Onward Christian Soldiers

This message is not directed to any reader in a country that oppresses Christianity.  God does not condone putting your life at risk.  You are created for life and life more abundantly.


Does the world see you as a Christian?  A follower of Christ?

Are you selfish, thoughtless, impatient, rude, confrontational?  Do you wear a cross around your neck and grumble at the sales clerk?  Do you have a fish decal on your car and honk your horn at every little offense?  do you say grace at home but not in restaurants?  Do you gossip and cuss?

If you are going to wear the cross, display "I am a Christian" decal, hang images on the walls of your home or carry your Bible for everyone to see, you had better be walking the walk; not just talking the talk.  The world is watching us. 

Awhile back, I wrote in this blog about saying grace in public and got lots of praise for speaking out on this subject.  I wonder how many of the people who praised me for that actually do it themselves.  I seldom see people saying grace in public - even after I published that writing.
  I live in a very small, rural town with a church on every corner.  We have an annual day of prayer at the flag poll in the park.  We have an annual prayer breakfast sponsored by our Ministerial Alliance.  We pray at every Bible Study and church meal.  There is prayer before and closing every Sunday school class.  Our churches have prayer weeks that open their doors for people to commit to an hour of prayer.  Our churches preach prayer from the pulpit.  Why do I not see more public personal prayer/grace over meals?  Is it just reserved for church?  If we pray in church and at home, why won't we pray in public?

Are you hung up on the parable of the man who prayed openly, bragging to God with pretty words?  This was an example of self righteousness - not an example of how we are to live our lives as a light to the world.

Even if you are in a place or a situation that might put you in physical jeopardy, you can always think a silent prayer of thanks to your Lord and Savior.  No one can take your thoughts from you.  There is no mechanical detector for mind reading.  How many of you, right now, are cheering what I am saying and will go out to lunch, in a public place, and NOT say grace?

You do not have to stand up and impose it on everyone in the place.  You do not have to speak it out loud.  You do not have to use glorious, poetic words.  Even a group of you can bow your heads in silent prayer as an example - let the world know there are Christians among them.  You are not expected to make a spectacle of yourself.  God will make your actions known to those whom He wants to notice.  You speak volumes with quiet humility.  Christians are non aggressive warriors.  Our actions, appearance and public behavior are our weapons.

Beyond grace in public, what else are you doing for the world to see you as set apart?  Take a test:  Stand in front of a mirror.  Are you clean or unkempt?  Do your cheeks show under your hem line?  Does your neckline expose your naval?  Is your tee shirt dirty and full of holes or satanic images?  Are your clothes so tight that your cellulite is visible underneath?  For goodness sake!  A Christian is supposed to stand out - not blend into the world.  The Bible tells us we are set apart.  Everywhere you go, you are a representative of heaven and the glorious world to come.

Now, don't get your panties in a wad.  I am not against tattoos, piercings or jeans in church.  Jesus accepts you as you are.   Everyone is growing at a different pace.  The Spirit deals with each of us as we are ready.  There are many churches and individuals out there doing great work reaching those people who are uncomfortable in the traditional church setting.  Jesus went into places to commune with people that society and the pharisees looked down on.  People will never be reached if we look at the book by it's cover.  In church, we are preaching to the choir.  The need is outside the church and you have to reach people on their own turf.

I am saying:  m o d e s t y.   Most of us come to the point of our spiritual growth where we want to present ourselves as clean and neat in appearance.  We represent the kingdom of God.  We are the bride of Jesus Christ Himself.  What sort of example do we set when we smoke, drink and wear short shorts?  When I went into the Native American community, I dressed down so as not to offend BUT I maintained a certain standard as an example. Paul said: "I am all things to all people".
Story:  Years ago, I was at a Christian celebration for the day.  We were in skirts and heels with the men in suits.  We broke for lunch and a group of us went to a fast food restaurant.  It was noon and it was busy.  There was a long line waiting to place their order.  When we walked in, all eyes turned to us.  We did look a little out of place among the tee shirts and sandals.  We took our place at the end of the lines and the waters parted.  I promise you, people stood aside to let us order ahead of them.  I have never witnessed anything like it.  I have never forgotten that.  People in that restaurant assumed, from our appearance, that we were special in some way.  

We cannot be respected unless we first show respect to ourselves.  Plain and simple, our appearance is a matter of self respect.  There looks to be so little today.  A lot of people do not look like they respect themselves so it is easy to discount them.  This should not be.  I truly believe that Jesus did not go around in sack cloth.  He was given expensive gifts when he was an infant (gold, frankincense and myrrh).  Many believe he owned his own house in Cappernaum.  Why would the Roman soldiers, at the cross, gamble for his robe if it was not of quality?  There is a verse that says it was made of one unbroken thread.  He was a Hebrew teacher who wore his prayer shawl - what the woman with the issue of blood touched.  Jesus was not a slob.

Do you offer everyone a smile or a scowl?  This earth is a battle ground.  Satan goes to and fro seeking who he may devour.  He is the enemy.  What are we doing to fight him and his tyranny?  I am not talking about taking a gun and making a public statement.  Violence is not of our Lord Jesus.  I am talking about the quiet personal strength that God supplies when we do His work.  Being a helpful, joyful, determined ambassador for heaven is doing the work of your Lord.

Are you aware of your surroundings?  Are you open to helping a stranger?: the woman struggling with loading groceries, returning a shopping cart for someone, moving a cart away from the path of traffic, picking up a piece of trash or hundreds of other little gestures.  Are you patient waiting in line?  Are you a patient listener?  Do you encourage where there is negativity?  Are you actively seeking opportunities to show yourself to the world as an example of something (or some place) better?

God wants others to want what He has given us.  How can they if we show how rude, grouchy and unhappy we are with all our complaining?

The end of the age is closer all the time.  We are Christian soldiers in this world today; the salt of the earth that makes life taste better.  More of us should be quietly and humbly fighting this battle.  Let's show the world the good side of Christianity.  Let's show others our joy so they will want what we have.  Bring your inner peace out of you as a testament to the world.  Let's be fishers of men in our own little corner of life.  Let's show others that we have a life they need and make them want it by being the "nice people".
Amen
 

All About Your Stuff

Everyone has stuff.  What sort of stuff do you have?  What kind of stuff do you want?  Is there any stuff that you have that you don't want?  Is there stuff you don't have that you do want?  What will you do with the stuff you don't want?  What do you do with the stuff you do want?

People want stuff.  Some of the stuff they want, they need.  Much of the stuff we have, we don't need.  So, why do we have the stuff we don't need?  Do we use our stuff to show off or show our stuff is better than the stuff of other people?  My stuff is better than your stuff.

What do you do with your stuff?  Do you use your stuff?  What do you use your stuff for?  Do you need your stuff to survive?  Do you need your stuff to be healthy?  Do you need your stuff to help others who don't have stuff?

Do your kids want your stuff?  Are they asking for your stuff when you are gone?  Do you have an attorney to make a will to say who gets your stuff?  Do they argue over who gets what of your stuff?  Will they go to court to get your stuff?  Will your family be torn apart over your stuff?  Or, do you have stuff that no one wants?

Does your stuff make you happy?  Do you enjoy having your stuff?  Does it make you feel all warm and fuzzy to have your stuff?  Does your stuff satisfy you or give you meaning?  Does your stuff give you purpose or sustain your life?

If not, you just might need more stuff.  Of course!  We all know that having stuff will make us happy, so we work to get stuff.  Some people cheat, lie and steal to get stuff.  Sometimes they go to jail because of their stuff.  When we get the stuff we want - to make us happy, we find we are not happy with the stuff we thought we wanted.  What do we do?  We get more stuff!  The stuff we had did not make us happy so more stuff will make us happy, so we work longer and harder to get more stuff.  When we get more stuff, do we find we are soon unhappy with our new stuff?   Do we really need to get more stuff?

We go to resale shops, malls, yard sales, markets, dealers, sales, discounts, the internet, auctions, stores and warehouses to get more stuff.  We buy other people's stuff.  We trade for stuff.  We look high and low for bargains in order to have more stuff.  The one with the most stuff at the end, wins.

What if the stuff we buy doesn't work?  There is the issue of returning stuff we decide we don't like, want or doesn't fit.  Maybe the new stuff is the wrong size or color or just doesn't work like we wanted it to.  We have to return our stuff and have the bill adjusted with the rebate, on our credit card, stand in line and wait, with other people who are returning stuff.

What if our stuff gets broken?  We have to file a complaint, return it or ship our stuff for the company to repair our stuff.  Then we wait for our stuff to be returned.  Meanwhile, we rent other stuff to use while our stuff is repaired.  We pay someone to repair our stuff so we can display, insure, store and inventory our stuff.

When we have stuff, we have to clean our stuff so we buy stuff to clean our stuff.  We have to put our stuff someplace so when we fill our home with our stuff, we have to rent a facility to store our extra stuff.

Someone else might want to take our stuff so we have to buy insurance to replace our stuff and a security system to guard  our stuff.  Then, we inventory our stuff so we don't forget what stuff we have.  Sometimes, we even photograph our stuff.

We could have a sale to get rid of some of our stuff.  (Now here is a revelation!)  Then, we have to decide which stuff to get rid of.  Which of our stuff do we really need and which of our stuff should we sell?  Do we need the stuff we think we need or do we just want it?  Is it sentiment that has us keeping our stuff?  Is it the cost that has us keeping our stuff?  Maybe it is the hope that someday our stuff will be worth more than what we paid for our stuff.  Then we have to go to our inventory to find where we put our stuff, get our stuff, clean our stuff and decide how to sell our stuff.  

If we have a yard sale, we have to clean, sort and price our stuff.  If we sell to a dealer or collector, we have to prove the value of our stuff so we pay to have our stuff appraised.  If we take our stuff to a resale store, we have to clean, sort and value our stuff.  Then we have to keep a running inventory of our stuff.  If we want to sell in a craft mall, we have to pay rent for the space to sell our stuff and spend time, and money, creating a display for our stuff.  We will have to purchase more stuff to exhibit the stuff we are selling.  We can create a virtual store on one of the many selling web sites created for selling stuff.  Then, we have to set up the virtual store, charge tax, do shipping and pay taxes to the government on our former stuff. 


You will never see a U-Haul truck behind a 
hearst.
A coffin is not big enough to hold all of your stuff.
More stuff will not get you any priority in heaven.
Money is the least of God's blessings


The only things we keep forever are those we GIVE AWAY.
Amen

A Funny Thing Happened On Our Way To The ER

You know, for the past few days, I have been dealing with medication issues.  At 71, I have been so blessed to be on only one prescription drug - blood pressure.  It runs rampant in my family.  Recently, my prescription no longer works.  I hate drugs and for other health reasons need to stay away from as many as I possibly can.  I take lots of herbs and vitamins for prevention, exercise, drink lots of water and try to be cautious of what I eat.  

I refuse to be that old lady who sits with friends and discusses her doctor appointments, prescription drugs and side effects while waiting for my next meal.  Had to make an emergency run to the hospital when my blood pressure went over 200; elevated 30 points in just half an hour.

We decided to make an emergency run to an Emergency Room about 10:00 pm.  My husband was concerned about some road construction so we took and alternate route.  Just minutes after using our detour, there was a single head light looming on the horizon.  As we got closer, Steven slowed down realizing the light was stationary.

In my travels, I have had the opportunity to drive through some harrowing situations and this brought one to mind.  A time when going through the Appalacian's,  I had to pass through an area where people were putting things in the road (fires, trees, effigy figures) to stop cars for the purpose of robbery.  This came to my mind.  I was uncomfortable with him stopping and slowing down was giving me concern - just from a past memory.  We are in a rural area that has never had such an issue.  Funny how our minds work.

As we approached the light, it became obvious that it was one working headlight on a car that was stopped with the entire front looking like a wadded piece of tin foil.  There was a young couple in the road behind the car, pacing with a flashlight.  We stopped to inquire of the situation.  They had no phone, the young woman was in early stages of pregnancy and had blood on her.  She was in shock and ranting about a rented car, hitting a cow and what they would do about the car.  The young man was pacing with her, scanning her with the flashlight for cuts and she kept saying she was pregnant but that she was "okay".  It is only providence of God that I had my phone with me.  

My husband's phone is for work use only and he left it on his desk at home.  I only turn mine on when away from home so he can reach me.  Seldom do I carry it if I am with Steven.  I called 911 emergency and reached a town 45 miles away.  It took awhile to get reconnected to the correct county, decide what county road we were on, what was the closest EMT, exactly where we were and establish the fact that we were not the victims but rather on our way to the ER for help ourselves.  Can you believe this?  My husband was getting stressed but I found it to be quite amusing.   All I could think was, "Something strange happened on our way to the ER".  Soon, other vehicles approached with phones, willingness to help and more knowledge of the area than we had.  We were soon back to our personal objective.

Long story short, we spent several hours at the ER with a wonderful nurse and an amazing D.O. who was 75 years old.  I love old family doctors.  They are the real knowledge -   Too few and far between.  I am adjusting to new medication while being monitored and feel there was a reason we were on that road at that time on that night.  Prayers are sent up for that couple - who did not show up at the hospital we went to.  

What was God up to?  Others were on that same road with phones.  We were the first to arrive - on our own emergency mission.  Why did that couple not have a phone?  I thought everyone but Steven and I had phones.  That exact place and time came together.  We will never know their names or see them again.   I wonder about the young woman and her unborn baby.  My heart goes out; she was in obvious shock.  Was it a test for us to stop?  Was it a test for someone else on that road that night?  We could have been minutes earlier and hit the cow ourselves.  We never know but God is always aware and close.  He shields and protects His children.

I am confused about His reasoning but God is good.
Amen

P.S.  It was a cow - a large one and she was dead.