Jacob and his Nene

This is my husband, Jerry, hanging out with our three grandsons, Jacob, Bryce and Jeremiah as they watch the delivery of Bryce and Jeremiah's new home (a doublewide, 4 bedroom, 2 bath).

David Donald Peterson....we miss you!

Little Things

Sometimes it's the little things that break us...Today I was at my doctor's office, just signing in as I usually do, when suddenly I heard the man next to me mention his doctor's name. "Dr. Guthrie", he said, when asked who he was seeing. The tears began to well up in my eyes. I wasn't expecting this. I didn't think about David's doctor being at this office. It caught me off guard. David is my brother in law for those who don't know. He died this past Saturday from complications of Lukemia (AML). Anyway, I walked to my seat and picked up the newspaper. I flipped through to the obituaries to see if they had made a corrected copy. It had been in the paper the day before but they had a typo. Supposedly, they were just replacing the written part of it so I wasn't expecting to see David's picture staring me in the face. Again, the tears welled up. I know that this is a common thing. The hurt is still fresh, and this is just a part of the grieving process. Doesn't make it any easier though. In the days to come the hurt will ease up some, but David will never be forgotten. I have known him since I was a young teenager. There have been times when he could be aggravating. But most times he kept me laughing. Whenever anyone needed his help he was there. He had a very giving nature. I can honestly say his mama raised him well...

Ten Things I Hate At This Moment

My daughter in law posted a blog with ten random things she hated (or didn't like...can't recall at the moment), and first and last on her list was "the death of a loved one." These are the ten things I hate at this moment....

1. The death of a loved one.
2. The nagging questions that bombard my mind following the death of a loved one.
3. The pain that I feel...sometimes my heart feels like a knife is being stabbed right through it.
4. The worry I feel regarding other loved ones whose health is not so great...and I really can't stand the thought that I might be the next widow...
5. The feeling that everything I've ever believed about healing is a lie.
6. The insensitivity of people in times like these, though I'm sure that is not really their intention...not that this has happened in this situation as yet...but I've seen it so many times before.
7. Overeating when I'm depressed...people always bring tons of food to those grieving and it would really be impolite if I didn't try all of it, right?
8. Questioning the motives of people who seemed to dislike a loved one prior to their death, but after the death they seem all lovey dovey and paint them out to be a saint.
9. Night time...the mind seems to play over the events when I try to sleep...I see my loved one's face as it was in the hospital and that image is not a pretty one.
10. Wondering if he suffered at all....

Are We Grasshoppers?

Over the last few weeks I’ve been meditating on Numbers 13. In the very first verse we see that the Lord tells Moses to send out men to explore the land of Canaan; the land that He was giving to the Israelites. They were to bring back a report about the specifics of this land. What are the people like? Is the city fortified? How’s the soil? Are there trees? They were also told to bring back some of its fruit. So they went and spied out the land. In verse 27 their account to Moses begins. As it starts to get negative, Caleb silenced the people (v. 30) and says, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Instead of being encouraged by Caleb’s words, they veer right back to their negativity. Let’s take a look at verses 31-33:

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack these people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Okay, so let me point out some very interesting things here. First, it was already established that this was the land God was giving to the Israelites. If God intended to give them this land, wouldn’t it seem clear that He would provide a way? Wasn’t He more powerful than any giant? Couldn’t He fulfill all that He promised? I mean, He did create the entire universe. And these people weren’t unfamiliar to the miracles He could perform. So what made them fear? I think a key verse tells the tale. It says, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” This verse implies that they were looking at outward appearances. Their focus wasn’t on who God was or what He had promised. It was on what their eyes saw in the natural; their own limitations and weaknesses. Because of these things they spoke negatively, despite God’s promise to them. Isn’t this just how we are at times? Oh, we may say we trust God, but when situations come up and things appear to be hopeless, our natural tendency is to be drawn to the negative; to see our lack. And when that happens, we no longer believe that “with God all things are possible.” Instead, we are more prone to think, “God can do all things, but He probably won’t do it for me.”

Throughout the Bible we read about people who seemed to be unlikely candidates for being used by God. Moses complained that he wasn’t a man of eloquent speech. Jeremiah said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” Still, God used them and their weaknesses. Paul was said to have a thorn in the flesh and after three times pleading with the Lord to take it away, the Lord finally told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This tells me that when it looks impossible in the natural, when we have flaws that would ordinarily seem to prevent us from accomplishing certain things, God will definitely get the glory when great things are done. And isn’t this what it’s all about? Glory being given to God?

How we view things will definitely have an effect on what we can accomplish. If we think we are unable to do something, then chances are, we won’t be able to do it. But if we place our trust in God and hold onto that even when things look bleak, then with God all things are possible. If God has told us to do something specifically, then He will equip us to do it. Keep in mind however, this doesn’t mean there won’t be some work or effort involved on our part. God won’t do all the work. We have to step out in faith. I once heard someone say, “God may be moved by the tears that you cry, but it’s only by faith that He’s moved to reply.” So, in other words, God cares about what you’re going through, but He’s waiting on you to trust Him no matter how things appear. He’s waiting for you to take that leap of faith.

Just For Fun

I thought this was pretty cute...I mean, did these guys plan to all come to Celebration Sunday dressed the same? Okay, so Tom's shirt is a bit lighter in color, and Mike's pants are a shade lighter, but hey, it's still orange and khaki, isn't it? I love it! You guys rock!

Hey Mike...do you think next week you and your compadres could all wear Royal Blue shirts? I'll do a side by side comparison...just kidding.

A Sad Day For The World

Michael Jackson has died. It's really shocking news for the music industry. He's a legend. The king of pop. He has influenced millions of people with his music. Not just people in this country, but around the world. My daughter was crying over his death. I think for her generation, he was like Elvis. He was on the cutting edge, the leader in the industry. He put out things that had never been done before. Jamie was just getting into music when he came out with Thriller and some of his other hits. And she would dance, dance, dance to his music. I can still remember making videos of her and some of her friends dancing around to Michael and Salt -N- Pepa. He will be missed, but his music lives on.

Another prominent death was Farrah Fawcett. Okay, so with her, we kind of knew it was coming. She had been ill for quite some time. Still, her family and friends and fans across the globe are grieving the loss. She was also legendary. A star. An angel (Charlie's Angel, that is). Her last year on earth was a struggle.

These deaths are a reminder to me that no matter who we are, everyone of us will come to that point in time where we die. The Bible says that everyone of us is appointed a time to die. And I have to wonder how many of us are truly ready. I'm not just talking about having your graves picked out, your casket paid for, etc. I am talking about having a relationship with the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you died today, do you know with certainty that you would spend eternity in heaven? If not, why not? As you can see, death comes when we least expect it. You may not have that chance to make it right on your death bed. Preparation needs to be made now. You don't wait for a hurricane to hit before you go out and buy supplies. You don't wait until you're drowning to go out and buy a life vest. There are things that must be done in advance, and accepting Jesus as your savior is one of those things. In fact, it's the most important thing.

The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of that sin is death. But God has provided a sacrifice. He sent His son, Jesus to die on a cross for us. And when Jesus died, He didn't just remain dead; He was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. Some believe there are many ways to heaven, to the Father. But the Bible clearly states that no man comes to the Father except through the Son. And as narrow minded as some believe that is, it doesn't change the truth. We can't work our way to heaven. We are saved by grace, through faith, and that doesn't come from ourselves, but is a gift from God. We cannot earn our salvation by anything we do. No door to door witnessing. No giving to the church. No helping the poor. No singing in the choir. Being an usher. A Sunday School teacher. It's not what we do, it's who we know. And it's His sacrifice that paid the price for us. Each and every day I thank God that it's not based on what I do or don't do...I'd be sorely lacking, that's for sure. If you want to know more about this Jesus that I serve, feel free to ask. I may not have all the answers, but that which I know, I share. And if I don't know, I'll seek to find the answer...

Set Up For Failure

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Romans 7:15

Every day of my life I look into the mirror and think, "I have got to lose this weight." I am so totally disgusted by how much weight I've put on over the last few years. Not only does it look bad, it is bad for my health. I now have high blood pressure and Type 2 Diabetes. But I have come to realize that even though I know in my head I want and need to lose weight, it's not enough to bring it to fruition. Don't get me wrong, desire to lose is very important, but it won't just zap the weight off of you. If it would, we'd have a lot more people losing weight.

Anyway, I get up with the intention of changing my lifestyle. I plan to drink more water, eat less junk, add in some healthy food, exercise, etc. By day's end, I've usually veered from that course and pretty much blew it. And then comes the depression. And depression makes me want to give up. And it also makes me want to eat. Imagine that. It's a real battle. As I was pondering my dilemma I realized there are some things that are a setup for failure:


Keeping temptation right there in sight....the thing is, I don't really have a struggle to refuse a jelly doughnut or a pecan pie or most pastries. They could be staring me in the face and I wouldn't care to ear them. But you put a box of Oreos anywhere near me and I am doomed to failure. I could sit and eat the whole box. Same goes for chocolate candy. I love a good KitKat, Mounds, Dove, some Whoppers, just to name a few. So why do I buy them? I know that my willpower is lacking. I need to just avoid having them in my house.


Waiting until the end of the day to try to cram in some exercise. If I don't get up and exercise early, chances are I will be too tired by the end of the day, and I'll put it off. And this will cause me to feel bad about myself...and yeah, I'll end up being depressed once again. And remember what I said depression did? Makes me want to eat.


Waiting on someone else to motivate me. I am a person who hates to do stuff alone. But I've come to realize that if I wait for someone else, they will always let me down. I've had exercise partners in the past, and as soon as they have to miss, I miss with them. And if they miss again, well I miss again. You get the picture? So I've discovered that I can't wait for someone else. I have to want this for me. I have to be disciplined without anyone to encourage me. Yeah, encouragement is good, but I have to be able to continue on even if it's not there.


Trying to lose weight for someone else. I can't do it for anyone else or I will end up dissatisfied the minute they don't show me their approval. I need to keep reminding myself that this is for me...for my benefit.

Now...let me say that, as I glanced over my list I was reminded of how these things can also apply in a spiritual sense. If I am struggling with a particular sin, then I need to learn to avoid those scenarios where the temptation will be greater. It's kind of like, if I'm an alcoholic I don't need to be hanging out in a bar. If porn/lust was my issue I'd need to stay away from websites, books, magazines, and such that have those images. And maybe even stay away from places like the beach.

Another thing, I can't wait until the end of the day to spend some time with God. I'm not saying that I can't spend time with Him then, but I need to wake up thinking on Him, reading my Bible, praying, etc. This way the day will start off much better. By night time I am so exhausted and it's a real struggle for me to read or concentrate.

Over the years I've had people who motivated me to study God's word. But what happened when they were gone? My study time dwindled. So I've learned that I can't be dependent on others. I have to discipline myself to do it.

A big problem that I've noticed with people in ministry...sometimes the only studying they do or so called quiet time they have is really trying to prepare a message for someone else. Take youth pastors for example. All week they dig into the Bible trying to come up with a message for their teens. But what they need to remember is, there has to be time spent seeking God about their own lives. Search His Word for their own nourishment, their own spiritual growth. It can't always be about someone else. And I'm not picking on youth ministers here. It can go for pastors, teachers, evangelists, praise leaders, and even people like me...I love to write a good devotional, but it can't always be something for others to read. Sometimes it's got to be a more intimate thing. Something just between me and God.

When You Love Someone

Thursday night my husband's country band was here at the house rehearsing out in the music room. Jacob and I could hear the music playing, as they had left one of the doors open. I wasn't really paying much attention (I'm used to bands playing in the background), other than to know the song was Louisiana Saturday Night. I was busy doing other stuff. Jacob walks up to me and grabs both hands and says, "You wanna dance in the kitchen, Nene?" At first I didn't really understand why he was asking me to dance in the kitchen, but then I got to thinking about the lyrics in the song they were playing. For those who don't know, it says:

Well you get down the fiddle and you get down the bow Kick off your shoes and you throw them on the floor Dance in the kitchen 'till the morning light Louisiana Saturday Night

I found it quite amusing that Jacob picked up on that particular line. He's really into music and figures out lyrics to songs frequently. He's also into dancing. He is definitely the musical child...wonder where he gets that from. His granddaddy (the drummer) perhaps? His mama (she played guitar)? His Nene (singer)? Or most likely, a combination of all three.

Okay, so now that I've told another Jacob story, let me tell you about Jeremiah, my oldest grandson. He came to my house the other day and wanted to paint. So I pull out the paint markers and gather some paper and let him sit at the table and paint till his little heart's content. While he's painting he starts squealing with delight.."Jani! Jani! I made brown!" I'm thinking, "What?" I go over to look at what he was doing and saw that he had been experimenting with mixing colors. Obviously, he's picked up on the whole process of mixing colors to make other colors...I'm fairly sure his mommy taught him that. Anyway, after he finished the painting he asks me if I have a dryer. I asked, "What do you need a dryer for, Jeremiah?" He looks at me with the most serious look and says, "to dry my painting, of course." I wondered if his mommy had done that before or if he came up with it all on his own. He is a pretty smart boy, after all. And quite the little artist too.

So now I am anxiously awaiting a time when I will be able to tell you some Bryce stories. Right now, his story is mostly eat, sleep, colic, cry...But he's a cute little man, that's for sure. I really do need to spend more time with him though. I want to have the same kind of relationship with him as I do with my other two grandsons.

I know some of you are wishing I wouldn't tell you all my tales of grandparenting. But for those other grandparents out there, you understand my need to brag. They are simply the greatest joys in life...and when you love someone so much you can't help but tell others about them. With that thought in mind, let me say that we, as believers, need to be shouting our love for Jesus from the rooftop. As awesome as my little grandsons are, Jesus is even more incredible. In Him we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He shed His precious blood on that cross for you and me. He didn't have to do it. He chose to do it. I often wonder where I would be had I not accepted Jesus into my life. There were some who considered me a goody two shoes. Mostly because I wasn't into the drug/alcohol scene. But they didn't know my heart. They didn't see all those other sins that lurked within. I was a liar. I was a thief. I coveted my neighbor. I was gratifying the cravings of my sinful nature. But you know, Jesus showed me mercy before I even thought I wanted it. He was the spotless sacrifice necessary to appease the wrath of God. He has set me free from the bondage of sin! Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus!

So until next time....have a blessed day!

~jan~

Hidden Costs

My grandson is fascinated with commercials. He'll see things and look at me and say, "We need that Nene." The most recent item was the Ab Circle. I thought, "Yeah, I could handle some exercise, and it actually looks like fun." $14.95 plus shipping and handling...not too bad. So I look it up online and guess what...the shipping cost is $34.95. So what I thought was an okay price turned into a not so great price. That's how these things go. Hidden costs. Had I not investigated the cost first, I would have been quite surprised to find that the hidden cost was more than I wanted to pay.

As I thought about this, I was reminded of how the devil sets things up to make sin look so enticing and fun. But what isn't revealed are those hidden costs. And there comes a time when we must pay up. Some might think that being a Christian eliminates them from having to pay. I mean, let's face it, Jesus' blood covered it all, right? While His blood did cover those sins we might commit even after salvation, this doesn't always mean we will avoid the consequences of our actions. Some things we do will set things in motion, and we may end up being surprised at the cost we later have to pay. It's kind of like smoking. You can go years without any effects and then suddenly you're hit with lung cancer. Or drinking. You drink one or two here and there, which eventually leads you to becoming an alcoholic. The addiction has taken control and you are now in bondage to it. The Bible tells us that a man is slave to whatever has mastered him. I don't know about you, but I don't like being a slave to sin. That is why it is so vitally important to nip it in the bud before it happens. It's much easier to stop it while it is small and has no strong hold on us. Continual compromise causes blindness to the seriousness of the sin. When temptation comes, we need to immediately look for that way out that the Bible speaks of in 1 Corinthians 10:13. It says: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I recently read an essay that I found quite interesting. You can check it out here: http://www.growingchristians.org/dfgc/escape.htm

Another scripture that I think would fit well here, even though the verses around it speak more about not being anxious, is Philippians 4:8, which says: "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." You see, the battle starts in our minds. In order to avoid acting on the temtpation, we need to replace the thought with something else. That something else needs to be centered on God. Meditating on scripture helps. Listening to praise music is also helpful.

In our lives there will be times when we mess up. In those times, we need to be quick to repent. Don't believe the lies Satan tries to tell you...you know the ones..."well, you already did it once, so what's one more time?" Or maybe he tells you, "It's not that bad...everybody does it." But as my mama always says, "If somebody jumped off a bridge would you do it?" Maybe that's not quite a good example in this day and age of adrenaline junkies searching for the next scary rush. But I think you get the picture. Just because someone else does it, doesn't mean we have to do it too.

A Day At The Beach

Spent the day at the Jetty's having fun with my grandson, Jacob. He loves to dig.

How Long?

How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to You, "Violence!" but You do not save? Why do You make me look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. Habakkuk 1:2-4



Have you ever wondered why people who are doing wrong seem to just get off scott free? At times it may even seem that they are prospering. All the while, their victims suffer the consequences of their actions, sometimes for years. I don't know about you, but my heart cries out for God to give those evil people what they deserve. But...then I remember that God didn't give me what I deserved. And I recall His patience toward me. I may have had this misconstrued notion that my sins weren't nearly as bad as the other evil people I see, but I have to see my sin as God does. Man measures sin. With God, I don't think he measures it as we do. Hatred is equal to murder. Lust is equal to adultery. You see what I'm saying? If God gave everyone exactly what they deserved when they deserved it, we'd all be in big trouble, wouldn't we? Still, it's hard to see all the injustice around us. So what do we do?



Let's take a look at God's response to Habakkuk in verses 5-11:



"Look among the nations and watch--
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you.For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty nation
Which marches through the breadth of the earth,
To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their chargers charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat."They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.They scoff at kings,
And princes are scorned by them.
They deride every stronghold,
For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.Then his mind changes, and he transgresses;
He commits offense,
Ascribing this power to his god."

Okay, so this wasn't the response Habakkuk was hoping to hear. The Baylonians were a wicked people. So how could the Lord possibly use them to bring about punishment to those who were more righteous than they were? It just didn't seem fair to Habakkuk. And isn't that how we sometimes feel? That God's way of dealing with things just isn't fair. But I think God knows a lot better than we do what needs to happen. And, as Christians we can read the Word and see the outcome. So no matter how bleak things may seem, no matter how unjust, we can trust that there is coming a day of judgement for those who have done evil and who have not repented and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And even though it may not feel like that day will ever come, we can believe that it will. In the meantime, we can pray. Prayer is a powerful tool. We need to pray for the situations we see happening around us, but also pray that God would direct us as to what action we personally need to take. We need to speak out against injustice whenever and wherever we see it. Don't sit around waiting for someone else to say or do something. Don't pretend you don't notice. The other day I spoke with a young woman I knew many years ago who had been physically and emotionally abused as a child. I saw this abuse happening, and even though I spoke out against it to the person abusing her, I didn't take it further than that. The abuser needed help. But more importantly, the children in her care needed rescue from this abuse. And I regret not having raised such a stink that someone would take notice and remove them from the situation. I regret those years they had to suffer because no one was willing to step up to the plate and take action. Oh, don't get me wrong, many tried to speak into the abusers life. Many pointed out the sin she was committing. But that's usually where it stopped. The abuser was a professed believer who refused the correction of the church. She rejected what God's Word had to say on the subject. At this point, it should have been the church's place to get outside help. To just run her off from the church (by speaking against it) did nothing to remedy the situation. I have repented for not doing more than I did, but the children are pretty emotionally messed up as a result of this abuse and I can't change that. My heart breaks when I think of the years of torment those children suffered. My heart breaks when I see the adults they have become. And you know, my heart even breaks when I think about the abuser. How could someone who knew God's Word commit such horrible acts? I question her salvation. And that's where part two comes in. We can reach out to the ones doing wrong. A friend of mine has this saying, "Rules without relationship lead to rebellion." It is so much easier to speak into a person's life when you have an established relationship with them. If you just come up to a person and start belting out all their sin, how likely do you think it is that they will listen? Most times they would lash out at you. And what would be accomplished? We need to find ways to build up trust. The person needs to know that our intention isn't merely to pass judgement, but rather, a genuine concern for their soul. When they see true concern for them, they are more willing to hear. In some cases, this may be extremely difficult, as was the case with the abuser I was referring to. But we at least need to make the effort.

There's so much more I can say, but time has gotten away from me and I need to close out for now. Perhaps I will post more on this subject later...we'll see.

Celebration Baptist Church

After years of meeting in a school, the time has finally come to relocate. On May 31, 2009 we met for the first time in our new facility. It was a glorious service and the building was packed. Pastor Mike preached about being a Gospel-Centered Church and how we shouldn't forget that our primary purpose is to spread the gospel in a clear and precise manner.

Many churches today are more focused on having fun activities that will attract people to come. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy fun as much as the next guy. But I have to ask, "Are these fun activities pointing people to Jesus? Are they exposing their sin and showing their need for a Savior? Or are they creating shallow Christians (or possibly people who think they're Christians) who seek to be entertained more than they seek to know Christ intimately?" Before you go getting all mad at me, let me say that I am not saying a church cannot have fun activities. But our focus has to be more than that. People are lost. Without Christ they will spend eternity in hell. If your loved one was drowning would you rather someone throw them a life preserver or a party hat and some refreshments? I know that sounds silly, but let's face it, if we believe what the Bible says, then we know the consequences of sin. And they are dire. So let's get busy sharing the gospel.

Motions

http://www.matthewwest.com/motions/index.php?p=SmFu

A New Grandson

For those who've inquired, my third grandson was born on May 1, 2009 at 6:08 p.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long.

Here's a photo of me with Bryce Evan Peterson.

Deceitful

Do you recognize this plant? I'm not sure what the real name for it is, but all my life I've heard people call them devil weed. So, because I do not know the specific plant name, we'll just call it that.

The other day I took my grandson out to the back yard to play. He loves playing in the dirt, raking the leaves, and just basically being out in the sunshine. My back yard is a woody area and there are many of these plants growing wild. Jacob spotted the flower and was attracted to the plant, wanting to pick the flower. I was trying to explain to Jacob how they may look pretty, but these plants can be very hurtful if you touch them. They will make you itch like crazy!

As I was thinking about the plant and its deceptive flower perched there on the top, I was reminded of just how easy it is to be deceived. By people, but also by the things this world has to offer. Fame, fortune, popularity, etc. While all of these seem to be something that will make you happy, they cannot truly live up to that. They may bring you some semblence of happiness for a time. But there will come a day when you realize that things lose their luster, and they will be nothing more than a hollow substitute for true happiness. So where do we find this true happiness? In Jesus. But before you go assuming that accepting Jesus means your life will be a life without trials or tribulations, let me say that this just isn't the case. In fact, James 1 tells us to count it all joy when we face trials. These things will produce patience, among other things. So, this tells me that even though we don't like going through bad things, we can learn something in the midst of them. They can help us develop maturity in our walk with Jesus. We can be strengthened in our faith. I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking of Jesus as a quick fix to all your troubles, but Jesus can offer peace even in the trials. This peace comes when we have that intimate relationship with Him, knowing the nature and character of God, and knowing what He has promised. This knowing doesn't come through osmosis, however. We have to seek to know Him through the reading of His word and through prayer. How can a person develop a relationship with someone unless they spend time with them? We talk to them and we listen when they talk to us.

John 16:33 says: These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Zooking

My sister called today and in the course of our conversation she asked if I knew what "zooking" was. I told her I didn't. She was laughing as she began to remind me of our mother's phone. Now, for those who are young you may not really understand this. But for those of my age you will know exactly what I'm talking about. Before there were touch tone phones we had what was called a rotary dial. My mother still has one of those phones. Anyway, whenever you made a call it made this sound after each dialed number. And that sound went something like this:

Zooking, zooking, zooking, zooking, zooking, zoooking, zooking....

Now, the length of the zooking sound was determined by which number you were dialing. Nine was a stretched out zooooking, while one was more like zking. Boy, those were the days, huh? Our excitement revolved around the sound of a phone dialing. Woohoo! But I had to laugh. And it's even funnier when you hear my sister telling the story.

Wynonna Concert

Well, I went to see Wynonna in concert in Longwood, Florida this past Friday night. The venue was a large church called Northland. It was nice. Had a bookstore, cafe, and probably held a few thousand people.
The show started with William P. Young (author of The Shack) promoting his book, and his meeting the next morning. He then introduced Richie McDonald (formerly of Lonestar). Richie came out and played piano and sang. Wow! He is so talented. At one point he played guitar, but for the most part it was a piano gig. He sang this one song, Hey God that was very touching. I loved his voice.
Wynonna put on one incredible show. She not only has a powerful, pure voice, she's very personable. She interacted well with the audience. During the course of the evening several people went to the stage and gave her flowers and such. She was very receptive. When she started to sing I Can Only Imagine she started to tear up. She had the backup girl sing part of the song. Wynonna spoke freely about her relationship with God. I think that many of the band are people who used to play with Morningstar. I know Don Potter and Mike Maple did.
The evening was great...glad I got to see her live. I had a good time.

The Things Kids Say

The other day I went walking with my two grandsons and my mother (G.G.). Along their route they found many flowers to pick. G.G. kept telling them not to pick the flowers, that they would die. But, being kids, they wanted to pick them anyway. When we finished walking we stopped at Wendy's for a bite to eat. Of course, the flowers were left out in the car. When we got back to the car I saw the wilted flowers lying there. I told Jeremiah his flowers had died. He turned to me and asked, "Will they go to heaven?" I responded, "Sure, God probably likes flowers in heaven." Jeremiah looked at me with the most serious look and said, "Will roaches go to heaven too?" I had to laugh at the thought that those pesty little creatures would make it to heaven. But you know, it got me thinking about just how innocent our children are. They look at people and things and see the good in it when we can't. I'm sure that despite how pesty I think a roach is, there has to be some good there. After all, God created them for a reason, just as He created each one of us. It's time that we look at people through the lens of God's love and remember that all of us needed a Savior. I was reminded of this passage found in Luke 18:9-14:

Luk 18:9
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Luk 18:11
"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
Luk 18:12
'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
Luk 18:13
"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
Luk 18:14
"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."


So, the next time we think we want to look down our noses in judgment at someone who we think is such a horrible sinner, we need to remember that we are equally guilty. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." It is only through Christ that we become righteous.