What If Your Church Didn't Exist Anymore?

Many hairstyles ago I stood in front of the church that my husband pastored and shared a thought that burned so deep inside me I couldn’t help but breathe it out loud. With a shaking that reached from my platinum blonde hair to my painted toes I asked the congregation, “What would happen if you didn’t have a church to attend anymore?” It was not an announcement of the church closing its doors; but more a sense of the burden on my heart that we are all too comfortable sitting in the church.

What would you do if there were no church to get ready for on Sunday? What if there were no Bible studies or MOPS groups?

How would your family navigate their Christianity without the church building? Do you feel equipped to teach the truths of the Bible to your children?

Obviously we don’t have to navigate the road of Christianity alone, we have churches and groups and the freedom to assemble, and for this I am grateful. But I still wonder, what if?

I believe that God wants a relationship with us that is not dependent on church attendance.

I have driven home from church and felt a sense of satisfaction by the mere fact that I attended. I hadn’t connected with anyone or learned anything that sparked faith in my heart. But that religious side of me felt approved by God just by walking in the doors, sitting in a pew, picking up a bulletin and smiling at the greeter on the way out.

I want more than that in my relationship with the God of Creation. I believe God wants more for us.

I think it does us all good to stop and think about how our lives would look if the freedom to assemble in our churches disappeared. I’m not saying this because I think that is what’s happening; I’m not storing up guns in my basement or buying rice in bulk. But I think we need to look at our relationship with the Father and consider if it’s authentic enough that it would pass down to the next generation without overhead projectors or flannel boards teaching them about Noah’s Ark.

THE Church (the body of Christ) will exist, but if your building weren’t available, how would you do?

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Be the Gift He Created You to Be

Time to mix with family and friends, some of which will be wonderful...but for many it is a stressful experience.

I just want to encourage you to let the love of God touch you and everyone around you this weekend. Put those difficult relationships in His hands.

I woke up with these words on my heart today...

Be the gift that God created you to be.

Your life is (maybe I should say...it CAN be) a gift to those He connected you with.

Shine for Him because He lives in you.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, I'm so excited to see friends and family, I hope you are too!
Sue

PS: Just saw this and had to add it, enjoy!!

This Keeps Me Dancing

I just love this! It puts all things into perspective.

Not sure what you're walking through right now but if you're like me you love anything that encourages you to trust Him more.

This is bits and pieces of Hebrews 11 from the Message Bible. When you have time read the whole chapter.

This keeps me dancing...

Hebrews 11
3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see.

4 By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain.

5 By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely.

7 By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land.

8 By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home.

11 By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said.

13-15 Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing.

How did they do it?

They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.

People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home.

If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country.

You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.

In the Mud? It's Might be Time to Cry

I'm thinking on this today...I pray it touches your heart too!

Psalms 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be astounded.
They will put their trust in the LORD.
NLT

"He heard my cry"
A pre-requisite for being pulled out of the mud might be a "cry"...thank You Lord....I can do that!

No Full Length Mirrors Please!!

Let’s take a look in the mirror girls.

No, not the bathroom one and heavens no, not the full length one!

Those are straight from the pit, I'm just sure of it!

We see that one all the time and work pretty hard to change that reflection, or at least we think about how much we wish that image would change…and then have a little more chocolate (or is that just me…).

But I’m talking about the mirror we look into that reflects our hearts. Truth be told, we probably worry a lot more about the other mirrors. I can become obsessed with the size of my jeans but not think one bit about the fact that I’ve become a real …shall we say…”witch” to my husband.

~big sigh~

God’s given us such a high calling as wives, and how often do I throw that calling under the bus for things that seem more important to me at the time.

Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him." NLT

Every translation I look at describes the woman as a “help, helper or help meet” to her husband.

Sometimes I forget that, tell me I’m not alone girls…

Our God created us to be a helper to our husband and when I look at myself in that mirror I fall really short sometime. We can get so busy balancing life, like one of those circus clowns spinning plates all over the place, that we completely forget we were created with a purpose in our marriage.

But, if God’s called us to do it, He will equip us for it. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves if we’ve purposed in our hearts to be his helper.

What ways can we be a better helper?

What about encourager?

Yes, I hear you over there screaming at me (you aren’t the first and won’t be the last) “but I have needs too!! I could use some help and encouragement once in a awhile!”

Yes, you are right, but it does not say that our husband was created to be our helper or to fill that need.

Who is our helper?

Psalms 121:1-2
I look up to the mountains--
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made the heavens and the earth!
NLT

Psalms 54:4
But God is my helper.
The Lord is the one who keeps me alive!
NLT

Hebrews 13:6
That is why we can say with confidence
"The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid.
NLT

It is wonderful when a married couple work together as one and are focused on meeting each other’s needs, but what does a wife do when that doesn’t happen?

Give up- quit and figure that God doesn’t want you happy??? NO!

My advice is to follow the Lord for your own life and hide yourself in God who will pour Himself into you as you depend on Him.

He WILL bring you peace, joy, hope all the things you so desperately need.

Let God be your all in all.

In doing so, you will become a better wife and mom -and face it-much stronger woman of faith!
I have watched many marriages heal and get stronger when the wife looks to God for her love and acceptance. Suddenly the man sees the wife as someone who is not disappointed with him, but is happy and complete and she becomes more appealing to him than ever.


I'm praying for our marriages!
Sue

After leaving a comment, go check this great post that Kristine wrote after reading this one:
Kristine at Escaping the Cauldron

Don't Look Down!

Matthew 14: 24-31 (The Message Bible)
Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror.

But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid."

Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water."

He said, "Come ahead."

Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"

Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?"

Couple things jump out at me in this story.

1. Peter was fine until he looked down. 'nuf said.

2. Jesus didn't hesitate to help when he cried out.

Stop beating yourself up....God's not mad at you, He's right there ready to pull you up!

Some Paths Are Lined With Terror

Do you think God is unfair? That He is just a big rule-making, fun-destroying entity that wants to heep guilt on your happiness?

Many do.

Just the other day I talked with someone who felt that God was the big bully in the sky bossing people around.

I don't see Him like that at all. I see Him as a loving Father that has given us all the freedom we desire. We have the choice to take any path we want in this life, He won't stop us. However He tells us that the choice we make will determine the joy or heartache in the journey. He sets before us life and death, but His desire is that we would choose life, not only for His joy, but for ours also.

Proverbs 1:29-33

For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD.

30 They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.

31 That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way. They must experience the full terror of the path they have chosen.

32 For they are simpletons who turn away from me — to death. They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy them.

33 But all who listen to me will live in peace and safety, unafraid of harm."
NLT

As parents who love their children, do we tell them, 'you have the freedom to do whatever you want- go play in the streets if it makes you happy!' No, we protect them, we show them boundaries because we love them. We even discipline them when they make bad choices.

God does the same with us. He warns us, through the apprehension in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He sends friends and counselors to help guide us. And of course He speaks so clearly through His Word and sometimes He disciplines us when we get off the path.

I believe this in on my heart today because someone is facing a choice that is hard. Their emotions WANT one thing, but they know that isn't what's best and may even be harmful.
I encourage you to listen to that still small voice...look to God's Word for answers and seek out someone who you know will tell you the truth.

Praying for you...
Sue

God Always Has the Last Word!

And here's the proof:

Acts 7:9-10
"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.
NIV


Keep trusting in Him, He is with YOU too!!!

I'd love to hear what "pit" you've been thrown into that seems impossible to get out of...

It's Really This Simple

Hello girlfriends!

(Here's some of what I've been doing...playing in my yard! )

I am sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. Summer has been a bit crazy- but wonderful! I'm on my way out to the lake today with the kids and my Mom so I won't be around much this week (but I do have a post set to post on Two shall become One ~ Tuesday!)


I am gulity of being on Facebook more than my blog because I can pop in and out and keep in touch with you all. If you haven't added me yet, please do! :)


I had a Praise and Coffee Night this past week and it was so much fun. I really thought it would be a low turn-out because of summer and all, but you blew me away! You all wanted some girlfriend time out!

It was a great evening, we had lots of laughs and then some tears in our small groups. I'm so looking forward to October 8th when we meet again :) My one regret- I forgot my camera so I have no pictures of you beautiful women!

One of the things I shared that night was out of the book of James. I think it holds a very simple yet profound truth for us. The main part I shared was:

James 4:8
Come near to God and He will come near to you.
NIV

Really, so simple. It doesn't matter where you are, or what you've done...if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you.

I want you to read the rest of the verse because it is all so powerful:

James 4:6-10
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
NIV

I love, love, love this!

In fact a friend sent me a message today with this verse in it and she added..."we are not called to run from the devil, but to resist him."

Think about it.

We are not to flee when trials and struggles come (as is so often our natural response) but we are to stand-resist-and fight! Then the devil will flee from US.

Girls, fight that good fight- don't back down. Don't give up. Don't run away from the battle. Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power and fight-resist until he flees.

This is no time to be double-minded. The enemy is not double-minded, he is determined to take you down, so stand and take back the things he's stolen from you...hope, joy, peace- those are promises to God's children, they are rightfully yours.

We start by drawing near to Him with a humble heart...I promise He'll walk you through each step after that if you trust Him to!

It really is that simple!

I'll try to keep in touch this week if I have service at the lake!
Much love,
Sue

Do not fear!

1 Peter 3:14-16

But even if you should suffer for what is right,

you are blessed.

"Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."

15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer to

everyone who asks you to give

the reason for the hope that you have.

But do this with gentleness and respect,

16 keeping a clear conscience,

so that those who speak maliciously against

your good behavior in Christ

may be ashamed of their slander.

NIV

Escaping the Devil's Trap

I couldn't say it any better...

2 Tim 2:22-26
Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil,

who has taken them captive to do his will.
NIV

The Audacity of Hope~ Women of Bold Faith

Everytime I hear the phrase "The Audacity of Hope," I think about this verse:

Rom 4:18-21
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old-and that Sarah's womb was also dead.
20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
NIV

What is "against all hope" in your life?

What seems "as good as dead" in your life?

Maybe its time for some audacious faith!

Webster's definition of audacious:
1 a: intrepidly daring : adventurous b: recklessly bold : rash

Let's be bold women of faith, believing Him for the impossible!

He IS

. (period)

How does that change your life?

Ex 3:14
14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.
This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
'I AM has sent me to you.'"
NIV

Raisins Are Ugly

I was making my husband's favorite cookies today, oatmeal raisin. And I took note of something so profound. Raisins are ugly.

Really...dried up, shriveled, lifeless little pieces of what used to be considered fruit.
And sadly enough, this made me think about some Christians.


Here is how a California raisin is made:

Grapes must be dried before they can be called raisins. The moisture content of the Thompson seedless grapes, from which natural seedless California raisins are made, is reduced by cutting the fresh grapes from the vine and allowing them to dry in the sun until the moisture level is roughly 15% to 18% water or lower.

Notice...to become a raisin, they must be removed from the vine...then left out in the sun to dry...basically sucking the life from the grape.

John 15:5-8
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
NIV

The grape needs the nourishment and protection of the vine to bear fruit and live. So do we. OR, we can walk around like an ugly raisin. And unfortunately, many do.

I am always amazed that we can (for instance) stand in a church service singing "Shout to the Lord all the earth, let us sing- power and majesty, praise to our King!" in the same monotone voice that we would rattle off a shopping list.

Now I know there are always those that say, 'I am not very expressive...I worship God the way I want to and it may be different than you'....blah, blah, blah.
Really? So let me ask...when your little girl gets all dressed up to show you her new dress and the ribbon in her hair...you look at her and emotionless say: "that is nice hunny" without even a smile??

That's what we do to God.

He's created the universe!
Think about it...CREATED the UNIVERSE....and we talk about Him as if He's as common as sliced bread.

Excuses me, but THIS is the God I'm talking about...

Nahum 1:5
The mountains quake before Him and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at His presence, the world and all who live in it.
NIV

And I think He especially loves it when we honor Him...BEFORE the earth starts trembling and the mountains quaking.

Don't be a raisin Christian...stay attached to the vine ~ HIM ~ and show the world what true joy looks like.
Lay down our offenses and insecurities, quit complaining....and celebrate this awesome life He has given us!!!

If your heart is broken...bring it to Him for healing, He promised He would. And start living the life He intended you to live before the foundations of the earth!!!

Don't be a raisin...raisins are ugly.

Pick My Up and Dust Me Off

If you ask me...who is smarter, you or God?
Of course I would say, God!
But do I really believe that? Always?
My actions would prove otherwise.

When I know what the right thing to do is, but then I choose a path that feels more comfortable...or EASIER....I am in effect saying: God I'm smarter than You.

I cringe at the thought of my own foolishness and pride.

His Word says:

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
NLT

So why do I doubt? Why do I take the path of least resistance?

For me, it all boils down to trust.
Do I really trust Him?
Do I really believe that He has my best interest at heart?

So many times there is a bigger plan that I don't see. I react and respond to the "here and now" situation instead of trusting that the Lord is at work in and through my life to bring Himself glory.

I can testify to the fact that choosing His ways, trusting Him completely (there is NO such thing as partial trust), and believing His Word that tells me of His incredible love for me...is the right way to live.

I want my life to be a reflection of His amazing love.

I have blown it, time and time again. And yet, if I will grab His hand, let Him pick me up, and dust me off...He will make beauty for ashes.

Isaiah 61:3
To all who mourn in Israel, He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.
NLT

For His glory, not ours.

You are smarter than I, Lord help me to live a life that reflects how much I believe that!

If you hold on for dear life...

I meet with 3 other gals every Friday for Bible study. The thing I love about it so much is that we take a study for a springboard and then we all discuss how it's playing out in our lives. The discussions often take us in a direction I never imagined, but it always ministers to our hearts.

Yesterday the subject of fear came up. We talked about Phil. 4:6-7 and what a comfort it is. In fact one of the gals used this as her "life verse" and wrote it on her mirror as a reminder every day.

Phil 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
NIV

Such good news...bring it to God!
There is nothing like His peace.

Then we talked about Psalms 91. This one has been a lifeline for me in times of worry and fear. I used to struggle with fear about my children. I was tormented with thoughts of them being hurt. But learning this verse and choosing to believe it...set me free.

The whole verse is powerful, but here is a short portion from the Message Bible.

You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,
Say this: "God, you're my refuge.
I trust in You and I'm safe!"
That's right—He rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you're perfectly safe;
His arms fend off all harm.

And I love the ending of Psalms 91:

"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,
"I'll get you out of any trouble.
I'll give you the best of care
if you'll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I'll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!"

I love that!
If you hold on for dear life...

I love the picture that paints. Of someone that recognizes that nothing and no one else is a reliable source of safety. He is the One we hold on to for dear life.

Now imagine someone...holding on for dear life to a bottle or drug, or their money, or even another person...there's no security in that.

We were created to hold on to Him.

Time to Grow Up

We have been dealing with lots of jealousy around this house lately. The worst offenders are Lauren and Sam (our 6 month old female German Shepherd).

They are awful!
If I am talking with one of the other kids, Lauren is all over me. She doesn't want anyone having my time.

And if I am petting our other dog Macy, Sam is completely obnoxious!!

They even have it out for each other...if I have Lauren on my lap, Sam will crush the child to get to me.

It just makes me think about how ugly and selfish jealously is.

We see it here:
Acts 7:9
9 "Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph,
they sold him as a slave into Egypt.
NIV

I'm quite certain that if given the chance, Lauren just might make you a good deal on her older sister some days!!

But seriously, let's pay attention here. This is just a short note to remind us NOT to be jealous of others. Jealousy is ugly and cruel and basically- immature.

1 Cor 3:1-4
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-mere infants in Christ.
2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? NIV

If we've been saved long enough to be considered mature, we ought to be past this stuff.
The Word says that if we are jealous, we are worldly and acting like "mere men."

In other words, as we live like Christ, we are expected to live above this stuff.
A mature Christian will be known by their love.
Not perfection- but love.
Putting others first, not competing with other believers.


Ok, I've given us lots to think about!
Love you bunches!
Sue

Mashed Potato Flowers

The other day, Lauren had speech class (she had a cleft palate/lip and is learning to speak correctly). The teacher shows her pictures and she says the word.

She had a couple cute ones the other day.

The teacher showed her two women and instead of saying lady or mom, etc. She said "friends!"

I love it!

That's the way it should be huh?!

Then she showed her a picture of a garden. With rows of plants sprouting out of the ground. Lauren looked at it and said, "mashed potato flowers!"

I laughed so hard. What a forward thinker!

She looked at those plants and thought- those will lead to mashed potatos (one of her favorite foods).

How do you look at life?

Another person may have looked at that garden and saw WORK...pulling weeds, watering, dirt, mess, bug invasions or rabbits!

But she saw the reward.

I want to think like that!

Those plants didn't look a thing like a potato, but that didn't matter to her, she knew what they were capable of.

Reminds me of a man in the Bible that looked at his circumstances differently too.

Romans 4:18-21
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old-and that Sarah's womb was also dead.

20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

NIV

Here's a couple of promises that He's made to you...

Matt 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

NIV

Heb 13:5
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

NIV

Matt 6:33-34

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

NIV

Let's look at life for the joy it can bring us and see mashed potato flowers in our gardens!

Integrity Does Matter

You can not turn on the news today without hearing about greed. From the CEO’s petitioning Washington to bail them out, to the leaders of our nation that feel they are above the law and don’t need to pay their taxes like you and I do.

What gets me is that so many of these people have been highly respected as they lived above most of America. People looked up to them because they have so much money and power. But, they don’t have the one thing that is most respectable, integrity. They are not honest people.

Honesty is defined as fairness and straightforwardness of conduct, adherence to the facts.

It’s not a difficult thing to understand. It’s called doing the right thing, even-and especially- when no one else is watching.

Doing the right thing is not difficult, unless you’re greedy.

Prov 15:27
27 A greedy man brings trouble to his family,
but he who hates bribes will live.
NIV

Prov 28:25
25 A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
NIV

It is sad to see this economy crumble and hurt so many people. I don’t know anyone that has not been affected by it and I don’t believe we’ve begun to see all that will happen in this country as a result of greed.

Deut 25:15-16
15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
16 For the LORD your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. NIV

I believe God is exposing the lies of so many that built their empires on the backs of hard working people. God will have the last word in this. You can fool a lot of people, but you can’t fool God. He sees what is done in secret. They may think they have gotten away with it, but He will shine His light in that darkness in due time.

Gal 6:7-8
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
NIV

And we as Christians, especially in leadership are held to an even higher standard because we bear His name. Honestly, that scares me, I don’t want to do anything to bring shame on His name.

1 Peter 5:1-4
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:
2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;
3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
NIV

I hesitate to talk about this much because it really gets to me. I’m disgusted with most (not all) of what I see on Christian television. The greed and manipulation under the guise of “prosperity” just sickens me.

I’ll never forget one time when a women came to the church that my husband was pastoring and afterwards wrote me a letter about how we need to focus more on giving, that the offering wasn’t preached about enough. Well…I’m sorry. But we have this crazy idea that if you want to give, you will. We don’t have to convince or manipulate you to do it.
Giving is at the heart of who God is. If we know and love the Lord, we will be givers.

The bottom line is, the truth always comes out. The corrupt leaders in this nation are finding that out the hard way. The same will continue in the Church. That is why we are never to put any person on a pedestal, that is reserved for God alone. Of course we respect authority and position, but not to the point of thinking that they are somehow "extra holy," they are human just like you and I.

A perfect example of this is our President today. When you go beyond respect and straight to “awe” your setting yourself up to be disappointed. If you think your pastor walks on water, you’re setting yourself up to get hurt. They have a call on their life to care for, oversee and serve you…but they don’t have a halo over their heads. Hopefully they have integrity, if not, it will come out eventually.

But for you and I, we need to do the right thing-because it’s the right thing!

Integrity does matter.

This verse is says it well:
Mic 6:8
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
NIV

Tired of Waiting?

Waiting can be so difficult. It's one of my least favorite things to do.
I can remember the final month of my pregnancy waiting for my child to be born. I had dreams that I was eternally pregnant! Can you picture that? Oh, let's just NOT.

Waiting has purpose.
Isaiah 40:30
But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength.
NLT

If you are in a season of waiting right now, I encourage you to use this time to grow in strength in the Lord.

Put your hope in the Lord right now and trust Him in your waiting.

Hebrews 6:13-15
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, He swore by himself, 14 saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
NIV