Change

Change. The simple process of going from one thing to another. Well, sometimes it's just not that simple. Change is the one thing Christ promised us. Change can be exciting, unknown and just down right scary. Change.

For me change is everything. Change is going from the known to the unknown, from the good to the bad or from the old to the new. Change is hard. I enjoy my home, my space, my kids and my stuff just the way it is. I expect my friends to always be there and for my church to always be there and whatever I come in contact with to be there. But, then they change.

Friends move. Kids get older and go off to college. Stuff breaks and we have to get a new one or maybe not. Life is rearranged not by our own doing but by our society. Churches split. Pets die. It is all change. Daily: living: change.

But, Jesus promised change. Turn from your old self and turn towards the cross. Take up your cross and follow him. Count your trials (times of change) joy as they will make you stronger and you will learn to trust God with all your heart. Promises. All about change. Things to always remember.

There is now wrapping up here....it is ongoing. Change from what to wear today, to what does God want for me to do for Him today...where to go, who to chat with, what meeting to go to make a difference, how can I help God change this world for His purpose......it is ALL CHANGE...... luckily, we can all change together!

Origins

I honestly feel that most people are born 'good'. That children, although they are God-made, are innocent until a time of accountability and they are indwelled with a sense of good and bad. I believe that as we age, we also retain that same sense of good and bad, but sometimes we let it fall away and go with what 'feels' right. And we follow the trends of society and 'doing what is right in our own eyes'

I recently read a message that said in a round about way: All Christians are not good because they call themselves a Christian. I find it sad, but I have to agree.  Just as children have an age when they realize who they are and whose they are-- adults also forget this---yes, even in the church and in the Christian world.

Being a Christian is not about reading the Bible, or knowing the verses, or wearing a bumper sticker on your car that says Jesus Saves. It is a lifestyle, a challenge and a blessing each day. The words from the Bible should penetrate your innermost soul, your Spirit, the thing that makes you who you are. Through your actions, through your words and through your thoughts. This is the challenge-- because as humans, we can all go to the place that is just not right. It can happen in seconds or years. It can be words, or thoughts or actions which lead to this place.... each day, each second, we are challenged to stay on the path of Godliness...to focus on the cross and try to not loose sight of who and whose we are. To remember we have been bought with a price---

So, for all of those out there who want to use the name of Christian and make derogatory remarks, that's OK. It shows that our culture and maybe your family has not shown God in their actions, thoughts and deeds. It does not show who Christians are and how they live. And it does prove that no Christian is perfect, but they are redeemed by the blood of Christ. We make mistakes, we make bad choices, but we change and turn from the wrong, daily and try to do better. "All have fallen short of the Glory of God." and some days we all have to remember this verse and cringe and then get up and get back on the path we are to be on.

I find it hard on many days not to lash out and be nasty to someone who I feel has harmed me. I find empathy for those who I feel have been treated unjust. I find that sometimes our laws and our society is so blatetly misguided it makes me sick. I try to be the best I can and to look for the Creator for the answers. He is there, if I wait and listen.  For the times I blurt out meaness, bad words and  wrong answers, or just ignore the obvious- I am shown mercy and understanding. Being able to show this same mercy to others is where I have to work.....

Fireworks

My oldest turns 18 tomorrow. I still remember her messy face as we first held her and her incestuous grin looking at us. She knew us from the time she came into this world. She turns 18!

Although in society we state 18 is an adult, I do not feel it is. I am a child. A child of the King. I take that heavily and with tremendous heart. I knwo my actions will reflect on His family. I know what I do coul dlead to the dicipline of my Heavenly Father. I am a child.

I pray for my daughter, as she goes into this world, that she realizes that she is still a child. Maybe not in the sense of what the world holds, but as a sense that she is loved by a God who is holding her in his arms and trying to show her the way He has planned. I pray that she humbles herself before Him and that she sees His way is the best and that submission is not weakness, but strength.

I still cannot believe it has been 18 years since we swaddled that little 'cheroke indian baby' in our arms. Josi had the wildest stick straight up hair and looked just like an indian baby. I cannot believe that it has been 18 years since I had the BEST peanut butter toast right after I delivered her. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this dear child of mine.....