Monday of Passion Week

This week is Passion week, the week that Jesus met His "destiny" at the Cross. Each year I like to "walk" where He walked, so to speak to see if I can imagine being with Him in those last days and hours. I have this great map in my Bible: NIV Study Bible found in the book of Mark for those that have this Bible. It shows you what Jesus would have been doing each day leading up to the Resurrection. This is also a great link to another great chart that you could use to do the same thing.
Today is the day marked by two events: the cursing of the fig tree and Jesus clearing the Temple of the money changers. ( Matthew 21:12-22)

The Cursing of the Fig tree ( Matthew 21:18-22) has always caused me great curiosity. Never have been able to discern the "why" of this event. And even why they include it in the Scriptures. So there MUST be a reason for it.Maybe Jesus was just having a "bad" day. He was divine AND human. And believe me if I was walking each day closer to the kind of death He was going to have to endure, I probably would have been a bit testy. Of course I can't compare me to Him. Somehow that seems blasphemous. But I truly cannot imagine the thoughts running through His mind as He walked closer and closer to this ultimate destiny. I do think it was a great object lesson for the disciples too as He talks about them having faith and doing the same thing.

But the clearning of the Temple. I don't have as much problem imagining His anger as He witnessed the mockery that His Father's House had become to the Holy place it was originally set apart to be. Although I know I can't imagine the full magnitude I am sure. As I read this passage I take it a bit further and try to imagine the anger, frustration, and depth of sadness He feels today as He looks at what His Bride, the Church, has become. Churches fighting churches over the most pointless of issues. For instance one church leader thinking he has the right to judge fellow churches for the way they are doing things and rallies to march on those churches to preach condemnation to them. And then the magnitude of poverty in the world of so much wealth. Somehow I think this makes Jesus weep more than it makes Him proud.

So what did I consider today as I pondered these things? I thought about two things: 1. Would He be standing with me looking over what I am doing as I seek to serve Him with my life and have done and saying "Well done?"2. Am I representing Him well or am I like the unfruitful fig tree: Good for nothing in His eyes? Harsh realities. But then this week is meant for harsh reflections and reality checks.

Father, Help Me To Slow Down

In the midst of the busy-ness of my days

Father God

Help me to slow down

To see the beauty of Your creation,

The changing colors of the leaves

The deep reds, bright oranges and golds

The myriads of other hues that You painted them to be;

To hear the sounds of life around me

A child's giggle and laugh

A birds song in the early morning hours

A loved ones words of care and encouragement.

Help me to slow down

To see the wonder in a child's eyes at the world around them,

Friends and family who are in need of a smile or encouraging word

Help me to slow down

To see the people around me

People who need You, Your love, Your Hope

Help me to slow down

So I can hear YOU

Your words of encouragement and love

The Songs You sing over me.

Help me to slow down and just be in Your presence.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Would you stop?

(image found here)
Today our lesson in our Lil' Sprouts (or children's church for those that don't know) was about the Good Samaritan. Now whenever we hear this lesson its easy to hear character descriptions and basically say: "Okay, I am kind to my neighbor. Or that's not me, that's the Priest and the Levite, you know a Preacher, Minister." Well, if you are a follower of Jesus then yes you are a minister according to what Paul says in the New Testament. But specifically I was reminded again that my job title is Minister and it always makes me wonder. Would I stop? Would I help a anyone basically beaten and stripped who was on the "wrong" side of town when I was in a hurry to get somewhere? Right now I would have to say: I truly don't know. Shocking isn't it? Hard to admit that even to myself. I pray that I would; that God's Spirit that resides in me would overcome any fears I might have for my own safety to help someone in need. I have in the past done things to help others but not to this extreme; but would I take them to a hotel and fork out the money for a doctor and their hotel? That is what happens in the story and in essence that is what this story translates to in our culture today.
There are TONS of other things from this story to glean from as well: such as the man who was beaten was a Samaritan and Samaritans were despised or pariah to the Jews. I wonder who my "Samaritan" would be or should I say is...?
Lots of things to ponder from this lesson. Who says Adults can't learn anything from Preschool Children's Church Lessons? Guess it depends on whether you want to take anything away with you or not??

He'll Take Care of The Rest

I haven't blogged for awhile but life has been super busy in recent weeks. Really you could describe my job in one word:
S T R E S S!

Every Fall we gear up to start another new year for our Bible Study or as others would call it Sunday School and all of our other ministries. During this time of year we usually are knowledgeable of a little bit of turnover but this year we had a bit more last minute step downs than I had expected many of which were for health and family reasons. And when you have these situations you cannot anticipate them. So for me this means I have to become a heavy duty recruiter and trainer and make it happen in a relatively short period of time. And I am so thankful that I have a wonderful helper who takes on a great portion of calling and helping me with the recruiting part. She does such a great job of calling people for me. When you have more people helping you it sure does lighten that load.

I admit at first whenever things like this happen I am good, I am praying, watching and waiting, walking with Jesus, and listening. But as time gets nearer to deadlines and I am looking at the empty teacher spots I am always amazed at my descent into self-sufficiency. It is so subtle. However things start happening to me physically I will start having bouts with migraines, sleeplessness, and tension. And for all of my fitness conscious friends, yes I do still take time to eat healthy and also exercise. But stress was still was taking its toll.

Thankfully God sent me a reality check a few weeks back through a wake up "call" from some friends and my family. They told me that in every conversation I was having with them I was fretting. That I was talking about how I could "make this or that work" and trying to "work things out". That's self sufficiency not God Sufficiency! And they were right. After the last person mentioned that to me I thought "Okay God I hear you!" So He sent me to look at my prayer journal... and it was more like a Fret Journal. I was whining and fretting on paper and telling Him what had to be done, not asking Him what HE wanted to happen and who HE wanted to serve Him through these opportunities.
So I stepped back and had a literal come to Jesus meeting with myself. I sat down with Him and said..."I CANNOT do this...I know that. Only YOU can. I confess to You that I am trying to handle it all in my own strength. But I give up, I can't do it You are going to have to handle it and I give it to you. Help me to leave all these worries with You. And thank You for helping me leave it there and see what You are trying to show me."
When I finished talking AND listening I had such a great sense of His Peace and literally felt the tension leave. A really great song also came to mind. It is an oldie but a goodie: Keith Green's: "He'll Take Care of the Rest" (By the way, if you look to the right in my Playlist its the second song down. You can click on it to hear it.) Now for me,this song said it all: I needed to leave this very small thing in His eyes in His ALMIGHTY hands and be watching and listening and waiting for Him to provide. Now does this mean I will never try to handle things on my own, I wish! No I am sure I am going to have be looking for this and check myself.

So... what in your life right now are you trying to handle all on your own? Maybe its time to let God "handle the rest" for you. ???

By the way here are the lyrics in case you don't know the song:

He'll Take Care of the Rest
Keith Green

You know it ain't no use, banging your head, up against that cold stone wall,
Cause nobody's perfect, except for the Lord, and even the best bound to fall,
Remember He is de vine, and you are de branch,
He'd love to get you through it if you'd give Him a chance,
Just keep doing your best,
And pray that it's blessed,
And Jesus takes care of the rest.
Yes the Lord said that He'd take care of the rest, He's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, the devil blew it,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest.
Just think about Moses, in front of the burning bush,
barefoot on the Holy ground,
You know, he must have been thinking, what's an old dude like me,
Gonna tell em all when I go down, go down Moses,
The Lord said, hey Moe, don't you worry about going down south,
I'll be saying every word that comes out of your mouth,
Just keep doing your best, and pray that it's blessed,
Hey Moe, I'll take care of the rest.
Yes the Lord said that He'd take care of the rest, he's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, oh, Pharaoh blew it,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest.
Just believe, and you'll receive, that comfort you need,
You just think about all those lonely people you know,
They've got everything they want, but they have empty souls,
Well, He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the,
He'll take care of the, care of the rest.
You just think about Noah, toting his umbrella,
when there wasn't a cloud in the sky,
All his neighbors would laugh at his pet giraffe,
and would snicker as he walked by,
But the Lord said, hey Noah, keep cool, just keep building that boat,
It's just a matter of time till they see who's gonna float,
You just keep doing your best, and pray that it's blessed,
Hey Noah, I'll take care of the rest, I'm the weatherman.
The Lord said that he'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, his neighbors blew it,
He'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it, He's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, only Jesus can see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, yes, yes, yes,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest….

"Revelation Song" - Gateway Worship, Song led by Kari Jobe

I have been surfing Youtube a lot lately. Most of what I have looked at were music videos. Some of what I have been looking at is nostalgic, watching old favorite bands. But I have also been looking at videos of some favorite worship songs. Here is one of them. This is such a powerful song. Enjoy :-)

Do You Mind Getting Your Hands Dirty?

There are many pictures from our week in Guatemala that I love, but I have to say I love this one a bunch! Why? Because it shows Mr. Larry's heart and his love for these kiddoes. He didn't mind a bit that he was painting fingernails; which isn't considered to be a very manly thing to do in our world. But this was Mr. Larry's way to be Jesus to this little girl, to love on her and give her loving touches. Which many of these little girls and boys' didn't grow up experiencing. He did many things that week to be Jesus to many children. For instance we called him the candy man before the week was out cause he always had life savors or something like that in his pockets. I am thankful for Mr. Larry and all my fellow team members from that week for getting their hands dirty loving on kiddoes and being Jesus for a week that will forever be branded in my memory.

So... what are you doing to get your hands dirty to serve others in Jesus' name?

(By the way this is another favorite pic of Mr. Larry from that week.
He's receiving sticky kisses from little Miss Veronica. )

Re-Post: Pondering the crazy week Jesus was about to have

I am interrupting my posts about our mission trip to re-post this resource about passion week from last year. Last Friday started the walk through what we call the Passion Week. Last Friday I started pondering and reflecting on Jesus' journey to the cross. I have this really neat chart in my NIV Study Bible that is found in the book of Mark. It leads you through each day and even refers you to the scriptures where those events are located. I was able to find something similar on the Bible Wise website. Click on this link to take you to it. I think it will help you as you prepare for to celebrate and remember this Easter season.

As you read and study I pray that God will make this a most memorable and blessed Easter season for you.

Do You Really Pray When You Say You Will?

This question came to mind today because I had forgotten to pray about something for someone today. So I had to stop and do it at that moment because I had committed to this friend to pray. How many times do we say "I'm praying for you", just because we don't know what to say in the moment? I confess and am not proud that I am guilty of this. However, in the last few years after one of my little elementary age friends died after struggling with a really long illness and many other physical problems I was convicted and challenged by a friend to pray unceasingly. And as I was reminded of my little friends family and especially her baby sister (who was 3 years old and didn't understand where her big sister went to and why she couldn't go too) I needed to stop and pray for them. Of course I reacted to my friend with frustration, I asked " how can I remember EVERYONE all the time? I feel so overwhelmed by those that I know of that need prayer." In answer to this he gave me the greatest advice through a series of questions:

How many times am I reminded of friends and acquaintances by things as I go through my day? And i answered it depends on the day. (yes sarcasm won't get you anywhere, thankfully my friend was gracious and didn't just throw up his hands or slap me and walk away) With much patience he then challenged me to think and remember my day that day. By the way, he knew I had gone to a favorite store that had antiques and fun girly stuff. He asked me "Had I been reminded of any of my friends while I was in the store?" And I answered "Of course." He then asked me "What did I do with that remembrance and did I think they just 'happened' to come to my mind?" And I answered " No of course not." He then asked: "if God is intentional in our lives and is working through every detail of it would He not use an instance of seeing a fun purse which made me think of one of my friends who I thought would love it as a reminder for me to lift them up in prayer?" It was like a ton of bricks landed on my head; a real "DUH!" moment.
This conversation totally changed the way that I approach praying through my prayer list and praying unceasingly. And so now I have fun throughout my day waiting to see who God is going to bring to mind and how He does it. Will it be through a license plate or maybe a goofy flashback song or even a cookie at a bakery.
Now don't get me wrong I am not a saintly pray-er. I am most definitely an imperfect Jesus follower. I don't pray all the time and you won't hear me chanting prayers under my breath throughout the day. But I do want to learn how to be one that "prays without ceasing" it is definitey a discipline. And yes I still have a prayer list that I intentionally use to pray by because I will no doubt forget someone or a situation that I need to pray for. But I also pray for God to open my eyes and ears to be aware of what He is showing and telling me so that I won't miss those moments to pray for others and of course to hear from Him and know what He would have me do.
A for instance from this was just the other day I was driving to grab lunch and drove by a restored bright yellow 70's era corvette. This car reminded me of an old friend from highschool days that had one, someone that I had lost touch with. And as I began wondering what happened to them God nudged me to pray for them. Now obviously I didn't know what to pray but asked God to intervene and provide for this person as only He knew how.

Now I could continue to write a dissertation on prayer as well as remembering to take the time to follow up on those you prayer for and hear what God is and has done. But it would take much more time than I have at this present moment. Just be mindful of praying for those situations and people God brings to your mind. And yes you may not know what to pray but God knows their needs, just lift them up to Him. And pray as He leads you. And please don't say you will pray for someone when you know you won't. People hang onto prayers more often than we reaize as lifelines.
I hope this will challenge you to pray more intentionaly and think differently about praying through your day.

So... What Do You Do When You Can't Sleep

Many nights I will fall asleep normally and then wake up a few hours later, wide awake. Very annoying. So what do I do when I can't sleep?I will journal or usually I grab a good book and try to let that lull me back to sleep. I wish I could say I always grab my Bible but that wouldn't be the truth. When I read the Bible it actually stimulates my brain and I start thinking and pondering, not a good thing to do when I need to fall asleep. Sounds horrible huh? Especially when you read verses that speak about meditating on scripture day and night, David talks about this quite a bit in his Psalms. But I can't just pick up my Bible and read, cause it will keep me up for hours. I will however pray. I will start ticking off my mental list of prayer requests and sometimes that will relax me. Something else is to ask God why am I awake? Sometimes as in the case of Samuel He has something He wants to alert me to or show me and in the "awake" hours I am too focused on me to hear or be aware of what He is showing me.

Other things I will try:

If there is a movie on that I like I will see if it can help my mind to zone out because usually its my brain that won't let me sleep. My favorite movie to lull me to sleep these days is the Illusionist. Not that its a snoozer, I actually like this movie. But its just a quiet type of film and the colors they use are mostly sepia and muted dark colors and for some reason, it relaxes me and I can fall asleep to it. So I will set the timer on the TV and hopefully sleep.

My last resort is to take a sleep aid. Most of these including prescriptions make me too groggy in the morning and I don't like how long it takes me to wake up. But if I am desperate and facing a long day ahead I will take one. The next day will be filled with caffeinated drinks. Mostly coffee.

Another thing a friend taught me to do when its my brain that won't let me go to sleep is to grab a blank notebook and some colored pencils or markers and just start doodling or writing out random words. This works sometimes for me, but many times it gets the creative juices flowing and just keeps the old brain on alert mode, so not such a good all time remedy.

So with all of my remedy's listed, what do you do when you can't sleep?

So how are you doing with what you gave up for Lent?

This year I gave up watching not all of TV (I know myself too well) but I gave up hours of TV. I realize that many times I get hooked into a TV show or movie instead of spending time reading God's Word and studying it. Or even reading books relevant to understanding it. It is amazing how much of a "company keeper" TV is for me. I don't really watch it or even listen to it all the time. Many times its on and muted. I know, so you ask "why even have it on?" Well it gives the allusion of having another person in the room for me at times. Sad I know. In response to this many friends have told me I need a pet. ?? I also think its a habit..... so I am trying to break myself of a habit. One little bit at a time. So for now I am instead of turning on my TV to a show I turn it to a music station. Great music, still have visuals, etc. For instance right now I am listening to URGE Radio: Smooth Jazz :-)

It may take time to totally kick the habit, but so far I have gotten lots more done without the movie or TV Show distraction.

So.... how are you doing with holding to your thing you gave up for Lent?