HOME ALONE (just my husband and I)

My kids are at camp for a whole week!  WOW!  I can't believe it!  We dropped them off on Sunday after church and will pick them up on Friday evening.  I think we are all holding up pretty well!  Phil and I are really enjoying our time to hang, discuss, work and plan.  I praise God for this time and look forward to their safe and richly blessed return. 

This is the first time we have allowed our children to participate in something like this that we were don't directing, teaching or whatever.  We fully trust this ministry and in fact they are new partners in ministry with the CoHO.  You can check them out.  It is a non profit organization that pulls together once per year to put on this camp for "unchurched, poor, abused and broken children".  The work is super awesome and right up our alley!  There is a huge mix of children and every child is received with open arms and are fully nurtured at whatever stage of life they are in.  I love it!

 Check them out www.campcayc.org

Interesting!

I just realized I have left all my friends in the blogging world high and dry.  My last post was about me realizing that I need more time with the Lord.  God is very ..... I don't have words.  Whatever word I would find would be positive but words fail in describing the greatness of God most times.  The day after posted Honesty I received an email asking me to speak to a group of young moms (MOPS) about how much time in the word a woman in leadership needs in order to lead effectively.  REALLY!?  I thought why in the world would the Lord send someone to ask me that when I am struggling with that very thing.  Then I realized the answer was simple. 

There is not a recipe for your commitment level.  I would never tell a woman to read her bible three times per day and pray to the west at high noon laying flat on the floor before the Lord and then you can effectively minister to others.  Far from it!  I would and did encourage the woman and myself to keep a steady flow of in pour as you pour out.  Does that make sense?  I used the illustration of three jars.  One of those jars is you, the other is family, friends and people you serve in ministry, then the final jar is Christ.  I filled the Christ jar and the you jar up with water.  Then I discussed everyday scenario.  For instance you homeschool, your husband has a hard day at work, your kids need emotional direction and support, your girlfriend calls and her life seems to be crumbling before her eyes, one of the ladies in your church needs help (simple advice) and finally a girl in your neighborhood is struggling with some serious issues and wants to talk to you about it.  By the end of that day your jar should pretty much be empty.  However if you keep a slow steady flow from the cup of Christ your cup will never run out.  We have to understand that His cup will never run empty but ours will.  For mothers with small children or even older children with tons of activities going on it is hard to get time to be in your prayer closest for hours on end.  I encouraged these ladies and myself to sing songs of praise and worship while washing dishes, listen to a sermon on the internet while folding clothes, pray as you go and on the way.  I absolutely believe we need to take purposeful time to spend with the Lord but when we become legalistic about it, it turns from worship and fellowship to duty.  There is no joy in duty.

So I am thankful to the Lord for presenting me with that opportunity and realization.  I need Him consistently but it doesn"t have to look like three hours in the prayer closet while your children are tearing up the whole house outside your door.  Different seasons of live require different and creative ways to maintain a steady flow of Christ into our hearts.

HONESTY!

Where are you struggling in your walk with Christ right now? 


I chose this topic because I am struggling to faithful pursue the Lord in scripture.  I am frustrated with individuals around me who don't know the truth of scripture yet I am having the hardest time sitting down to rest in God's word.  While visiting family in California I watched an episode of "Wife Swap".  I learned so much, and felt so much shame as well.  One of the moms was a belly dancer who spent her life belly dancing.  She had belly dancing students come to her home and clean the house while she danced or meditated.  She had a symbol of every faith system in her home because she did not want to be wrong about any one of them, and be overlooked by one.  Okay so enough of the back ground.  Here is the point.  This woman who is hopeless, lost and blind to the truth takes time everyday for one hour to pray/breath/summon spirits/whateva!  But, I am struggling to find time to read the word?  WHAT!  I have the eternal hope of glory.  I am in relationship with the King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega.  I have been blessed to be called a child, a joint heir to the throne with Christ and I can't find time to study.  That show slapped me in the face so hard I can still feel the sting even now.  Therefore, I must be honest and say I am without and lacking.  My prayer is that the conviction of the simple show will bring me to a place of repentance and restoration in the area of study and resting in the joy of the Lord once again.

There you have it, my struggle.  What is yours?  If you are not currently struggling through anything would you be kind enough to leave a prayer for me and or others in the comment section of this post.  Let us build on another up in the faith of Christ! 

Ignorance!

I recently heard some information that absolutely floored.  Understand that there is not much out there that floors me.  Lots of things disappoint, frustrate or break my heart.  However, flat out floored me not often.

Okay so many of you may know that I have taken a firm stand on inter racial dating and marriage.  For a many number of reasons.  With that being said there is always the exception to the rule. 

My friend a native Conwayian.  Is that how you spell that?  Is that even the right word choice?  Oh, I hope so.  Anyway, we were talking about a friend of ours who is married inter racially.  They were seeking church membership here in town and the pastor told them that they did not allow that in their church.  The pastor  went on to say that it was sinful for them to be together.  The scripture they used...Do not be unequally yoke.  WHAT!?!?!?!

Let's actually take some time to look at the verse in context.

2 Corinthians 6
1Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you."  Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and  yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 11We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
The Temple of the Living God
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."

To be unequally yoked has nothing to do with ethnicity.  Even in the old testament when the Israelites were told not to have any deals with other ethnic groups it was not because of their skin but because of their faith or lack there of.  We don't live in such a way that our ethnicity predetermines our faith. 

I guess me explaning all of this is because I am trying to give this pastor the benefit of the doubt but there really isn't one.  Churches around this world are preaching and teaching IGNORANCE!  Not all but a few.  Those small often have great impact on the ones who would be damaged the most by it...unbelievers!  The bottomline is whatever your preference is regarding this issue, understand it is your preference and not a sin issue.  Sin is the issue when two people chose to be married and do not agree on faith in Christ.  That is the true definition of being unequally yoked.  Don't believe me read the passage again for yourself.  Please Please don't continue to be ignorant and spread ignorance!   Read the scripture.  Most of all stop lying on God!

I would like to take a quick poll.  Tell me your age (if your not ashamed) and whether or not you were taught in ignorance or righteousness as a child growing up.  I would also like to know if this is the first time you have heard the scripture being twisted in this way or not.  Thanks for sharing with me.