Neglect

     Okay, so I don't have a green thumb.  I like flowers and plants but I don't give them the daily attention they probably need.  I just know they are there then suddenly I'll notice a wilted, droopy look.  When did it last get watered...hmm, if I can't remember then it's probably past time.
     We often get busy in our own lives and neglect things and people.  ''I've just been too busy to ....''  If you're too busy to read your Bible daily, then you're busier than God intended you to be.  When we do this, we are neglecting ourselves of the soul's nourishment.  Your droopiness will appear in your attitude and fellowship.  We also get self absorbed and neglect those we should be helping or staying in touch with.  Whether near or far, it is important to maintain relationships with those we care about.  Facebook helps me stay connected with friends but even so I find myself being neglectful with them.
      Aren't you glad God is never neglectful?  'I will never forsake you.'  He cares for us in so many ways we don't even recognize.  He is the fountain from which all blessings flow.

The Child and the Path

     If you look at your own life's path, can you see how it has taught you things?  A mother of four recently told me her doctor once told her, 'let your child get hurt a little and they will learn to avoid doing that again.'  You can't catch every fall, nor are you supposed to.
     As this caption implies, we cannot put kids in a protective bubble from all the hurts of the world.  If you fight every battle for them, they'll never learn independence.  What you can do is equip them for the battles.
    How is that best done?  A godly example and teaching biblical principles.  Reading and explaining  the Proverbs is a good source of wisdom.  They say hindsight is 20/20 but how much clearer would decisions be made with foresighted wisdom.
    There are things that will jump into our paths unexpectedly but when we recognize that we never walk our paths alone, we are comforted with that knowledge.


   

Hand It Over

     I think this caption illustrates the point of letting our lives in every way be handed over to God.  We think we have things in control but then trials happen to remind us of our need for Him.
     How weak are our hands?  Mine are very weak.  We can wring our hands over distress and cry into our hands with sadness but it doesn't do any good.  His hands tho are mighty. Even the ocean won't go past the boundaries His hands have set.  'He's got the whole world in His hands', as the song says.
     How wise are we?  Hopefully, you are wise enough to know how little we know.  'His thoughts and ways are far beyond ours.'  If we would follow His lead then our paths in life would be so much smoother.  The book of Proverbs is a whole book on helping us get wisdom and showing us how to live wisely.
    How deep is your love?  Love on earth is often conditional and fleeting.  God loved us while we were still sinners and yet loved us enough to send His Son to save us from that sin.  I know I want my life in a secure, unconditional love.
    What can I give to you God when you've given me so much?  My life and all that it includes in it, the good and the bad I hand it over to You.

Accepting Others

     Is it part of human nature to surround ourselves with people just like us?  I think we often shy away from those that we consider 'different.'  I saw a headline for a news story the other day, 'What's the right thing to say to the disabled.'  Really?  Treating people based on what you see differently rather than just as another human being is the source of the problem.
     You may be different as the new kid in school or new in the workplace, therefore it kind of puts a target on your back to prove yourself as worthy to get to know.  It's not fair but that is how the world works.
     God doesn't show favoritism.  Rich or poor, high class or low class, well dressed or rags.  God considers our hearts for Him as the valuable part of us.  May we too not judge by appearance but check out the heart of a person first.
 
James 2:1 ''My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.''

Romans 2:11 ''For God does not show favoritism.''

Galatians 2:6  ''As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.''

Adding all of the part of James 2 that I'm drawing from after seeing the first comment.......to clarify..

''My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?''

Too Small

     In this world, we can become overwhelmed and think what can I do that will really change anything?  Let me introduce you to a little fellow called the mosquito.  He is small but can kill you with malaria or west nile virus.  Or how often has a small baby's cry made a negative difference in your eating out experience?  We can swell up and look bad in front of others from both small sources.
     On the up side, how much does a dying plant perk up with just a little glass of water?  How much does one little compliment make your day seem special?  It doesn't take much to be an encouragement to a thirsty soul.
     When others see us and our actions, it leaves them with an impression--good or bad.  You are making a difference and it may seem small to you but big to others.  As we plant seeds of the Truth, we may not see it grow but it has to start somewhere so why not with you.
   

Way Back Wednesday-- A New Start

       








      This is on the beach in San Diego, 1991, shortly after getting married.  A picnic on the beach at sunset in California, could it be any better?  My hopes and dreams were coming true and my rose colored glasses saw nothing but good.  I was starting a new part of my life and yet 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' —Genesis 28:16
       When we become believers, we embark on our new lives in Christ.  We have a new outlook full of hope and a promise of eternity.  We must remember we are still sinners and trials will come.  The honeymoon ends and real life sets in.  Those trials shape us into who were meant to be in the transformation of ourselves into Christ's image.  They are not easy to endure but His grace is sufficient.
     From a friend, ''We are HIS and we must desire His plan and way for our lives.  Oh, what a warning this is to all of us to "be careful to do all that is written therein"--to obey God's directive for our lives.''  We must let go of our old self ways and start fresh in our born-again lives.  The Lord is with us all the way.
   

Crossroads

“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
    Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
    But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!'' 
 Jeremiah 6;16






     ''God warns us against misguided desires, because sinful passions can lead to emptiness, suffering, disappointment, pain, and even death. Wise believers let the Father direct their yearnings--and then make changes if necessary.'' [intouch.org]

     Are you feeling run over?  Does the path you're on seem to be getting you no where?  We often make choices based just on what we want.  We may know the right thing to do but that might require more than we want to give of ourselves.
    Yes, it takes effort to get yourself to church on Sunday morning, when the bed feels so comfortable.  Yes, giving your tithe may require you to do without a few luxuries.  Yes, your time doing good deeds could be spent in other ways more to your liking.  Yes, it's not easy to stand firm and not follow peer pressure when you know it's wrong but don't see the immediate harm.
    Is the Cross calling you at a crossroad?  Whenever we start trying to convince ourselves that something wrong is okay, it's probably not the way to go.  The right way is always God's way.  As in this caption, the godly way is solid, firm and your way will lead to destruction.

Make A Wish?

     Have you ever made a dandelion wish?  Did you blow with all your might to blow all the fuzzy stuff off to ensure it would come true?  What you wish for says alot about you.  Are your wishes for others or for yourself?  Are they worldly or for spiritual gain?  Well you most likely did this as a kid so the wish was probably near sighted and personal.  How about our adult wishes through prayer tho?
     A friend asked me this weekend, 'if you were able to, would you go out now and use a chainsaw?'  I quickly said, 'No, these hands weren't made for a chainsaw.'  If I were to wish for my hands to do something, it would probably be to write again.  I used to have very good penmanship but it faded along with my grip.  I didn't realize how much we use a pen in every day life until my ability to do so was gone.  So I've traded my pen in for a keyboard and it seems to be more worthwhile, but I do still wish I had both.
     Nothing is too big or too small for you to ask for in prayer because God has the whole world in His hands.

Brr.. it's cold

    Yes I am cold and not adjusting to the cold snap very well.  It always hits like a slap in the face to me while others accept it like a long awaited hug.  This dog in the caption and I are on the same wavelength.  He buries himself in shredded cotton while I bury myself in my electric blanket on high.  Yes, I know in January I'll be wishing it was 47 degrees but I need an adjustment period to adapt to these temperatures.
     We all have to get used to new norms in life and it does take time.  Surround yourself with those that love you and your heart will stay warm.  God never leaves us out in the cold but is a shelter in the time of storms.

Disappointments

     We have all had our share of disappointments in life.  We have not only been let down by others but by ourselves as well.  I was having a bad day awhile back and my friend said, that's the trifecta of disappointments.  When things don't go our way or how we think it should, we are left feeling dissatisfied.
     Sometimes we anticipate disappointment because we doubt God's will to be what we want.  I've considered buying some burlap from a friend to make a dress out of for Nov. 7th...lol.  Seriously tho, we must trust and obey for there's no other way.  ''And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.''  Romans 8;28
      A couple of months ago, I felt like God was lining my ducks in a row for some bad, lonely days ahead.  As I tried to be patient, live life and have faith my world turned around to be so much better than it was.
     So remember just because you can't see the days ahead, God has them planned and provided for.

Way Back Wednesday--- My Mobile Phone

       This was my mobile phone way back when.  Yes, I had many conversations on it.  They were probably more important than some of those I hear now days, ha.
        Now I don't talk on the phone at all.  I say if you want to talk to me directly, send me an email or chat message.  Conversations are important, as we are meant to be social beings.  Sometimes it just lets us get things off our minds, it gives encouragement or just a listening ear.  It also helps keep us accountable.  'Ultimately the bond of all companionship is conversation.'
        'The real art to conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time but also to leave the wrong thing unsaid at the tempting moment.'  If that hit you with a punch, it did me too. [sigh]  We can't just blurt out what first may come thru our minds, filter it first.
       We also have to be careful with the conversations we have with ourselves.  We can convince ourselves of doing things thru our point of view and disregard the truth.  Manipulation works on others as well as ourselves.  Talking ourselves out of doing a good deed thru excuses is a prime example.
       May all your conversations be worthy of listening to.

FBF MISSIONARY PRAYER REQUESTS

FBF MISSIONARY PRAYER REQUESTS.......OCT 2012

TED AND PRISCILLA CLARK--

Pray for wisdom and the help needed to continue to carry out our book production and

printing ministry.  Pray that each piece of material produced would be used for the edification

of believers or the salvation of souls.  We need more help with translation work.  Pray for

the Lord’s provision there.

Pray that the Lord would open up the door again, if it is His will, for broadcasting

the gospel message over the radio.

BOBBY AND NAMATHA AVILEZ--

1.       Please pray for our kids health. Many are battling headaches, sore throats, vomiting, fever etc.

2.       Pray for our kids as they take end of semester exams this week.

PHILIP AND SANDRA PRIME--

Please pray as we travel to the US in mid October that the Lord would use us to share with our family in Bentonville, AR where we will spend about 4 days before heading to the Celebration at FBF.

Pray for the church here in Irapuato during our absence that the Lord would protect it and cause those in charge to grow spiritually and prepare them for future leadership.

LESLEY WOLFE--

1.        Literacy has gotten underway here in the village.  BK is teaching 3 semi-literate Glaro (2 women, one young man) on Thursday nights.  I am teaching the ‘advanced’ class which will be on Saturday and Sunday nights.  My class consists of three young men:  two former (2001) students who are needing a refresher course in not only reading, but especially writing Glaro, and Francis, who I began teaching earlier this year but who stopped coming.  There is to be a third class that I will also teach.  There are two illiterate young women interested in learning to read and write their mother tongue, but they are having trouble deciding upon a time to come and be taught.  It looks like it, too, will have to be a night.  This past Thursday BK and I and our 6 students met and got underway.  BK and his class were in my office with my kerosene lantern for light.  So that meant that my 3 students and I sat on my porch, each with a flashlight, reviewing early lessons in the primer. 

·         One of the things we’re up against, is that the Glaro under age 50 do not consider their language worth preserving.  When the younger generations are together, talking, and one of them wants to speak only in Glaro, that one is told, “Oh, speaking Glaro, that’s from the old days.”  (What’s ‘from the old days’ is reading by the light of a kerosene lantern!!!  Certainly not them speaking/preserving their mother tongue!!)  So, that, among other things, doesn’t give the majority much motivation to attend literacy classes.

·         Another thing we’re up against is that the Glaro rarely see such things, such as a literacy programs, through to completion.

·         And one more thing we’re up against is that for literacy to ‘take off’ among the Glaro – for it to become indigenized here in Beoue -- is that they have to take ownership of the literacy program.

BUT, literacy has begun!  And one very POSITIVE THING is that the main motivation for 7 out of the 8 students is that they want to learn their mother tongue because they want to be able to read God’s Word.  Six of the eight are church people, one is a Catholic, and one has no interest in religion.

2.       Please pray for Takes Off Shoes, a precious 6-year old who is dear to my heart.  We are reading through Genesis together, the Glaro translation of course!  We recently read of the woman’s listening to the snake, and the she and the man eating the fruit they were told not to eat, and the shame and hiding and fear and passing the buck that resulted because of their disobedience to God.  So, that’s where we are as of this writing.  Pray for this little one.  He is tracking and understanding.  I even had the opportunity recently to apply the woman’s listening to the snake and disobeying God to a situation in his young life the other morning, and he understood what I was saying to him.  So, thanks for your prayers for those involved in the literacy program and for Shoes!!!

MARTIN AND HANSY TUOHY

1. Town square evangelism on Oct. 12th and 26th. May this become a regular ministry that the others at the church will continue while we are gone.

2. Preparations to leaving for MX (6 month trip) on Nov. 7th.

 

The 3 P's, Please

     If we could remember these 3 P's, how much more could be done?  I can tell you the opposite of these does not get you anywhere.
     BE POSITIVE.  I'd rather a person remain silent than to speak negative.  A positive word builds you up with encouragement, but a negative word robs your spirit.  'You can't have a positive life with a negative attitude.'
     BE PATIENT.  The world does not work or run on your time table.  Just hold your horses, already.  'Faith in God includes faith in His timing.'  When you doubt it's ever going to happen, you're doubting His faithfulness.
     BE PERSISTENT.  [not a codeword for nag, just sayin]  We must never give up on doing good.  We must pray without ceasing.  We must finish the race strong.  We must continue the good fight.  Giving up should not be an option to what is important to you.

Bless You

     Yes, I know you are out there reading, even if I don't know you personally or you haven't told me you read my blog or you have told me.  I want my lil words of thoughts to touch hearts all over and reach as far as it can.  Sometimes people think my blog post was written specific to them but that's not the case.  I try to write about subjects that many, if not all, can relate to.
      It's funny how I sometimes find out somebody is a reader of my blog.  Today, I met with a new helper/friend and found out she has been reading.  That kind of news blesses me.
      So I hope you are feeling blessed today, as I certainly am, and will rejoice in it.

In the Hardest Moments, Pray

     We've all had those difficult moments when we just felt out of options on what to do.  It might be a health crisis, a financial burden, a smackdown urge, or a sudden loss.  What do I do now?  The answer is to pray in those helpless moments.  As our minds race to figure out how we can fix the problem, God waits for you to turn to Him.  Often our bodies react with painful symptoms, like a panic attack or a stomach ache, that point out our inability to handle it alone.
      Prayer provides a peace when we turn our burdens over.  Prayer humbles our spirits and shows us our dependence on Him.  One day, all will bow before the Lord.
      In our bible study, I learned James is sometimes referred to as 'camel knees.'  His devotion to prayer made his knees look knobby and worn like those of a camel.  When life gives you more than you can stand, do you kneel?
      I understand that praying may not be your first go-to option in stressful moments to think of but it is always available so keep it close to your heart and mind list of resources.

The Quieter

     Well this caption is true for me and my voice.  People often say to me when they come to my place, 'I can hear you so much better here.'  I tell them, it's because it is quieter here.  There are no distractions or background noise.
      I think this is true also for hearing God's word speak to us.  Devotional time is our quiet time with Him.  A time to shut the world out and meditate on His voice.  I know I need total silence and no distractions during my bible reading.  Otherwise, I read it without comprehension.  We also need to shut out our own mindful thoughts to truly hear Him.  I don't know if the monks vow of silence really works because no one knows but God how quiet their minds are.
      May we use our ears twice as much as our mouths, as that was the ratio given to us.

Way Back Wednesday--- Taking It With You

   
    A question often asked is 'if the house was on fire, what would you take?'  Well this is me at age 4, falling asleep with my do not forget box of cornflakes as I wait to go camping.  My thoughts were probably, 'I don't know where we are going but I will have something that I like to eat with me.'  At this age, I could fall asleep anywhere so a pillow or blanket was of no concern but food was high priority.
    Do you have prized possessions here on earth?  Is your wealth stored up without sharing it with those in need?  Whatever you have cannot be taken with you to heaven.  We can hold onto it tight but that does not lead to righteousness.  We are to share what we are blessed with and then we will be blessed as well.
   At age 4, I didn't know that God provides food for the sparrows and cares for me even more.  How little of the big picture do we see, when we try to take care of our needs ourselves.  Really, how long could a box of cereal last?
   So what should you pack for heaven?  A soul that loves God with all your heart and mind... that's enough.

Want to Change Yourself?

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
    Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
    ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
    ‘How clumsy can you be?’  Isaiah 45;9


      Do you ever feel like you want to change yourself?  Too short, too tall, too skinny, too fat?  Too whatever and not enough of something else?  The verse above reminds us to not question but to be thankful for exactly how He made each of us.  The chihuahua above apparently thought he needed more hair than God gave him on his little head.  It's a funny picture but reminds me of pictures of people after plastic surgery sometimes.  I think, oh yea that is not what God intended.
      Personally, I could question my small size.  I've weighed the same since 8th grade.  I think the people who have to lift me now are just grateful that I don't weigh more.  Even tho I can see a purpose in my weight issue [which isn't really an issue with me], I must see all my short-comings in the same way.. with purpose.  
      Be proud of who you are and how you were made.  Some of us have brains while others have brawn, but we all have beauty.

On the Road to......

 
    My parents have had their trike for 2 years now and Saturday I decided I was ready for a ride.  I had never even been on it before.  Well it didn't take more than just getting on it to know this wasn't for me.  It just wasn't comfortable to me.  So my ride ended before it began.
     Is your path directed by God or are you stuck in one spot of indecision?  Psalm 16:11  ''You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.''  Job 24:13  ''There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.''  There is a sense of freedom riding so openly on a motorcycle, as is there, a freedom in living a life in  Christ.
    Each of our lives is a journey to somewhere, do you know where you're headed?  Are you on the chosen path to a dead-end or to an eternal home?

Parched

     Today, I went to church without putting on my lipstick.  My lips felt drier the more I thought about it.  I think now that it's not so hot, it's safe to keep some emergency lipstick in my purse.  Do you know that feeling of dry and without?
     The verse above was from my daily Bible reading today also.  It reminds us that if we ask the Lord then He will answer our pleas.  There are so many people thirsty for the River of Life and yet all they see are the oasis giving false hope and disappointment.  We are all needy for His Word but we must seek it.  Just like dehydration affects our whole body's ability to function so does doing without the Word.
    They say you should drink before you feel thirsty because if you wait, you are already dehydrated.  Seek the Living Water and you will never thirst again.