Do you believe?

I can't believe Christmas is next week it seems like this year has come and gone so quickly. Since I have moved to Eminence I have been substitute teaching at the Elementary School. Substituting is definitely not for the faint of heart, but the kids are fun most of the time and their conversations are pretty interesting. A couple of weeks ago I was in the kindergarten class and they were coloring pictures of Santa. So I preceded to ask them what each of them asked Santa for this year. Instead of the typical answers of barbies, trucks, bikes and ponies a debate broke out about whether Santa was real. Several of the kids were adamant that they believed in Santa and were getting pretty angry with the kids that said they didn't believe. This conversation between 5-year olds lasted for about five minutes with one question being asked often. Do you believe? That question lingered in my mind all day not much to do with Santa but with the true meaning of Christmas. As I read and reread the nativity story and the surrounding back story new truths become clear. I am drawn to the passage in Luke 1:42-45:
{⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”}
This passage recalls the visit Mary made to Elizabeth. At this point Mary was pregnant and only beginning the journey that the Lord was taking her on. Nonetheless, she believed in God and was willing to do whatever he asked. In verse 45, Mary is accounted for as being blessed for believing and that what had been told to her would be done. This gives me hope that as we believe in God and his son Jesus Christ that what He has spoken to us through His word will come to pass. At Christmas we celebrate and remember the birth of Christ and look past the manger to see the life Christ lived and his death on the cross. I believe Christ came as a baby to fulfill a purpose and complete the mission God sent him to do to reconcile humanity back to Himself. Some of the people living in that nation and that would be graced with hearing the teachings of Christ and walking in his midst would not believe that He was the Christ.
Mark and I have been reading in John and it is astounding at how many accounts there are where Jesus keeps explaining who He is and who has sent Him with no avail to the crowds that are hearing Him. Despite the miracles they had seen and the prophecies that were being fulfilled. One particular account is John 6: 61-65 :
⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
The scriptures prior to this passage speak of how the body of Christ would be broken for those who believed through faith would receive everlasting life. Many of those who heard this were offended about what Jesus said and still did not believe. I am glad that Mary believed many years ago through faith in God that what he said he would perform. I am glad that I believed over 17 years ago when I invited Jesus to come into my heart.
During this holiday season we will see many people in retail stores, in grocery lines and even around kitchen tables that do not believe that Christ was born for us and lived and died to bring us a renewed hope and purpose. It is time that those of us who do believe stand up and tell someone else about the hope that lies with in us.
Do you believe in His infant birth?
Do you believe He is the son of God?
Do you believe He is your Savior?

Lessons from the Deer Woods

This year was my first official year to go deer hunting and it was yet another wonderful adventure with my husband. Over the course of three days we spent approximately 15 hours in the deer woods and came back without a deer but a stack of memories(so I guess that's ok). But, I hope next year will be my year. You have to know my husband to fully appreciate some of the stories I will tell you. He loves to hunt and watches many hunting shows trying to perfect his hunting skills. We went hunting the second week of deer season after he had already bagged his 7 point buck. So our first day of hunting rolled around and getting ready even was a fun experience. Hunting clothes are probably one of the funniest parts of hunting for me. My pants had been Mark's so they were slightly too big for me even with several layers underneath them. Then of course I had my camouflage jacket and a rather cute quilted orange vest. Mark likes to be able to disguise himself so much that the deer will think he is in fact a deer down to wearing face-masks and putting on scent to mimic a doe. Once I got all my gear on I was ready to go......but I am almost forgot one of the most important parts of the outfit the camouflage cushion for your bottom. That cushion would become near an dear to my body after hours of sitting waiting for deer to come in. I like to be purposeful in what I do so while I was waiting and listening for deer I was looking for something I could learn from being outside. The Lord was probably bombarded with many requests from me hat day. {Lord, Please help me to get a big deer, please bring the feeling back to my cold fingers, please help my husband to see that no deer are coming so we can go back to the house and eat, Lord help me to be comfortable with a tree limb coming out of the back of my head. Oh and by the way can you help make this a worthwhile experience even if I don't get a deer? Amen} The Lord was gracious enough to answer most of my requests and I learned three lessons from the deer woods.

Lesson Number 1: Listen to the voice of God; learn the difference between His voice and the distractions of the world.
Woods Experience: It was half-way through the second day we had seen two does earlier and I was starting to get tired. Mark and I crested this hill and in the distance I heard what sounded like movement in the leaves. I quietly got a little closer where I could see better, but a tree blocked my view. I waited several minutes for the animal to reveal itself and finally the moment I waited for I saw a brown leg step our from behind the tree and it was the biggest brown....cow I think I've ever seen. To my disappointment the big buck was the neighbor's cow on the other side of the fence. To make things worse it saw us and wouldn't leave us alone. I had several other experiences where it seemed like I heard what could be a deer, but it turned out to be a small fox squirrel or a twig falling from a tree.
Real life Application: The devil likes to distract us with voices of fame, wealth, relationship and sin while trying to pass it off as the voice of God. We must know the voice of God and that comes from having a day-to-day relationship with him.

Lesson Number 2: Walking in darkness can be dangerous and a little frightening, but God has given us His word to light our path and keep us from danger.
Woods Experience: On day three of hunting Mark woke me up at 4:00 a.m. with the idea of getting us into our hunting destination while it was still dark so would be less visible. We may have been less visible, but I am pretty sure we were not less audible. While crossing the field it was so dark that I began to see things that looked like eyes or outlines of bodies. I kept whispering to Mark did you see that? Did you hear that? All the while Mark keeps telling me I'm just seeing things. The darkness also prevents you from seeing the things that really are there like logs and embankments making walking an even more difficult challenge. (The odds were definitely stacked against me with little sleep, baggy pants, and darkness). I was managing along pretty well until we got to a small stream of water we would have to cross to get to our hunting spot. It was still dark and were trying to be as quiet as possible and all of a sudden my foot got stuck in the mud and forward I fell. Knowing I was still trying to sneak up on the deer I tried my hardest not to laugh and picked myself up oh so gracefully. Needless to say that morning we saw no deer unless the objects I kept seeing in the dark were really deer trying to run far far away from us.
Real life Application: The darkness of sin and evil can be deceiving making you see things that are not really there and not seeing huge stumbling blocks that are. Walking in the light that God shines on your path is very important while we are living in this dark world. {Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, an a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105}

Lesson Number 3: God wants to bring you comfort and make you feel safe in the midst of your situation.
Woods Experience: The third day of hunting after we got through the darkness to our hunting spot we started the waiting game hoping that with daybreak we would find deer feeding and get a shot. It was about 6:30 a.m. and the sun hadn't come out yet and it was a cold morning and after walking for nearly 10 hours the day before my old body was beginning to ache. So I was cold, tired and sore trying to be alert enough just in case a deer would come into sight. After sitting in one place for a while Mark said ok it's time to move to a different spot. He saw how cold I was and was trying to get my blood flowing to circulate heat. We found a tree with a wide enough trunk that both of us could sit at the same tree. My wonderful husband put his arms around me to warm me up and in a matter of moments I felt my body relaxing and my eyes closing. I was at peace in the midst of a cold morning, I had warmth in the arms of my loving husband and I felt safe. We stayed out another hour and after no signs of deer we decided a warm meal in our bellies sounded good so we went back to the house.
Real life Application: When it feels like your whole life and every part of your being is hurting remember there is a heavenly father who wants to hold you in His arms. The Lord's arms are a refuge for the weary and strength for the weak. {Come to me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28}

My first deer hunting adventure is one I will not soon forget. I would have liked to have shot a deer but spending time with God and my husband I would not trade for anything. So my labor was not in vain and God did hear my prayer and helped me to learn while I was waiting for deer. What is the Lord teaching you today?

The Accesories of Life

It's funny to me how sometimes the smallest things in life can make a big difference. Dressing up everyday is part of my daily routine and has been for several years because of the jobs I have had. I had a particular pair of earring that had a silver ring with a black circle in the middle and I just loved them. They were just the right size and a great addition to any outfit making the outfit look nice and complete. So to my dismay a few months ago they broke. I didn't realize how much I wore them until they broke. I went to put on a certain outfit and tried to find another pair of earrings that would look good and just couldn't find a pair. Men just don't understand sometimes how much jewelry, purses and shoes really matter. You might be thinking what does this have to do with anything, but hang on I have a point. As I was reading the book of Ezekiel in chapter 41 it talked about the measurements for the temple that were in a vision that God gave Ezekiel. The Old Testament is filled with measurements and specific details for anything that concerened the house of God. From the exact measurements of entryways to the type of wood used for the pillars. Anything that would be a representation of God's presence had specific requirements and details attached to it. God is concerned about the details. We are the temple of God, where his presence abides so the details of our life are important. {What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20} When thinking about details I was reminded of a common saying : don't sweat the small stuff. Using this saying sporadically is not bad but for too many Christians this has become their motto. They overlook the small details of their life thinking that since they have accepted Jesus as their savior that's all that matters. But as a result of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ the details of your life are important. We have to be mindful of what we say, the attitude we have, our behavior, our treatment of others and our thoughts. Every detail of our life should glorify Jesus Christ.{Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12} As a woman, details of an outfit can be of up most importance depending on the occasion having the right accessories can make the difference. Sometimes, I think, an outfit just doesn't look complete without a necklace. Is your temple missing an important detail? Ask the Lord to help you work on the details of your life so your temple(house) can be complete.

His Light Breaks the Darkness

Mark and I were enjoying the beautiful fall weather outside raking leaves in the yard. The daylight began to fade and darkness quickly set in. This time of year always gets me when its nearly pitch black by 5:30 p.m. I realize how much better it was when it was light later into the evening. Getting adjusted to the time change is quite an adjustment I am less motivated and all I really feel like doing is sleeping. Today the Lord reminded me how dark it is to live in sin. When sin creeps into your life it you can continue to live in much the same way as you had before, but as sin gradually wears away at you and you sink farther in sin the darkness begins to overwhelm you. It can almost be debilitating to the point where the person can no longer engage in life as they knew it. Their family relationships begin to suffer, their emotion, physical and mental health begin to decline causing the ripple effect into all areas of their life. Living in sin and darkness it may even be hard for the person to realize they are in sin. The darkness has become second nature to them and sin as an object can no longer be seen. There is hope through the Lord Jesus Christ for He is the Light of the world. {John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.}
The Lord wants to come into the darkness of your life and shine his light exposing the sin that has messed up your life. The good news is He won't leave you there to deal with your sin all alone. {1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.} Once we realize our sin and ask forgiveness the Lord will help us to walk in the light. The Lord has called us out of darkness to walk in His marvelous light. { 1 Peter 2:9} I am so thankful that for the bible, the word, that is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. Don't let the darkness overwhelm you instead turn to the Light of Jesus Christ.