What are you missing?

Sunday morning Taylor, my 2 year old, was drinking chocolate milk while we were getting dressed for church. As we were all heading out to the car she asked for some more. So, I went and refilled her cup and also filled another cup with juice to put in her bag for Sunday school. When I gave her the cup I also told her about the juice. As we were driving to church I noticed she was just holding on to her cup, not drinking it. When I was getting her out of the car I asked her why she didn't drink any of her chocolate milk. She said "It's not chocolate milk, it's juice!" I told her it wasn't juice and then I took off the lid and showed her. Her face lit up with a smile and she squeeled "It is chocolate milk!" I asked her "Taylor, you held on to that cup the whole way here because you thought it had juice in it instead of chocolate milk?" She shook her head yes as she pranced off drinking her chocolate milk.

How many times have we asked God for something we wanted or needed and He graciously answers us but we mistake it for something else? You ask God for His will in your life and He shows you a path you're afraid of taking. You ask Him for a Godly boyfriend and the one you're currently dating breaks up with you. You ask Him for peace at work and you lose your job but quickly find a new one. So many times we can't see that God is giving us exactly what we have been asking for because we have an idea in our mind of how the answer should look. Just like Taylor, we assume that what we are holding in our hands (experiancing in our lives) is not what we asked for. We hold on to it, doing nothing with it, letting the milk spoil, when all the while we could have been drinking it up and enjoying every bit of it.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Do you have answers?

Most people are aware about this new movement Oprah is doing about "A New Earth". She is holding on-line classes which include meditations, readings and spiritual insights from a best selling author named Eckhart Tolle. It's a part of the new age movement where no Heaven or Hell exist except for that which you create by living in the now. I sent an email out to some friends recently explaining some of this and I was amazed how little people knew about it. Most people blindly follow a popular crowd, book, movement, friends without really understanding what that person is for or about. I, of course, was not trying to make a decision for anyone to stop watching her show or buying her books however I was opening their eyes to the real side of her. I feel we should always be looking for the truth behind people and then after seeing it allowing yourself to come to a conclusion as to if participating in this persons life, being associated with a certain group of people, etc is the best for your life.

With that said a young lady I work with was speaking to me yesterday about living in the now (another title by the infamous Eckhart Tolle) and she began to praise his work on "A New Earth" I politely told her I did not believe nor care for his teachings. She was astounded but interested. For the next 45 minutes I was able to explain my belief system that it comes from the scriptures and that my peace is from Jesus. She stopped me there and said well does your peace come from Jesus or from God? Excellent question with an easy answer....they are one in the same! She just couldn't grasp that. So I asked "You can't grasp that but you can grasp that you alone can create your Heaven or Hell?" She laughed at that and wanted me to continue. I explained the Trinity and that there is not a line in my Bible that I disagree with. She asked questions which thankfully, I have had amazing teaching and upbringing, to where I was able to recall scriptures and have an aswer ready. We ended our conversation (yes, a conversation...the Bible clearly teaches and warns about getting in to arguments about religion/teachings...we are to lovingly love those who disagree) She said she would love to resume it later over lunch.

Too many times we are approached with questions about the Bible and we are tongue tied. Sometimes we don't even talk about Christ with others because we are fearful we won't be able to answer their questions. How do you remy that? GET IN TO THE WORD LADIES!!!! Open a Bible, get it in your face and start reading it. Don't be caught like a deer in a headlight when someone ask you what the Trinity means? Search it out in the scripture and boldly tell others its meaning.

Lets just not be guided by others teaching us...but allow the main teacher, the big guy on campus, the world renoun author, the Christ, teach us through a personal time of study in His best selling book...The Bible!!

I'm proud of you

I got a call today from one of mine and my husband's close friends, someone I actually love like one of my own children. He had to take a physc test today for the Alachua County Sheriffs Department. He called me after the test and we were laughing about some of the random questions he was asked. Several hundred questions were on this test! Then he said he got to this one question where it asked him if anyone has ever told him they were proud of him? He said he thought of me. It totally brought a smile to my heart :) On numerous occasions I have sat with him discussing life's problems, consulted break-ups, talked about his spiritual walk, his friendships or have just laughed because he thought the 4th of July was the 24th of July! I can't count how many times I have told him that I was proud of him. Proud of him for doing the right thing, walking away from temptations, sticking to a commitment, apologizing to someone, going ahead with his dreams...you get the picture. Sometimes you never know what people really hear when you speak to them. I know my husband only listens to half of my conservations (hahahaha) but really, what sinks in and what doesn't? In a world where people seem to be holding on to grudges rather than encouragement I saw a little light today that made me smile.

Words really do make a difference. Encouragement sticks. Compliments go a long way. Kindness is not an after thought it's a command from Jesus. When was the last time you told someone you were proud of them? When was the last time you heard those 4 sweet words?

1 Thessalonians 5:10-11
He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

What to do?

So many students are stressing out right now over finals, which college to attend, do I get a summer job, who am I going to go to prom with or should I even go to my prom? So, many choices you are faced with and sometimes with very little guidance, if any guidance at all. And with choices come consequences. Consequences are not always bad so I don't want you to fixate on that word for too long. But I do want you to focus on what choices you are making. Are they in line with God's Word? Are you seeking God with your decisions? Are you following His path for your life?

In the next few weeks we are going to talk about God's Will in your life. How to seek it, how to know it, how to be obedient to it.

Stay tuned...