Supporting a Student

I have a student that has auditioned for X Factor...which will air later summer or fall.
She will find out by a phone call if she made it thru to the live TV auditions.
I am very excited for her. Her parents drove her to New York for this audition. It made me think of Scotty and all he went thru, but boy was it worth it for him!!!
Think of all the times Scotty has mentioned God , Jesus and praying on television since last May. (yes, it has been a year)
I hope this student understands the opportunity God has placed before her, and I know she will make me proud!! Go Kinsey!!

God is so Good

I know, this is an understatement. God is super good to the point we can't even describe it. But, I can tell you He helped me with a problem.

I have had requests for a Sign  Language 2 class for the coops I teach. I had many ideas, but could not seem to get them lined up properly. I mentioned this to one of the moms. She said why not put all your ideas under one umbrella and do all of them. I loved that idea. So, I went home and began to write down the ideas that came to mind. By the time I was finished I had filled up a whole page. It was fantastic!

I knew then it was totally a God thing! When was the last time you just asked God for help, and then acted on it? Go think about that.....

Outreach

I have been thinking a lot the past 6 months about what God wants us to do as Christians and as THE CHURCH.

I promise you He does not want us just hanging out at church. He wants us to go out into the community....tell about His love, help people know there is hope in Jesus.  Jesus was a trouble maker. He was always in the bad parts of town, hanging out with the riff raff that no one else would be seen with. He was walking the walk...in a BIG way. Why do we think we can just sit in our pews and expect people to walk in our churches off the street? They don't. People want to know we care...that we mean it.

Haven't you ever heard the saying: people don't care how much you know, till they know how much you care? It is true.

I think we need to embrace our inner trouble maker and do what Jesus would do....which is NOT sit in our seats and wait for the masses to come to us. The devil makes sure that won't happen.
If this is outside your comfort zone, then good. That is where we need to be. We aren't growing if we are satisfied where we are....instead we become complacent and ineffective.

God has moved me outside my comfort zone, and I am discovering I like it better there. So, ask God what kind of community outreach He would have you do..and do it. I promise there is someone out there waiting for you to speak up.

Embrace your inner  trouble maker. Go think about that............

New Year, New Me

Okay, it is finally 2012. I don't really make resolutions, mainly because I make lofty ones that are difficult to attain.
This year is different. My only goal is to simplify my life and tell people "no" more. I am going to have more time for the important things.

See, I think I am Wonder Woman...that I can do it all, and do it well. (Insert laugh here) Well, surprise, I am not WW. So, I am choosing the most important things to me (sign classes, sign choir, my kids and hubby) and doing them. I now have more time for ministry opportunities and family things as they come up. My daughter wants to take gymnastics, so now I will have time to take her.
So, if you hear me say no, I can't....then know I am sticking to my resolution this year.

I do have many cool things to share, but let's take it one day at a time. Now, go back and look at your list of resolutions this year, and take off the ones you won't do..........and see how you can simplify too. Go think about that.............

Why Do We Have Christmas

I love Christmas for many reasons, not all of which are religious. I love giving gifts, I love baking, I love decorating the house with lights and many trees. But, I also love how people are more generous this time of year. People are nicer in general.

I make sure to remind my children that if Jesus had not been willing to die for us, He never would have been born. God loved enough that he sacrificed His only Son. I have a son. Honestly, I don't know that I could let him die to save others. Of course, Jesus rose and is alive in Heaven. Maybe that would make it a smidge easier. But to have to watch your son die and beg for you, and you turn your back. Wow. That is enough to make any parent say "turn the channel".

I am grateful for Mary and Joseph who were obedient. If they were not, would God have had to find another way?

As you sing songs like Silent Night and Away In a Manger, think about the words and what they truly mean.................and Merry Christmas.

What America Learned by 9/11

Everyone in the United States remembers what they were doing when the terrorists attacked those 4 planes. Everyone remembers seeing the towers fall, and hearing about the brave passengers who went down in that Pennsylvania field to save others. All of us get chills when we really think about it. It makes us sad when our children ask us why we are in a war and we have to tell them.

America learned so much from that day. First, we learned just how brave we as Americans truly are. It started with the passengers who knew they were going to die anyway, so they went down fighting. Then, with the emergency personnel who rushed into those towers and the pentagon to try to get people out. Lastly, seeing how brave the people inside the buildings were trying to help the disabled get out, and dying in the process. American loyalty is strong. We Americans can do what needs to be done, in any situation. We are the land of the free and home of the brave.

America learned that our world is not the same as it was when we were children in the 1970’s. People now have the technology to do lots of damage from very far away. They can use satellites to keep tabs on us from the other side of the globe. They have missiles that can be programmed for a target that will NOT miss. Most importantly, there is hate like there has never been before.

America learned that we have never truly appreciated our military like we have since 9/11. We have become true patriots. When I see anyone in uniform, I always say thank you to them. I want them to know how much their job means to us. We sleep peacefully at night because they help protect our world. That has nothing to do with whether you agree with the war or not. You should support their efforts anyway. They have to be there away from their spouses and kids. They need our love and support. Shame on you if you think otherwise.

The last thing we have learned is that as Americans, we are the most hated and the most admired county in the world. Everyone wants something from us when they are in trouble. But, when they are fine, they hate us for our freedoms and our prosperity. People are afraid of what they don’t understand.

9/11 will go down as one of the darkest days in history, right along side with Pearl Harbor. The good thing is, we are stronger and more united than our states have ever been.

Why Jesus Was a Conservative

Jesus was one tough dude. He did not accept any excuses for failure. He did not put up with any junk from his buddies or anyone else, and he would always call them out on it.

This is how I know Jesus was a conservative. He did not give out handouts everyday and then not expect people to take responsibility for themselves. As a matter of fact, the “learn to do it yourself” theme was everywhere in Jesus’ teachings. This is definitely NOT a Democrat way of thinking. Democrats prefer the people to be dependant, and helpless. Jesus gave power to the people.

First, Jesus knew He would not be on the earth long. He told His disciples to learn to do what He could do. That way, Jesus knew when He was gone; His disciples could carry on the ministry. Jesus was not a dictator wanting all the power for Himself. He knew that teaching others His abilities was the only way. Democrats usually want the people to be ignorant, to depend on them for money and benefits, and don’t want them to learn to think for themselves.

Jesus expected the people to learn from their mistakes and not make them again. When Jesus healed people, he always told them He forgave them, but before they left, He told them to go and sin no more. THAT is a change. Not more of the same behavior. He let them know they are responsible for their own actions. Liberals do not take responsibility for any of their actions. They like to blame the results of their own bad decisions on the conservatives. ( Look at the $700 billion bailout, for example. Thanks President Carter and President Clinton). Democrats are also telling the people that it is not their fault they cannot get a good paying job. The Democrats say “so what” you dropped out of high school, “so what” you can’t read well enough to fill out a job application, “so what” you wear flip flops and a halter top to a job interview. It is the rich business owner’s fault for your plight. Give me a break!!  The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians, if a man does not work, he does not eat. Jesus did NOT believe in the welfare program. Also, there is the old adage: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime. Now, which one reminds you of liberals?

Suffice it to say, Jesus would stand for the side of truth no matter what party affiliate was attached to it. However, we all know which party wants people to NOT be responsible for themselves and which party wants people to know they can create their own destiny. I said all this to say again, in my humble opinion, Jesus was a conservative.