesn't completely understand, nor is he able to fix the problem. It wasn't until last night, in a bout of feeling particularly hopeless and lost, that I realized something just wasn't clicking.

LITL: You can't always get what you want.

"But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need."

Some very wise men (The Rolling Stones) once said this. :P

Sadly my husband keeps using this against me every time I say I want a puppy. (eventually I shall prevail :P) But I don't want to talk about puppies today. I want to talk about pain. 

Being human is painful. Let's face it. Aside from cuts, scrape, bruises, broken bones, we have heart ache,  abandonment,  neglect, abuse. Sin that entered this world by the first man corrupted the world. James describes world with these words: “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (James 3:16) "The way of the sinner is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). We are often weary and heavy laden. Cheerful start to your morning, huh?

The good news is, this pain won't last forever. Revelation 21:4 gives us hope for a brighter future: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away."

Unfortunately, we have no idea how long until that day comes, so for now, we have to deal with the pain of living in this world, as well as the additional pain of trying to live in this world and walk by the Spirit. Jesus was honest with his disciples about the difficulty of this task. “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:18-20)

However, it's still not all doom and gloom, because Jesus, our master, left us with authority: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

LITL: Lost in translation. A communication fail.

I haven't posted a really good post in a while. And so I sit here wondering... what do I have to say. 

Strange, because over the past few days I have constantly had to opt not to speak. For someone like me, this is almost a miracle. I am a logical thinking. I can reason through almost any problem, solve any solution, or at least make up a solution that sounds like I know what I am talking about. 

But I find time and time again that people are not problems; they don't have solutions; they can't be reasoned through. Sometimes they can't even be reasoned with. 

So how do I respond when it seems something needs to be fixed? I jump in a start fixing it. Why read the instructions when I might be able to figure it out from looking at the pieces? Oh boy, this one gets me in trouble all the time. 

Recently I have had many situations in which I just have to sit back and observe. Doing so, I have learned a few things about communication. There is no such thing as an unbiased point of view. Every one has filters or barriers through which information must pass on its way in and out of the brain. Such filters can be cultural, lengual, based on age, etc. 

Barriers are those more difficult parts of communicating, things that have formed in a person that make it difficult to be flexible and varied in communication. Character flaws, tragic experiences, on going difficult relationships can cause a person to communicate in one specific way, and make them unable of understanding or being understood by a person with different barriers. 

So what do you do when you try to talk to someone and it seems like its being heard in another language? Stop talking. I try to explain more and more what I mean, when I need to stop and figure out what was heard. 

What does God say about this?

Psalm 37:8 - "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil."

Proverbs 15:1 - "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Ephesians 4:1-3 -  " As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

So stop and ask yourself, "What barriers are my words having to go through before they are heard? What is the other person hearing?" And the most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Are there barriers in your life that are preventing you from understanding others? How can you pray the out of your life? 

LITL: Fake it until You Make it.

Today I must confess something...

I don't have all the answers. 

Sorry to break it to you. :P

However, I am grateful for the Holy Spirit in me that gives me the answers. Today's post is inspired by some sweet time I got to spend with a friend last night. She is struggling with some decisions that she has made in order to follow the Lord. But she is faithful and unwilling to give up. It is such a blessing to see her fighting for what she believes is God's will in her life. 

 This friend, as well as others to whom I have been a help or a guide in the past, always bless me in surprising ways. I say this meaning, they will ask me the hardest questions, and somehow, I can give them the answers. 

Granted this power is not mine. No, sir! I am not the all knowing, intelligent being I like to think I am sometimes. Many times, I am struggling through the same or similar circumstances and have been wondering the same thing that they ask me. 

In life, there are always "whys" and "what ifs." Why doesn't God just do it this way? Why do I have to go through this? Why can't he make it stop? 

LITL: When Giving Up Isn't a Bad Thing

Now for a blog, after a fun filled morning. Remember that little incident I had with my windshield? (If not see Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is) Well I got it fixed today. Yay! And for a decent price too. And they vacuumed and washed all my windows and it is so pretty. :) Yeah, I'm a little excited. I even got new windsheild wipers for a great price at Fred's. 

But anyway, this is not a shopping post, although one of those is soon to come after I post this.  

This blog is actually about sacrifice. And coincidentally (yeah, right) the passage I studied this morning for BSF was about the offerings of Cain and Abel. A story most of you know, but just in case, here is a recap:

"Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain^. She said, 'With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.' Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.'” (Genesis 4:1-7)

This passage speaks to us about the attitude of giving. Who cares what Cain brought before God? There are various laws in the Old Testament pertaining to harvest offerings. What really matters is the way he brought it. God obviously already saw the state of Cain's heart, and he warned him about giving in to the sin of pride. 

This truth has recently come to be a much greater presence in our lives, as we have finally taken the leap faith to start tithing. I know, we're heathens. Married over a year and we are just now giving our tithe. But as I explained in The Math Doesn't Matter, letting go of control of our money situation is a very hard struggle for me. However, when we realized how convicted each of us were, we could put it off no longer. 

LITL: It takes one to know one.

I taught myself something without realizing it. Don't you love it when that happens? So many times I will give another person some advice or help them in some way and then within the next few days, or even sometimes few hours, I realize that thata lesson was really for me. 

Because, God, you are so cool like that. 

So, I figured I'd tell about it, seeing as how I'm never the only one that needs to know things. Life is pretty much a situation where everyone knows something, but no one knows everything.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of reconnecting with an old friend from high school. We started out talking about the baby and being excited for the future.Then unfortunately, she admitted to me that life was not at all going the way she hoped. (Unfortunate about her situation, not that she told me :P I am glad she confided in me.) I know all too well what it is like to be in a situation where its impossible to make ends meet, and you feel absolutely helpless. 

She shared her hopes of getting out of Montgomery, but the means to do so are no where in sight. She even wishes she could back into art, which she loves so much. Her situation is even keeping her out of school, a place where she would feel focused and able to move forward through studies. 

I know exactly how she feels. In a way, our high school was a safe place, complete with numerous oppurtunities to get involved with anything that interest you, as well as high expectations for success, and a plethora of people willing and able to assist you and guide in your chosen direction. 

LITL: Reading, Talking, Crying, Eating... Together :)

Today is going to show a pretty short blog post, but that's ok. It's a busy day anyway, so I am sort of throwing this one together, then running up to shower. 

In case you're wondering why, I am going to an ultrasound at 11:30 with my husband,  my best friend, and my sister to find out the gender of our baby. 

EXCITED MUCH? :)

Not that I am throwing together some messy ideas or throwing a passage in that I picked at random. I just chose a shorter passage, instead the two chapters or four gospels I wrote about recently. 

I want to just focus on the early church as a whole today. Sometimes, when we get caught up in our lives as they have become, going back to our beginnings is the healthiest way to refresh.