Come Holy Spirit

http://relevantmagazine.com/basicholyspirit
a must watch video
Live like you believe it
Pray like you Believe it
Come Holy Spirit, empower your people

Southeast Easter pageant

I accompanied our Middle School Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to the Easter Pageant last night and it was a moving experience from the time the camels delivered the Kings to the manger, the angels ascending or the ascension of Jesus himself. It was a fabulous performance enjoyed by 44 kids and the adult chaperones.

The most touching parts (for me) was the depiction of the Temptation of Jesus and the fears of the Apostles as the gathered in the upper room before the resurrection.

satan (I refuse to capitalize this name) tempts Jesus but recoils each and every time Jesus invoke scripture as His response. What a wonderful depiction of how powerful the Scriptures are and our need to memorize them to use them in our personal struggles.

I, like the apostles, occasionally have questions and doubts and can relate to the fear and desperation the followers must have felt while they waited for Jesus' return. We know the end of the story and I often fail to consider the bleakness of the 3 days they had to wait, not knowing what I do...

I'm asking God to keep my heart and mind focused on the celebration of his Coming again...Hurry Lord Jesus!

Earthquake-Tsunami hit Japan

The news coming out of Japan is sobering, the pictures are horrifying and the talk of a nuclear meltdown is frightening. The expanse of devastation has left me feeling helpless. So, I pray for the people of Japan and our world and rely on this verse
Psalm 20:7
Some trust in Chariots and some in Horses but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Amen?

11 things to do in 2011

1) Be less judgmental about one thing (bad drivers, rude salesclerks, procrastinating husbands) and focus your attention on being more accepting.

2) DECIDE to Let go of the small things. It really is a choice!

3) Offer more praise than criticism to your teenager

4) Give generously of something (money, time, listening)

5) Commit to reading a chapter of the bible daily
5b) Journal what is revealed to you
5c) Keep a prayer Journal

6) Eliminate swearing, gossip or some other bad speech pattern from your vocabulary

7) PRAY boldly (when someone tells you of a situation, offer to pray with them right then and there--don't wait!)

8) Take up one good habit

9) Forgive someone (even if they don't deserve it)

10) Memorize 12 bible verses this year

11) Show someone you care by sending them a card or letter (no e-mails). Do this one per month in 2011

Ringing the Bell

Last night I stood in the lobby of our local Kroger and rang the bell for the Salvation Army. We do this as a family because we want to give our children an opportunity to develop a heart for missions. Here's my observations:

My bell always seemed to ring a little louder and clearer when a donation had been made!

It was 4 degrees outside last night as I rang. Even though I was "inside" and wearing a down filled parka, wool socks and boots,my feet and fingers were frozen by the time my husband arrived to relieve me. I'm thankful that I have a warm home to go to and don't have to sleep on the streets. I don't worry about where my next meal is coming from. I am blessed!

Men seem to be more generous than women. The older people exited the store with their donations in hand. The more affluent people were less likely to meet my eye and frequently answered my request "Care to help the Salvation Army this evening?" with "I don't have any cash" (Likely since so many people deal only in credit/debit cards now a days). I did find that ASKING for a donation caused some people to stop and dig into their purse or pocket. Children were willing to ask their parents for a donation and I always let them ring my bell once they placed their money the red kettle.

I came away from my stint a little happier, a littl more in tune with the Spirit of Christmas.

I want to be more generous person and will make sure I have small bills on hand so I don't pass up a bell ringer in the future! Generous giving makes me feel like a better person. I admit I don't give to just any charity or person collecting on the side of the road. I do my homework to make sure my donation is well administered--that takes some effort on my part. I want to model generosity so I have to be ready this season!

Merry Christmas!

Forgiveness

Recently we became aware of a marital indiscretion in our church that required forgiveness on many fronts: The aggrieved parties, employer and co-workers and the concentric-far reaching circles of associates, friends and members. My bible study participated in the following exercise and it may be helpful if you require forgiveness or have been called to forgive.

Acquire RED Paper and Envelopes (readily available at a scrapbook store)
List the items that you need to be forgiven for and those which you need to forgive others on the RED paper, using one paper for yourself and a separate one for each person you need to forgive. Be specific and detailed-no one else is going to see these. Get out all your hurt, anxiety and bitterness and record it on the paper
Place the paper(s) in the RED envelope
Seal the envelope.
Place the envelope in a prominent place or in your bible
Every time you feel compelled to pick up your guilt remember that the (red) BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST has covered those sins and you are forviven. Likewise when you begin to feel hurt or angry, bitter or resentful ask the Holy Spirit to help you forgive those who have wronged you as you have been forgiven. Do this as often as you see the RED envelope until you have a peace which passes all understanding. Repeat as necessary.

Change my heart, O God

If you want change you have to get to the heart of things...in this case, literally your heart.
This week pray that your heart is changed, that it is softened, that God reveals any hardness of heart you may be unaware of.

Dear Lord,
Change my heart. Make it yearn for you and only you. Create in me a heart that loves as you love. Give me a heart for the things that are important to you (family, my spouse, the hurting, the ill, the homeless, the lonely, children, the oppressed, teachers, pastors, the elderly, the un-born). Fill my heart to over flowing with your spirit and empower me to boldly love others in your name.
Amen