You know you live a simple life when this is considered exciting....
Emma ate green beans!!
PRAISE THE LORD!
I have been trying to get her to eat them since we started her on solids, what with coming from a family who ADORE green beans!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
What I Learned in Church Today
Preacher made some interesting points today...
And as always, I felt like he was directing his sermon right towards me. Isn't it funny how God has a way of doing that? It just goes to show you that His Word and wisdom are perfect for everyone, no matter what. He never goes out of style!
First I want to start off by saying our pastor went out on a real limb today. It isn't often that you'll hear a Baptist Minister starting a series leading up to the Celebration of the Day of Pentecost. In my history of good ol' Baptist churches (no offense- I love them) I haven't ever heard a preacher talk of being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues and such. But today, that's what happened and I'll be honest, we saw some squirmin' in the congregation. In any event, it was a remarkable thing to see and hear because our pastor made no apologies. He spoke only what God called him to teach about.
So, the first little tid bit I left with today was that we are like pickles.
Whew! Talk about theologically deep! I almost couldn't keep up!
Seriously, pickles are just cucumbers soaked in vinegar right? Once they are so fully saturated and well, pickled, that's when we can name them 14-day or dill or bread and butter. Being fully immersed in vinegar for a set amount of time and what used to be a cucumber now resembles something totally different.
That's how we are as Christians. Christ sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comfortor and Guide. He dwells within us and we are to live in relationship with Him. He wants to direct every minute aspect of our life. And we can so fully immerse ourselves in Him and His will, leaving all of our junk behind, that we too become something totally different from what we once were.
Preacher prayed we all be saturated with the Holy Spirit so as to be different in the name of Jesus!
The second thing I learned today was that the most miserable person on this planet is not the lost person, but instead it is the saved person still living outside the will of God. I thought this was an interesting quote and oh so true.
It reminds me of frequent conversations with my best friend. We love Jesus with our whole hearts, yet we still fall into disobedience at times. I'll admit, it's hard for me to kick myself to the curb and let God control my mind and my emotions. The consciouness of this behavior is what is the most painful because Christ died on the cross for me and all of my hang-ups. My junk has been taken care of since before I was even a thought. We as Christians are so aware of our sins that it hurts.
Yet another reason to ask God to "pickle" you.
I'd love to hear what you learned this week at Church! Won't your share your lessons with us so that we might be reminded to walk in Truth all throughout the week?
Drop me a line!!
And as always, I felt like he was directing his sermon right towards me. Isn't it funny how God has a way of doing that? It just goes to show you that His Word and wisdom are perfect for everyone, no matter what. He never goes out of style!
First I want to start off by saying our pastor went out on a real limb today. It isn't often that you'll hear a Baptist Minister starting a series leading up to the Celebration of the Day of Pentecost. In my history of good ol' Baptist churches (no offense- I love them) I haven't ever heard a preacher talk of being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues and such. But today, that's what happened and I'll be honest, we saw some squirmin' in the congregation. In any event, it was a remarkable thing to see and hear because our pastor made no apologies. He spoke only what God called him to teach about.
So, the first little tid bit I left with today was that we are like pickles.
Whew! Talk about theologically deep! I almost couldn't keep up!
Seriously, pickles are just cucumbers soaked in vinegar right? Once they are so fully saturated and well, pickled, that's when we can name them 14-day or dill or bread and butter. Being fully immersed in vinegar for a set amount of time and what used to be a cucumber now resembles something totally different.
That's how we are as Christians. Christ sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comfortor and Guide. He dwells within us and we are to live in relationship with Him. He wants to direct every minute aspect of our life. And we can so fully immerse ourselves in Him and His will, leaving all of our junk behind, that we too become something totally different from what we once were.
Preacher prayed we all be saturated with the Holy Spirit so as to be different in the name of Jesus!
The second thing I learned today was that the most miserable person on this planet is not the lost person, but instead it is the saved person still living outside the will of God. I thought this was an interesting quote and oh so true.
It reminds me of frequent conversations with my best friend. We love Jesus with our whole hearts, yet we still fall into disobedience at times. I'll admit, it's hard for me to kick myself to the curb and let God control my mind and my emotions. The consciouness of this behavior is what is the most painful because Christ died on the cross for me and all of my hang-ups. My junk has been taken care of since before I was even a thought. We as Christians are so aware of our sins that it hurts.
Yet another reason to ask God to "pickle" you.
I'd love to hear what you learned this week at Church! Won't your share your lessons with us so that we might be reminded to walk in Truth all throughout the week?
Drop me a line!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Ding Dong~ Holy Spirit Calling...
I often marvel at those people who clearly communicate with God, as if He's there face to face and they can audibly hear every word He speaks to them.
I, unfortunately, am not one of those people. I feel as if God speaks to me through feelings, subtle urges, senses of peace and often times through other people. But I am not confident that I have ever clearly HEARD Him speak to me.
I'm reading a book now and it proposes that anyone can learn to hear God. Sounds easy enough I thought. You just have to get out of your own head, die to self, focus on His Word and wait patiently for instruction.
Those of you who know me are probably laughing at this point and "patiently" is likely to be the word that triggered your chuckle.
I think I've written this before, but I'm not patient and to have to WAIT PATIENTLY sends chills (not the good kind) up my spine. In other words, I have to calm my heart and LISTEN, not just hear, but wait on and LISTEN to God. Maybe this is why I've never clearly heard Him.
Or have I....
We went home this weekend for a quick trip to visit my parents. And as always, being in my hometown spurs a host of emotions as well as provokes a steady flow of creativity. I don't know, maybe it's the air there or being in the valley surrounded by all these lush green mountains. Maybe it simply has to do with being around family and the energy that flows from them as they inspire my entire being. Whatever it is, I always come away from these trips renewed and ready for whatever life has for me.
On this particular visit we were slammed with stuff to do and people to see. It was a shorter trip than usual as well, so that made it even more jam packed. But on Sunday as we were driving to lunch, I was able to sit in the backseat of my dad's Suburban and just be. It was brief and I got a twinge of car sickness (as I always do in the backseat on curvy mountain roads), but I was still. My mind and heart were at ease for that moment in time.
And that's when I heard it.
In stereo.
The Holy Spirit was speaking to me and I not only HEARD it, I FELT it. I felt it in my bones, my blood, in the depths of my soul.
Now I mentioned before, I've experienced subtle urgings that I believe was God leading me in the direction that He wanted me to go in. But again, never anything like the roaring command I heard this time. On a normal day, I would have written this off as my own thoughts, but this feeling was so overwhelmingly real, I know it could have only been from God.
So I'm sitting there, looking around because surely everyone else heard what I heard.... my brain was just swirling with thoughts and emotions. I was dizzy.
Talk about invigorating. To know, with absolute certainty, that God has something so meaningful in store for me. To be able to see it with the clearest vision. Oh, how the Lord blesses us!
Just exactly what the Holy Spirit shared with me, I'll have to write about at a later time. It's something I wish to prayerfully work on before I blog about it. Know that the time will come when I am to share it with you all. But for now, part of God's will is for me to muse at this experience with my readers, that I'm confident of.
Please know that God speaks. He speaks to all of us, maybe in different and unique ways, but He yearns to communicate with His children all the same. He loves us and wants to share His will. Most of all He wishes for us to have wisdom and trust in His Word. How can we know what our real purpose is, our true meaning in this world unless we turn to our Father and Creator, the One who knows us best?
Are you listening to what God wants to tell you? And if you are listening, are you being obedient to His will?
I, unfortunately, am not one of those people. I feel as if God speaks to me through feelings, subtle urges, senses of peace and often times through other people. But I am not confident that I have ever clearly HEARD Him speak to me.
I'm reading a book now and it proposes that anyone can learn to hear God. Sounds easy enough I thought. You just have to get out of your own head, die to self, focus on His Word and wait patiently for instruction.
Those of you who know me are probably laughing at this point and "patiently" is likely to be the word that triggered your chuckle.
I think I've written this before, but I'm not patient and to have to WAIT PATIENTLY sends chills (not the good kind) up my spine. In other words, I have to calm my heart and LISTEN, not just hear, but wait on and LISTEN to God. Maybe this is why I've never clearly heard Him.
Or have I....
We went home this weekend for a quick trip to visit my parents. And as always, being in my hometown spurs a host of emotions as well as provokes a steady flow of creativity. I don't know, maybe it's the air there or being in the valley surrounded by all these lush green mountains. Maybe it simply has to do with being around family and the energy that flows from them as they inspire my entire being. Whatever it is, I always come away from these trips renewed and ready for whatever life has for me.
On this particular visit we were slammed with stuff to do and people to see. It was a shorter trip than usual as well, so that made it even more jam packed. But on Sunday as we were driving to lunch, I was able to sit in the backseat of my dad's Suburban and just be. It was brief and I got a twinge of car sickness (as I always do in the backseat on curvy mountain roads), but I was still. My mind and heart were at ease for that moment in time.
And that's when I heard it.
In stereo.
The Holy Spirit was speaking to me and I not only HEARD it, I FELT it. I felt it in my bones, my blood, in the depths of my soul.
Now I mentioned before, I've experienced subtle urgings that I believe was God leading me in the direction that He wanted me to go in. But again, never anything like the roaring command I heard this time. On a normal day, I would have written this off as my own thoughts, but this feeling was so overwhelmingly real, I know it could have only been from God.
So I'm sitting there, looking around because surely everyone else heard what I heard.... my brain was just swirling with thoughts and emotions. I was dizzy.
Talk about invigorating. To know, with absolute certainty, that God has something so meaningful in store for me. To be able to see it with the clearest vision. Oh, how the Lord blesses us!
Just exactly what the Holy Spirit shared with me, I'll have to write about at a later time. It's something I wish to prayerfully work on before I blog about it. Know that the time will come when I am to share it with you all. But for now, part of God's will is for me to muse at this experience with my readers, that I'm confident of.
Please know that God speaks. He speaks to all of us, maybe in different and unique ways, but He yearns to communicate with His children all the same. He loves us and wants to share His will. Most of all He wishes for us to have wisdom and trust in His Word. How can we know what our real purpose is, our true meaning in this world unless we turn to our Father and Creator, the One who knows us best?
Are you listening to what God wants to tell you? And if you are listening, are you being obedient to His will?
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