Two Choices

  Do you know where you’ll spend eternity?  As a Believer this should be our greatest concern about, our family, neighbors, people in our workplace or in folks we meet along the way in life, with whom we have conversations.  Our hearts should yearn for opportunities to share the Gospel with those who don’t know the Risen Christ as Savior.  

Yet, often, I find myself shying away from verbal conversation with others regarding this topic, even though I absolutely know where I’ll spend eternity, and the message Jesus wants us to share.  I feel like somehow I’ll skew the information, or be unable to give accurate scripture references, or seem pushy and righteous.  Perhaps you can relate.

However, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with a young woman one day and somehow began talking about choices in life.  Along the way I asked her if she knew where she’d spend eternity if Christ came back today.  

“What?” she asked, clearly startled.  

I repeated the question, and another woman in the room whom the young girl knew well, looked at the girl directly and said, “Oh don’t worry about that.  I’ll explain it to you later.”

I knew the other adult well and knew she grew up in a Christian home.  She however, does not follow the Christian values her parents displayed. My heart fell because I knew I was “done.”  Even though I tried to bring the subject back around to  eternity, I was abruptly and almost harshly stopped.  

As I reflect on the conversation, I know it isn’t I who leads another to Christ, it is the Holy Spirit and I must leave the results in His hands while praying a seed was planted even if Satan tries to squelch my efforts.  I know I don’t have to be a theologian to share about the Gospel.  Sometimes I just need to share my story; what Christ has done in my life; my joy!

We celebrate Christmas and most recently, Easter and  Jesus’ resurrection.  These two holidays are so closely tied together, it’s almost hard to see them separately.   Following that, we can be sure Jesus will return one day, and I believe, in the not too distant future.  So it’s really about choices----and “not choosing” is choosing—and it’s at a great cost!

Jesus was willing to leave His throne in heaven and come to Earth to be the perfect sacrifice so sin and death could be defeated.  When we reject that belief, we reject Him.  Isn’t this reason for each of us to be in deep prayer for the souls of our loved ones, neighbors and others around us?  

When Jesus comes back, there is no more time to make things right.  It comes down to a single moment, a breath, if you will, and it’s finished.  Every person will have a destination and there are only two choices.  Those who have accepted Christ for who he is, and will live eternity in a place of everything good; or those who choose this world and Satan and will live eternity in a place of eternal torment. 

Do You Have A Dream?

  I’ve been writing for many years; yet I find myself still struggling with the word ‘success’.   I have written books, Christian curriculum, children’s books— and currently, more specifically, children’s (and middle school) disability books which are both in a series and I even write two weekly blogs.  Still I look at those who have very successful writing careers and wonder what I’m doing wrong. 

My dream isn’t about doing something that makes me rich and famous, but rather to do something that is fundamentally good and to make a difference.

I read an article recently about another writer who had a similar dream.  Hers involved being part of a ministry that wasn’t immediately received that way, yet she prayed about being part of it and believed God put her in this place.  She said her journey was not clearly defined when she started, and the ‘how-to’ was also a bit vague.  Still following her heart, she dove in.

In addition to being part of this ‘not well defined goal’ she had life struggles which made her wonder what in the world she was doing.  I absolutely, —and perhaps you do too—, can identify with this picture.  While we don’t have the answers we continue to do our best to move forward regardless of the nay-sayers and our lack of self confidence.

A song came out some years ago which on the very first listen, made me cry, “But God.”  Even now (literally) after all these years, the very whisper of those words bring tears to my eyes.  I think about how I started and where I am now.  It’s been a journey I hadn’t planned on. 

Disabilities were not in my mindset, perhaps not even in my vocabulary.  Certainly I knew what they were and that people had to deal with them.  I, however had limited access.  Yet, quite by coincidence (or as I like to think about it ‘God-incidence’) I landed right in the middle of Special Needs.  

The journey has been bumpy, surprising, exhilarating, challenging, rewarding and very educational!  I still don’t feel very enlightened about all the problems, anxieties, loneliness, struggles and courage it takes to get through the day for someone who has a disability.

But one thing I have learned for certain, is God is in control!  He chooses the most unlikely persons to do the most unlikely things!  He used Abraham and Sarah to have a child who would give birth to a nation; Rahab, a prostitute to help His people; the disciples --who were all ordinary men, including being fishermen; and Peter who would deny him three times yet would begin the early church.  He used Paul who, as Saul was a vicious hater and prosecutor of all Believers, and the list could go on for days!

I had a dream.  I wanted to write, and while I hadn’t a clue where it would take me, I jumped in.  I didn’t really have a plan, I just wrote.  I tried various genres, but found my home in the most unlikely place.

I still struggle with all that I don’t know and some days feel totally inept!  Whether my blogs or other works are only read by 25 people or 25,000 is really irrelevant if I am following God’s plan.  God does not care about ‘our numbers’.  He cares that we are obedient.  His success plan can be totally different from ours.

Isn’t that what we all want?  As a Believer we want to believe we are following God’s call and being obedient even when we don’t understand, have much to learn, and run into stone walls.  Just yesterday during the Pastor's sermon, he said, comparing yourself to others is wrong.  God has a specific plan for each of us.

Where is your dream leading you?  Is there something, even if you aren’t sure you are qualified to do, that continues to tug at your heartstrings, begging you to give a try?  It may mean starting small, taking those baby steps which may seem impossible to define, or conversely taking a huge step which can scare you breathless! 

In whatever way you feel God calling you to move forward, seek His face and begin the journey that will ‘grow your relationship’ with him and where you will ultimately find your ‘happy place.’   

Photo credit: https://depositphotos.com/photos/dreams.html 

Taking Our Giants Down

        The story of David and Goliath has always been one of my favorites.  It’s inspiring to witness the courage and belief David had in God.  I want faith like that!  It seems every day there is something that tries to intimidate me like Goliath did to all the Hebrews across the countryside.    

While we don’t see the huge giant taunting us as Goliath did, we still have Goliaths in a variety forms in our world today—and they do seem to taunt us!.  As Max Lucado in his article “Take Goliath Down” said, there is “Debt. Disaster. Dialysis. Danger. Deceit. Disease. Depression.”  These giants loom heavy on our lives and in our hearts and seek to destroy us.  How are we to manage?

The most obvious response to that question is to react as David did.  He talked with God and had a strong belief that his small stone could bring down that giant.  Not because he would be the one throwing the stone; he’d done that with other wild animals, as he protected the flock in his care. He knew God had helped him there and believed God was in 'the working' to control the stone he would throw, to hit its mark.  Again, I want faith like that!

Along with believing God will help us through prayer and our belief in what he can do and what he has already done, we also must have a heart filled with eagerness to please God.  This is sometimes called passion.  David was convinced of the victory over Goliath.  He didn’t run away from the battlefield, but went forward.  

David was one most people would have called foolish.  He was the least likely person there to be able to do something about the skulking coward before them.  He was a simple, young shepherd boy.  Not only did Goliath doubt his ability, but also Goliath’s fellow Philistines, and even his very own brothers! Yet instead of shrinking in fear, he boldly said, ‘let me take him’!  And what made this even more spectacular was his weapon of choice was a sling and some stones!

One stone was all he needed to give the final blow to Goliath, but David could not have know if other Goliath’s in the neighborhood would come charging after him.  The extra stones might have been reassurance he had the necessary tools to bring down more than one enemy!

Our lives are often filled with more than one ‘crisis’ at a time.  Sometimes we feel overwhelmed when not only illness knocks us over, but also debt or another disaster, all flying in at once.  If we perceive our calamities as ‘Goliath’s’ and prepare our souls with stones and a sling, like David did, we can also have victory!

We need to be careful to put on the whole armor of God like David projected, ---through prayer, his passion for following and believing in God, and his faith in a God who never left him to his own defenses.  We need to believe God will give us everything we need when faced with some kind of ‘demon'.  We can move forward in whatever battle or giant we face while using our God given ‘sling and stones’ of prayer, faith in what God knows, has already done, and is doing, to bring our giants down.

        Are you ready to defeat the enemy?

Photo Credit:  https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=david%20and%20goliath 

The Fifth String

  A friend tells the story of sharing the ‘children’s message’ at the beginning of the service.  His object lesson included a five string banjo.  He explained that the fifth string on this musical instrument was vital to the best melodies he would play, even though it was significantly shorter than the rest of the strings. This string at the higher pitch, he continued, usually gets a lot less attention than the other strings, but is still very important.  Demonstrating, he played the same tune twice; once without the fifth string and once with it.  It sounded vastly different.

His point was that even though the youngsters didn’t seem important or usually noted, they are still very important. I love this idea.  Children offer a fresh look at their faith and honest praise.  It’s an important gift for the adults, and often an example of how we should worship!

We have attended churches where children are hardly noticeable. They seem to have no part in the morning worship or in any other way, except during the Christmas program when all the classes participate. The youngest are excused to ‘children’s church’ early and the teens seem to be lost in the crowd, if they are there at all.

We also attend a church, when traveling, where youth and younger people are a vital part of the service.  It isn’t uncommon for my tears to flow with joy as I see a young person singing their hearts out in the morning choir on ‘Youth Sunday’ celebrated once a month.  These young people don’t just include teenagers, but younger ones if they desire.  Even on those Sundays that are not designated for youth, they still seem to be a vital part of the service through the singing or in other ways. 

Following the opening, often a teen will offer special music, as well.  They offer their praise because it’s what they believe and haven’t caved to the stigma of shyness and inadequacies which often plague our young people at that age in front of their peers.

My heart soars when the adult choir sings and encourages young ones to join them, as well.  The younger ones will sit near a familiar adult and will sing with gusto with the words they know, or read the words from the hymnal or sheet being used.  It’s such a joy to include them this way.  Even when the Pastor invites people to come to the altar and pray near the end of the service, it isn’t uncommon for a young person or teen to come visibly bowing before the Lord.

These young people, often over looked in some churches, will one day be the leaders of the church, their communities, perhaps even our nation. I heard it said once, “A church will soon die without the children.”  I think perhaps they are right.  They are such an important part of the church body; the gateway to the future of the church, their families and those who come after.

    We need to cherish these moments and encourage our young people to become an active part of the service.  Worship is not a spectator sport.  We are called to participate with other Believers in true praise.  Including children in this way--even if they don't 'get it' perfect,-- in their early years, prepares them and encourages them to continue to give everything they have to the Lord they know, and in so doing, helps their faith grow.

Photo Credit:  https://www.freeimages.com/search/fiddle