Pure and Genuine Religion

For the last couple of weeks, I have been teaching about the Caste System in India to my students.  They are all SO shocked when I explain about the Untouchables and slavery in the country.  I gave out this little worksheet that ends with the question, “What do you think of the Caste System?”  Obviously, every single answer was against it and how unfair it is.

FF a couple of days to Facebook.  I was reading a post by one of my friends and she posted a youtube video which I watched.  It’s about 8 minutes long, but even if you just watch part – it really puts the Caste System in perspective with being a Christian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWHJ6-YhSYQ

So this paragraph won’t make sense unless you watched the video, but think of the movie Taken.  So Liam Neeson is like God and his daughter is like an orphan.  His mission was to save her no matter what he had to do.  He was not responsible for the situation she was in, but he used every resource available to him to get her out of it.

Interesting thought J

As parents, we have not done the best job getting you guys involved in Christian fellowship.  But I assure you we have always tried to be a good example to you. We want to show you what it is like to love God by what we do, not just telling you.  I want to show you that I call my mommy several times a week so when you are older you will do the same thing – and be even better at it – hint, hint.

It says in James 1:27 - Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Dad and I sincerely try to help Nana in every way we can.  We love her but she is a widow and God commands us to take care of her.  We always try to buy Christmas presents for orphans through World Vision each year.

But what if that isn’t enough?

In Deuteronomy 24:19-20 it says when we harvest to always make sure we leave some for the orphans.  I could go on and on listing scriptures in which God exhorts us to care for the outcastes and orphans.

I don’t necessarily want to adopt and orphan.  BUT I have the opportunity to have one come visit for a few weeks this summer. There are some children coming from the Ukraine who live in an orphanage there. 

I know it’s not always fun changing things around and making room, having a language barrier, etc.  BUT God says taking care of them is like taking care of HIM himself. 

I don’t want to commit to anything that we aren’t all in agreement with – that’s not what family is about. 

Would you please take the time to watch the video.  Read your Bible on the subject, pray about it.  And will you honestly tell me what you think?

Disappointed

When you’re in the midst of disappointment and heartache – thankfulness will break the yoke.

Psalm 103:2-7

O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing! 

He forgives your sins – every one.

He heals your diseases – every one.

He redeems you from hell – saves your life!

He crowns you with love and mercy – a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness – beauty eternal.

He renews your youth – you’re always young in his presence.

God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet.

Deuteronomy 31:6 

Be strong, take courage.  Don’t be intimidated.  Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you.  He’s right there with you.  He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. 

You can always find something to thank God for.  It will change your perspective and take your thoughts of your troubles!

It is "Pick on Ben Week"

Have you ever noticed how people will write about overcoming frustration and depression AFTER they  have come full circle and know the end of the story? 

How does one share about dealing with frustration in the midst of disappointing circumstances?  Where do you find that inner strength and be able to share about your faith during the hard times of life?

I had some great talks with Aunt Jean this past weekend and I came to realize – she is one smart cookie!

Epiphany 1 – you can’t bargain with God.  We see that sometimes on TV, movies, etc.  People will offer to do something like taking care of the poor in exchange for God answering their prayer.  God wants us to follow him but he really doesn’t need us.  He’s got that covered.

Epiphany 2 – I must not be holy enough or have enough faith for God to care about me.  This is such a LIE and please do not ever fall into that trap.  Throughout history some of the most faithful people in the world get slapped in the face with horrendous circumstances.

So what is that answer?  How do I keep from getting mad at God for not quickly changing the things that are so unfair to me?

I have to say – there is not a one sentence answer here.  I am not smart enough to understand God and I am easily frustrated but God is working on me.

I can quote a few verses:

John 16: 23-24 says, “This is what I want you to do: Ask the father for whatever is in keeping with the things I have revealed to you.  Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks.”

Easy question – have you done that exactly?  So here is one example for me – and I have these kinds of prayers for each of you, but I’m starting with Ben. It is “pick on Ben week.”

God, I feel like you worked everything out for Ben to go to Randolph.  Everything there seems perfect for him as far as classes and friends.  God, Ben worked so hard all his teenager years to develop the athletic abilities you gave him.  I know it is your will for him to play because you are the one who gave him the talent and the desire.  I am asking God that you give him more playing time. My heart’s desire is for him to get time on the field during a game.  I give my frustration to you and in Jesus name God, I am asking for you to give him his chance to prove himself and not let him sit the bench his entire freshman year. 

I can honestly say I am guilty of not always praying like that.  Rather, I beg then get angry a lot of times and it really is not fruitful at all.  John goes on to say in verse 33, “In this godless world, you will continue to experience difficulties.  But take heart!  I have conquered the world.”

I think this is where we bog down in frustration.  So I truly am expecting God to answer my prayer.  So then what do I do if Ben gets playing time this week but then another frustration comes right behind this one answer to one prayer? 

Unfortunately, my first reaction in the past has been  to say, “Wow, really God?”

Bad reaction.  Really bad.

That demonstrates to God I am only going to serve him and have faith in him when I am happy with what he is doing for me in the world right at this moment.

It sounds so bad to even type it – but in all honesty – that is what happens to us when the only time we totally surrender to God is when we are given something we desperately want.  We are able to start fresh and rededicate ourselves to God because that one answer boosted our mood. 

But until we conquer frustration and train ourselves to keep that faith when the next trial hits – we will never break the cycle.  It will begin a downward spiral into a life of negativity.

In James 1: 2 – 4 it says, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you can become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way.”

Your true colors are never exposed better than when a trial in life has to do with the things you love the most.  In my case, it’s you guys.  Don’t mess with my kids.  And sometimes I have the audacity to say, don’t mess with my kids GOD.

It’s not God messing with you, but God sure is testing all of us in those sore spots to see what our true colors are.  And the first thing I try to do is get out of it prematurely.  I want to fix it all on my own. So, so,  so true for me – I want to call Ben’s coach myself.  Better yet, I want to find him a new team and change his whole life so he can have more playing time.  I want to control all the factors and make them work like I think it should.  I want to bypass ANY lesson here and make it right today, now.  I want to be mad and I certainly do not consider any of this a sheer gift.

So I am not at the end of the story.  I am trying to learn about life’s frustrations and teach you about them while I am in a trial.  While Ben is in a trail.

We should, as a family, attack this situation with prayer.  Not a one liner each day, but a lot of prayers that come from the word and don’t just beg God for gratification.  Real prayers that THANK God for loving us enough to teach us and mold us and that truly seek God’s will and victory.

James goes on to say in verse 12, “Anyone who meets a testing challenge head on and manages to stick it out is MIGHTY FORTUNATE.  For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.” And on down in verse 20,”God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger.”

When you meet a challenge head on – take it on.  But not in anger.  Don’t back down either.  Confidence is not anger.  RISE TO THE CHALLENGE.  God can not teach you anything if you just lie back and wait for God to teach the lesson while you whimper and hide under the sheets.  Stand up with your head up, chest out and say “bring it on – I’ve got this!”

Where do we get that kind of God arrogance from? How do we back up that kind of boldness?

Guess what?  You guys are God’s children.  You are not spending eternity in hell but in paradise with God.  You are here and in every circumstance because he is getting you ready for eternity with him.  Whatever happens to you is a test so he can see what in your life he needs to molded some more to make you ready for eternal life. Now if that doesn’t inspire confidence, I don’t know what will!

Ben has a meeting with his coach on Tuesday.  We all need to pray about that.  Pray without ceasing. Ben needs to meet this challenge head on with confidence not anger.  The true colors of his faith need to be shown as righteous as they truly are – not a faith clouded by frustration and anger or a defeatist attitude.  Be confident Ben! You know who you are and don’t be afraid to show it! 

And don’t worry about what to say during that meeting Ben.  Just keep praying for God’s will

 – tell him what you want, the desire of your heart.  Pray that God will give you that desire and pray for God’s will.  

It says in Luke 12: 11-12, “When they drag you into their meeting place and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves – what you’ll say or how you’ll say it.  The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”

You have to believe that Ben – God has your words for the meeting already planned.  You don’t need to plan them ahead yourself. 

If we all pray and believe and refuse to let frustration govern our lives and the words that come out of our mouths – God will give us all the words to say and God will give us all the desires of our hearts and we can tackle the frustrations of life head on with confidence. 

Ben we all love you and KNOW that God is going to bring you through this frustrating time by giving you confidence in both your abilities to play well and your abilities to find the right words in your meeting. 

Does anyone else have anything to add to Ben?  Or to me?

Hmmmm….who should I pick on next J

Sometimes You Just Gotta Say "Oh Well!"

True...we are called to be responsible, to be good stewards, to love one another....things we all know.

Sometimes we get confused that this means we are called to have everything perfect, all the time.  This is not true!

When little things you had hoped for don't go as you had planned, sometimes you just need to say "oh well!"  Then focus on the fact that you have faith in God and ALL things are under his control.  

We tend to let petty cares and frustrations accumulate and they use up all our energies to deal with life.  When serious problems come along - and sometimes in life they just do, all your mental reserves to deal with things will be gone if you've never let go of the frustrations of petty things.  

Focus on what really matters in life - your faith in God.  Walk with lighter steps, be happy for all the things that are right. Focus on the fact that you can cast all your burdens onto Jesus. 

Momentary disappointments and frustrations are just that - momentary.  Most of them really don't mean much in the big scheme of life. Your faith in God is eternal!

Psalm 55:22 Pile your troubles on God's shoulders - he'll carry your load, he'll help you out.  He'll never let good people topple into ruin.  

Patience

One of the hardest things for us is to see things through to the end while walking patiently for God to finish his plan.  

Patience:  the state of enduring under difficult circumstances.

We don't like to wait - actually I HATE to wait.  But patience is actually a gift from God!

We can't have patience if we don't have faith and trust in God.  We have to trust that as we walk with God in our daily lives that we will arrive at His purpose for us - even if we feel like we have absolutely no idea where we are going.  Our faith though, is that God knows and he will walk the entire path with us.  Veering out of God's will is always our choice, not God's doing.  

In Joshua 1 in the message Bible it says:  " I'll be with you.  I won't give up on you; I won't leave you.  Strength!  Courage!.....Give it everything you have, heart and soul.  Make sure you carry out the revelation Moses commanded you, every bit of it.  Don't get off track, either left of right, so as to make sure you get to where you are going.  And don't for a minute let God's word be out of your mind.  Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it.  THEN YOU WILL GET TO WHERE YOU ARE GOING; THEN YOU WILL SUCCEED.   Haven't I commanded you strength?  courage? Don't be timid; don't get discouraged.  God, YOUR God, is with you ever step you take.  

Always remember, it is the weak at heart who give up easily and can't walk through anything difficult.  But if you have strength and you don't let frustration rule your behavior - you will succeed.  It is very clear how to renew this strength too - it is so easy.  JUST READ YOUR BIBLE AND PRAY.  Will one or two verses day be enough to make a difference?  Absolutely!  If you just kept the verses above in your mind and said them to yourself on a daily basis, you will grow stronger and any discouragement will begin to fade.

Stress and Worry

I think this past few weeks have been stressful for each of us in different ways.   Dad and I of course are stressed about all the changes in each of your lives and we worry about the choices you will have to make and about dealing with circumstances that you have no control over.

I realize though that parents are not the only ones with stress.  Kids are under more stress today than ever before to succeed.  Partly because of the pressure we as parents put on you.  Please know, our desire for you to succeed is not meant to push you the point of worrying you haven’t accomplished enough to satisfy us.  Our worries over you guys are because we don’t want any of you to ever be disappointed with your life. 

Sometimes this can set up a bad cycle.  Worrying can lead to obsessing in one area of your life – cause you to focus on perfecting one thing in your life.  Our world is so complex and there are so many things we need to give attention to, it is easy to lose our true sense of direction.  In fact, we tend to praise people who worry and obsess of something that they go above and beyond in excelling. 

Is this how God wants us to live?

Well clearly the answer is no.  However, some use Bible verses on the subject as an excuse to never accomplish anything.  That is wrong too. 

I came across some very simple verses this morning that seemed to clear up the question, well exactly what are we supposed to do?

Proverbs 16: 3 – 7    “Put God in charge of your work then what you’ve planned will take place.  God made everything with a place and purpose; even the wicked are included – for judgment.  God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense; believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place. Guild is banished through love and truth; Fear-of-God deflects evil.  When God approves your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand…We plan the way we want to live, but only God make us able to live it.”

To easily sum up how to live in the state described in those verses – spend time alone with God.  Reading your Bible and praying will restore your sense of direction.  When you look to God for guidance, you will accomplish more in your life by doing less yourself.  God is in control, so quit trying to make things happen on your own, and if you do that you will find that your frustrations will turn into faith.

A Journey

When you pray for something to happen in your life, you begin a journey for yourself.  Many people quit their journeys before they are complete.  Why?  Because they become impatient and frustrated that there even is a journey.

Think of a board game – like Chutes and Ladders.  There is a start and there is a finish.  But there are a lot of spaces in between.  Sometimes you get a really good roll and move way ahead only to find that at your next turn you land on a space that sends you back to start.  When playing a board game though, you just roll and again, confident you can catch back up.  Unfortunately in life, we often see those backward moving times as an opportunity to just give up and admit defeat. 

People who don’t give up and finish the game are people who rely on God.  Through your prayer time, gut feelings, and even words from other people, God has given you dreams.  A dream can seem overwhelming and impossible to achieve.  And often when you do make some progress, you suddenly land on a space that sends you back to the beginning.

Failures in our own strength keep us focused on relying on God

When you are praying for something specific in your life, most likely the journey is going to be a path that includes frequent failures.  HOWEVER, failures are ALWAYS followed by a growth spurt – one in which you will grow closer to God and see that his hand has been guiding your path all along. 

God uses temporary set-backs to remind you not to lose focus on Him.  Without him you will lose the game.

Keep on praying for that specific thing you want to accomplish.  Find a scripture to pray over and over.  Have faith it will happen in God’s time.  But most important….don’t lose faith or drop out of the game at the first failure or frustration.  Let the frustrations in life bring out the best in you, not the worst.

I am writing this week about a very difficult topic because it really defies our understanding.  But I feel God showed me this and wants me to share this with you.

There is a passage of scripture in Hebrews 12: 25 – 29.  Instead of me typing the entire passage, I am going to just ask right now that you look that up and read it.  Get a Bible….look it up on the Internet.  Whichever you prefer…

At first reading that does not sound too important or too applicable to your life – but I want you to know that it is!  So, what does it mean???

There is a lot of mentioning of “shaking”.  Things will be shaken, but the kingdom we have inherited it unshakable?

To put it plainly….you life can be shaken.  When that happens, there are many “sure” things that will fail.

Your health – can be shaken.  Your safety on the road – can be shaken.   Your friendships – can be shaken.  The lives of people you love – can be shaken.  EVERYTHING around you can suddenly be shaken. 

Think of some painful examples…Cody – his life gone from one week to the next.  Tyler – a healthy young boy - gone.  Pappa – a strong, healthy man who got cancer.   Grades and Teachers – one week they’re up the next week they’re down.   Paychecks – one month is huge, the next month there is no work to be had.   Friends – one week you are inseparable, the next week they spread nasty rumors about you.

Why does God let these things happen?  Why, why, why do things all around us sometimes look like the aftermath of an earthquake? 

The Word says that this world we live in is shakeable.   (Is that even a word?)  And there are times when God will allow everything around you to go through a violent shaking for the one single purpose:  so you can see the ONE thing that cannot be shaken.  God.  You have a home with Him in heaven. There is nothing on this earth that can take that away from you.  So when you find nothing else to have joy in you can have the joy that you know where you will spend eternity.  Do not give that up, do not let go of that promise.

It is like the foundation of the Twin Towers.  When those massive building were shaken, they feel in complete destruction.  But 5 floors down, into the depths of the foundation, a bar in the basement parking lot was completely intact.  Even the glasses hanging up were left unbroken.  That building had a solid foundation.  In the midst of destruction, that one area was unshakeable.  No one knew what was unshakeable until they saw was could be shaken.  No one knew that if they ran to that little place, deep in the foundation, they would be safe.  But you know what your foundation is.

Let the foundation of your life be God.  When He is the rock of your foundation, the world around you can fall apart.  But that little piece of rock you are standing on will remain untouched.   Nothing around you, no matter how solid you think it is, is unshakeable.  But the promise of eternal salvation is….it is the only thing.  

February 5th

When You Don’t Know What to Pray

It says in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 (message Bible) that we should “be cheerful no matter what; pray ALL THE TIME; thank God no matter what happens.

If we are supposed to pray all the time, what in the world are we supposed to pray about?  It is very easy to pray for something we need….”please help me remember what I am studying”, “please help me feel better”, “please let me play well today”….etc.  And it is easy to pray for other people – especially if you think they need a “touch” from God J.  “Lord please change their attitude and let them see I am right.”

Well, hopefully you don’t need to pray those kinds of prayers ALL THE TIME.  I have always struggled with what to pray until last summer when I went to a Bible study and the teacher gave some fantastic advice on how to pray effective prayers over your life and even prayers for other people.  The answer is very simple – use the Bible.

When you read the Word and find a verse that applies to you in any way, turn it into a prayer.  I find this much easier to do by writing it down.  That way you can use that same prayer over and over until you either add to it or replace it with another part of the Bible.  This is MUCH easier than it sounds, so let me give you an example. 

I really did just choose random verses from my journal, so it may not be the best verse, but here goes:   1 Chronicles 22: 11-13

And may God also give you discernment and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you will rule in reverent obedience under God’s revelation.  That’s what will make you successful, following the directions and doing the things that God commanded.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, I really need success in my life just like the success you promised David in 1 Chronicles 22.  Help your Word to reach my heart and grow my ability to discern right from wrong and give me a deeper understanding of your will for my life.  Make your directions clear to me God and give me the ability and courage to follow them each and every day.  I want to be obedient to you in all my decisions for the things I am in charge of.  Thank you God for your direction in my life, but I ask that you make it clear to me – let me know when I am not following the right path. 

That’s it!  So this, I am giving you two assignments.  Sorry – I miss homeschooling you so you will just have to bear with me. 

ONE – respond to this blog today and tell me what you think.

TWO – Spend some time in the Word – share a verse with us that you can turn into a prayer.  You don’t have to post your prayer, but if you could just share the verse you are turning into a prayer, that would be great!

February 12th

It’s like a ride

I hope that you found a good verse or verses to pray over your life!  When you do that, you set several things into motion.  offering up a pray to god will require you to rely on god in order to see an answer.

it can be frustrating!

most likely the journey to see an answer to a prayer in your life will be a path of frequent failures and frustrations.  however, failure is always followed by a growth spurt – one in which you will grow closer to god.  if you remain faithful through the failures of life, you will be able to look back and see that his had was guiding your path all along.

why does god allow us to have frustrations?  why does he ever want us to fail?

sometimes god allows the things of this world to frustrate us so much that it forces us to focus on him.  when everything in life is hunky dory and you have everything you want and need….it is very easy to lose sight of god.

god often has to temporarily “blind” us from everything else but him.  when we are blinded to distractions for long enough, our hearts will turn back to him. 

What does that really mean?

let’s say you pray to be successful in school.  at first, you are acing everything. so you have just assume god answered your prayer and you fall into bad study/homework habit because, after all god is taking care of it.  you lose focus on your part and your grades slip and you never seem to understand anything.  panic mode sets in. you try to figure out how to fix things, talk to teachers, cram to study…but it seems like it’s too late.  you’re overwhelmed and there is no way to catch up. the teachers don’t care and you just don’t have time to do everything you need to do to fix the situation.

when no one will help you, when you do not understand what you are reading, when there is no time to do everything you need to do – consider yourself struck blind!  god just blinded you to every earthly avenue to fix your failure. but remember – you can still rely on god.

tithe some time to him!!!  give some of your day to god.  renew your faith.  it will be uncanny how all of sudden assignments won’t take you as long. you will understand everything you read the first time. words for a paper will flow right out of your fingers.

think of a roller coaster. the cars fly down the hill all on their own.  going down is fast and thrilling.  the climb back up is slow, the gears click as they strain to pull the car up to the top. but without that engine and gears, the cars would be stuck down at the bottom. but those gears overcome the universal law of gravitational pull J.

working your way out of frustration is impossible unless you let god be those

February 19th

Brain Boot Camp

I know that last week’s blog was a bit longer than normal – so this week, I am going to be short and to the point. 

The message this week is simple.  Don’t get discouraged when prayers don’t seem to get answered.

TRAIN YOUR MIND TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD. ASK GOD TO KEEP YOU FROM NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. BE DETERMINED TO NOT GIVE UP.

How do you train your mind?  Time will be your trainer.  Time will teach you to wait on God.  Time makes you be patient. Time develops strength and endurance.

You cannot train for a marathon in a week.  It takes time.

Don’t let difficulty, stress, and frustration lead you down a path of worry and depression.  Train your mind to be STRONG and not go there.  Don’t be weak and just sit around and let negative thoughts control your mood.  TRAIN yourself to be a powerhouse of positive thoughts.

Difficulty, stress, and frustration and props on a stage.  God is about to pull you onto center stage for a battle that you will win.

If you want victory in your life, you have to wait for God to show up and lead you into each battle.  God is seldom in a hurry – but he is NEVER late.  Don’t jump the gun because you have let negative thoughts take over your behavior.

Remember – there are no heroes and not victories without a battle. 

So train your mind to remember that God is at work on the big picture of your life.  And for God’s sake... be strong enough in the Lord to not lose faith over a small detail.  You’re not a weakling...I promise you – you can handle it!

Romans 5: 3 – 6  There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.  In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling short-changed. Quite the contrary – we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.  Christ arrives right on time to make this happen.  He didn’t and doesn’t wait for us to get ready.

February 26th

Words From a Father to His Son

David made a lot of mistakes in his life.  Yet God loved David with all his heart.  He trusted David to lead his chosen people and gave David a son – Solomon – that was destined to build the temple of the Lord.

David knew when his time was up.  As an old man, he knew the secret to success.  So before he passed over his kingdom, he gave a “Valedictory Address” and left Solomon with some wise words to live by.

Let’s take them apart and see how they can become wise words for us too!

I Chronicles 28: 9 – 10

And you, Solomon my son, get to know well your father’s God. Serve Him with a whole heart and eager mind….

Acknowledge God!  Surrender each and every day to the Lord.  You have to make sure you purpose to do this because it certainly does not come naturally!

…for God examines every heart and see through every motive.

After you surrender your day to God, determine to give God your whole-hearted devotion.  Your uncut heart.  Learn God’s ways and only trust God with your hear.  If your heart is undivided, HE will keep you out of trouble.  Let your motives for your behavior come from God being in your heart.