Burdened

I feel a heavy burden of a message for the church. I have been studying in the Old Testament a lot, and much of what I see in the Old Testament still continues today. As soon as we reap the blessings He has planned for us, we forget Him, and go about our selfish, sinful lives.

As a church at large we are not fulfilling the Great Commission:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

and often not even fulfilling the Great Commandment:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'There is no commandment greater than these."

We are simply doing what we are best at....taking care of ourselves.

Scripture is very clear. We are to take care of others and entrust our own care to our Heavenly Father as a young child entrusts all of his or her care to earthly parents. We are not to worry about our clothing, our food, or even our health, but rather to make sure we are busy in the care of others, specifically the unsaved and those who are hurting and in true need.

Wake up church and heed His call.

Hands and Feet

I love this picture. I was in my niece's wedding last week, and one of the other brides maids took this photo to document my newly pedicured feet. I happen to really like my feet. Probably too much.

I have realized of late how selfish I am with my feet. Are they going where Christ asks them to, doing what he says? All to often I keep my feet where they are comfortable, clean and pampered. It has been very plain to me the sad state that God's beautiful creation is in, and how very little I do to make it better.

Matthew 15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

So what I wonder is what does my fruit look like? Is it plentiful or scant? And what should it look like?

Blogging Again?

I am thinking of taking up blogging again. Well, since I'm here, I guess I already am. I feel so different, my life has gone in such a different direction, I hardly recognize the woman who blogged here before. Alas, we'll see how it goes.

Clarity

Leave it to the Irish to cut through the crap and make the whole issue crystal clear... Thoughts from across the pond.



An email from Ireland to the brethren in the States... a point to ponder despite your political affiliation:



"We, in Ireland, can't figure out why people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States this year.


On one side, a lawyer who states he is 'black' when it is documented he is only 12% 'black', who goes to the wrong church, who has stated he wants his countrymen to learn to speak Spanish rather than English, who refuses to put his hand over his heart and say the pledge of allegiance or wear the flag of the country he wants to run, who can't remember if the re are 50 or 57 states in his own country, who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn't even like the country her husband wants to run.


Now...On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate 'Mc' terminology married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.


What in Lord's name are ye lads thinking over there in the colonies?"

Leave it to Me.

So what is the first thing I do when I get the job I was dying to get? PANIC!!

I met my "partner" and found out that she has a MSW to my Diploma in Emergency Medical Services.

I am seeing how much I will have to "put myself out there" after being in my comfort zone of my home, loving on my kids for over 6 years.

This job is so much PR and marketing, so much people stuff, when essentially I have been a hermit since Alex was born. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

Then I got the book "Believing God" by Beth Moore from the library. There is no mistaking that God chose this very book and these very words to go into my heart for just this time. Among many powerful quotes, "This place, this circumstance is holy because God stands on it with you. You don't have to fill His shoes, Dear One. Take off your sandals and walk barefoot in his wake." AND she backs it up with scripture, experience and humor. Wow, God is cool. I know that I have been called to this job, that the devil is just trying to cast doubt into my soul, but alas, God is there, holding back the devil with the Shield of faith and the Sword of the word of God.