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January 2, 2001 |
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January 10, 2001 |
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January 15, 2001 |
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January 22, 2001 |
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January 29, 2001 |
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| January 2, 2001 |
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Then, when we got back I started cleaning the house. I had let things pile up. The yard was full of weeds and the house was full of dust. Today I worked on the last bad area, the front yard. As I was pruning the roses and pulling weeds I was contemplating how bad the yard looked. A couple of young boys rode by on their bikes and one of them said, "You have a really nice yard!" HA HA HA!! I guess other yards looked even worse! |
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| January 10, 2001 |
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Had I gone with my first instinct I would have agreed to be the next year's president and would have made lots of phone calls and personal contact to try to get parents involved. I've always jumped in where I saw a need and tried to fill it. That is why I have run myself ragged so many times. One person can't fix the world! This time I've waited for the Lord's answer. It's a good thing I did. I wouldn't want to have tried to do it without Him! |
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| January 15, 2001 |
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When God wants to do something then it is up to us to let Him. I know that nothing is impossible with God and if He wants to do something then He is perfectly able to do it. What I am saying is that God gives us the choice to allow Him to do something. We can choose to follow the schedule for our church service. We can insert the pre-planned hymns and the sermon or we can allow God to tell us that He wants more praise music, or He wants someone to stand up and share their testimony, or whatever He wants. When we are in church we are there to worship and serve Him, not to please the people who are attending. So many churches are busy planning ways to get more people to attend. They are busy in the flesh working out better, more exciting services and fancy programs. In actuality, if they would only allow the Holy Spirit to run the service then people would come. They might feel the presence of the Spirit as they drive by. They might feel the call in their heart that they need to go to that particular church. They may see evidence of the Holy Spirit in they eyes and life of the members of the congregation and be drawn that way. When God is at a church then people will want to come. We each have a choice every minute of every day. Are we going to go on with business as usual or else do everything the way we think it should be done or are we going to allow God to dictate what we do and how we do it? |
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| January 22, 2001 |
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Well, how does one go about giving the perfect speech? I gave my mouth to the Lord. He had to be the One to come up with the exact words that would get parents involved. He has pulled me back away from involvement and I pointed out that since He was pulling me out, He needed to bring other parents forward. He did. Last week a parent called me and she was telling me how she would be able to help. What a blessing! The areas where I had been working were the areas where she had talents! She was telling me that she wouldn't let me do things any more because I've done enough! Many other parents signed up to help. Eight parents signed the commitment form I had designed that stated they WOULD help and they would make every effort to attend the monthly meetings. They had to sign their names. Glory! I'm so glad! That booster club meant a lot to me. My husband is one of the football coaches. My son, who is a junior on the team, has been involved in the program since he was one year old! It wouldn't be fair that it fall apart now. He wouldn't have the benefits of pre-game meals, trophies, and all the other things the club buys during his senior year! The coaches would not have a lot of the things they need, either. It was breaking my heart to have to say, "If no parents come forward to help there will be no booster club next year!" I must have really worked myself up for the ceremony yesterday. I was fine until I got home. I felt like crying. Crying gives me a headache, so I went to bed instead! God is so very GOOD! He knew my desires. He knew how important it was to me. He knew I was being obedient to what He told me and I was backing away from the booster club. He brought people to take over. I know He brought enough people with varied talents that all the different needs will be filled. He is AWESOME! |
Thursday morning I was waiting for my friend/prayer partner to arrive. I was reading my Bible and my mind was wandering a bit as I wondered what was taking her so long. My friend has had the same car for as long as I can remember, which is a long time. Her husband drives a big pickup truck. As I was thinking about her I imagined her to arrive in her husband's truck for some reason. Then that thought changed to, "No, she's driving her new car." Now, I had no reason to think she had a new car. She hadn't mentioned getting a new car, having problems with her old car, or anything else that would give me that idea. Well, up drives a car I didn't recognize and she got out!! She and her husband faced some major work on her old car and they decided to go see what was available and bought a new/used car! It was a bit unsettling for me to realize that there was no way I could have known about it ahead of time. Then another thing happened yesterday. My youngest son cleaned out his closet and gave me a pile of clothes he no longer wanted. In that pile was a t-shirt with a list of all the names of the seniors from the year my oldest son graduated from high school. I hung it over the back of a chair. Yesterday I was praying about the awards ceremony and reading over my notes for my speech when my eyes settled on that shirt. One name jumped out at me. It was the name of one of the football players, George Chenier. At the awards ceremony it was announced that one of the regular awards, Most Courageous, had been changed to the George Chenier Memorial Award. George had been a witness to a horrible accident. He left his own family in his car and pulled a 15 year old boy out of an upside-down burning truck. He tried to pull the father out as well, but couldn't. George died the next day from burns he had suffered. Why had I zoomed in on only his name in a list of 700 names? I don't know. I have a feeling the Lord is showing me that He has given me the gift of knowledge. I need to be more alert to the things He reveals to me. I need to be able to hear what He says and then know what to do with the information He gives me. |
Do you know your position in the Body of Christ? Do you know what gifts He has given you? Do you know what He wants you to do with those gifts? Do you know what He wants you to say and do today? We humans have come a long way since Adam and Eve. It is a very long way THE WRONG WAY! We are continuously busy about the world's business. We have so many things bombarding our minds every day that we probably feel we don't have time to read our Bibles. We have lots of other things we need to be thinking about. Every day we have new decisions to make. There is only one thing that never changes, is always available, has all the answers, knows what will happen tomorrow, is the calm in the midst of every storm, is a rock when all else is sinking sand, and loves us no matter what we do or say. You know the answer. It's God. He will provide you with everything you need. He asks for a little of your time in return. You say you have no extra time? Do you read the newspaper? How much time do you spend reading things in the paper that don't affect your life? Do you watch TV? How much time do you spend watching things that don't make a difference in your life? Do you have the opportunity to eat lunch or breakfast alone? Can you read and eat at the same time? Probably you already see where you can take some time to spend with the Lord! |
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| January 29, 2001 |
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I could tell you that you don't have to feel that way, but I won't. I could tell you that you could separate yourself from the things that are bringing you down, but I won't. I could tell you that I know of a sure cure for what ails you, but I won't. |
The chances are that you don't know me. As a result, you can't trust me because people generally cannot be trusted. That's why I'm not going to give you the answer to your problem (if, indeed you fall into the non-rejoicing category I mentioned above). What I am going to do is tell you that I can direct you to someone who can help you separate yourself from the things that bring you down. In order for this person to help you, however, you will have to want to climb out of the pit you are in. You will have to be willing to let go of ALL the "poor me's" and the worrying that you do. He can only help you a little bit if you hang on to any of it. You have some decisions to make. In order to climb above your situation you will need to do a few things.
"It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so [God] giveth his beloved sleep." Psalm 127:2 |
Looky there... how did that Bible study end up in the welcome message? |
Have you ever watched or played a game where a couple of people get together and try to make up a story by saying one word at a time? The first person says a word, the second says whatever word pops into his mind, the third says a word, etc. It can be very funny as you observe the twists and turns the story takes. It is equally funny to watch the faces of the people coming up with the words as they hear how the next person totally changes what they were thinking by adding a different word than what they were thinking or how they struggle to come up with a word that will make sense as it is attached to the other words. A church service is similar to that game, only God is whispering in the ears of the people and telling them what to say, sing, and do. If they are listening to His voice then the entire church service flows with the anointing of God and everyone there will go out blessed and refreshed. There will be no confusion or misunderstandings. Everything that is said and done will flow with an unearthly rhythm. You will hear your own thoughts and desires expressed by someone else. One word will flow into another. One song will flow into another. If your church bulletin has an "order of worship" listed in it and that order is followed every week you might want to ask your church leadership this question, "How do you know that's the way God wants it?" If the response is similar to, "That's the way we've always done it," then you might consider finding yourself another place to worship. Find a place where God is put in charge of the "order of worship." |
If you think of it, send me an email and let me know if it made a difference. |
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