awkward

I (sherann) went to so. cal this past week for my niece's 100th day celebration.  It was nice and it's always a joy to see my niece. :)
On our way home, we stopped at Panda Express for lunch.  After getting our food, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands.  (Don't worry... it's rated G :) ) Now, this particular bathroom doesn't have paper towels but one of those air blowers.  So, here I am trying to dry my hands and i heard a flush in one of the stalls.  "Hmm... I thought I was the only one here... guess not."  As I was about to walk out the door, the stall opens up and I'm looking straight into the eyes of a man.  Yes, a man.  First thought... oh my gosh.. I'm in the wrong bathroom!  Second thought... wait.. can't be...  Third thought... walk quickly... keep going...  just go!  Awkward? yes.   Poor guy... I just gave this puzzled look and left.  What would you have done?  And has this ever happened to you?  What's more embarrassing... to be the guy or to be in my shoes?

let's talk.


soli deo gloria

Struggles

My (Aimee’s) future is very uncertain.  School is about to end and I still have no idea what I am going to be doing this summer.  I don’t have a lot of bills, but you don’t have to have a lot for it to be too much when you have no money coming in.

I know I’ve talked about it before, but this is definitely the area in my life that I struggle the most with trusting God.  The Bible tells us that our Father in heaven knows our needs and that He provides.  And the thing is, I’ve seen Him do it!  I’ve seen Him do it in my own life more than once.  Yet, it’s still difficult for me.

So, I move forward with prayer.  I ask God to give me patience as I await His will.  I ask for clarity in determining His will.  I read my Bible.  I look for words of encouragement (and there are so many!!).  I remind myself of God’s love and provision in the past.  I seek to understand Him better.  It all helps, but it’s still hard sometimes.

Where does your trust waver?

What do you struggle with?

How has God helped you in the past?

What’s your story?

undeserved kindness

“Stop being nice to them!” I’ve (Sherann) heard this a lot from my brother… well, even from friends.  Is it wrong to be ‘Christ-like’ in every area of your life?  ... even during those calls when the receptionist sounds so annoyed with you when all you want to do is make a correction on your monthly statement?  Or what about that rude server who doesn’t even acknowledge your existence while you wait patiently for your food?  Are you supposed to show kindness to others when they clearly don’t deserve it?  And why is it that when you start being firm and forward that you get what you need in a fraction of the time you try to be nice and subtle? 

Does your act of kindness make you look weak?

My flesh tells me to be rude because they were rude.  My flesh tells me that I don’t have to be kind because they made a mistake with my order.  However, my spirit tells me that Jesus loves them.  My spirit tells me that I should love my neighbor as I love myself.  My spirit tells me that I want to be Christ-like no matter how rude they are to me. 

But the question is… does your act of kindness make you look weak?   

What are your thoughts?  Should we as believers show kindness no matter what they do or say?  Or should they get exactly what they deserve?

soli deo gloria.

Sharing the Gospel

I (Aimee) just watched the newest post from the folks at Walk the Way (on Facebook, or at www.walktheway.net).  Jeff Klein offers the challenge of whether we’re living for what is socially comfortable rather than living for what God wants for our lives.  It’s an excellent question, but it got me thinking about something else.  It’s related, but different.

Jeff was telling the story of a man who moved out of the suburbs into the city because he felt God calling him to the city and to the people there.  Apparently, this man was criticized by his friends for being more concerned with the social gospel—meeting physical needs like food, water, and medicine—than with sharing the gospel for the purpose of winning souls.

It reminded me of a very short discussion that came up at our church recently (‘discussion’ probably isn’t the right word, but I’ll use it for lack of anything better right now).  A report was being made about where recent outreach money had been sent.  Then someone asked the question (and I'm paraphrasing): “when are we going to send money to someone who’s actually sharing the gospel?”  Almost all of our money recently has gone to help the victims in Japan and tornado victims in the eastern states, mostly through World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org/).  I understood why the question was asked, but I was still amazed.  

Do you understand why I was amazed?  Do you understand why the man in Jeff’s story was probably equally amazed by his friends’ statements?

Look at the life of Jesus.  The gospels record many lessons, many times when Jesus sat with His disciples and other followers and told them stories, reviewed the scriptures, and just generally taught them with words.  But He also spent a lot of time healing, dealing with people’s physical needs.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus caused the lame to walk and the blind to see.  He healed those who were possessed by demons.  He healed those who were suffering from skin diseases that left them ostracized from the rest of society.  Jesus cared very deeply for people’s physical well being.

I heard it said once that people won’t care about what you have to say until they believe that you care.  I’ve also heard it said that a person can more easily hear the Gospel if their stomach is not louder than your voice.  Some people are so physically broken that they can’t begin to heal on the inside until they begin to heal on the outside.

James tells us:

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (2:15-16)

And in Deuteronomy it says:

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.  He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. (10:17-18)

God is all about meeting our needs.  It’s all over the Bible.  And while this world is not to be our home, God knows our needs in this world and He meets them.  And we’re called, as followers of Christ, to meet the needs of those suffering around us to the best of our abilities… in whatever form that takes.

Allow me to share one more quote with you.  Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with having said: “Share the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

WAR!!

Do you believe in spiritual warfare?

Do you even know what spiritual warfare is?

Let me ask this: do you believe in the devil and in demons?  That's probably the bigger question.  Lot's of Christians don't really believe in hell, don't like to think about Satan and his followers, cause it's uncomfortable.  I'm really not here to talk about hell, though.  That can be another day.  But you can't deny that they're at least related topics: the existence of hell and the work of demons.

See, Satan doesn't want you to believe in God.  He doesn't want you to rely on God when things are tough.  He doesn't want us to consider what God wants when we make choices.  So, he sends his demons to influence us, to feed our fears, to help us create excuses, and to generally encourage selfishness in any way possible.  That is spiritual warfare.  It is the fact that evil forces are constantly trying to distract us, to deter us, and to discourage us.

          Side note: if you've never really thought about this idea before, or
          you'd like to explore it some more, then I would suggest reading 
          the Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis.  It's an excellent book on just 
          this subject.

Paul says in Ephesians 6:12,
          For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
          against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and
          against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Paul fully understood where real trouble comes from.  Not all problems that we face are issues of spiritual warfare.  But, believe me, some if not most of them are.

The good news is that God is more powerful than anything that Satan could send at us!  Praise God!  So, the answer to spiritual warfare should be easy (though not always easy to do for us flawed creatures) ...

Draw closer to God.  Ask for His help and guidance.  Spend time in His Word. 

I find that the closer I get to God, the more I know about Him and His love, the more spiritual warfare I find going on.  And you should expect it, too.  But be encouraged by the fact that we are on the winning side, and place your trust fully in your Lord, and Savior.

yikes

What do you do when you are overwhelmed?

Lately, I've (sherann)been sitting in front of the tube (simply to drain everything out), finding those precious moments to sleep, and pray. Oh, how intercession before the Father has been my delight and strength. Perhaps, it's knowing that whan i lay my "stuff" before the Father, He has and will take care of all my issues and agendas... even to the smallest details.


But, I could use your suggestions. Do you take out a pint of ice cream? Sleep? Sit in front of the tube? Go for a run? Talk to a friend?

soli deo gloria.

it's undeniable

One of my (Sherann) favorite shows to watch is 'What Would You Do'.  If you don't know the premise behind this show, it's about putting ordinary people on the spot... oh, and it's all captured on hidden cameras!  So, this past week they wanted to see what people would do when a pregnant teen tells a young couple (who had plans to adopt the teen's baby), that she had changed her mind on the adoption.  As these "actors" were setting this up in the middle of a sit down restaurant, the producers of abc wanted to see what people would do if the woman (who had wanted to adopt the baby) was left alone at the table.  In other words, after the confrontation, the teen storms out and the man (who wanted to adopt the baby) follows after her; leaving the woman to sit by herself.  Well, the next few minutes became quite amazing!  Two women who had overheard the commotion, stepped away from their meal and went to comfort the woman.  And guess what happened next??? They started to pray.  Yes, PRAY!  The camera men couldn't even intervene because of the sudden turn it took!  2 women+ strangers+overflowing with compassion+comforting a woman in distress= Praying to the Father.  Now, many people know that I don't cry in movies... (people at work call me "heartless" because of that fact) but as I was watching this... I couldn't help but TO CRY because it was so overwhelming!  I've seen a lot of documentaries, movies, shows, programs, etc.. but i've never witnessed prayer being THAT powerful on TV.  BUT, it doesn't end there! After the "act" was over, the actress who played the woman (who wanted to adopt the baby) ... started to cry!  John (host) asked why she was crying and she expressed... "even with the prayers, it just hit me..."  The power of His Spirit and His presence is undeniable... even in the midst of a set up scenario. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." - Matthew 18:20

What would you do?

www.abcnews.go.com/whatwouldyoudo

soli deo gloria.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Do you let fear tell you what to do?

No?  Really?

Think about it … when was the last time that you didn’t do something because you were afraid?

There IS good fear.  Don’t get me wrong.  We should have a healthy fear of God (that means that we respect Him and His power, etc.).  We should fear stepping in front of traffic.  We should fear horrible feelings that would come with withdrawal from drugs or alcohol.  Things like that …

But what about sharing the Gospel?  Inviting friends to church?  Are you making fear-based decisions in those areas?  What if they don’t want to listen?  What if I can’t find the right words?  What if they get mad?  What if they laugh?  What if they don’t want to be my friend anymore?  What if …  what if … what if …

Or, what about where to go to college, or where to apply for a job?  Is fear making the decisions for you?  Afraid to go too far away from home?  Afraid that one college or business that you’d really love to join really won’t want you?  Afraid that once you get there you won’t be able to meet everyone else’s expectations?  Afraid … afraid … afraid …

Or, what about simply getting out and living?!  Are you afraid to hang out with friends cause you might be influenced to make a bad choice?  Are you afraid to go out with that cute guy or girl cause your heart might get broken?  Are you afraid to share your opinion with others cause you might get shot down?  These ones are definitely more tricky cause there’s a really good chance that any of these could happen.  They’ve all happened to me (Aimee).

Personally, I’m well aware of the fact that I’ve let fear make too many decisions for me.  I was fearless as a child, and I think that most children are.  Children have to learn to be afraid of playing in traffic, or of touching the hot stove, things like that.  But the important thing to remember is that while we should all carry a bit of healthy fear that tells us not to cross the street without looking both ways, no one should be at a point where they are so afraid that they won’t even cross the street or even go near the street.  Do you see the difference?  Healthy fear builds respect and allows us to move forward safely.  Unhealthy fear tears us down and keeps us from moving forward, ever.

Fear has held me back from doing many things that could have benefitted me in more ways than I can imagine.  Fear has stopped me from taking trips.  Fear has held me back from making new friends or from potential dates.  Fear has made me less generous with my money and my time.  Fear has given me an excuse to give into one of my biggest vices: laziness.

This is something that I finally became aware of only a couple of years ago.  Ever since then, I had been trying to open myself up more to what God has in store for my life.  I have opened my heart, my wallet, my schedule, and it has been great!  The biggest step forward, however, was less than a year ago.

I went to a conference with Sherann.  The simplest way to put this is that there were segues at this conference.  Sherann and I had the opportunity to ride them quite a bit.  I just had to let go of my fears and step on board, literally.

I watched Sherann get on (and she was wearing heels, let me add).  I watched her zoom back and forth, standing straight and tall, with the wind blowing her hair, and the biggest smile on her face.  I wanted to do it so bad but I was so afraid.  Finally, I worked up the nerve to get on one.  I stepped up with quivering legs and moved, jerkily, about 50 feet forward.  Then I came to a bumpy stop, turned incredibly s – l – o – w – l – y, and went back to where I started, and promptly got off.  I stood there, my legs still shaking, my adrenaline pumping, and inwardly screaming for the chance to get back on.

A little later I was able to get back on.  I stepped up and took off.  I leaned into it (which is the way to drive a segue) and sped off.  As I moved forward, with the wind blowing in my hair, drowinging out any other noise around me, I had a silent conversation with God that went something like this:

Lord, I’m sorry that I’ve been so afraid for so long.  Please forgive me.  Help me to let go of my fear.  I know that there are worse things than physical pain.  And I know that trusting you and stepping forward in confidence is the only way that I am going to do the things that you want me to do and the only way that I am going to enjoy this life.  Please forgive me.  Help me.  I want to trust you more.

Sherann and I rode those segues every chance we had over those few days.  I rode without fear, even encouraging others who were initially afraid to try.  It was a step forward, literally and spiritually.

So, the question is: What are you afraid of?  Are you allowing unhealthy fear to hold you back?  Would you like those days of living in fear to end?  God can help you with that.

What’s your story?

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer.  Did you know that?  I (Aimee) had completely forgotten until yesterday when I was talking with my pastor and he mentioned it.  I wasn’t able to go to the city event that was held today, so instead, a pulled out a half an hour of free time and I sat under a tree in my backyard and prayed on my own.

It was great!  I just finished reading a book that was about how to have good spiritual conversations with non-believers.  He spent a chapter talking about prayer (aside from spots throughout the book where it was brought up over and over).  He said something that I had never heard, or really thought about before: when we pray, we should pray out loud whenever possible.  God may know our thoughts, but Satan and his minions don’t.  And if we want to send them off “shaking in their boots,” then we should verbalize our prayers so that they can hear them.

Like I said, I never thought about it before, but I decided to take his advice and to try and pray out loud whenever I’m alone.  I’ve been doing that for several evenings now and I did it today in under the tree in my backyard.  I don’t know if my prayers have sent shivers of fear down the backs of any demons (though I pray that God would use me so powerfully), but I can tell you that it has made a difference to me.

Speaking my prayers out loud somehow makes it feel more real, more like a real conversation with God.  I also think that it is helping me to know how to better express myself when I pray out loud with others.  There will still be times, and have been times over the last few days, when I just don’t know quite how to say what I’m thinking.  And that’s ok.  But I’m going to continue this praying out loud and see what happens next.