Get Real!

Tonight, I had the privilege of sitting down with my 17 year old son to watch a movie...something that is becoming more and more rare (gulp!). We watched the Jim Carey movie "Liar Liar". Now, I'm not particularly a fan of Jim Carey's movies, but this one is different than most. It's not a new movie, and one I'd seen before. While watching the story unfold, I couldn't help but think of how his character represents so many people. We sound different most of the time, than the way we truly feel. And yes...feelings lie. But if you get too caught up in tapping down those feelings of unworthiness and insecurity, you can't address some of the issues that hold us back from being all that we can be in life. You may have always heard it put "we put on our Sunday morning faces". It's true! I was talking to my friend Cyndi last week about this very thing. And various other friends have expressed the same desire, which is to fellowship with people who are "for real". People who can be honest enough to say "I'm not where I should be spiritually" or "My marriage isn't what it needs to be" or "I'm tired of analyzing my relationships with others" or "We can't afford that" or "I'm not the Mom/Dad that my kids need me to be". I could go on & on. The truth is that we ALL have issues. Some are just more obvious than others.

I'm sure I know why Jesus chose to point out the fact that we all struggle with our sinful nature...He must have been SICK of people's inability to be genuine. In John 8:7, Jesus allowed the Pharisees and the teachers of the law to question His authority concerning the adulterous woman. How's that for an obvious issue? When Jesus addressed them, He pointed out the fact that we ALL have sin in our lives ("If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her"vs 7). It reminds me of when my darling daughters RUN to tell me something ugly that the other one has done to her. At those times, I just roll my eyes (because I certainly can't hear a thing they say) and when the tattle-telling dies down, I threaten EVERYBODY with a nap or time-out, or some other creative punishment (like my paddle!). I hate listening to them bicker over something they've all done! Imagine how Jesus must have felt listening to constant complaints and arguments, a lot of which questioned His authority to solve those problems. No wonder He so blessed the humble in heart! It was a breath of fresh air for someone to say "Lord, I need help...not my neighbor...not the adulterous woman...ME!". The same way it's refreshing for people to be honest about life.

Did you realize that when you are honest about your challenges, God grants grace, mercy, peace, and...dare I say?...solutions? Look at verse 10 & 11. The adulterous woman recognized Jesus' authority, which brought her to the resolution of her problem. He spoke to her..."Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"...no one, sir..."then go now and leave your life of sin.". When her issues were exposed to Christ, He told her how to deal with them. Did she walk away from that experience with not a care in the world? No. But her life was forever changed by the One who breathed it into her lungs. See...God is interested in your authenticity and a real healing. He is not interested in the image you desire for others to see. He knows exactly what problems you face and what to do about those problems. And because He already knows...it's a complete waste of time for you to be anything other than who He created you to be! And guess what??!!! That includes dealing with unpleasant issues that arise in our lives. It's how our character is built strong. And it's how we minister to other people.

I can tell you that the little boy in the movie didn't appreciate having a Dad who was more interested in his image and what other's might think of him (not to mention the money!), than in being his Daddy! And in the end, when the Dad was willing to admit to himself (after admitting to everyone else!!!) that he was not living a truthful life, his family was reconciled. Not without heartache along the way, but definately better than being a "Liar Liar"!

The popcicle picture is of Luke. He REALly enjoyed his first creamcicle!

Purpose

At some point in time, most people have to ask themselves this question: Why are we here? Do I have a purpose? The Bible tells us that YES, we have a purpose! Now, you can choose to believe the Bible, God's Word-or you can choose not to believe it. But the Bible says that our purpose in life is to bring glory to God. And the Bible has maintained it's purpose and position all along, despite how many times the world and people in it have changed. The Scriptures are the same yesterday, today, and forever because they were inspired by a Holy God. So go with me there...what does it mean to 'bring glory to God'? I asked my Mom a few years back, "What does it mean to tie your shoes for the glory of God?". In Bible studies, I've heard people say such, and I think...seriously!...does God really CARE if we tie our shoes?!!! Mom told me that the very fact that our bodies function brings glory to God. How so?...I asked. "Because He created our bodies to function!", she replied, "If your hands do what they're supposed to do, no matter if it's tying shoes or cooking food, then it brings glory to God!". Okay...so NOW I know about tying my shoes for the glory of God! Thanks Mom! So is God impressed with our shoe-tying abilities? Maybe when we're 5 years old!!!!!

God is impressed with us being willing to fulfill the purpose for which He's made us. And our purpose doesn't stop at tying our shoes! While that brings glory to God, we must continue to grow spiritually and understand what direction God desires for us to go. Something that my Mom has always taught me.

When I was in high school, I totally knew that direction. I was going to be a band director. I loved marching band and I loved being in charge!!!!!...still love the 'in charge' part! Through the course of bad decisions, that never came to fruition. In fact, I came to lack a sense of direction and purpose for my life. That is an utterly miserable place to be! Through much soul searching and heartache, I came to realize that being a band director was not God's plan for my life, anyway. God taught me that being in His will and being content there, was the true source of success and happiness! That doesn't mean that I haven't gone through periods of my life since then, where my vision got cloudy concerning His direction for me, but it DOES mean that I've discovered the true meaning of the word PURPOSE...Websters defines it as "something set up as an end or object to be attained; an action in course of execution". I especially love the meaning of "purpose-built"-"built for a particular purpose". God made each of us for a particular purpose...to bring glory to Him by following HIS master plan for our lives. I've discovered that God's purpose for my life is the door to success, happiness, AND fulfillment.

This is a picture of my Scarlett. She recently turned 6 years old. She asked Jesus to forgive her of her sins and come live in her heart & life. She has made the first step toward discovering her purpose in life. And by being her Mother and teaching her about Christ, I've made steps toward fulfilling MY purpose. I can't think of a better purpose in my life than to teach these children about the Savior!

Are you satisfied in life? If not, you need to discover The Master's plan for you. And believe me...it holds just as much sense of accomplishment as learning to tie your shoes at the age of 5...

Restoration

What IS restoration, anyway? I'm a big believer in frequenting the dictionary. I love to study the meaning of particular words, uninhibited. In our personal experiences, we have learned to apply various terms to various situations, sometimes unpleasant. So it's always refreshing to me to look up a word and study it from the dictionary. Webster's Dictionary defines restoration in 3 meanings. Of course they all mean the same thing, but are there to define different situations. Restoration to me is defined in the first meaning, letter "C"..."a restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition"...as in-I travelled the road of self destruction, picking up plenty of scars along the way, but God restored me as only He could.

Now...I must share a little bit about myself with you. First let me make a disclaimer. I am not perfect (I know some of you are laughing)...in fact, I'm FAR from that! I've made enough mistakes in my lifetime to make God cross His arms and shake His head, if He does things like that. I've argued enough times with Him that surely He would pass on by and give up on making something out of me! God isn't like that. My Mother taught me a lesson a few years back that forever changed my perspective. While we dive head-on into parts unknown and areas in which we don't belong...God never goes back on His Word. God never breaks a promise. God is God. Now and forever. No matter how I feel or what mistakes I make in life, God remains WHO He says He IS. So as I share my heart with you on this blog, I realize that everything I say and everything I am is because HE is Who He is. Not because of anything I've done. I'm just not THAT great!

So I love to write. I love to read and I love to lead. A couple of years ago, I learned what the gift of prophecy was. Why prophecy? Because after taking several spiritual gifts test, that was a predominant gift. Since I didn't know what it was, I didn't pursue anything related to it. At the time, I was utilizing my other spiritual gifts as the childcare coordinator at my church. Prophecy wasn't important to me. UNTIL...about this time last year. Under heavy conviction and out of arguments with the Lord over why I couldn't...I started teaching a ladies class on Sunday mornings. The conviction had been with me for about a year, but when I first experienced it, I was very pregnant with baby Luke. Not interested in studying the Bible while fighting back morning sickness and exhaustion. But you know God! He knows when we're going to be stubborn, and He knows sometimes it takes time to bring us to the place that He desires us to be. And guess what? Most of the time He wins, because He's got waaaay more patience! So...I truly love teaching the Bible. Since most of you know me so well...you know that it doesn't take a perfect person to teach the Bible. Just someone who's willing. And after all He's done for me...I'm willing!
Okay, more loves of my life include coordinating MOPS, working on the MOPS at Grace website, writing a monthly column for the MOPS newsletter ("Carmen Cents"), writing for the MOPS page on our website, "In The Twinkling Of An Eye", and teaching parenting classes when asked. I haven't done a parenting class in a couple of years, but being that my kids teach me DAILY lessons on being a Mom...I love to share those lessons with others.

And have I mentioned that I LOVE my family? My kids are wonderful (even though the frying pan is awfully tempting sometimes!), and my husband is amazing (not perfect, but a perfect gift from God for ME!), and not only are my favorite memories wrapped up with those 6 people, but also in the rest of my family. I LOVE when my Mother-in-law calls to invite us for a weekend visit. I love it when the whole side of Dean's family gets together. I LOVE it when my parents come eat Sunday lunch, or when my Mom and I go for lunch out. I LOVE it when my brother heads to TN for a visit. I LOVE family beach trips! And I can hardly wait for our annual beach trip in October, because THIS year, MY side of the family is going together (a comical groan from my honey!). "Fear not!" I tell him...If you offend anyone, they just won't speak to you for the week. Then you'll have peace! HA! When my side of the family gets together, I wind up having to change underwear (sorry Mom!), because we laugh so hard...well...you know. My Ma always tells stories of when we were little and tells of the antics of my late Pa (a navy man who taught me at a young age to sing "Barnacle Bill"). It is usually a perfect time together until we have to go our separate ways. My Pa went his separate way when I was 7 months pregnant with Scarlett. 6 years, 4 months ago. He trusted Christ and is now with Him. But what a time! Anyway...Pa was a favorite, too.

So what expectation can you have for this blog, anyway? I'm a deep thinker on life and the things of God, so there will be plenty of thoughts shared on my perspective on life and my relationship with Him. Other days will likely be all funny! 'Cause I run a zoo at my house, and there's no way to avoid sharing that!!! Most of all, you can expect honesty. You can expect inspiration, because the things I write and teach so many times are inspired...not coming from my TN ridge-runnin' hillbilly mind (thanks Ma!).

In the words of my beloved Hickory Grove family...
Sit back
Relax
And watch what happens!

Only for a Season

Sin...it's great fun! You feel free to do whatever you choose. You feel free to break away from the boundaries put around you by well meaning and loving people. But feelings lie. And when the season passes, as God has promised in His Word, the destruction of sin becomes visible. You start to desperately search for those boundaries that you fought so hard to remove. The well meaning and loving people are still there, but the boundaries have forever changed. A situation so aptly described in Genesis, and one in which God actually grieves when we find ourselves there. In fact, He grieves when we come to the point of decision. He knows the exact faulty step, and precisely when we will take it. He knows that our decision to step out into what is perceived as the "greener pasture", will reap a harvest we can't handle. A harvest that will bring heartbreak, destruction, regret, and eventually-for those who love Him...restoration. That is my story. And Joel 2:25 describes Gods faithfulness to me, for I am truly RESTORED.