To Church or Not to Church

Some people joke about the “Bedside Baptists” who attend the "Chapel of the Tube" on Sunday mornings. Another "tongue in cheek" joke: "Those that attend Sunday morning love the preacher. Those that attend Sunday night love the church, and those that attend midweek services love the Lord!" But it's more than a joke. Many people refuse to get near a church unless their nephew is playing the role of a sheep in the Christmas pageant! They claim they can get more out of a walk in the woods than from the typical sermon.  Can a Christian survive apart from a church? Some Christians have no choice. They are trapped in a hospital bed, or working in an isolated area where no church exists. And God is certainly sufficient to care for their needs. You can still get to heaven if you can't go to church. But even though it's technically possible to live the Christian life in isolation, it's certainly not the norm. Well, why would a Christian go to church every Sunday? I could get all Holy and give you tons of Scripture verses that tell you: because God said so that's why! Well my goodness... has God been to some of these churches? Why would He tell us to go to church? I think I'll just let a little holy terror's mama tell you why:

Little Dewey was one of those holy terrors. His dad was surprised when Dewey's mom suggested that they buy him a bike for his birthday. "Do you really believe that'll help improve his behavior?" he asked. "Well, no," she admitted, "But it'll spread it over a wider area."

That's it! Right there! That's why I go to church! To spread what God has given me over a wider area. To fellowship and worship with others who love Jesus, to encourage a sister or brother when times are tough, to support the work of God in the world, in our community. Did you know it's the churches in a community that are among the first responders to a crisis? It's just amazing how the time and resorces you give to your church united with other gifted member will grow like fishes & loaves. Your involvement keeps you from spiritual drifting, backsliding or apostasy and the array of spiritual blessings are immeasurable.

A pearl to string: God has placed each one of us in the body of Christ as it pleases Him and not where we place ourselves. God says through Paul in I Corinthians 12:18, “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” God did not place these members outside of the body nor did He intend for each member to be in single, individual homes because they can not function properly detached from one another.

He gave His life for you
Know you are loved,
Lyndi

Drug Inspection

A DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) officer stops at a ranch in Montana and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The old rancher says, "Okay, but do not go in that field over there," as he points out the location. The DEA officer verbally explodes, saying, "Mister, I have the authority of the federal government with me." Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the farmer. "See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish, on any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?" The old rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores. A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life, chased close behind by the rancher's prize bull. With every step, the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get "horned" before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The old rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence, and yells at the top of his lungs, "Your badge! Show him your badge!"

You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is beneficial. (1 Corinthians 10:23)

Oh how much you miss if you suffer from slurred hearing. Maybe if the not so humble DEA agent had exercised his manners to listen to the old rancher and not cut him off mid sentence his little scrawny office legs would not have had to work so hard. You may have a big ole badge (job) and think you are all that with your bad self but there's a big bull in everyone's life eventually. And how many times have you seen a light at the end of a tunnel only to discover it's a train speeding toward you. People need the Lord.

A pearl to string: Everyday they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes. Empty people filled with care, Headed who knows where? On they go through private pain, Living fear to fear. Laughter hides their silent cries, Only Jesus hears. We are called to take His light, To a world where wrong seems right. What could be too great a cost, For sharing Life with one who's lost? Through His love our hearts can feel, All the grief they bear. They must hear the Words of Life, Only we can share. At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door. People need the Lord. (Song: People Need The Lord, 1984: http://youtu.be/AibBR6j2g54)

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image". (2 Corinthians 3:18NLT) As messengers of God’s love, we are to be human mirrors who reflect without distortion a growing likeness to our Lord; And our lives are to be marked by the love for God and others.

The lillies know Him and
He knows and loves you,
Lyndi

Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot (Feast of Booths).

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012

Chattering Crows

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

There is an old Persian fable of a hen, a mouse, and a rabbit who lived together in a little house in the woods. They shared all the work and lived in harmony. The chicken found the firewood, the mouse brought the water from a nearby brook, and the rabbit cooked the meals. Each did his work faithfully and contentedly. One day, while the hen was out in the forest looking for wood, a nosy crow approached her and asked what she was doing. When he heard, the crow began caw, “That’s not fair! You’re doing the hardest part of the work! That rabbit and mouse are taking advantage of you! The chicken continued about her work, but try as she would, she could not stop thinking about what the crow said. These feelings festered and festered, and by the time she got home, she was so upset that she burst out in tears, screaming, “It’s not fair! I do the hardest work of the three of us! That’s it! I’m not going to gather this heavy firewood anymore!”

Discontent spreads, as you know, and immediately the rabbit and mouse also began to argue that they had been doing the hardest work and that they were not going to do their jobs anymore either. The three argued until they were tired and finally decided to switch jobs – from now on the rabbit would gather the firewood, the hen would bring the water and the mouse would cook. As the rabbit hopped into the forest for wood, a fox trailed him, caught him, and ate him. The chicken put the pail into the creek, but the current pulled the pail down under and the chicken with it. The mouse, while sitting on the edge of the big pot of soup, lost his balance and fell in. Discontentment not only destroyed their happiness but their very lives.

A pearl to string: Oh those chattering crows! They surround us and whisper into our spirit. They mess with our mind and encourage discontent in the name of enlightenment. No person is greater than the next. No job is greater than the next. We all have a call on our lives and we all have a job to do while on earth. There may be many that are referred to as gods (Gal 4:8) but there is only one Jesus, the Son of God, himself God over all, Creator of heaven and earth. Out of love for mankind He stooped to become a man and die for the impious, for those who have no reverence for God. (Rom 5:6) At some point in time that would be each one of us. We have a Savior that we can spend all eternity with if we choose. I've read about the alternative and it isn't for me.

Rejoice in what He made you to be,
and be content in being you and
Know you are the love of His life,
Lyndi

Baseball Class

When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy Job 38:7

A professor at a well known University was legendary for giving boring, cliché-ridden lectures. At the beginning of one semester, an innovative class breathed new life into the course by assigning baseball plays to each trite phrase. For example, when the professor said, "On the other hand," that counted as a base hit. "By the same token" was a strike out; "and so on" counted as a stolen base. Divided into two teams by the center aisle of the lecture hall, the students played inning after inning of silent but vigorous baseball. On the last day of class, the impossible happened: the score was tied and bases were loaded. Then the batter hit a home run! The winning team stood and cheered wildly.
Though deeply appreciative, the professor later was quoted as wondering why only half of the students had been enthusiastic about his lectures.

How delightfully inventive.... someone from that class needs to run for President!

Do you know what happiness is? As the Word itself implies, happiness is associated with happenings, happenstance, luck, and fortune. If circumstances are favorable, you are happy; if not, you’re unhappy. Happiness is the personal experience of feeling good.

Do you know what joy is? In Philippians 3:1 Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord.” The Lord is both the source and object of Christian joy. Knowing Him brings joy that transcends temporal circumstances. Obeying Him brings peace and assurance. Joy is an attitude of the heart that knows Jesus.

We have a family blog to keep up with all the families' activities of fun and accomplishment along with prayer requests. The motto we voted on for our family: Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living. Now that's JOY!

A pearl to string: God is infinitely worthy of our delight. The only thing standing between the command of God to rejoice and our experience of that joy is a heart that delights more in the things of the world than in God. If you cannot rejoice in God and you want to: ask Him to heal your heart. My prayer for each one of you is from Romans 12 verses 9-13 in the English Standard Version: "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality". Amen

What do you have to cheer about?
Find joy in knowing you are loved,
Lyndi