A woman was asked by a co-worker,

"What is it like to be a Christian?"

She replied,

"It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

Several years ago, I had this as the signature line of my e-mails. It was always there for anyone who received an e-mail from me to see. One day, a dad of one of the chess club students replied to all and asked me to remove this because I shouldn't be promoting my religion using a school event (I was leader of the chess club)...at first, I complied and apologized...but then I realized, I was a volunteer in no way representing the school views...I was using my computer, on my time. So, it remained and I let everyone know that I could not separate being a Christian from who I was, whether volunteering at the school or wherever.

From then on, I have always had a scripture as part of my signature line and on several occasions, have been told by someone that the verse has touched their hearts and it was exactly what they needed to hear. I am so happy to hear when God has used me as a vehicle to touch someone's heart.

Lord, let me be an instrument of your peace each and every day..and please, every once in a while, send me a little reminder that it's working...and help me to remember to thank those who are being used by You for my sake as well.

Love you, Lord, today and always!

Happy Birthday to me!

I thank God for giving me this life! 42 years ago on the 6th of October, I joined a wonderful family with a Mom and a Dad and 2 sisters and 1 brother. I have so many great memories of my childhood. I loved my family and still do. Some memories are so vivid and some are kind of fuzzy...but almost all of them are great!!
My favorite memories for my birthdays has to be when Grandma Banwart would bring my birthday cake! It was always angel food and always perfect!! And then, there would be the photo by the cake with both sets of grandparents standing beside me. I was so blessed to have them in my life for such a long time.
Now, I have the joy of creating special moments with my children. I pray that God continues to guide me so that I can be the best Mom to my kids.
Thank you God for making me me.

I will not conform!

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—
his good,pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).

I will NOT conform to the pattern of this world! My life is changing and I am hoping it is due to the fact that I am in the Word. I am renewing my mind!! I am praying that God's will will be revealed to me. I pray that I live according to His good, pleasing and perfect will. I want to be His servant. I want to be there for others to love and to serve them. I can do that when I am in the Word! I can be who I was created to be. Thank you, Lord!!

Slow Fade

"Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade


This week I was told by a leader of our church that translations of the Bible are "not black and white" One person asked the question, why does God make it so difficult to discern? But, does he? It is not right with my soul that I am being counted as a member of the ELCA right now. I feel God has made it very clear to me which way I am to go.

Dear Lord, please open our eyes to Your Word! Help us to see clearly. Help us to know and understand that the choices we are making today, come with a price to be paid. Thank you Lord for the price You paid for us already. For giving us Your Son, Jesus. Help us to always "hunger and thirst for righteousness" to desire to be more like You. Lord, Thy will be done.
Amen

hmmm...

So, this is the Bible verse I get today from the ELCA....

1 Kings 13:11-25 (NRSV)

Disobeying the word of God

"Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel. One of his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words also that he had spoken to the king, they told to their father. Their father said to them, "Which way did he go?" And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from Judah had gone. Then he said to his sons, "Saddle a donkey for me." So they saddled a donkey for him, and he mounted it. He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak tree. He said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" He answered, "I am." Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat some food." But he said, "I cannot return with you, or go in with you; nor will I eat food or drink water with you in this place; for it was said to me by the word of the Lord: You shall not eat food or drink water there, or return by the way that you came." Then the other said to him, "I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord: Bring him back with you into your house so that he may eat food and drink water." But he was deceiving him. Then the man of God went back with him, and ate food and drank water in his house.

As they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; and he proclaimed to the man of God who came from Judah, "Thus says the Lord: Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment that the Lord your God commanded you, but have come back and have eaten food and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, 'Eat no food, and drink no water,' your body shall not come to your ancestral tomb." After the man of God had eaten food and had drunk, they saddled for him a donkey belonging to the prophet who had brought him back. Then as he went away, a lion met him on the road and killed him. His body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body. People passed by and saw the body thrown in the road, with the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the town where the old prophet lived."

....And I wonder, is the ELCA being led astray by false prophets? The word of God says one thing, society says another and the ELCA votes and leans more toward society than the word of God. I'm very concerned about the lion.

Dear Lord, please guide Your followers back to the Bible. Help us to discern where you want us to go. Keep us on the right path so we can avoid the path that leads to being killed by a lion.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

Set Free!

Released from the past
and all that held me captive…
welcoming each day
with my wings spread wide…
Soaring into the future
and all God has for me!

I cried to the LORD,
and He answered
by setting me free.
Psalm 118:5 NIV

We all have something that holds us captive. Praying that whatever it is for you, that you will be released so you may soar into the future and all that God has for you.
And, I'm praying this for myself as well. There are things that hold me back or down...Lord, I want to experience the freedom that is only found in You!
Amen

A lighter load.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalm 68:19

Why do our burdens seem so heavy when our own God is bearing them for us? Why do I take them back from Him? He wants to carry the load but I insist on trying to be independent and handle things myself. When will I learn?? I hope it's soon.

Thank you, God, for being there to bear my burdens. Please just hold them a little tighter and don't let me take them back from You. Amen

Thursday Blessing...

So, I'm a little late this week. So much going on. Just started a class called Financial Peace University. I am loving it so far! Can't wait to follow a budget and spend only cash. Did you know that you will spend 12 - 18% less if you use cash instead of plastic (including debit cards)? That's amazing to me. The kids and I are in the habit of eating whenever we want/wherever we want instead of waiting until we get home...so, I'm going to plan ahead better and have food in the car or ready to eat when we get home. I've done it all week and it has really, really helped!!

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19).

Hope is what I need and what I am praying for God to reveal to me...can hope be revealed or is it something I should have? Or is it those little successes that build hope? My biggest success was that I spent a whoppin' $50 on groceries this week! That has to be a record low. We got drinks at sonic on Wednesday for only $2.79 for three drinks!! Got to love happy hour! and it was a treat instead of a habit.

At at time when my life is falling apart...I feel most at ease. Like a burden has been lifted. In that, I do have hope.

Lord, I pray that You continue to reveal Yourself to me in the little things. I pray that by getting myself back together, I may better serve You and be the person You created me to be. I pray that you help me be a better wife and mother. Help me to be honest with myself and others about my true feelings. Give me the strength to face my emotions head on.
Thank you Lord for loving me.

Unconditional Love

I miss my Mom. I miss being asked, "How do you do it?" She was always so amazed at all that I could accomplish in one day...and really, it wasn't much. But that one question made me want to do more.
In my Mom's eyes, I could do no wrong. And when I did do wrong, she loved me anyway. And knowing she was loving me that way, made me want to be better.
I was a better person because of her. So, lately, in my grief, I'm wondering who looks at me like she used to....how can I still strive to be a better person without her love.
But, then it came to me...she was living as an extension of God and He still loves me and looks at me like that so I can be the person I was created to be. That's all she ever wanted...for me to be the best ME that I could be. And God created ME!! She was following the instruction found in Proverbs 22. She was teaching me to love as God loves. So, I shouldn't depart from trying to be better. I should always strive to be what God has created me to be.
"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Pr 22:6)

I love you, Mom and I love You, Lord.

Honoring God

^"19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

When I went on my "diet" and lost the first 25 lbs. I did it for health reasons. I stopped losing for about a month and then started the "Body by God" program through our church. It was there that I learned that God created our bodies to do specific tasks and eat specific foods. Unfortunately, I wasn't doing much of either the tasks or eating the right foods. While I had made some healthy choices relating to food, I still didn't exercise much. Changing what I ate and when made all the difference in the world. The next 15 lbs just dropped off and I was at a size in clothing I didn't think I'd ever be back to. That was the bonus of trying to be healthy. For once, I was taking care of ME!

November 2008 changed all that. Taking care of me was put back at the bottom of the list of things to do. Taking care of Mom became my new priority. And, I still had my own family to attend to as well. Looking back, I wish I had realized that it would have been possible to continue taking care of me in the midst of all the stress and chaos. But, it all happened so fast and thinking ahead about anything just didn't happen. So, I ate what was available. Unfortunately, most of it was processed food that I hadn't eaten in almost a year. And, so the pounds piled back on...about 15 or so. I haven't checked in a while but I'm afriad the "or so" is adding up...yikes!

It is time now to make the healthy choices and for some reason it's not as easy as it was the first time. Until today. I realized this last weekend that the reason I was feeling so tired and had headaches was because I was not honoring this temple that God had given me. God wants us to feel good. He wants us to feel beautiful. He created us. Why would he create anything that isn't beautiful and good? Yes, there are snakes and bugs and wild critters that may harm us and that we may argue are far from beautiful, but to God, yes, they are beautiful.

So, I vow today to God and myself to take care of this temple he created so that I may continue to love Him and others as he has commanded. Because when I'm tired and have a headache, I'm not very loving to anyone.

Lord, thank you for this body you have given to me. Help me to make the healthy choices needed to maintain it and live according to your will. I pray that those around me will feel the love that you have commanded me to share. I pray that I will teach my children to do the same, to go out and serve in your name!
I praise you for who you are in Jesus' name.
Amen

I'm off to eat an apple for lunch and do my exercise video (already walked 1/2 mile)!
Day 1 of a new me!!

a little child

"Jesus said, "...whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."
Matthew 18:5 (NIV)

Recently, I attended a Women of Faith conference in St. Louis. Sponsoring a child through World Vision is always encouraged. Last year I felt a tug to do just that but I pushed the thought aside. This year, I felt a stronger tug...fought it for a day with thoughts like "the economy is bad, what if I can't provide for the needs (really the wants) of my own children?" But a louder voice in my head was God telling me that He will provide for those needs...so, we are now the proud sponsors of Lurdes Armando in Mozambique. They had it set up so I could choose a child by birthdate. June 2nd was Mom's birthday so of course I had them search by that date. And I wanted a girl since Lydia has been asking for a sister (OK, this isn't quite what she meant...but it will have to do.)
I just sent Lurdes Armando an e-mail and soon we will send her letters of introduction to our family. She is fortunate in that she still lives with her mother and sister. So many of the children do not have either parent due to the high rate of death from AIDS.
Please, as you offer prayers of thanksgiving for your family and the needs/wants that are being met in your life, include Lurdes Armando. I am so thankful that God has brought her into our family. I hope our sponsorship will provide for many blessings, not only in her life but I pray that our lives will be blessed as well for knowing and loving her in the name of Jesus.

Dear Lord, I thank you for the opportunity to provide love and care in Your name for this sweet child of yours. I thank you for the many blessings you have bestowed upon my family and I ask that you continue to watch over us with your tender loving care. Bless all who read this and help them to know that they also are Your child. One who You created and love so much that you gave your son, Jesus so that we may live eternally with you. I praise you for being the God of all creation.
Give me strength Lord to be the woman that you created me to be.
In Jesus name, Amen.

Monday Morning Blessing

Several years ago, I held a position on the Women of the ELCA Arkansas/Oklahoma synod board called Mission:Growth. It was a new position and the job description wasn't really clear. So, I kind of came up with my own ideas as to what to do.
I started an e-mail group and sent out a "Monday Morning Blessing" each week. It was basically my personal musings on a specific devotion or scripture.

Recently when my mom was sick with cancer and I kept a caring bridge site, it reminded me a little bit of when I did my MM Blessing. And, now, with no caring bridge site to update, I feel the need to express myself somewhere so here it is.

Welcome to the Monday Morning Blessings....however, I reserve the right to post at random times to relieve any pressure of having to do something at a specific time! It's my blog and I can blog when I want to.

I in no way intend to offend anyone and please feel free to ask for clarification on any comments. I would love to dialog.

Thanks and God Bless you!!