Duplicity

Do you ever wonder what makes people say one thing and then do another? Is it desire for Power? Greed? Recognition? Or just to keep your job??

Tonight I watched the DNC and saw people that basically can't stand each other and just a week or two ago were saying "This man is not ready to lead the nation!!" stand up there tonight and say "This man is ready to lead the nation!"

Well, either he learned a whole lot in that very short period of time, or the speakers, as smooth and flowery as their speech-giving ability might be, are full of malarky! Or just plain liars! I wonder!

I wonder what kind of a person is so willing to go against everything they believe in just to have their moment in the spotlight. Hmmm. And then stand up there and tell us to believe them and get behind them and do as they tell us to do, "For the good of our nation".

Let me get this straight: We're supposed to believe what you say and do what you suggest is for our best..... Uh...... which time? A few weeks ago? Or tonight?

My Grandma always said, "Once a liar, always a liar" and if you "Lie down with pigs, you'll come up smelling like pigs."

I'm beginning to wonder if anyone really has "the best interest of our nation" in mind......

Or is it just their own agendas and greedy desires the reason they want us to believe in them now?

James 5:12

"But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes", and your "No" , "No", lest you fall into judgment."

That seems pretty clear to me.

Say what you mean and mean what you say and then stick to it!

Spontaneity

My husband and I really need to take a few days and just get away!

Did you ever get that feeling that you just really wished you could go away somewhere in seclusion, hide away from phones and work and just take your Bible and some good books and tuck yourself away in a nice, serene surrounding and just have quiet... seek God's face and insight into His Word and read? I have so many good books I've been given recently that I really want desperately to get alone and read! I've talked to Hubby and we've agreed to at least take 2 days and go somewhere and tuck ourselves away for this very purpose! Yay! We probably won't be able to go tomorrow, but since it's a long weekend, we're planning on going on Friday and staying at least until Sunday somewhere. I want to go to the Smokies and stay in a chalet but at this late date, I'm not sure that will be possible as there are probably 9 million other people with the same idea! We should have planned better! But you know, when you're working and working and then all of a sudden it just BUILDS and you know you need to go or lose your sanity!! You have to do it! Spontaneously!



I go through this from time to time; this feeling of just "having to" get away for a day or two! Away from the routine and busyness and phones! I think the main problem is a longing for God; a starvation if you will. Needing to have that time with God alone and not getting it enough because of the very busyness of certain times of the year. You get up in the morning and there is so much to do that you rush to get showered and dressed and then right to the computer to start in! Ooops.... the day is over and you realize you didn't spend time with the Lord! you can go on like that for so long before you start to get deficient like a body trying to continue on without food or vitamins or fuel to operate on. Sigh.

I need some time in the woods... to hear Nature.... see the sun streaming through the trees and hear the sighing of the wind.... smell the dampness of a forest floor and hear a rippling brook singing as the water flows over the smooth rocks... see a doe come silently out of the trees and stop and look around, frozen, smelling the air to see if it's safe....... yes, I need this!

Time alone with God in His creation and with His Word.

Tell the American Christians.....

It's been a while since I've posted anything here. There have been a few reasons actually: we just finished up one of our leadership training conferences in Alabama. We had almost 700 people in attendance! We were expecting about 600. Mostly, it was a lot of work getting ready for it, which took up almost all of my time for the past week. It was such a blessing though, to see all of those leaders come out to hone their skills and be the best that they can be to serve God in the ministry that He has called them to.

The other reason, and probably the most important one, is that our keynote speaker said something in his message that I haven't been able to get out of my head! It just keeps bouncing around in there, echoing over and over again. He told the story of a pastor in eastern Europe in a country that still has religious oppression, where Christians still aren't allowed to worship freely or openly read a Bible or pray. He said that this pastor told him to "Please tell the American Christians that I pray for them every day!" When asked why he would do that, his reply was this: "Oh Brother David! Because it must be VERY DIFFICULT to be a Christian in America!"

Can you imagine? That hit me like a rock right between the eyes! I found myself tearing up and almost losing it. I couldn't believe someone that has to live each day in fear for their life and well-being of their family, risking all they have to simply worship God and own a Bible would say such a thing about us "rich Americans" that have SO MUCH and are so complacent about our worship and God's Word, would say such a thing! The more I thought about it though, the more I realize how right he was!

Yes, we have so much in comparison to other countries! How many churches are in each city across this country? How many Christian book stores are there? How many Bibles do each of us have in our homes and yet rarely pick up to read or bother to carry to churches with us? And what about when we go to church on Sunday? To many, it is a "social gathering" instead of a place to really pour out our hearts to God in worship and thanksgiving for all He has done for each one of us.

Yes, we have SO MUCH here! So much that it blinds us to spiritual need in our own lives and keeps us so busy and focused on everything BUT God that we are weak and ineffective in our Christianity. I recently read on the back of a book I was looking at as I browsed through a Christian book store today, a statement that said something like this: a Muslim asked the question, "what makes your belief of any value? If it is all you say it is, why is it so ineffective in the lives of Christians?" That's not the exact quote because I'm so bad at remembering these things correctly if I don't write them down! But you get the idea. If our faith is all we say it is, why doesn't it make more of a difference in the world around us and in our own lives? Good question.

At this same conference we had a lady there representing a ministry that I won't name here. She had many books with her and as I looked over her display table and we talked, we began to talk about the "underground church"; and the "persecuted church" in other countries that do not have religious freedom. Some countries tell the outside world that they do allow freedom to worship, but they don't. For instance, just recently a Muslim man cut out his own daughter's tongue and then burned her alive for converting to Christianity! Yes, this is really happening around the world in this day and age we live in! it's not something that's a story from a long time ago!

Here's the link and you can read the story yourself:

http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/08/christians-in-muslim-countries-saudi-girl-burned-alive-for-being-christian/

Then there is a story that I read online about a ministry that was bringing some Bibles in to China during the Olympics, because China said that they allow religious freedom now. Guess what? The Bibles were confiscated at the security check point and taken away! When asked about this and their statement to allow religious freedom, they were told they could each bring ONE personal Bible in with them and that was all. The rest would have to be left there. The Bibles were being brought to pastors that did not own a Bible! I think their definition of "religious freedom" and ours would be very different!

These past few days, God has been dealing with me about all of these things in a very intense way. I've been searching online and reading about the persecuted Christians in other countries and it breaks my heart that we take our Christian faith so lightly, when all over this world, people are risking EVERYTHING they have, their families, their homes, simply because someone told them that Jesus loved them so much He died for them and they simply want to worship and thank Him and tell others what God has done for them so they too can know the joy and peace that this knowledge brings!

Since hearing that statement that was made by our speaker, when he told us what that pastor had asked him to relay to us "American Christians", I've been spending much time just wishing I could get away for about a week and just read and pray and study! I feel I need a radical overhaul of my outlook and actions. I've already asked forgiveness for my complacency and "easy Christianity". Yes, we have so much in our beloved country that it has become a hindrance to true, radical Christianity. The kind they had in Acts right after Jesus had risen from the grave and went on to Heaven to prepare a place for us. We have so many things to take up our time and our interests and to give ourselves to, that we have no time or place for the real purpose for which God has allowed us to take up space on this earth for! What is the chief purpose of being here?

Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 14 sums it all up for us:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

What we each do with our own 24 hour day is up to us individually. Some risk everything; some go through each day like we're here just to gather "toys",enjoy ourselves and have a good time.

The choice is ours.

Someone said that "Hebrews 11 is still being written!" and if you do a little surfing on the Internet it won't take you long to see how true this is. All over this world, more and more each day, believers are still paying the ultimate price for placing their faith in Jesus Christ; being thrown into dungeons and prisons that are really death traps; watching their families suffer and be persecuted and tormented, watching their homes be burned, and yes, being tortured because they won't "deny the One who paid the ultimate price to save them"!

I don't know about you, but I don't understand how we can hide our eyes and close our ears to their plight and still go about our silly little days frivolously involving all of our mind, strength and time in such trivial endeavors as we do. There's nothing wrong with relaxation and enjoying our time and this beautiful and free country that God has allowed us each to be born into! Where the shame comes in, is that we take so lightly what God has done for us and we live each day without a truly thankful spirit. We hide the light He has shown in our hearts and the truth He has revealed to us, under the proverbial bushel. We're in a battle for the MIND in this country. We don't have to fear (at least not yet) being tortured and thrown into prison and having our homes and families taken from us for worshiping God but we should fear what the "enemy" is doing to capture and imprison our minds and the minds of our children!

May God help us and forgive our complacent attitudes.

Words of Wisdom, From a 92 Year Old Preacher

I received an email this morning from a friend that talked about a program she had watched on TV on Sunday morning. In this televised church, they had asked a 92 year old retired preacher to preach. He said that he was asked to talk about what was the greatest lesson he'd learned through his life as a preacher. He summed it up with this:

"Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so! "

I guess that about sums it up for all of us, doesn't it? Whether or not a person "believes" the Bible or believes in Jesus, doesn't really change this statement or it's affects on our lives. Don't you just love it how the aged seem to be able to just sum it all up on a nutshell, so to speak and get right to the important stuff, leaving out all the extraneous material; the things that aren't really important anyway?

There are so many other countries that hold the aging population in high regard and take care of them and show honor to them for their wisdom. This country looks upon it's aging population as a nuisance and a problem that we need to do something about. We put them in homes and hide them away so we don't have to think about them anymore. Let someone else take care of them, we're too busy! Yet look at all the wisdom that we're overlooking.

My Grandmother used to always give credit to the fact that Jesus loved her and kept her. I can still see her standing up in church at testimony time and saying "He saves! He keeps! and He satisfies!" Words of wisdom in a nutshell!

We are saved by placing our faith in His death and shed blood on the cross for our sakes. We are kept daily by His keeping power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and we are daily satisfied by His presence and love each day as we walk through this planet.

Romans 5:6 and 8 tells us:

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

and

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

What more could we ask for? It doesn't matter what trials may come our way. We know we won't ever have to face them alone but that the ONE who loves us more than any other person on this earth possibly could, is right there guiding us and loving us and holding onto us, even when WE let go of HIS hand. That's such a comfort to me, since I know how many countless times, I've let go of HIS hand!

One of my favorite Bible verses is Isaiah 30:21

"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

What comfort to know that Jesus loves us and will guide our steps through this life!

He really does SAVE, KEEP and SATISFY!

Thank you Grandma for teaching me that principle over and over again!

DUCK!! Just Lazin' Back a While!

Just taking some time to relax and enjoy my husband and my home and TIME!

I'm going to stop and smell the roses for a while.

I've been making jewelry all day today and even though my husband and I have been in the same house together, we haven't even communicated! He's been busy working all day on conference stuff and me on jewelry! Tomorrow we've got to work some more and then he said he'll take me out to dinner tomorrow night! I'm hoping on Saturday we can get away for just a little while and go enjoy some nature!

I may not post again until next week.... we'll see!

I hope you all have a BLESSED weekend!