♪ Sing, Sing a Song ♪

Have you experienced having someone talk to you about a certain subject and then that very topic of discussion changes your life? It happened to me. 

My husband, Rodney, is in a group with three other men who sing in town. Some people have asked me "why aren't you singing with them?" I also have had people in the church ask me, "Why aren't you singing in the choir?" My response was always been one of these two: "I have enough on my plate, I'm too busy," or "the congregation needs more help than the choir."  

My pastor was speaking on "Making Excuses" one Sunday. It was a good topic for discussion; it really had value from  Luke 14:15-24. I highly recommend you look it over and recognize the excuses that were given to this certain man.  If you look, notice the first excuse. The first guest was going after the sun went down to test out his five oxen. Hello, that is like saying we're going to go check the oil in our car in the dark. It is unreasonable.  

Then the pastor ended with an altar call. I ended in tears. I heard the Lord ask me, "When are you going to stop giving me excuses?"  I knew what he was talking about, but I chose not to respond. He asked me again, "When are you going to stop giving me excuses?"  I responded to the Lord with; "When you give Rodney and I a song to sing together, then I will sing." I thought if I put it back on God then that would settle the matter. On the way home I explained to Rodney what I experienced in church. He was elated because he keeps asking me to sing with him and I would give him excuses. Needless to say Rodney was excited. 

Three days my life changed. I was talking with Tim Parker one afternoon about property in town. At the end of our conversation he asked me, "Are you coming to church tonight." I asked him what classes were going on and he shared. Then he said "There is also Choir."  I heard the Lord say "Ah, did you hear him?" I ignored the voice and went on my way.  

As I was leaving the radio station and heading down the road to church, the Lord spoke to me again;  "When are you going to stop giving me excuses?"  I stopped giving him excuses, but telling him; "I don't know when it starts, when it finishes, what to expect out of myself, it has been a long time you know." I had a whole lot of excuses and questions. The Lord asked me; "When are you going to join the choir?" 

I pulled in the parking lot and the tears flooded my eyes, streaming down my face.  I thought to myself "I need to talk to Lisa Parson's. She always encourages me to go, yes, I'll ask her. "  But it wasn't her I needed to talk to but the first person I met was Shelley Clay.  I saw her and I started crying again. I told her I needed to talk and she asked what was wrong. I said "oh nothing, that is the problem." She replied, "what?" 

I told her what I was going through and she welcomed me with open arms.  I felt like a child on the first day of school; lost. As I entered the room, one member asked, "So what do you sing?"  He didn't know I was there to join the choir, did he? So I then began sharing and playing the blame game. It is all Pastor Kirby's fault that I'm here. It's his darn sermon on "Making Excuses."  I realized, it was my fault and I need to just follow what God wants. So here I am. Many of the choir members were happy to see me. So many times choir members had encouraged me to bring my praise to the Choir loft. 

I read music, I use to sing solos, I use to be in a girl's singing group, and did a lot of praising to the Lord with songs. Now, I've stopped making excuses and am on a journey to utilize the gift God has given me. I know I'm never going to be the same again.  I have always said "God you can have anything you want from me." I can't recall ever giving him stipulations, but like Moses I did give excuses. 

There isn't a  moral to my story, I don't want a pat on the back for what I did, and I certainly don't want center stage (that is for God, the Creator).  I guess I just want to share that I run from God just like you do. I have struggles just like you. 

If you know God has given you a talent to use, ask him where to use it.  If you don't know what  your talent is, ask him and when he tells you allow Him to use you in it. 

~Be encouraged, we all have stuff stuffed.

It Was a Marshmallow Morning

I woke up this morning feeling as though I had stepped into a pile of marshmallows.  It felt sticky and yucky. I couldn't understand my overwhelming feeling that I was really in the pile of marshmallows.

 So, I decided to step into God's word and realized that this is a year for repentance to restoration. The past few years I've seen people on the Memorial Bridge with signs that say "Jesus Saves" and other signs with similar sayings.   We've had National Day of Prayer take place in the Courthouse yard.  Churches have been involved in the community and sharing the Love of God without beating anyone over the head with a baseball bat.
These are all good things and do not need to stop.

Society today doesn't know which side of the road it wants to stand on. The left side of the road is the Word of God and the other is what Hollywood tells us.
God tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 to humble ourselves before him and ask for forgiveness and he will heal us and our land.  In James, he tells us time and time again to confess our faults to ourselves, to God, and to someone we trust so that we may be saved and healed.

Nehemiah prayed for his people, Hosea prayed for his people, and now who is praying for our people of today? Prayer for Putnam, our churches, our community IS praying for each other.
It's no secret, that prayer has been taken out of our schools. It makes me wonder who is working to get it returned?  I've done some research, but came up empty. Prayer works!

I've been taught that we can pray for others to turn from their sins and God has the ultimate last word.
 Has Hollywood gotten so far into our homes / lives that we cannot see the truth given to set us free?
 Has Hollywood gotten so deep into our lives that most people don't know the truth when they hear it?

Most people don't believe they are doing anything wrong because the world says they aren't. The Word tells them that times are going to get difficult. There is going to be famine among the land. Who is our society going to run to then? The "American Idol?" Will they run to the directors?

Going back to when I woke up feeling like I stepped in marshmallows; I was noticing in town the other day all the "Internet Cafe" places in town and liquor stores in town. Not to mention the Adult Superstore.  Granted, we are a small community and it could be worse. Perhaps God is at work and I / We just can't see it.
None the less, when I look at our country it looks messy. This includes, but not limited to: the debt we are in, the lack of respect for God and country, from our President, and the countries we are siding with. This is definitely a sad day in our world.

Yet, God is allowing this to happen.  It is a repeat in history. Look at this reading: Hosea 13:1-11

When Ephraim spake, there was trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended Baal, he died.
And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen, they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.  Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that passeth early away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of t he threshing-floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. yet I am Jehovah they God from the land of Egypt; and though shalt know no god but me, and besides me there is no saviour.  I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.  Therefore am I unto them as a lion; as a leopard will I watch by the way; I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart and there will I devour them like a lioness; the wild beast shall tear them.  It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against me, against thy help.  Where now is  thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I have given thee a king in mine anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.

In today's world the lost are worshiping gods that cannot save them.  They look to a king, another person, the President to save them, but he cannot and he will not.  The government cannot save anyone either.
Wake up America and recognize that the President cannot be your savior, Hollywood cannot and will not save you,  but God the Creator can, will, and does.  When He does, you will have a life everlasting.

Perhaps that is the problem? Today people are like the prodigal son who could not wait to get his inheritance.  Our world today is about getting all they can now.  God is about the inheritance after life here on earth.

It saddens my heart.  I have no resolution to make, but I do offer repentance from the heart. I send you an offer to join me in repenting for following the ways of the world that are not pleasing to God.  The celebrations, such as Halloween, that do not have any reflection on Christ.
Don't you want to have your life restored to God's goodness? He is waiting for you, wanting  you, and loving you. I plea with you, stop hurting Him!

~Be encouraged, squishy marshmallows can be washed away, just like sins in our lives. One is washed away by water and the other by the Living Water.

When We Walk

When we walk through sand it can feel rough from the broken sea shells or soft and squishy from the waves breaking on the sea shore. If you were able to choose which one you would want to walk in, which would you choose?
I would choose the soft and squishy because it would feel good to the soles of my feet. Yet, I would also walk on the broken sea shells too. I relate this to life.

When we walk through the good times or we're satisfied with life, we walk on the soft sands. Other times, we walk on the broken sea shells when life is like a wilderness, full of great droughts. However, we can enjoy the goodness with the bittersweet; just like the sands on the beach.

Biblical truth:
When people repent of their selfish ways and desires (broken sea shells) and turn to God, He forgives and makes them whole (the soft and squishy sands).  Perhaps that is why He walked on the beach so much.

God forgives sinners who come to him in repentance and faith. He gives us a brand new life; a new start. The Holy Spirit's job is to convict us of our wrongs, teaches us about righteousness and judgement. It is the Spirit that draws us to the sweet name of Jesus and His atoning death. Nothing is more calming, softer or sweeter than the call of Jesus Christ.

~ Be Encouraged: When you walk, you never walk alone.