Lindylou - Walking Through Womanhood

Can You Hear Me - Letter From The King

2012-01-27T00:44:00.000-06:00

Dear Child,

It is easier for someone deaf to hear Me than someone with hearing. Pause, and re-read this statement. I don't want you to miss my message. I created sounds and ears. Sound and ears are good. On earth everything I created for good is warped by Satan for his purpose. Earth is not the perfect place to hear My voice. Satan has made certain to provide enormous hindrances. Noise is not always good. It can be purposely distracting.

Your ears can hear sounds that are destructive, unnerving, and even painful. While the world provides intrusive clatter, I am speaking to you. Can you hear Me? Do you even know how to listen? My voice is heard without your ears; it is heard in your soul and spirit. Even in loud continual noise, My voice can be clear. Learning to listen for Me takes practice in My presence. You have to be still. Don't lose patience. It is like learning how to tune a radio to the proper station. You will recognize My voice when you hear it, because I dwell with you in Spirit. You must trust Me. It takes faith to hear Me and you must believe what I tell you in the Bible.

When your heart cry is "I believe God!," you will find it easier to hear My voice. You will gain understanding. This is why I say, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God!" The more you read the Bible, and believe It to be the Truth, you will discover hearing my voice to be as natural as an infant knows its mother's voice.

When you struggle to hear Me, don't become anxious trying to force yourself to imagine what I might be saying. Rest, knowing it is not your work to do. I am the One doing the work for You. Celebrate, knowing that no one can ever take my voice away from you. Satan does not want you to know or believe this. He wants you bombarded with information, sounds and thoughts so that you don't have any waking time to listen to Me. This is why I created you with a hunger and thirst that only I could fill.

Hear Me, I am speaking. I am not silent. Listen for Me.

Letter From A Woman On Abortion

2012-01-18T22:47:00.000-06:00

Human babies' greatest threat to life is complacent humans more devoted to a false 'doctrine of privacy' (in the name of tolerance) than to real life and justice.

I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. with a great desire to learn from him and a hope to emulate his relentless quest for justice. As in all injustices perpetrated against powerless, innocent humans, the so-called 'good people' chose to avoid controversy (tension) and allowed millions of precious humans to be murdered. We, the good people of America, are doing this today.

What are the good citizens of America waiting for? Time is of the essence! Two babies are brutally killed every minute. As King pleaded with the people of the 1960's, I plead with you today, "the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills" is "a tradgic misconception." Time itself does not solve social ills. It firmly depends on who uses time more effectively. 50 million babies have been aborted in America since 1973. In 2011, 65% of pregnancies of black women in New York ended by abortion.

We are once again in our country faced with two opposing forces. One that wants abortion to end and the other that wants it to continue. But what stands between the two is the massive flood of disassociated, disinterested people who for the love of social order, pseudo-privacy and tolerance willing to let everyone do as one chooses and to pretend babies aborted are not really being humans.

With the unquestionable advances in science and medical equipment, any mother who has watched her baby on an ultrasound monitor and heard the sweet heartbeat would rightly testify that a child is within her womb! There is no doubt--it is an undeniable fact a baby lives within his mother's womb.

Again, history repeats itself. Moderates seeking only to maintain the status quo, not wanting to get involved or disturb their pursuit of happiness, avoid taking the actions necessary to stop the evil . It is someone else's problem... you think? What family has not been touched in America by a "Death by Abortion"? I dare say none.

It is time we considered a national memorial monument and a day of repentance and remembrance for these little babies. But before we can begin, we must stop "Death by Abortion" in America!

The facts are too overwhelming to deny that your family is not involved. One out of every six people in America have been aborted. How comfortable are you with this hard evidence? And truth told the mother and often the father's life has been destroyed by the abortion of the child. The personal nightmare of relentless shame, guilt and crushing despair causes many parents who aborted to plead for death to themselves to make the pain end. It is time you get uncomfortable and listen to many who are now choosing to be "silent no more"!

We just celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! His niece, Dr. Alveda King, is walking in her uncle's footsteps. These babies are condemned to death in their mother's womb without any justice for their basic constitutional rights that are endowed not by you, me or governments but by the Creator God.

God forms a baby in a mother's womb and give the child a right to life, liberty and a pursuit of happiness. Martin Luther King, Jr said, "Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber." And He so rightly proclaimed, "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people." Do you need to repent?

Are you willing you join Alveda King? You can get involved.

You can vote only for candidates that will vow to stop abortion today! You can attend events, non-violence walks, the rally in Washington, D.C.. What is stopping you? Abortion must be rooted out by relentless and determined action. Love and peace are demonstrated through action.

Open your heart, listen to the cries, recognize the urgency and sense the needs.

What is your testimony? Your life is your living testimony - live it purposefully and do something today to stop abortion in America. A precious little baby's time is up. If we don't act, she will be killed. If we all speak our conscience publicly, she can live. Truly, Abortion is a matter of life or death.

Leaving Comments - The Difference it Makes

2012-01-17T09:33:00.003-06:00

"Do you leave comments?" is the topic for "build a better blog" series. Hopefully, through this process we can all grow in our blogging.

If you take the time to read a post, do you simply click and go away, or do you consider even placing a few words in a comment box?

Do you LOVE comments?

If you do not, what are the reasons that stop you:

article/post too long - can't get through it so I can't comment
article too controversial - you like to stay out of conflict, so you prefer not to comment
you totally disagree with what is written - and you don't want to be negative
it takes too much time - you barely have time to answer emails and get the laundry done
you think it doesn't matter - with so many people writing blogs no one comments much
shy, not a talker - you don't want to get embarrassed saying something silly or wrong

Ever wonder what difference it can make:

Encouragement? Comments encourage both the writer and other readers.
To make writing's clear and valuable? Comments helps a writer hone their writing to better serve those who visit and read. Comments make people a better blogger.
Do you smile and say, "Hi"when you pass a person? Leaving a comment is often a nice way of saying Hi!, I am thinking about you, you matter.
Ask questions? Comments are a great place to ask questions and get more information.
Give examples or real life stories? This is a exactly what makes blogging better than printed work. It is interactive.
Relationships? Blogs give us an amazing opportunity to talk with people from all over the world and relationships are most important in life.
Relate? It is nice for the writer of a blog to know other's can relate to their experiences, and that they can relate to their visitors.

What makes some blogs attract and others repel comments? What is your opinion? Why do you comment? Why don't you? How can a blogger make it their site more interactive?

If you have a related article or post and would like to have it linked, please place it in your comment. I will go back and compile a list (placing it within this post).

A Year For Hope 2012

2012-01-07T13:20:00.001-06:00

What is your word or theme for this year? Listen to how I found out that mine is hope:

new life, new hope

During my thanksgiving holidays, I went to visit our dear friends/family in AL. My husband is from AL and I met him at the University of AL (I am a New Orleans girl). His high school friend and college roommate is now a retired Army officer with 9 children that home schools. This family basically is our family. I have known his college daughter who is now a Washington Times columnist since she was in a playpen. We all passionately love God and only hope in life to serve Him. They own a beautiful farm/homestead in rural AL with lots of nature trails and a pond.

On this thanksgiving weekend, I went alone on an outdoor walk to talk with God one afternoon. I was looking at how everything had made its seasonal change, going doormat and looking dead. The Holy Spirit prompted me to move some of the fallen leaves off the path, and amazingly underneath this layer of decomposition was a little seed (it looked like a kernel of wheat) with a bright green little sprout leaf on a tender white stem. When I reached down in awe to pick it up, I heard God say, "This is the year of hope. 2012 will be the year of hope." I treasured that moment and continue to look to Him with anticipation of all the goodness He is preparing for me and my family.

Last year was the year of the 'fast'; that was the word God gave me for 2011. It was not a physical fast from eating (like I initially thought) but a practical and spiritual fast. God used 2011 to cut back, to stop, to redirect and to narrow my focus. I am learning to only pursue God's best, not His alternate plan or one He provides by grace because I missed His BEST. What a powerful lesson this has been! Of course, I am still learning and growing in this concept. But, is it not so natural for "hope" to follow "fast"? I have to allow God's pruning so that the original plan for my future and hope can grow strong.

I think God has been using a chain saw on me for about 20 years. It is nice to be able to get to the pruning shears. And even nicer to walk in hope.

May God bless you in 2012, and please share with a comment to tell your word for the year. You may also include a little background or even your own personal website link, if you would like.

Have a wonderful 2012!

Blessings -

Lindy

I Can Reach You - Letter From The King

2012-01-02T20:21:00.000-06:00

Dear Child,

Even on your darkest or loneliest days, when no one seems to understand or be able to help, I can reach you. I know your need, even before you become aware of it. Turn your heart toward Me and I will overflow you spiritually, as people and the ways of the world never can. I meet you in the secret places of your soul, places so deep your own consciousness may never go.

I am Spirit, not limited by flesh and blood, time or space. While you can't fully grasp all that I am, I know you completely. And through Christ, I see you in His righteousness, transformed into His image, the essence of who you really are. In Heaven you will experience life as I created it in the beginning - perfect, sinless, whole.

There will always be people that just don't get it. They will never comprehend all I created you to be. Rest, knowing your present state is not permanent. Your time on earth is just one star twinkling in the night of eternity. You have so much to look forward to, and so much to live for as you come to know Me and make Me known to others.

Just as I can reach you, I long to reach people from all nations... to fill their empty void, to comfort them in suffering, to bring hope to their total despair. You are never alone in the world. Where ever you go, I am there. Take me to the darkest places in your life and in the world. I will show you by My light the path you should choose. As you follow Me in obedience, I will reach others for My Kingdom through you.

Reaching and filling you is not an end, but a beginning. It is a beautiful harmony of emptiness finding fulfillment, as a desert soaks up a torrential rain. A creative melody that is to be heard where ever you are. You in Me and Me in you. It is the mystery of life sought for by all who are inquisitive, thirsty, and needy. Many false gods seem appealing, reasonable and good. But I alone am the real God, there is no other besides Me! As people open their hearts to hear My Words, and believe, they will receive Me.

Never forget, I can always reach you! I am everything you need.

Never Met Expectations - Letter From The King

2011-12-26T12:51:00.000-06:00

Dear Child,

I know you are hurting. It is hard when you know you have blown it, especially when those you love let you know that you could have responded better. Feeling like a failure, you ponder what is the use of trying, giving or living. You hear understanding, love and acceptance when you kneel before Me, but as soon as you get up and try to move on, people in your life are all too ready to correct you and tell you how much you missed the goal in your Christian walk.

You will never be able to be an example of Christ-like perfection. Even in total reliance on Me or more honestly, in casual reliance on Me, the very best you have to offer must be bathed in the covering of My grace. I know you. When I look to you, I see the righteousness of Christ, not all of your shortcomings and failures. I see who you are in Christ and all the wonder I created you to be. Most people don't know how to see others with such great love.

Never see yourself through the eyes of others. See yourself through My eyes, which are so more loving, graceful and able to know the truth of your soul. You weep inward because you disappoint others outwardly. Rarely if ever will you have a person in your life that will see you as I do. The sin in your life that is so easy for others to conquer is not their own sin. Every person struggles with personal failures, and hidden sins. It is easy to boast in areas you do good, and to cover or ignore the deepest struggles of your own will.

Be humble when you sin, confess it, repent and receive My grace. Some people would desire you to go through some kind of purgatory to pay for your sins, but that is not my way. Though people may question your ability to walk in My forgiveness and grace, I don't not want you to wallow in sin or beat yourself up. Once you have repented and received my forgiveness and grace, lift you your head and walk in the mercies that are new each day. Others my try to chain you to pass failures, because you don't meet their expectations, but I sent Jesus in the world so that you would experience freedom from the bondage of sin.

It is easy for sinners to cast stones at others, especially at My children, who are not yet sinless. Don't pretend to be sinless. Remind others that you are a sinner saved by grace, and able to be forgiven and walk in my mercy. The key is to live your life to please Me and My expectations of you.

Live life confident that you are My work in progress. And whether others accept it or not, you - being my child- get to walk in forgiveness and grace. It is a blessing of being My daughter. Don't let others take these blessing from you. Jesus came to earth to live a life as a man so that He may die personally sinless a death of a sinner for all who sin that you might as frequently as needed receive forgiveness, acceptance and beautiful grace from Me, Your Father God.

When you come to Me with a broken and contrite heart, you meet My expectations, and you will leave My presence totally restored. Walk in this truth - and be set free to live unto Me.

Baby in the Manger, Baby in the Womb

2011-12-19T14:18:00.002-06:00

Jesus was a baby placed in the manger after he was born, but His life started in Mary's womb.

Most of us know His story, It is the Christmas story!

The Angel visited Mary nine months prior to Jesus's birth. Jesus was placed within her womb. He, being the seed of God, His only begotten son, was like an infant growing in his mother. Jesus was Father God's ONLY begotten son; God took the form of human flesh. Think about the Bible story, did Mary ever question whether the child growing in her womb was an actual baby? Did she and Joseph think about Jesus before He was born as a non-person? At what point from conception was Mary carrying the living God in her womb? Did his human life begin the moment he was birthed and placed in the manger? Or was He a living human being at conception? At what point did Jesus become human?

Jesus is God. He is the creator, He was present in the beginning of time on earth. God is spirit and truth.

But when Jesus entered Mary's womb, He took on the form of life that is human, actual flesh of a person. He became a God-man. At conception, the human cells of Jesus began to rapidly multiply. Tissue formed into organs. His body grew as the DNA code directed the process. His lungs, heart, eyes, fingers shaped. And his heart pumped blood from Mary's body into His body bring nourishment and removing any waste. The food and oxygen taken in by Mary helped his tissues and organs to grow. He moved about, kicked Mary's belly and could hear sounds.

Mary was an unmarried young lady. She was pregnant with a child. Her mother learned of what happen as Mary tried to explain what the angel spoke to her. Joseph was torn apart, heart broken, when he first heard. He couldn't bear to think of the shame Mary would feel when people would accuse her of being adulterous. He wanted to protect his future wife.

Stop Here-For a moment! Freeze the story of Jesus that we know from the Bible. And let us time travel forward....

We are current day, 21st Century America. Now let's suppose Mary, a teen, grew up in your neighborhood. She had a boyfriend, and they were to be married when she finished high school. Her family was known to be godly. She had gone to one of the local churches since she was baby and so had her boyfriend. But something happen to Mary, she became pregnant!

Her parents loved her and wanted so much for her to have a happy life. They had been saving for years so that she could go to college and she was a very good student. Her boyfriend, a few years older, was already working in his father's business. He had a modest income and had purchased property in their parent's city and looked forward to building a house and having a family, but not this way! Everything they had ever dreamed of was messed up. Mary's boyfriend particularly did not want her ridiculed or for her to hang her head low in shame.

They family considered the options:

Mary could stop high school and carry the baby to term. They could have a small wedding and become very young parents. They would be financially in the hole. It would costs thousands of dollars to take care of Mary while she was pregnant and to prepare for a child. Mary would probably have to stay home and eventually get her GED. They would have to sacrifice so much. (This would be the hardest option. It meant so much they planned would never happen.)
Mary could go visit a relative in another city or move into a pregnancy center home and give the baby up for adoption. This could be costly, but they may be able to get an agency to help with the cost... maybe even the adoptive family could help out. They could tell a story about her going to help a sick relative. (This would be hard on Mary, but after she returned they could get back to life as best as they could, and they could continue on with their dreams eventually. Things would be different but it would not be totally disruptive.)
Mary could go to a clinic and pay about $500 to have the child's life terminated by an abortion. (This would be the easiest. No one would have to know. Mary could go in on a Friday and probably by Monday she could return to school. She could even take off a few days calling in sick. In a week or so, the situation would be behind them. They could still have all of their plans and dreams.)

Imagine you are Mary's best friend (or her boyfriend's best friend, or her parents best friend), what would you suggest for Mary to do?

Over 40 million babies have been aborted in America over the past 40 years. Often more than a million little children are killed by abortion. The unplanned pregnancy is ended promptly. Do you see any problem with Mary having an abortion? If you knew she was carrying Jesus would you do something to STOP her from having an abortion? Why, he was only growing in her womb, he wasn't recognized by the government as a person having rights to life?

How do you feel about this? How does this effect your opinion of abortion? Is any child in the womb today less of a person than Jesus was in Mary's womb? What should you do about the children being aborted today as you read this?

In America, every minute 2-3 children are aborted. Is that alright? Is it acceptable? Is it something you should get involved to stop?

What if Jesus being born depended on what you did about abortion today? What would you do immediately?

Please respond. You may help someone rethink their situation. You can make a difference in the life of the child in the womb.

Well Done! A Letter From The King

2011-12-16T15:26:00.002-06:00

Dear Child,

I don't judge the way the world does. I look into the heart of each and see who is truly surrendered to live their life under My Lordship. Some will choose to live life selfishly doing what they want, seeking to satisfy their desires or to be "big" in the eyes of others. Dear Child, I want you to live to the fullest. When you live sacrificially, giving your will to Me, you join Me in kingdom work. Trust Me, I will produce the increase.

You might not be able to see the growth produced in the hearts of others as you serve Me, but in trusting Me, leave the effect of your obedience to Me. I will produce the increase as you walk in faith with Me. Never allow the world's judgment to cloud your obedience remembering that people can't see what I can see, and often they don't know what I have told you. Listen for My voice. I will guide you through life.

You are not in a competition for My love or approval, so don't compare your part in kingdom work to others. I love each of My children without partiality. I want all of my precious children to be conformed daily into the image of Jesus, becoming more single-minded toward Me, separated unto Me.

To be faithful, in surrendering to Me, you must spend time with Me. The things of the world will constantly compete for your attention and heart. This is a competition you must resist in-order to grow in knowing Me and allowing Me to teach you. In doing so, you will always be living your life to do My good and perfect will, and you will hear Me proclaim to you, "Well done, My good and faithful servant! Well done!"

I AM says it all

2011-12-11T14:13:00.001-06:00

God calls Himself, "I Am." How simple! How vague! How bold!

Jesus Came into the World as a Man so that We could know God personally!

We all have times in life that we feel alone, unloved, small, even unnecessary. But interestingly, God never once sees us this way. I wish that everyone in the entire world could just once see themselves through God's own eyes.

As He looks at you He says, "I cherish you! You are valuable and have a purpose I have given you. In your future is hope."

Um, you taking to me? The thought waves must have crossed, something cause an interference. I am sure He couldn't be speaking to me...

God persists, "Yes, you! I love you! I know about it all, and even still after all the missteps, after all the things you have done, I want you... to know Me. I want you to
have a relationship with Me, to seek Me, to let Me give to you."

*****

How many times a day does God have this kind of exchange with a person?

Did He speak to you today, or maybe you can recall the details of another day He met with you in a divine moment.

The beauty of God's purpose for our life is that no matter what comes at us or what we do to detour it, He finds a miraculous way of using all of it together for our good! I marvel at this!

I recently wrote to my brother in response to his sadness and stress, "I know you have so many responsibilities.I can't imagine what it means to be a man. The weight of carrying the welfare of others. I guess, I would not be able to take one step without in my soul seeing God standing right with me walking stride by stride. He'd be carrying that load, instead of me. This would be the only way I could still be me and breath, and grow. It would definitely cause me to press more into Him."

While women have their own responsibilities in life, I don't think we can ever quite imagine what it means to be a man. I guess it is the same for men. Womanhood is a foggy concept at best, a bit too emotional lens, to truly be seen by a man.

But God has the 'google-map' view of the entire world (each and every man and women and child) in His mind... at all levels of zooming in and out... at all times. Nothing happens that He doesn't see or hear. But He can see deeper than "google-map." He even sees into our buildings/homes/any other structures, and more than that He clearly percieves our heart--our very being. To me, it is mind boggling to imagine His inmeasurable abilities.

I guess that is why He chose 'I AM'... in those two words... three little letters He said it all!

Do you recall a time you heard God speak to you? Do you want to share it? I would love to hear.

Life In The Dash

2011-12-10T17:26:00.001-06:00

I sometimes wish I didn't have to be concerned about big issues like the world!

Our country - liberty - abortion - illiterate - deception - corruption - hurting people - war - abuse...

But once God has opened your eyes and then moves upon you to learn, act, speak, or write, you have a responsibility. To whom much that has been given much is required.

My Beautiful Niece - Emily is a Missionary in Bolivia!

Life would be easier if I was a bobble head. And had cotton candy for a brain.

But, I would miss out on touching so many on the soul/spirit level, and on growing with God as the sculptor of my soul.

I know God created me to write, and knowing this brings great fulfillment in my soul when I am able to do what I was created to do by God.

I write about what God shows me and lays on my heart. I may never be understood ... that is OK. I may never fully understand myself.

Who in their right mind wants to take on mind boggle issues/ to stand in the gap/ to enter spiritual warfare/ to be a lighting rod??? I would much prefer to tend a backyard garden, take pictures, write creatively, repurpose finds that others see as trash... but when I remember that I am only passing through this physical world- just living in the dash - between my date born - the date I died, I want to live for eternal purposes.

Beautiful Flower in Bolivia - My heart is so at peace in God's Creations!

I chose to serve God so that as many people on the earth as possible has the opportunity:

to life (protection from being aborted and from abuse),
to be free--to have the liberty to choose to live according to their conscience,
to be able to know God and, if desired,
to choose to be His (and to live eternal life with God).

Eternity is too long to not care about other people, and how they will spend eternity.
It is not enough for me to know I will spend eternity in heavenly paradise with God. I am living in the dash, so I still have a purpose for being here on earth.

What do you feel called to do in life?

Save Yourself!

2011-12-05T11:29:00.001-06:00

Recently, I had someone write to me in deep concern. They were afraid that I had fallen entrapped to the toxic teachings of Religion and dogma, and by doing so I was going from
one prison (a childhood of domestic violence to a rigid faith in a God teaching religion).

She warned me, "Save yourself!"

So as I usually do, I took the time to respond to her sincere concern for my wellbeing. And while writing her back I became filled with love--overwhelmed by God and very thankful for the relationship with Him that I so am blessed to have. He is everything to me, and fills all of the needs I have in life. I only wish others knew Him, not for what they think He is, but for who He really is: a holy, just, giving, loving, protective, approachable, healing Person. So I am sharing my response to her with you, below:

A Relationship - In Love - God and Me

I so do see the reality that I was a victim of domestic violence in many of the worst ways possible, short of being not in a domestic home but more like being in a torturous concentration camp being lead by wicked people who smiled and laughed while they carried out horrid violent acts and spewed hateful venomous words.

So, Yes, I have always seen it for what it really was since high school when my high school counselor told me, "Lindy, this is not normal. This does not happen every night or any night in other people's homes. This is severe child abuse." Unfortunately, I was not removed from this home (it was many years ago and the protective law were not yet enforced in the town I grew up like I have heard they were in many Northern and Urban cities.)

I will never let religion/dogma, toxic faith, false humility entrap me! But I also know that I can never save myself.

I must have poorly communicated. Actually, I have been saved by grace (a gift I do not deserve because in life I too have been a sinner, not a holy righteous person). God has forgiven me for all of my sins and by my faith in Jesus (the Godman who lived a sinless life, therefore was able to righteously deserve eternal heaven life. But instead of saving Himself, He willingly died for me and you and every single person who frankly can not and has not lived sinless. We all will never deserve eternal life or be able to save ourselves).

I don't have a religion! Matter of fact, I have a lot of frustration with churches in general and religions.

Instead of religion, I have a beautiful relationship with GOD Himself.

I know Him as my loving, providing, listening, and giving Father Who is always available to me. I enjoy the guidance and protection from His Spirit that dwells within me. He counsels me, teaches me, and comforts me. And I deeply love Jesus, who I am intimately related to, as anyone would be for someone who died for them. I love Him so much and He loves me.

So, you see, no trap, no prison, there is nothing I need to be saved from. I think from my life experiences I would recognize the difference between living in freedom and bondage; It is probably why almost every church I have been part of makes me a little sad, feeling like someone has cut my wings to keep me from flying high and being who God created me to be.

Thank you so much for you dear concern. I am glad I had the opportunity to share more deeply with you. And it is always nice to know someone loves enough to reach out in your best interest. Thank you.

dearly, Lindy

Letters From The King - Competition

2011-12-04T01:45:00.001-06:00

Dear Child,

So much of life in the world is a competition. You need to be careful how you approach competitions, since they are judged by other people. I don't want you to be a people-pleaser. I do want you to live your life to please Me. Being a winner in My eyes can take the pressure off of worrying about what others say and how they judge.

Don't get Me wrong; competition can be good for many reasons. It helps you to understand that you will be rewarded in heaven for the work you do for Me on earth. Do you remember the parable of the talents in Scripture? Each person was given a different amount of money and the owner returned to see how each used their talents, an amount equal to a yearly wage.

The one given five talents invested it wisely and earned five more. The one given two also invested it wisely and earned two more. But the one give one talent was afraid of losing his portion so he buried it. In life you each have a portion entrusted to you by Me. The way you invest it is important.

If you have a real, personal relationship with Me, you can listen to Me and I will lead you in the ways you can best use what I have given you. When you are obedient to Me you always win, and will be greatly rewarded with more in heaven.

The one who was afraid didn't know Me. He thought I was a hard man. You know I am holy, just and loving, He judged Me without taking time to draw near and develop a relationship with Me. Even if he would have done the very least with what he had been given, simply putting it in a bank to receive interest, the talent would have had increased. Don't bury what I give you. Use it for Kingdom purposes.

You are only responsible for being faithful with what I give you, so do not compared yourself to what others are given or do. Walking in faith, knowing I will guide you every step of the day as you seek My desire for your life. Rest knowing you are never in a competition for My love. All I have is yours. You are the apple of My eye.

(This is a Letter Written for the point of view of God talking to his child. I hope you enjoy it, and it can minister to you to know your King.)

I Have A Dream to Stop Abuse

2011-11-27T20:25:00.001-06:00

Do you dream?

You should. We all were created with the ability to dream. And some of us are able to dream bigger than others. Usually our dreams are as big as our God, and my God is without limit.... He is infinite. The only limitation is that we live in a physical world with physical boundaries but the good news is that is only part of who we are and what this world is. On a much bigger realm is the spiritual world. And we don't have to wait for death to be living spiritually. Made in God's image, we should live spiritually everyday. And in the spirit, in His spirit, we can go to 'infinity and beyond'. Really.

Dream Big - Let God Give You Dreams

So what does a dreamer dream when she was raised as a child of horrific abuse? What does a dreamer dream when she was rescued as a child of the King?

She dreams BIG because she has seen BIG and she knows BIG.... big good and big bad.

I have shared about this before... could have been as long as a year ago.

God has been stirring in my heart.

He is playing my heart harp strings and I am hearing His song. He told me this weekend that I am entering the year of HOPE. I know for some it is hard to understand that a person can hear the voice of God. But with many who have been deeply hurt, they can hear Him, because in those dark depths of hellacious life His is the only voice that can pierce through so much wickedness, anger, suffering and hate. We -- survivors -- learn to listen to His voice, the melodious tune of love, because we know it is the light beaconing in to show us the only way out.

Is it any surprise then that those who are bouncing along this life of work, school, shopping, trips, accomplishments, and goals... that you struggle to hear or altogether miss His voice?

You don't have to be abused to hear God or love Him or know Him or follow Him. Thank God! And can I hear an "Amen!" Glory to God!

Now,

for those of you who already have heard my dream, keep praying with me for it to blossom fully, for its timing to come to fruition, for the people and resources to rise up.

I have never once doubted or questioned. I know all is in God's timing. Some have responded, but I know I am still to be waiting. The structure is developing but the full breath of life that must flow through the work is not yet come. So I wait, and as God prompts I will speak, and then I will wait more. Allowing Him to work.

Oh, how when think our plans work on our timing... and if they do they are certainly ours and not His. But when you simply speak His dreams, His burden, His desires... allowing Him to verbalize through you... you know to wait until the unction of the Holy Spirit moves. So here it is again, the cry of my heart, the need I see, the dream I would love to see come true. Child of faith, listen to God, it is all you must do.

It has been my dream to help survivors of child abuse who are now adults trying to raise their own children without repeating the cycle. Such assistance is very dear to my heart because I was one such mom. I desperately needed help when my children were young. Being raised in a home with 8 siblings that endured psychologically twisted torture for nearly two decades, I have had to overcome more than anyone should ever have to endure. In being a Rutherford county resident and seeking assistance I found that help is available to those who are currently being abused, living in drug/alcohol addiction, at or below poverty level, and either still abusing or placing their children in unsafe situations. Help for people who have come out of horrible sordid types of abuse but who are sincerely trying (often by the grace of God) to not abuse their children are basically provided with no where to go for much needed help.

I have dreamed of the type of programs that would have brought a welcome friend/network to lean on as I tried to recover and heal, a place for my children to be safely nurtured and understanding adult support provided, and a emergency call number for my family (husband, children) to know any hour of the day or night someone who is trained will help them walk through the challenging recovery years.

Child Abuse organization come in many shapes and sizes and provide much of the same assistance (locally and nationwide). It remains my heart longing to see a non-profit group established to do the real hard work of assisting the actual adults that ARE STOPPING the cycle of child abuse. I can not tell you how many times I have been told how great I was doing comparatively to those still abusing their children, but being better than an abuser was not my life goal. Those words were not encouraging, they simply communicated our organization doesn't help people like you-- adult survivors of extreme child abuse who are passionate about not abusing their children.

If you think being an adult survivor of child abuse stopping the cycle of child abuse is easy or even basic, you have no idea of the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual damaged done to a child of abuse.

It not only takes real grit determination, it takes a willingness to face the reality of the horror you lived through, the endurance to persevere through healing, and the finances to pay for therapy/doctors/medicine/child care on one income (while going through recovery a person is not usually stable to be employeed and do not qualify for ssi disability). And I have not even begun to share the spiritual warfare needed to end the generational curse--for those who are God-centered and reverent to the spiritual realm of life.

I would love to talk with those in our community who can help organize to start a non-profit that will be a necessary, loving, support to people who are fighting the front lines in the war against child abuse, the ones doing the hard work daily to stop the cycle! I love my community, and know if only people are aware of the need, some will be touched to step up and help solve a major problem in the health of families.

You can send me a private message at lindyandjoel@comcast.net. or leave a message below.

Sweet Dreams to you!

Why Should Black Americans Vote for Democrats?

2011-11-17T19:22:00.001-06:00

Let me preface this post to make it clear that I do not think the question I posed for the Title of this article is the way people in general should be thinking ... speaking of people by the color of their skin... black, white, brown, etc. I use it only because it is a topic being discussed lately because of the entrance of a black American to the potential candidates being nominated for the Republican Presidential ticket. I think that people of any color should vote based on principles and ideals not skin color.

An Excellent Read!

My hope is that through a civil discourse among Americans that truly want to accept, understand and love one another that we can usher in God's healing to our deeply divided Nation. This is no longer politics as usual - thank God! The people literary fir the first time in decades have a choice!

I am so glad Herman Cain is running for the President of the United States of America. I have long wanted to support a black American for the high office in our country, especially when Obama was running last year. The enthusiasm of so many that rallied behind Obama... I understood the excitement but Obama's principles were so drastically different from mine, I could not support him! In many ways I wished my friends who share my values had someone to embrace that they could rally behind.

Therefore, it is my joy to rally behind Mr. Cain, not because of his skin color but because of what he speaks about and stands up for. I agree with his message. To me it is just so sweet to finally get the opportunity to openly stand along side a black American because for so many years being conservative I have been blamed by liberals and far democrats as being prejudice. Nothing could be further from this. I live by God's Word and openly welcome all people into my heart and home.

Cain's principles are so closely related to mine. The more I learn about him the more I like him. No one is perfect, but Cain is forthright, at ease with who he is and can speak for himself without a speechwriter/teleprompter! So, his candidacy is a delightful time to ask "Why Should Black Americans Vote for Democrats?" It is particularly a question because many pundits that pretend to represent black Americans claim black Americans can only vote in a single bloc vote. I strongly disagree with this kind of mindset!

For example, Mr. Leonard Pitt's recent column was printed in my local newspaper, the Daily News Journal. As I do with most articles in our paper I read it in full, and I was angry (offended) by the time I finished it. But my anger was not in sin, it was righteous anger against lies. Matter of fact, I thought it was so tasteless I wrote and called our newspaper to express my concern. I was very thankful to the honest, open reception I received from the executive manager of our paper! My response is in the DNJ today.

I was quite upset about his racist comments especially toward the end of the letter/article. Pitts simply rolled with hatred and false accusations.

If you read the column let me make this clear- I don't care for Ann Coulter who Pitts was responding to.... She says outlandish comments in an attempt to draw controversy and increase readership.

I was outraged that Pitts compared conservatives to having the moral authority with black Americans to a pimps talking about women rights. There is a big difference historically between Democratic whites and Republican whites-- in general-- when it comes to their opinion of black people.

Republican from the very start and all the way through emancipation, constitutional amendments, and first civil rights have fought hard against Democratic majority to get legislation passed in Congress. This is a little fact that Democrats want to forget and lie about! Mr. Pitts is one of them who speak lies. To be fair to Mr. Pitts it is quite possible he doesn't know the real history of slavery laws in the United States Congress. So for him and anyone else that may be basing their current opinion on lies... lets get the record straight:

It was not until the Democratic party took over congress that our country began passing legislation that encouraged continued slavery.

In 1789 (Northwest Ordinance forbade slavery in fed territories and States could enter only as free states, the original congress fought to pass law to limit slavery because they wanted it to never be legal... it is the very reason the Constitution was specifically written to NOT support slavery but instead was anti-slavery by not allowing slave-owners the right to have more voting power simply because they pushed to have equal representation for their slaves... more population allowed a state to have more representation in congress. The slave owners wanted it both ways... to keep and expand slavery but to also be allowed to count each of their slaves as part of the population... therefore they would have more voting power.

The congress in 1808 also voted to abolish slave trade.

It was not until 1820 when the DEMOCRAT party was in control of congress that pro-slavery legislation emerged. They passed the Missouri Compromise reversing previous laws and permitting slavery in half of the fed territories... it was only then that several territories entered as Slave States. AND this was the first time since the formation of America that slavery was promoted by Congress..... only when the DEMOCRATS won control of congress!

The DEMOCRATS continued passing pro-slavery laws like the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law requiring Northerners to return escaped slaves back into slavery or pay a huge fine. YES, this Slave keeping law was a DEMOCRAT law that denied both jury trial and right of habeas corpus... it was clearly unconstitutional. This law was harmful even to free blacks because they were being falsely picked up and sent into slavery. Nearly 20,000 blacks escaped into Canada from the North who were legally not slaves but in fear of being picked up and put into slavery. This is also when the underground railroad was strongly helping slaves escape.

Again in 1854, the DEMOCRAT controlled congress pass another pro-slavery law, The Kansas-Nebraska Act which further repealed more slavery restriction and increasing the US territory that permitted slavery. Democrats were trying to make slavery possible coast to coast.

It was after this that those members of the Democrat party that were against slavery left the Democrat Party and joined with other anti-slavery Americans (Whigs, Free-Soilers, Emancipationists) to form a new party (the REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!) that would fight slavery and secure equal rights for black Americans! It was one of these new Republican party founders that worked to get Boston public schools desegregated and even argued this point before the Supreme Court! This REPUBLICAN (Charles Sumner) spoke for two-days straight in the US Senate AGAINST SLAVERY! After the speech he was beaten unconscious by DEMOCRAT Preston Brooks with a club on the Senate floor! Sumner didn't recover until after 3 years, but amazingly his first speech on the Senate Floor upon his return was against slavery.

Dred Scott was decided upon by a DEMOCRATICALLY controlled Supreme Court! It was not until 1860 when Republican Abraham Lincoln won against the Democrat Stephen Douglas that blacks had a strong voice in American Politics again... And we all know what Lincoln did to free blacks from slavery! So tell me again...... why should American Blacks love the Democratic party.... I just can't figure it out!

My hope is people - all people - will see themselves as unique individuals created in the image of God and able to learn and choose for themselves... that they will no longer see themselves as a color, but a precious soul.

Cain, Analysis, Uncovering Truth Behind Accusers

2011-11-09T08:41:00.003-06:00

Accusers keep coming... when will they stop? We all know how very painful it can be to be accused of doing something we did not do. I have been in this situation many times and brought to weeping in prayer kneeling on the floor by my bed. Words can be painful, words can be healing. Words can be false witness, words can be true witness. God thought enough of the seriousness of false witness that he made bearing false witness against your neighbor as one of the ten commandments. He understands it is one of the major tactics of His arch-enemy, Satan. Slow down, get quiet before God, listen with spiritual ears. Ask God for insight to see what He sees. And use the reasoning mind your Creator gave you to discern truth from lies.

There are only 10 Commandments! These are important for us to detect sin.

I have always had an inquiring mind, and something didn’tseem right about Sharon Baliek, the accuser of Herman Cain. Searching the webfor unbiased information I decided to look for body language experts. I foundseveral websites that walked through the televised confession findingindications of deception throughout the tape. Cain’s body language on severaldifferent taped appearances repeatedly revealed that he was speaking the truth.

I highly recommend Dr. Jack at Body Language Success.

Here is a short email question answer session: My questions are in black.

Lindy: How does ones faith effect body language? Faith does not alter body language. Body language is cross-cultural and there is even cross-species applications (horse whisperer, dog whisperer, etc.) If Mr. Cain is a God believing man is it also read the same way? Faith does not alter it. I am a Christian. God made us all with virtually identical nervous systems, facial muscles, etc. There is some minor relatively mild gesture variation from some culture to culture - but these are a small minority of hand/arm gestures. To pause for patience is something of a virtue (not always, it could very well mean other things, depending on the context and what other signals with which it is clustered). You should note that I pick on candidates from all parties and many countries. I like Herman Cain. and and to hold your hands in this manner at the same time could be an indicator that he is looking toward God to give him that patience No way, not this sign - the fact it is called "Steeple" is a metaphorical coincidence - it has nothing to do with faith - it is overused in people with media coaching who don't understand body language - or those who know a little bit. Just look at reporters, they use the steeple all the time. It is interpreted cross-culturally as confident if used for brief periods. But when used too long (just a few moments or at the wrong times) it sends messages of arrogance and condescending attitudes. Anyone who is an authority figure probably over uses it. While the steeple hand is not a natural, casual motion, it is a lot more non-direct way to hold prayer hands than the typical private hands held together (don't mean to be rude, but your wrong here. Once again, I am a Christian and I pray all the time). For a Christian used to praying, is it possible that it is a body language response indicated that he was directing his inner thoughts toward God and inward pursing his lips because he was "biting his tongue" until God calmed him and gave Him the words. You're making a common mistake. You're looking for/ascribing qualities (which Cain may very well may have, again, I believe he's a good man and a good candidate) where the body language doesn't indicate it. Remember, body language is a REALTIME indicator of what the person is feeling AT THAT MOMENT. Body language IS NOT an overall predictor of the personality - unless of course you see very consistent signs (and there are examples of this, but this is beyond the scope of this teaching).

Just a thought… you are the expert… and last question why would you not want a person that waits for anger/anxiety to pass to patience before he speaks to be a presidential candidate? Yes. I think he's a good candidate, I'm not passing a "judgement", rather I'm making a scientific analysis. He is only human. Look back, I have held up Romney and Perry and Clinton and Obama and Nixon and Carter of what not to do. I'm not picking on Cain. He should shave his mustache though - there's been no president elected with any facial hair since Taft in 1908. We instinctively trust those less with facial hair - even pre-verbal children looking at pictures of their own freshly-shaven dads. Very interesting. I have a hard time biting my tongue. That's okay, you're entitled. I wish I could exercise such self-control. Sometimes it takes great practice to be able to do this… I know it would for me. Interestingly, people who practice body language for a length of time (e.g. those I've coached for 20+ hours and who are serious about practicing it) become much more aware of their own negative emotions and notice them/are aware of them/self-reflective on them - after the negative emotions, during their negative emotions, and a very, very few as the negative emotion is crescendoing And I am sure as a highly visible corporate CEO there have been many times he has had to learn how to hold his tongue (agreed, but you'd be surprised at some others. Cain is pretty good. I think people like his honest style. Reminds me a bit of what I've read/seen video on Truman).

thanks. You're very welcome.

So I dug further.

And I think I may have found the link between anti-Cainmoney and Sharon Beliek. It may be a different group than you expected.

After looking into Sharon, I noticed that she had apaternity suit with West Naze over her son who is now 13. West Naze, justhappens to be employed (now and 13 years ago) by News Corp. which just happensto be owned by Rupert Murdoch (and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, News Corp’ssecond largest shareholder).

Could West Naze have called in a threat or tantalizing $$favor with his previous lover?

Clearly to me, the elite media is targeting Cain. But don’tjump to thinking this is a Democrat Party versus Republican Party scandalousfight. No, that is what the real puppeteers want Americans to believe!

The American system of Representative Democracy is beingheld hostage by the Kingmakers of long ago that Phyllis Schalfly uncovered inher famous 1964 book, A Choice Not An Echo. In this book she detailed how shewas an eyewitness to the hijack of America’s presidential elections by theEastern Elites that owned Banks and Media.

She claims in her book that she “stumbled on clear evidencethat very powerful men actually do meet to make plans which are kept secretfrom American citizens. While visiting at Sea Island, Georgia, this writerdiscovered the details of a secret meeting on nearby St. Simon’s Island,Georgia held at the King and Prince Hotel, February 14-18, 1957. “

She described the elaborate precautions to keep the meetingsecret to include, “During the four days and five nights of the meeting, allroads leading to the hotel were blocked off and the road block maintained byGeorgia State Police. The hotel was closed to all other patrons. NATO and FBIguards in plain clothes kept constant surveillance on the hotel itself. None ofthe hotel employees was permitted to go into the ballroom where the meetingswere held. At the end of each session, one of the participants personallygathered up all notes and memos used during the meeting and burned them.”

The participants she lists are:

George Ball, McGeorge Bundy, Arthur Dean, Thomas Dewey, J.William Fulbright, Paul. Hoffman, C. D. Jackson, George Kennan, Ralph McGill,Paul Nitze, David Rockefeller, Dean Rusk, Arthur Hays Sulzberger, AlexanderWiley,

President Eisenhower was at the Augusta National Golf Clubwith Nelson Rockefeller, Harold Stassen, Thomas Lamont, Dean Acheson, GardnerCowles, Winthrop Aldrich and Walter Lippman. He received regular phone callsfrom Tom Dewey at the bar of the King and Prince Hotel.

She noted “the participants at this meeting were some of thebiggest names in American politics, business and press” and the “entire billwas paid by H. J. Heinz. Nobody was allowed to pay for anything.”

The names she identified as “appearing to have a magicability to be named to top government positions by both Republicans andDemocrats.” Here is her list:

Nelson Rockefeller, Coordinator of Latin American Affairs anda Republican Candidate for president in 1964.

Henry Cabot Lodge, Ambassador to South Viet Nam andRepublican candidate for president in 1964.

Robert Strange McNamara, Secretary of Defense.

C. Douglas Dillon, Undersecretary of State and Secretary ofTreasury.

Arthur Dean, chief negotiator for Eisenhower and disarmamentadviser for Kennedy.

Paul G. Hoffman, foreign aid head for Truman, and Manager ofthe UN Special Fund by Eisenhower.

Robert B. Anderson, Secretary of the Navy and Secretary ofTreasury for Eisenhower, also “special ambassador to settlement with Panama”for LBJ.

WE NEED TO BE INFORMED. WE NEED TO WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.

Are we only pretending to be a representative democracy? WETHE PEOPLE have an opportunity to vote for someone who is NOT on thekingmaker’s list! But we have to want to break free from the monstrous controlof the elite!

New Thoughts on Racial Issues in America

2011-11-05T12:50:00.000-05:00

Here we go again! America has a race problem, but it is not a white against black or a black against white problem. It is a prejudice problem, but not how you think about the word prejudice! The problem has to do with the color of one's skin, but truly it is a problem of a completely different color.

Children learn from parents... are you racist?

Black Americans in general have been stereotyped by themselves-- by large-- and the Democrat Party, and ANYONE else who thinks of people with black skin as one stereotype. This is prejudice of the worst kind!

Let me explain:

Herman Cain running for President was accused by an organization, Politico, of having committed sexual harassment against two employees in 1999. They also stated that a settlement had been reached. No names. No specific acts. No amounts of money. Nothing.

Of course, no ethical organization would print a story like this, until it was thoroughly researched and verified as truly Mr. Cain being guilty of sexual harassment. Without facts of the charges being true it is clearly done only is to smear his character.

Interestingly, I was reading Clarence Thomas's book "My Grandfather's Son" this week when the story broke.

I couldn't help but see the obvious similarities. But what was so hurtful, was to read the agony that the accusation caused Mr. Thomas. He was in so much pain he went home and crawled on his bed crying in a fetal position.

Why would he respond so deeply?

Because Mr. Thomas and Mr. Cain are the grandchildren of a black generation in America that was assumed to be guilty of any accusation by a women! It is the "To Kill A Mockingbird" story all over again, that they all to well know is not simply a scenario made up in a book. So it is the one situation that they never want to be in, and for good reason, they tend to be sensitive to this in their life.

And it is doubly painful to for them to see people hypocritically assume what they SHOULD think, believe or want in life just because their skin color is black!

Mr. Thomas and Mr. Cain came from very poor economic Southern areas of our country, but don't think this problem is geographic! In the South during their lifetime they have been able to raise up out of poverty. The South has not held them done or tried to cast them into a set mold. The South is where they found the beginning of opportunity.

And with this opportunity their family (Mr. Thomas was raised by his grandparents) taught them diligently apply themselves to learning in school. They were taught and applied principles of hard-work and self-disciple to achieve any goal in life. And both men, became disciplined of character through taking responsibility for the outcome of their future life.

They have become an example of the classic American dream story of rags to riches through applying Godly principles of becoming an independent-thinking, diligent, steadfast person. They persevered through very trying--nearly impossible odds--to succeed. And they continue to do so today.

So what is the problem; who is prejudice?

Anyone who stereotypically thinks that people of one color skin have the same ideals, goals, foundation, desires and political party affiliation is PREJUDICE.

We are all created equal, in the image of creator, who creatively gave us different skin color, but we are unique in our soul and spirit.

A body is just a body. It is the physical housing for our soul and spirit, but its skin color does not define who we really are?

We need to see color, and appreciate color. But when we meet someone we are not meeting a black, brown, olive, medium, fair person, those labels are just the skin color (like looking at a book cover). Do all books with the same color cover have the same story inside? Do they all have the same principles and worldview? Of course, not!

Well, using the book analogy, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Cain may have the same skin/book-cover color as those who have chosen by a large majority to want principles of the Democrat Party, but you can't know them and what they believe until you listen to what they have to say. And if you tell them they are wrong simply because of their beliefs being different from what you expect, you are prejudice! Color does not dictate ideology! Nor does color determine a person's soul!

Our soul (mind, will and emotions) develops our beliefs. And our soul has the will to choose what to believe. What we are taught we believe unless we begin to learn new ideas and then we get to choose which to believe. People who all believe one way have been taught that one way, and most are never exposed to information that has different facts.

Obviously, by removing the Bible and God from our education system, Godly principles are not taught but labeled as religious ideas, instead of truth to live by. It is with the spirit--who is born anew through God's Spirit--that is able to be rightly guided by God's principles.

We are soul, spirit and body, but clearly the body does not dictate what one thinks or how one makes a choice. You have to know a person (soul/spirit), not a body.

When will people ever see others clearly?

Mom Time With God While Homeschooling

2011-10-19T08:14:00.002-05:00

Homeschooling your children will be one of the hardest things you ever attempt. But without a doubt, you and your children will reap many blessings that will be impossible to duplicate schooling any other way. All moms must become aware of the focus of her heart. Homeschooling is one of the pressures in life that can bring our spiritual failures to the surface quickly. I want to teach you how your "time with God" can be the focus of your day.

So many of us have been taught to believe that "time with God" is done in quiet meditation and prayer; reading and studying His Word; and lingering at His feet. Is this not how Mary chose the best over Martha? I think we miss the point in the Mary and Martha scenario.

Practicing The Presence of God While Homeschooling

The point being taught was not concerned with 'doing': what Martha 'was doing' while serving versus Mary 'not doing', but don't we focus on this! How silly we can be! God doesn't focus on our outward actions, He looks into our heart.

So what was the difference between the hearts of the two ladies?

Mary's heart was captured by Jesus and
Martha's heart was captured by duty, responsibility, and being a good host.

How does this compare to homeschool parents? The bottom line: Your life is busy like Martha's. You have a lot of responsibilities teaching many subjects, caring for your children emotionally and developmentally, preparing meals (when you can... sandwiches, pizza and pancakes count as meals), doing what little household work you can get to each day. And we can't forget, we also have to consider our husband to keep our marriage thriving.

When your days are full to overflowing with what 'you must do' you still have time to be with God, if you Learn this simple but powerful Biblical act of worship.

Focus your heart on loving God in whatever you do:

Talk to Him throughout your day.

Ask Him for His grace when are running dry.

Be sensitive to His voice.

One of my favorite lines in a song from Out of the Grey is "God is not silent; We are not listening."

When you sin (we all do) tell Him you are sorry, but move right back into His presence.

Remeber 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of all sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

God made us with the ability to keep our heart centered on Him. We are designed for constant communication with Him. We simply need to practice the discipline of being aware of Him to include Him in everything.

You don't need to announce it to your children (or anyone else), the focus of your heart. As you read to your children, see Him sitting there with you. When you call out spelling words, let Him give you a sentence to go with it. When you show your child how to do a math problem, allow Him to encourage you. In reality there is nothing you can do that you can't do without God unless it is sinful. But don't wallow in sin, confess sin quickly and move back into the loving presence of God. (Romans 8:1 - For there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.)

If or when you get a time to sit quietly with Him alone, it will be no different than the rest of the day. Your time alone with God will simply be an extension of you being in His presence all throughout the day.

The Bible teaches that we are to pray without ceasing, this is how we--in a very real and practical way-- pray without ceasing! Is it not? Praying is communicating with God. Being in His presence, becoming aware of Him in everything you do. All through the day, you will enter into confession, thanksgiving, request, love and fellowship in the most natural way possible.

So often we get wrapped up in duty and the process - the method or the lesson plan --- that we forget the purpose. Spend time today with Jesus as you teach your children and take care of your home. Allow God to penetrate your heart, and live surrendered to His desires. Give Him permission to guide you and to pour His love through you. Thank Him for the gift of being able to live life together.

Let go of old expectations and simply live to please Him.

You are so brave stepping out to teach your children. God loves you and will meet you as you are and where you are. Covered by the Righteousness of Jesus, you have God's permission to enter His presence throughout the entire day.Enjoy your day with God. Live in the freedom of being His daughter, which is not a walk of rules but one of a beautiful loving relationship. Don't focus on what you do or don't do. Simply make God the focus of your heart!

Marriage is Hard Work

2011-10-16T14:35:00.001-05:00

WARNING: What you read in this post might not sound like it was written by a member of a church. I am a Follower of Jesus that broke out of the "church-lady" mold a long time ago. Marriages fail when people don't feel loved. To a wife, she wants to be cherished. To a husband, he wants to be respected. But truly are not cherishing and respecting another two aspects of what it means to love another!

Hurting people hurt those closest to them, and the core of the pain is not knowing you are loved by God, another and yourself.

Life-long Love - Marriage is Worth it!

I remember about 15 years ago...

when I taught a women's Bible study class at what was then called First Baptist of Smyrna. I confessed to the women in the class that I was so mad at my husband I wished an 18 wheeler truck would run him over. Needless to say my time as a Bible teacher at that church was short-lived.

I had no qualms about speaking so forthright, but is it took me almost 20 years to finally figure out why churches keep finding creative ways to not use me in ministry. (This is a whole 'nother topic I will get to another day.)

I just got permission from my dear husband of now 27 write about hard lessons learned in our marriage.

So here is the gritty dirty truth about marriage that "good pretend-people" don't want to share:

Marriage (a commitment to another person and God to remain together for life) is very hard to accomplish, even if you are a Christian!

Marriage joins together by a solemn vow to God two people who are completely uniquely, created individuals. They have:

their own personalities (quirks, habits, annoyances, pet-peeves, and the good stuff too).
their strengths and weaknesses that come in all shapes and sizes.
a past... none of us are born at 21 to be freshly married; we each have lived some.
their own dreams, and ideas of what success looks and feel like.
different relatives and friends (usually).

On top of that, we are sinners! God is not going to be finished with either of you during your married life.

So, two people are put together to live in one house, and closer than that one room and no matter how hard it might be through thick and thin, one bed (that doesn't mean you can't spend a night or two on the sofa if needed).

You also share a kitchen, living room, bathroom, garage and cars.
And the biggest grace builder in life, you share your children, who at the same time can be the very glue that forces you to endure life together but all the while scrapes you like rough edges of sandpaper or a broken bottle (whichever may be the case, in your family).

Does that really sound easy? No!

But here is the clincher, and the beauty of it all: Making Marriage work is worth every bit of effort it takes! The path of least resistance and trials do not make a mutually fulfilling, deeply loving marriage. If you don't work in your marriage, someone is ignoring, stuffing or avoiding their pain.

Before I write one more word, don't you dare think I am saying you should hang in there for life with a violent, wicked, abusive person. If someone beats you, curses continually at you (verbally slashes you with painful derogatory words), forces you into sex, controls your every move, etc... get out of that prison as soon as you can. And I know what I am talking about because my childhood was traumatically abusive. Flee quickly and get to a physical place that you and your children are safe.

Be open to God doing redeeming work of healing your marriage, but don't ever stay in an abusive or seriously neglectful situation. Protect yourself, (and your children)!

Through many shared testimonies, I will tell you a firm fact: God can touch the heart of the wickedest people and change them from the inner core to their outer actions and words. We all need grace and opportunities to know God's love, acceptance and forgiveness. At the same time, understand that some people will never let God into their life. Some people will remain wicked, sick and hateful. You are never bound to life with a person like this.

In every marriage, on all varying levels of conflict, we all have many times that we need one-on-one relationship time with our Maker, Redeemer, Healer, Lover, Acceptor, and dearest Friend - Jesus!

Remember: We all need grace and opportunities to know God's love, acceptance and forgiveness.

A marriage that lasts, that grows, that becomes cherished has been allowed to go through the hardest of years... the years when no yield was produced, when you lost more than you received, when you died more than you lived, when cried more than you laughed, NEVER try to bury yourself in pretending "wedded bliss" or a life-sentence of emptiness. Here is the greatest advice I can give: NEVER GIVE UP! Don't Quit! Cling to your commitment, be a vow keeper.

If you fight (work) through, even inch by inch progress, with each person trying as best as they can to:

allow God to improve them,
become more who God intended them to be from the start,
be conformed to Christ-likeness.

Keep in mind, some of us are slower surrendering to God our sin and painful sin committed against us. But still, God asks that we bear all with love toward each other. Living together as walking zombies doesn't count as making your marriage work! Marriage is worth the pain, the fight, and the perseverance!

In those golden years, ha ha ha, I am nearing 50, so I can say that! In those golden years, you will be so grateful to see that your friend and love you married long ago is there to talk and share a meal. In staying married, you will have so much in common, because through the years you will travel through so much territory together. You can reflect back, to laugh, learn and even cry... but the beauty is:

you will love more deeply than you ever dreamed possible when you first said, "I do!"

I just glanced out the window and saw my husband... he was filling a bucket of water wearing his crimson University of AL cap over his greying brown hair and his unshaved face...and love rose up in my heart. You know, I love HIM! He is my best friend!

I made a whole lot of racket...clapping loudly, beating the table, finally throwing a pen at the window... He finally looks up, cups his hand over his eyes as he peers into the window. And what seems like forever he finally looks up in my direction. I smiled and signed I Love You with my hand. He signed "I Love You" back at me. And on his way he went back to checking items on his list, and on I return to flittering about here and there throughout the day.

We are so uniquely different, but we are also so uniquely ONE.

In older ages if you are still married, you can be Uniquely One!

As I said from the start.... marriage... if anyone tells you it is easy, they are lying, lying, lying!

Some of the years are hard, even horrible to get through, but hang on tight, because marriage is so worth it. Nothing in the world can compare to loving and accepting someone after you sincerely know each other. To know you are loved and accepted for who you turn out to be is an amazing gift when it is shared.

This is where real love meets real life... the deep contentment of the heart of knowing at least for God and one other... you matter and you are enough... just as you are!

Deception Found in Homeschooling

2011-10-14T21:56:00.002-05:00

Who enjoys revealing problems? Who loves to confess sin? Who wants people to know their vulnerabilities?

I want to be transparent, and real to you. I want you to be able to trust me.... to know that I am just like you in some ways. I want to connect.

Hopefully my home isn't more depraved than all other homeschoolers. Bomb Shell! We have sinners in our home. Did that destroy my testimony?

No, it only makes it richer because I have faith in God to work through my husband and I - our love, our prayers, our Biblical teachings, our modeling - to bring our children to repentance.

I am not going to rat out one or more of my children... they have enough problems and don't need a mom wallpapering their faults on a blog. But I need to talk about this - we have a liar in our home... someone that continually lies, someone that naturally lies, someone that seems to prefer lying even when telling the truth would be obviously easier. I am sure you did not gasp in horror, but this is a serious problem!

Deception separates us from God. Remember Adam and Eve....hiding and covering themselves up. We should expect the very original sin to be dripping with deception. Lying never ends good!

My thoughts rush to the Garden of Eden... Satan wanted God's children. He used deception to separate them from God. Satan is at it over and over in our home. He wants the children God has given us to raise up for Him to be separated from us and God. He wants my children to be isolated, to try to hide, to close their ears but mostly to make their heart rocky, hard, and cold. Reacting I want to target my child, but wisdom from God illuminates the spiritual affair. Satan has been at work building a mighty tower, a stronghold, a dungeon for my child to crawl into. And he hopes my child will feel so guilty and shameful, to never believe freedom is a possibility.

My child is guilty, but I need to look at the core - the root cause - the enemy's hand. "Oh, wicked one, father of lies, I bind you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit... and I call out the evil spirits of deception, lies, resistance, rebellion, falsehood, wickedness, truthlessness, false visions and teachings, pride, insecurity, hate, denial, destruction, meanness, vileness, guileness, oppression, fear, sickness, self-centeredness, laziness, ignorance, lust, lued, gambling, drinking, spending, stealing, robbing, treading, looseness, carelessness, don't-give-a-careness, disregard, unforgiveness, bitterness and trickery - all of these evil spirits to be removed from my family, myself, my home, my children in the name of JESUS and by the Blood of JESUS."

"And let me remind you - Evil One, you were crushed and made powerless by the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection. You have no power over me, my family and especially my children. I have read the end of the story."

With a twisting of my stomach, I don't think I can post this .... While I needed to think it through and write it, for now, it will remain in the heavenlies between God and myself.

And there it remained for weeks, until now, when I decided to publish this post. Why now?

Because, I am wanting to be real... raw... who I am regardless of the censoring of others. For the very reason that so many put forth what is polished, pretty, and safe to not risk rejection or being judged guilty.

Oh, Father, how I need you and love you!

Oh, Father, being a mom is hard work and so is being a homeschool mother.

Oh, Father, forgive me for my self-reliance, my caviler independence, my do-good-girl-ness. Cause me not to preach with words, but to speak by my modeling choices and positive actions of living the life you desire me to live. I can't hope to rout out sin, if sin reigns in my heart.

Help me to stop looking for the sawdust in others life when the heavy planks are splintered throughout my life weighing me down. Burn me through your purifying love so that all the dead, heavy, rotten wood can be removed in my own soul.

Thank you Father God for hearing my plea. Thank you for loving me enough to answer my prayer. Thank you for being my Father and my God...and thank you for Your Word! I am in awe of You and Your Word that describes You and everything I need.

One of the jobs of being a homeschool mom is being sensitive to the Lie Detector. When your child says an assignment is done, you naturally want to believe him or her. I am amazed at the amount of times when the Holy Spirit whispers to me... "you betta check it." I don't want to be "mama-cop" but it is my loving responsibility to check (especially when prompted by God) and make certain my children follow through.

While this is common to all, it is very rarely spoken.

I wanted to talk about it... give it light... make us stop being shameful. Sin loses its grip when it is addressed head on. Living and working with people every single day, you really get to know them. Homeschool families know more about each other than we may wish.

I certainly know this statement is true for what my family knows about me!

The only reason I can lift my head off of the pillow in the morning... and hope for a warm cup of coffee (simple things mean so much to me) is I live under God's forgiveness provided by His grace and mercy. And with the same grace and mercy given to me, I will extend it over and over to my precious child, until speaking lies is bitterly distasteful and speaking truth is freeing.

Hebrews 11:1 - Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen.

I Choose to Love

2011-10-09T14:23:00.001-05:00

I saw a beautiful poster on my Facebook feed, so like a child I went to go look at it.

Over 700 hundred people on this Facebook group page "liked" this quote and over 400 had positive comments to say about it.

And I looked around at the page I found myself, it was called "Wipeout Homophobia On Facebook."

I saw other posters and quotes being shared like:

And this one:

I saw a young man that had been brutally beaten... his video taken after being attacked and others felt compelled to rally around wanting this kind of cruelty to stop. I understood.

But then I thought... the people on this page believe and hold dear a different principle - a core belief - that is opposite of mine. And both can not be embraced as truth for one person. For if you believe one to be true, the other is false. Both could be false, but both could not be true... my more logical reasoning friends will recognize this as one of the first basic types of arguments in the study of logic and debate.

But I continue to think, being the thinking person God created me to be.

Is it possible for one person to love and respect another, to honor and give another the freedom to choose what they believe? In choosing to believe differently, does the other person's beliefs wipeout what I believe? Or if my chosen beliefs are different, do my beliefs wipeout what another person chooses?

Since without that choice, are not we simply forcing others to believe as we do?

Can two people who believe differently, whose life truths are mutually exclusive, still love and respect each other enough to not force them to conform to the other's beliefs?

Is this not really what we all desire? ...to be able to "hold true" to our faith without being persecuted, oppressed, attacked. Can you love a person who believes differently than you do? Can you accept them and not hurt them?

Can I believe the Biblical principle that marriage is between one man and one woman? And at the same time, can another believe the cultural principle that marriage is between two men or two women? And if we both believe differently, is it possible for us to mutually love and respect each other, to honor and give each the freedom to choose what they believe without forcing others to believe as we individually do or without offensively shoving it in their face?

Is it possible - in love- to still remain "true" to our own life principles and allow others to remain "true" to what they believe without criticizing, belittling or making a judgement on the person. (Of course, we make an inner judgement on the belief, we know we believe absolutely differently, but does that make us have to be hateful or even to want to respond in disgust?)

Do this compromise my faith... what I believe? If I am allowed to have my beliefs and to openly express them. And just the same, allow others to have their believes and openly express them.

Does this compromise God and His principles? If God's principles can't be changed, and God never wants anyone to be forced to believe. He wants us to choose by freewill. Are we able to believe differently, and remain kind-hearted?

If God wants there to be a choice, will there not be different beliefs to choose from? How can you have a choice if everyone is under the compulsion to parrot back and embrace one belief?

So I, stepping out into the space of making myself a vulnerable target, posed this question on the "Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook page":

Can I ask a question without being attacked?

I think most people would agree that everyone should be who God created them to be, that if we all sadly find ourselves victims of bitterness, ignorance and insecurities. Everyone should know and feel loved! It is a beautiful life when we can be brave enough to listen to the still and quiet voice inside our head. I totally embrace all of this and desire it in my life, and for all others. And I totally don't agree with or would I stand by and let anyone be bullied or beat or mistreated. I would hope no one would allow this to happen to me.

Here is my question: Do we all have to agree to have the same principles? Is it OK for you to have one voice speaking in your head what you embrace and another voice speaking in my head? If we believe in different principles does it make us enemies? Or do we only become enemies when we force others to embrace what we hold dear? Can we not respect each other enough in our humanitiy to be different and to not have to change others?

We can each speak and share what we believe, what we love. We can openly share how we see life and how we have experienced pain, rejection, forgiveness, acceptance and love without being cutting, nasty, mean or cruel to another? Is this a possibility? Are do we, must we, confess to believe what we do not just so that another doesn't feel rejected? If you called me names... mad fun of me... attacked me personally, would you not be guilty of the same thing which you so profess to be against?

Love knows no boundaries. We should be able to offer everyone love. Even when it is hard, even when we are hurt, even when we are bullied. Because abuse and bullying knows no limits or focus groups or direction... we can - as humans - all be targeted by another's bitterness, anger and hurt.

But to live by love... for love to mean acceptance of another person (period) not acceptance of their inner core beliefs, but acceptance enough to allow them to be fully who they are inside and express it outside. Is not this what you are asking for yourself?

I may be simple minded, a child in heart, but I can't see why we can't love one another, be kind to each other, accept each other and not push our own beliefs in the face of another or not allow another to determine what they genuinely believe. Isn't that decision, the ability to chose, what makes us human?

I choose to love, accept and not willfully hurt or purposely offend other people. I choose to treat others with respect as I also wish I could be treated. I choose to allow others to make core principle decisions for themselves. I choose to be who I am created to be and to stand unafriad of my beliefs. I choose to love!

What do you choose? Do we all give each other the ability to choose?

_____________________________________________________

I have not heard back and don't know if my response or post will be removed from the page. But I could not help but ask, since I cannot help but want everyone to know that they are loved!

Romans 8:5 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Dirty Jobs at Home - Cat Litter Lesson

2011-09-26T12:20:00.002-05:00

Cat Litter 101 is beginning! Every homemaker knows, we often have dirty jobs. But in everything we do, even Cat Litter!, we can learn more about ourselves, and our relationships with others. The mundane is never meaningless when you have a God-centered perspective in life. (I often hear preachers say, "my family rolls their eyes because I can find a sermon in any situation..." I can't respond or speak for a pastor but as a Follower of Jesus, and therefore one who listens to God, He is always speaking love, assurance and restoration to my soul even in dirty jobs.)

I keep laughing at this - a Cat Litter CAKE!

Couldn't help but show this "Cat Litter Cake"... wonder what my family would say if I served this dessert? (here is your laugh for the day:)

And my blog gives me a place to share a few of these moments. I hope you will enjoy, and relate, but most of all I desire for you to experience your own special moments as you walk with Him.

I tackled the well-overdue cat litter box today. I wish it was as small of a task as it is to write about it in a short sentence. I simply dislike the smell... I know that is normal so at least I have a few normal qualities. But it seems it only is intense enough for my nose to do something about it. (Can I get an AMEM?!?)

The four other people in the house - I am sure - also smell IT, but when the dirty job of cleaning needs to be done - make room for mom! Chocolate brownies... fly out of the kitchen without one person thinking of leaving "it" for mom... but stinky cat litter has mom's name all over it. At least at our home.

So I decided to tackle this dirty job today!

I am trying a new system of a cardboard type absorbing liner tray placed inside the plastic tray instead of those plastic bag liners. After dumping the old liner box into a large outdoor bag, I began all fresh with a new disposable cardboard liner (I am sure it is made of recycled paper).

Now to the pleasant part:

I filled it with litter (frankly, there are so many different types of cat litter: "for small spaces," "for immediate release," "for fresh scent," "for non-clumping" etc. at the grocery store I just stare at all the varieties. I get puzzled as to which would be best for my home and wishing they would combine all those qualities into one container. Usually I go with the color or design that is most appealing on the label.). The one I had today had little bright green crystals mixed into the the grey litter. At least it looked nice when it was first poured in, and smelt nice too!

But taking on any job at home is never a one step undertaking.... (do you so totally understand?)

The cat area is a mess! scattered litter all over the floor and bench... the big plastic tray container holding the food and water bowls looks like something white is growing in a few of the corners... and the mat (a picture place-mat of fresh green grass...like the cat might think he is stepping onto grass or maybe it is for the human's benefit). The grassy pictured mat is covered with grey matter that has been crumbling chalk dust attempting a litter craft.

Armed with the vacuum, I tackle litter-sprinkled carpet, and you know how easy it is to get distracted... I ended up vacuuming the first five steps that somehow never get done and the landing, before my brain reminds me to get back to the litter area.

Then back to the cat spot, washing down the once white bench with whatever liquid sprayer I can find within arm's length reach (409 or lysol) and wipe it with a handy towel tossed in the corner by some member of our family. I pick up the trays and the bowls and head to the tub to give them a real heavy duty bath. I guess I was serious about the cat corner today because it received the imperial Mom-Best dirty job cleaning!

Enough to make sweat bead down my face... and then I know it is time for a cup of coffee and to reclaim my non-menopausal body temperature!

Half an hour or so later, I head back to litter corner. Placing newly cleaned items back and carrying down the trash bags, I have a sense of accomplishment. And I laugh at myself thinking "I must have a really boring life" if that is an accomplishment for me!

But as in everything in life, God keeps trying to teach me in analogies... this time I am hearing about "my dirt", and how He does the dirty job of keeping me clean and it is no more fun for Him then it is for me. Dirty jobs simply must be done or they build and build and build. Isn't sin like that in our life? Sins never magically resolve themselves.

One thing that keeps revolving in my mind is if I had a regular routine, these jobs wouldn't be so dirty. If I scooped daily, and ran the quick vacuum every few days, and swished a soapy towel around the trays before the build-up.... the task could possibly be a mild event or dare I say pleasant. I am sure this is certainly a parallel to our own life. Regular attention and care - like balancing our checkbook, flossing our teeth, or weeding the boarders ... is always a more "do-able" small task if done frequently.

And I reflect - do I regularly allow God to clean me up or do I wait until I break down or stink up everything. I don't want to reflect long because I know the answer all too well... what about you?

So what dirty jobs have you accomplished? Or better yet, how have you learned to regularly take a once "dirty job' and make it pleasant?

Homeschooling Perseverance

2011-09-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

Are you crying yet? Are you noticing the yellow bus rolling down your street at 6 a.m. with tempting eyes? Have you started seeing more hair in your brush or drain? Have you forgotten to eat and look like you are still trying to roll out of the bed? Do you have coffee stains on your clothes and carpet and teeth? Do you think you might need to check into an overnight respite?

Keep Going, Don't stop!

If you answered yes to most of these, you must be homeschooling your children. It might be your first year or you might be thinking it is your last year. Did no one tell you the truth about homeschooling or maybe you believed it would be different for you? Let me give you some advice and encouragement: You are going to have to learn to PERSEVERE and always count your BLESSINGS.

My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (James 1:3-6)

If you are wondering perseverance is also translated as "endurance" and "patience." As a homeschooler you are going to have to learn to dig in with sheer determination, to ignore the nagging temptations of "quitting" that the enemy is tossing your direction throughout the day, and take time to pause before God to remember the reason you are homeschooling.

I don't want to always make homeschooling sound so dreadful. I promise I would have NEVER educated my children any other way (of course, unless God prompted me). My children are now teens, and they are three of the most incredible lively, engaged, personable teens I know. Still that doesn't make schooling at home easy... especially three or more.

You got to love how honest teens can be. I learned today that

I spend too much time writing/and on the computer.
I need to find a television show that I watch regularly for at least an hour a day.
Cellphones are intimate personal property that connects people to the out-side world.
Greek is my son's favorite subject. (My daughter's used to be lunch.)
Teens can better understand why something is important if I explain instead of demanding.
I have a problem with time... I am oblivious to it... never on time.... never bother to look at it.
Crumbs on the sofa are OK because they are our crumbs not some nasty who-knows-from-where.
My children love me and I love them, and we can talk through even difficult problems.

Yes, these are all the blessing of today, and I probably have missed a few. So while I might whine and warn you of struggles of homeschooling, when each day is done (and when my oldest child walks across the graduation stage this year) I will be so glad we persevered.

Hang in there and count your blessing!

Lindy

Herman Cain! - Time to Topple Northeastern Elitist

2011-09-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

Herman Cain is the candidate conservative republican have been longing for decades! I am disgusted by Republican Elites that say he is not electable! The Northeast Elites who hog-tie the rest of the Nation's American Republicans need to be dethroned! I am sick of their Presidential nomination process. It is a charade, not a genuine candidate nomination process. Why?

They pick who they want and marginalize all other candidates. We end up with McCain and Dole... "me-too" melba toast candidates that I couldn't get my living room full to come hear them speak.
They are so prejudice that when we finally have a brilliant Black American (Herman Cain) running for president they ignore him to the point of being indignant toward non-prejudice Republicans.
They dribble out our primary election with one sacred cow state after another getting to crown the nomination king before the majority of Republican get a chance to vote in the primary.

A MUST READ!

They use strong Christian American support to get the vote out but make us pull the lever for their slimy RINOs instead of giving any credibility or elect-ability support to Strong Christian candidates like Rick Santorum.

We need to be the "Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King Republicans", not ivy league silver spoon lackeys.

The local Republican Party county and State base needs to reclaim their National Republican party or leave it!

We are the grassroot hardworking foundation and if they ignore us or push another bad candidate down our throats we need to establish a NEW REPUBLICAN party! If we need a name: what about the Genuine Old Republican Party!

We must stop being helpless beaten people submitting and slaving to the carpetbaggers of the NorthEast.

And that is my opinion. I welcome yours.

(only comments the are decent and on the point will be allowed, no trolls!)

Homeschooling After a Few Weeks

2011-09-04T17:05:00.000-05:00

For all homeschoolers (new and old) that started out this year with great plans, most of us have experienced cracks (if not craters) by now. I am not trying to be discouraging, just honest and helpful. So being a veteran homeschooler, I will give some ideas to help with subjects, schedules, and support. By now you are ready for a homeschool check-up, so let's go!

My motto for homeschooling has always been "life happens."

No matter what year, the ages of my children, how well prepared (or not prepared) I am, homeschooling never turns out like I expected. Schedules have gone with the wind. Curriculum have shown their strengths and weaknesses. Unexpected running around most often will blow a few days with an assortment of appointments, special events, a classes or lessons, family/friends, etc. (For me this year I got sick... after the first day and ended up in bed for a week) So after three weeks (or four), it is a great time to reassess the general plan for the school year. We will never be perfect at homeschooling, so we must continually allow God to show us what needs to be changed.

I don't think a year has ever gone by that I didn't find out that one of my children just didn't fit the curriculum I so thought would be perfect. Also some subjects/studies end up taking a lot longer than I anticipated, and some parts of lessons we just never seem to get done. Little things like: not having enough binders, needing notecards or graph paper, realizing copies have to be made, and trying to remember where I put a resource or book or special tool (like the compass or protractor). When this happens, if I can't remedy it quickly I just move on and figure we will get back to it. For me, getting distracted can be one of my worst enemies.

So after a few weeks into the homeschool school year is the perfect time to rethink plans:

Subjects- make a quick survey of each subject, it may help to write each curriculum down, note the positives and negatives, adjust what you must, and if all else fails... if something really is not working at all, ask around/look around for an alternate. Many sources for used curriculum can be found; one of the best sources can be other homeschool families. From experience, forcing a child or a lesson plan to mesh is not a good idea. You probably would be better off banging your head on the wall because that is what it will feel like everyday anyway. Remember you are not a slave to lessons written in a book, and neither should your children be. Lesson plans are to be helpful guides that assist you and your child in learning. Be willing to let go what you must. And if you have been skipping something you really want to do, think about what you can prepare ahead to get it accomplished.

For example, I am using Mystery of History III with my 10th grader and 8th grader. We never get to the timeline or maps, and I really want to include these items. So I will need to make the copies on Monday or Tuesday so I have them available at the end of the week. I will put them in the back of the book, so I know where they are when I need them. And on Friday I will make a point of joining my children during their history lesson. (By this age, my children can do some of their school by themselves making available time for some household work, errands or one-on-one assistance.

Schedules - it will be obvious by now what activities or routines or days are burdensome. Go ahead and tweak it a little. If you need to move a date for a lesson or even drop some activities, do it. School is suppose to enrich life. Never force your natural flow or your child's into a box. Be sensitive. Include your family in brainstorming new possibilities. Ask if the order of subjects is working, or if a change would help. And you have probably realized you need to get to bed at a more reasonable time than during summer to get up before early afternoon (especially if you have night owls or teens). Try some increments of slowing down, turning off electronics, and transiting to bed time earlier. Do forget to schedule spirit life time for both yourself and your children, too.

In my home, we really ignored the clock this summer. We were so carefree and staying up real late.Being willing to stay up allowed me the blessing of being available for my teens that want to talk after midnight. I found that I had to stay up one entire night last week. In the morning (as my husband left for work) I went to bed and slept for about 2 hours, from 6am to 8am. By 6 pm that day I was soooo tired I was looking forward to crawling in bed. After doing that my body reset, and I am able to go to sleep earlier and rise earlier. (my 16 year old son suggested it... I thought he was crazy but after trying it I was delightedly surprised - it worked!)

Support - You need assistance. It may be meals, laundry, loneliness, frustrations, messy bathrooms, a certain troublesome subject, no alone time, (even less frequent bath-times), errand running, etc. You may experience any or all of these, and likely more not listed. Homeschool families need support!
Of course, your first source is God... and I really do literally mean God. You will find that homeschooling will press you into Him and onto your knees. He is your number one "go-to" person. If you are running on empty, run to Him. Frankly, everything else can wait a few hours or even a few days. Nothing is more important and believe me, your children will notice.
Don't forget to talk with your spouse. While they don't often do the teaching, you may have one or two subjects that they would love to help do or be responsible to check. I for most mothers this is not the norm, but you will never know if you don't communicate. Also, ask for prayer, or even better pray together. He may also be willing to pick up one or two household items that you never get to or if your children are old enough, assign them one new chore. If everyone shares the load, it is less likely for one person (most frequently you!) to get burnt out or literally exhausted.
And don't forget about fellow homeschoolers. Even if you don't have a group in your area, you can plan a time for some of the ladies you know to get together. I have always found this time to be refreshing (even if it is with one mom for an hour). For me, it is so nice to be with others who can relate and share.

The bottom line: be flexible, willing to try something different, and take care of your own needs. After a month into schooling, re-examine it is always essential. (you may feel like you need to re-examine your brain for deciding to homeschool, but if God called you hang in there!) Make changes that appear obvious and be willing to get feedback from God, your spouse, your own children, and other homeschoolers. Making even minor changes for subjects, schedule and support can go a long way to improving your school year!

From my home to your home,

Lindylou

Old-timer's Version of Some Fancy White Soup

2011-09-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

Soup is pretty cheap and easy to make right from the can, but if you want some homemade soup and you don't want to use a lot to make it... you can try this. I did the best I could because honestly I can't remember the exact amounts of spooning this or that.

Ok, I will tell you right off this is more troublethan it’s worth, but times are getting tough, money is tight and most of us can still get somemilk, onions and a lemon for pretty cheap. So I am going to tell you how tomake some soup. If anyone complains you can tell them they can cook the nextnight, and at least you didn’t give them a boiled leather shoe. If you do anyholiday cooking you will probably have some cloves from that ham you made, andsome nutmeg from the eggnog up in the cabinet with the spices.

If you don't want to use two pots, just keep stirring and stirring......

Now here we go: pour some water in a big pot andthen put a smaller pot into the water (or if you have a doublebroiler like you use to make candy at Christmas you can use that), put 6 cupsof milk in the small pot that’s sitting in the bigger pot of water; unpeeled two onions (if you put a slice of bread in your mouth or a closepin on yournose the onion wont make you cry cuz the onion smelling is what causes youreyes to water) and push four cloves into them onions like coal buttons on asnowman, drop those decorated onions into the milk, shake a little nutmeg in.

Ok, we ain’t done yet, get your sharpest little knife out and rubit down a real lemon (not that plastic fruit you’ve had on the table for yearsin a bowl), as I was tellin ya rub your knife a few times down that real lemon making very, very thin strips (you want yellow only, no white) or you can use a peeler/grater/zesters if you got one, throw thosepieces of lemon skin into the milk. Drop six peppercorns in the pot,too.

After all that, turn on the turner and bring thatmixture of stuff to a bubbling boil but you betta watch it real, real closebecause you know milk has a habit of liking to stick to the bottom and sides ofthe pan (that’s why you have your pot sitting in a pot of water to help it notcurl up, turn all brownish, or clump up on the bottom and sides of the pot). Afterit boils, stir it a little (or a lot) and tilt the pan to the side and turn theburner down real low letting it simmer for 30 minutes. (Don’t ask me why youwant to get it to go to one side of the pot, it is what the recipe says you are suppose to do. Nowdon’t forget to watch that pot and stir every so now and then so it don’t gosticking again.)

After thirty minutes (I know that is a long time to watch a pot), use a spoon with holes in it (or a slotted spoon or a little fine strainer) to tryin get all that stuff out that you just worked so hard to put in the milkbefore you boiled it. Toss away any stuff your able to scoop out in thetrash (or add it to your compost). Find some of the bread left over from breakfast or lunch that has gottenstale, and somehow try to crumble it up so it looks like you grated it (the more stale the bread is the finer it will crumble), drop the bread crumbs into the milky soup, toss adab of butter in the pot too or more if you like butter (I like more butter).

When it cooks a bit, taste it and see if you want toadd salt, pepper or something else. (Cheese is always good to add!) Enjoy!

Comments are highly welcome! Let me know if you have a variation or another ingredient to add. Also if you know why you tilt the pot, let me know.

On a cold night, a bowl of homemade soup is always welcome.

Homeschool Sickness - My Advice

2011-08-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

What is it about homeschooling that attracts "getting sick"? I am so glad I don't long term plan my year or even a month. Why bother? Something in life is "going to happen" and it will go flying... oh, blowing in the wind.... or out the window... whichever exit is closest.

First week of school and yes, I am in bed ... sore body, drainage, ears about to burst.... OK, I know this doesn't just happen to me... as a veteran homeschool mom I am not fighting it. Let me explain why.

I have good news:

I only planned day one! Amazingly "it" was completed, therefore I didn't have to trash (or erase) hours of lesson plans to be all prepared and try to somehow catch up (whisper - which never happens), but at least you reason you will feel good if someone looks in those planning books (whisper - no one ever will.... ) but they sure do look like you are getting a lot of school done.

Don't despair if you filled out a few weeks of plans. That is the whole point of a lesson planner.... someone else (like hubby or mother-in-law) can glance and see that at least you look like you know what you should be doing... (Secret - do you really think school teachers do what is "on" their lesson plan if they are not being "observed".)

Here is my advice to anyone new at homeschooling - a day plan is enough. Every day you can be successful, and the bonus is you will not waste time planning stuff that will never be followed... or feeling guilty for not being on schedule.

Here is a clue to make it simple: most curriculum is already broken into daily lessons so when you have school do the next lesson. (whisper: And a little thing most don't tell you - you don't have to do everything in a book or follow the lesson exactly as it is written)

And if you aren't following Curriculum but reading "real books," simply read until either your eyes glaze over or your children's eyes do or you have arrived at a great suspenseful spot. Cliffhangers are the best to bring interested children back to listen.

So homeschool sickness, take it in stride... I have come to conclude that homeschool families are going to be attacked in anyway Satan thinks he can break us down... basically, don't feel guilty that you are not doing a good job, or that you are not keep up with "the plan," or that you are a failure (whisper-all of that is the voice of your enemy). If you or one of your children are really feeling ill, you need a day or two to rest.

Redeem the situation for good: Take the time to enjoy the Bible, a devotional and don't forget to eat grits/oatmeal/ice cream (whatever!) without doing a few other things at the same time and don't worry about planning dinner. No one in your family is going to starve by eating cereal or sandwiches for a few days. (In another post I will tell you what to stock in your refrigeration when you homeschool... to be prepared for "life happens" days.)

You never know how God is going to use "this interruption" for your good and for your family's good as He continues to conform you to the likeness of Jesus. (My blessing today: My 16 year old son told me to text him today if I needed anything... so cell phones do come in handy - *smile*)

And for a final note of wisdom: my spiritual father reminded me a few days ago .... to in any situation "bow to God and obey." With a "yes, Lord" life response, you will be teaching your children more than many lesson plans will teach them!

First Week of Homeschool

2011-08-23T14:43:00.005-05:00

Day two of 2011/2012 homeschool year, and we are already physically worn down. (I will adhere to my nutritionist and go get Vitamin D- you know who you are). We have been healthy all summer, but today my daughter and I are struggling through a cold virus. It might be a "cleaning house to begin school" virus... maybe we are allergic to school books... or to schedules...or ...(you fill in). I just was thinking a day or so ago that I couldn't remember the last time I had a cold, and attributed this fact to a build up in resistance; maybe I had developed immunities to most of the common colds. Now I remember how long hard days of work press our bodies' physically. And to think we are only on day two!

I am a recovering "almost" hoarder. What is that? Well, you can walk through my house without crawling over boxes, bags, and books, but getting through the garage and the floor by my side of the bed can be a dangerous feat. Of course, my dear husband of 27 years is orderly. Thankfully God usually pairs us up with someone who has qualities we need to learn. After 27 years, I guess you can say I am a slow learner, but in all honesty I have had so many higher priorities on my plate: raising three children, homeschooling for thirteen years, helping with tutorials and Bible Studies, writing anything and everything, learning relationship skills, and enduring therapy for past 10 years to recover from an very abusive childhood. Beside that, I have been twiddling my thumbs (in my sleep).

Did I tell you I now have a house of teens? Each age has its cherished points and its stress points. To be honest, which I normally am, being a mom of teens is my very favorite stage of raising my children. Finishing therapy may have more to do with it than the age of my children, since I am more now who God originally created me to be. God has brought great internal peace, joy and clear thinking to my being. (A plug for the benefit of trauma therapy by my psychologist who is a Christian.... lots of very hard, painful work, but it is so worth it! Therapy is not for everyone, but it is for those who God directs to counseling.)

My oldest son is a senior this year; he is finishing up school using Abeka Streaming Video Online academy. I would highly recommend this to any parent wanting to supervise but also release their child to independent study. I encourage my son to work out his own schedule, balancing 20 hours of work, 25 to 30 hours of school, a few home chores (very few: put up bathroom personal stuff, lift clothes off the floor, place dishes in dishwasher after emptying, toss out empty food containers, practice creativity by visually imaging that his bed is made) and his social activities. While I am here to help, he needs to learn to take flight. I wont be one of those hovering parents, waiting for the text, wondering who he is with, following his daily schedule, etc. Over and over my advice to him has been to enjoy college... he knows that doesn't mean to get plastered or to party through his classes. I want him to develop relationships, to learn some thing, to try out new activities, to experience school sports and campus organizations. We just need to find which college he will attend... one of the many things on our 2011/2012 school to-do list.

I am very happy that my other two children (David - sophomore - 16 and Angela - 8th grade -14) are doing two courses together: Starting Point (learning worldview perspectives) and Mystery of History Volume 3. I like doing some school together as a family, and the temperament of these two make working together encouraging and beneficial to both. From the bottom of my heart I love to learn and teach, but we rarely get a lot of time for this... too much required-by-law hoops to jump through for a high school diploma, but I will address this in detail later in the year.

Right now, I am going to savor any moment we get together and even if we have scratchy throats I want us to finish our 2nd day of school to keep on track... the best we can... We might still be working late tonight, but this is the luxury of schooling at home. I keep praying God will touch our bodies and bring us back to full strength physically. If you have time, pray for us. I ever keep in mind that I am in the enemy's world, that he hates Christians, and especially homeschool families. But in Jesus, we are overcomers!

So how is your week of school going?

Finding My Sweet Spot

2011-08-16T11:04:00.002-05:00

A friend just showed a link to some of the most beautiful artwork I have seen in a long time. Here it is: Kelly O'Neill. In her graphic designs she has one titled, Not For Sale that speaks deeply to me heart. I will be checking back to her site for new items and will definitely have her on my "to contact" list when I need a book cover or finally get to creating my logo and website. I certainly sense though that her free flowing intimate styling fits within the design of God working in and through me - in the core of my being.

http://fadura-lotti.deviantart.com/

God is still forming the full picture of the ministry He wants me to take and I am loving walking with Him, as He shows me. I don't want to rush ahead of Him. Taking in the pleasures of the journey and being obedience to what He gives for me each day is helping to form and see His design and full intent He has for me to minister unto to Him and out to others. My web domain is "WritingInsideOut" and I love it, but I still haven't launched it because I don't see the complete form.

I am a flutterer, moving about to where God takes me, spending deep time with people sends my way, and then I am released to flitter around to the next destination. There is peace in not being heavily weighed down with the burdens of a full programmed ministry. I do ministry as I go, and I never know what each day may bring.

It is the style God created in me - spontaneous, unfettered, tenderhearted, but totally free to be able to answer, "Yes, Lord" whenever He asks. I love living like this. "How Great is Our God!"

Thanks for letting me share.

21st Century Education Solutions

2011-08-12T18:34:00.010-05:00

No one has to be told the numerous problems of education in America in the 21st Century. Clearly, we have lost our way. America no longer is great as she once was. The American dream is nearly dead starved by whitewashing God from existence. The humanist experiment has horribly failed, and we -the people of America - are paying the dear price and will for many decades to come. Enough is enough! We are handing our children a world and way of life that is decadent, broken and bankrupt in every way. Each individual must make a decision - not collectively but one by one in our heart of hearts. Am I going to lie down to be rolled over and swept away by arrogant, lying professionals or am I going to use the common sense the good Lord gave me?

Education belongs under local jurisdiction. States need to learn how to budget wisely and return to the volunteer use of parents and grandparents to help keep the cost of schooling low, so the State can stop taking Federal funding and therefore, Federal control. Schools need to open their doors wide to parents instead of keeping the children in locked up guarded daily prison-like institutional buildings. Many say too quickly that they don't want to go back, but when we have left the basic guiding principles that made our Nation, we must return to our roots - reading, writing and math. If a student can do these three well, and are taught when they are developmentally ready instead of in herd-mentality, we will have a completely literate State - much like we did in our first century of existence.

We need to once again define what education is. What is its purpose? Who should schools serve? Why do we have schools? And is it necessary to keep repeating year after year a system that is not only broken but worse - that is amoral! How can we expect to have citizens with hope, who believe that they can do what they are created to be, understand they have a unique purpose and appreciate their opportunities for a good future, if we insist on lying to them for twelve years of education? Darwinian thinking - survival of the fittest - is evil and cruel to anyone born less than the best - which frankly is all of us.

Evolution of humans from animals from plants from atoms is retarded (there I finally said it - what so many have been thinking for too many years), and frankly any young child who are allowed to freely reason will come to this conclusion. A created world is obvious to anyone who truly looks, listens and wonders. Why is this point central to real learning? Because a person's drive to learn must be based on real-life, personal desires and needs. If you are an accident of nature, a mutation that came to be over millions and millions of transitions, what purpose do you have to learn? If there are no truths to be discovered, to read about or to be revealed, why study lies or maybes? No wonder self-esteem is so low, and crime is so high. What do children and teens have hope to live for when they grow up?

The parents need to be told clearly that the education of their own children is their responsibility. To help them the State will provide books, teachers, schools, classes, etc. but the parent must teach their children to apply themselves to attain their highest goal. The State is not to drag students through schooling year after year that have no desire to be taught. If education is not important in one's family, the children are dangerously positioned to not succeed academically. Parents need to be integrated into their children's learning, and be given the utmost responsibility for their child's grades. Any child, every child should be given the opportunity to come to school, but no child should be force. People must learn there are consequences to their choices and actions or lack of them. The State is not the parent, nanny, safety-net, childcare, activity coordinator, sport director, sugar daddy, or tyrant.

Schools need to always teach the phonetic basics of English and only English in schools. If parents want to teach any other languages they have the freedom to do it, but to ensure all children's opportunities are widely available, every child must speak our Nation's single native language - English! With phonetic reading, comes handwriting, spelling, vocabulary, dictation, and narration. In the youngest grades reading flows into writing naturally and it should be taught as a child instinctively learns to speak, walk or sing. In the older grades as highly abstract learning capabilities develop, student learn to question, research, and develop informed, factual essays. They can also explore the creativity of poetry, lyrics, and fiction story writing.

Elementary years need to be filled with joyful learning - not the cutesy latest gimmicks of education supply companies - but true stories of heroes found in history and science from books created not to cram in facts to be spit out on testing but to inspire and grow young minds. Outdoor adventures, walking through nature, drawing what one sees - none of this take a specialist to teach. Learning environments are not sterile, but filled with practical activities that are real life (not made up for school). Real books need to be read in lieu of textbooks - including the Bible. It doesn't take a child very long to realize if curriculum is a program or natural discovery. Children, made by God to want to learn, but their minds have to be opened by not leaving them spiritually bankrupt. They must be told they are made in God's image - not an ape-man!

Parents know their children the best, and frankly they love them the most. I understand every child doesn't have a caring parent. I did not myself, but it did not deter me from wanting to learn. I had hope to be someone special in whatever I did in life, and this came from a basic understanding that there are absolute truths foundational to life. We all have a free will. No one can be forced to learn anything, because if one tries to force education on those who reject it, government is wasting precious money, resources and time. So, mandatory education must be removed. It is a privilege to go to school, and every State/city/county must offer the opportunity for education, but it should never be compulsory. The State must return to the fact that most parents want their children to have things better than they had in life, and the State can work with the few families (in proportion) that are inept or incapable due to abuse, drugs, or illness.

Standardized testing is a total waste of money, time and energy. A teacher and parent instinctively knows what a child can or can not do. Testing, like schooling, and textbooks having become enormous million dollar businesses. There are so many ways we can reform schools, but it will not happen on a Federal level where big lobby money controls votes. Education decisions need to take place on local levels. The mother that works at the bank, the guy that is a greeter on Sunday, and the dad that works at a car plant should sit down together making real life choices for their own children or relatives. It is at this local level that those who make selections will be held closely accountable because they will see each other throughout the year interacting in community life.

It is easy to find naysayers, negative people, "oh, that will never work," "it's impossible," and the list of those who "can't" will expand and shout loudly. But it is with faith - the size of a mustard seed - that one needs to believe it is possible to teach our children. It is a reasonable expectation to have every child learn to read, write and do math. And then they can move onto becoming what they deem they are naturally created to be, not what job someone wants them to be prepared to fill. It would be cruel for a person to be given a purpose in life, but not the innate ability to achieve it. God is not cruel.

People have to regain hope based on truth, not shifting man-made philosophies that drift with time toward absurdity. There is lasting truth, lasting hope, and lasting solutions to our immense problems we face today, but we have to be honest with ourselves and God. It is time to soul search. We need to turn off the TV, close the web browser and stop the radio. And in the quiet stillness of time, where we can listen to the cry of our hearts we will know what is wrong, and thereby begin to ask the right questions and seek out the help we need. We have to stop playing other people's "games of life" that we know are not truth. We must be steadfast! We must believe God not only exists but that He is who He says He is in the Bible, and that He is the one source of freedoms in life.

Church Politics are so Tiring

2011-08-06T22:58:00.005-05:00

Who Is the Bride of Christ?

This post is not aimed at any one local body of Christ, and it is not meant to be divisive at all.

The comments made in this post are the culmination of suppressing thoughts and feelings about local churches, church leaders, and really the systems of organized churches - not the Body of Christ!

I love Christ and His body... but oh so often the local churches are not reflecting Christ and the teaching of the Bible.

In every local church good things are happening but so are bad, hurtful things... and the hardest part of dealing with most local churches is that leadership and paid staff never seem to listen to members who see differently, having experienced the hidden side of the organization from the outside, not the inside.Believe me, the view is very different.

If leadership had a sincere desire to prayerfully listen and try to seek God when committed followers of Jesus come to carefully and respectfully try to speak up.... the local church would be better for having members that care enough to speak. But way too many local churches just want to crush and silence any voice that is not "rah, rah" cheering anything and everything the church does. Members should not be afraid to speak... but the atmosphere at most local churches creates a place where only "yes" people speak. Who wants to be outcast-ed, ignored, viewed as a problem, told they are not unifying, threatened to be dealt with by leadership, or told to go find another church? Hello? Nobody... so I wonder why pastors, leaders, staff hear so little feedback for regular, weekly, committed families.

Frustrated. Gripe. Want to Explode. Fear of retaliation or excommunication. Is that why so many are afraid to speak up? How long? How long will 'followers of Jesus' tolerate sin and be silent? Caution. Be careful. Don't want to be labeled divider. Unity. Pursue unity and shut up (I mean, keep your mouth shut). Leave, if you must, (I plead with you leave... you have been told before... leave... but for the love of Christ, don't speak up... don't stir dissonance. Go quiet in the night. We seal our lips in one accord. We obey leadership - after all God put them over us. We give up accountability, authority of the body, membership self-governing. Who are you or who am I to speak up? We didn't go to seminary, did we? We aren't qualified in the eyes of man.

What does it matter... changes wont ever happen anyway, at least not at a local church.... church politics gets in the way.

Normally, I am free flowing. I say what I think. Expressing my feelings and opinion - just getting it out.

But "Church" is a touchy topic - more like a lightening rod - if you expose what goes on inside - you will get burned - you will be toast!

The Bible says the Church is the "called out assembly" of Jesus followers that have counted all the cost of losing it all and still chose to be in. I am -without a doubt- a follower of Jesus, a redeemed daughter of the King. I am all in - and desire to hold nothing back from HIM.

But I struggle - I always have since I have been a Christian - with church politics.

What's that? To me, what I am talking about is the good ole boy/gal network. Commitment, personal growth, accountability, heart .... that is not what counts. If you are in the inner circle, (a childhood friend, a family member/relative/recommended, or a former church/college/seminar pal) YOU ARE IN! And grace abounds to this group. You mess up - hey, that's OK, you're only human - forgiveness and absolution is extended. You lie - most of the time, it can't be proven anyway so no one will believe another's word (even a bunch of "out" other's words) about you - you get a pass. You blow budget - that could happen to anyone - just some bad decisions, you will learn.

But what reeks in this little church politics game is all of this 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. grace, forget-about-it, another-try, simply-growing, and boundless-trust.... is not freely extended to everyone - that is not the no-body members of the church. Partiality - you bet! Money speak loudly - sure does! Got the connections - right school, right friends, right job, right property, right upbringing.... well, we can find a ministry job for you with lifelong security unless you don't "play the game" and be "one of the team".

No church is perfect. No Christian is perfect. Mercy, I will never be... far from it, perfect. And I am not looking for perfect - never have and never will.

Who has a voice but is never heard? Who speaks inside but utters not a word? Who prays and cries? Who is sincerely, but disregarded? Who never makes the cut? Who is discounted? Who is discarded? Who is deemed unusable, nonredeemable, unchangeable, a big problem? Who is not selected, not called, not wanted, avoided? Children of God!

Who would do this to a child of God? The Church!

But I can't stand "the blind eye" and special treatment leadership gives to the special ones.

Once... understandable. Twice... probably working in areas I can't know or see. The benefit of doubt is due.

But when it comes to hurting families, individuals, young people, older people - over and over and over.... when other people are NEVER given a single chance to minister in the church in the area that God has created them... or in any capacity for some reason or another. Why do so many 'familiar' friends, family, connected people get the red carpet and the life-time guarantee.... and so many others get the cold shoulder, out-cast, untouchable status, never considered, never interviewed, never taken seriously. I have seen it so many times.. people ignored, overlooked, demoted, pushed to the outskirts.

When you are in the inside group of a church it is so hard to see what is really happening, you probably believe I am just griping and making all of this up. It can't be that bad...you would know about it... you would see... you would hear. Face the fact, everything looks great from your view, you dream big with God and mountains move. Everyone you "know" is enjoying life in the church, so much excitement. You have your ministry, you get asked to fill in for others, you guest speak/sing/etc. Christian life is happening and you are smack in the middle of the activity. You hear from God, you get an idea, you want to try something, and you are told, "go ahead give it a try." Your voice is heard and you see God moving through you and those you love.

But the outside view, is so different.... And God sees it. He wrote about it in the Bible through Paul in the Epistles to the church.

This isn't a denominational problem. It might be a church as a business organization problem. Hundreds of thousands to million dollar budgets create a corporate like atmosphere: jobs to be secured, friends and family to help out. It is only natural... for this to happen. Have you ever seen a church that posts open positions, seeking any member to apply that is qualified? Do all the people that sign up to serve get to fulfill their calling in the area God designed them to work in the body? Do some people never hear back? Do some people never get asked? Are some genuine children of God not wanted by the local church? Sadly, yes, yes, yes! Do you think this makes Jesus cry?

God is Supernatural! We are all heirs! We are all equal at the foot of the cross. No one in God's eyes is in the "chum" crowd. Everyone single person who believes Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross a bloody death for their sins and rose from the dead to conquer the penalty of death to win ultimate victory over Satan and his demons - everyone that believes these things and chooses to be an obedient follower of Jesus as their Master (Lord) is IN.

Help me. What is wrong? I have been attending church about 25 years as a Christian.... so many different locations, denominations, leaderships.... but when it gets down to it - church politics reigns.

Oh, God help me. I love the church - the people - the called out body of believers - the bride of Jesus... and I most certainly love You. Why then do I get sick of the actions - the politics - inside churches? Oh, God help me. Let's face it thousands and thousands of people calling themselves Christians can't be seeing nothing wrong. As I said, "please God, help me see." I don't want to be sick of local church.

Non-Social Blogging

2011-08-03T21:31:00.005-05:00

Blogging Questions????

It was not my plan - it just happen. Over the past 3 years I have become a pretty good "non-social blogger" and it is not something I am happy about or proud of.

Blogging has been a gift to me - a place to be me - to express what is on my heart or bottled up running around my head. Blogging has changed my life, and honestly, helped me to heal and become whole.... the person I was created to be.

I recently read this quote:

"‘Social media is about engagement and interaction,’ he says. ‘It’s more about community and posing the question, rather than having all the answers.’” (From a blog called Mashable, supposedly one of the best all time bloggers)

I do really like the concept he writes about. In thinking about it, I have probably been highly guilty of "having all the answers." At least more so, in the earliest of years... but probably do still to some degree. I figure what are you writing about if you don't have an opinion or know about the topic, but that must not be "blogging".

What is really strange is when I am in person I like to listen and learn about others. I am about 95% better listener, but still have a way to go. I will not deny I am on the upper end of talkers... I love talking with people... not with myself... (but I do occasionally talk to myself, I am not sure I answer myself)

I love to learn so I read a lot... I have books everywhere about me. But as most readers, I have discovered that the more you learn the more you know how much you don't know. This has been growing more and more as I get older... dare I even say wiser... or just old lady since I am nearing the 50 mark.

And really, it is not that I am a know it all. I just usually have an opinion on most things, and I am definitely discovering that my opinion more and more needs to be refined, evaluated, and re-adjusted in a perpetual pattern.

I usually write "a slice of life" telling what I see/observe, experience, feel or learned. Isn't that blogging?

Maybe I haven't learned the art of engagement and interaction, but I would like to begin to do this more. I think I am more of a teller, an informer, a reporter... especially in writing... than being an engaging, interactive conversationalist.

So what do you think? How do you build a sense of community on your blog? What have you done or how do you approach post to interact and engage? And should I ask, what do you see that cuts out or limits a social atmosphere on my blogs?

If You Say So

2011-08-02T10:44:00.002-05:00

Are you willing?

How often do we respond immediately, "Yes" when asked to do something? Can you imagine giving your reasons for doubting but still responding, "I'll do it, if you say so"? As a mom of three teens, at first glance, "if you say so" sounds a bit sarcastic, but can it be a genuine, appropriately disciplined, right response? Let's take a deeper look.

When we are asked to do something, we can usually come up with a long list of reasons why we can not or even should not. Most of us - if not all- are frankly busier than we ought to be. Our schedules are bulging and our bank accounts are shrinking. Certainly, different life stages are more chaotic then others: after a new baby, moving, during an illness or injury, or right before a big event (like a party, wedding, trip). But if truth was told, and we got to openly examine each other's "to-do's" list, we could all easily identify several items that just don't belong there. It is also likely that we wouldn't want anyone to see our daily agenda because we already know some things we are involved in are not the best choices.

To be honest, whose business is it anyway how we live our life?

That answer is simple - God. (God is after all that perfect Sunday School Church answer to every question, along with Jesus, which is one and the same.) But, let's look deeper at this simple answer - God.

To followers of Jesus, what we do, what we buy, what we listen to, what we say, what we wear, where we live, who we spend time with, how we do things, how we think about things, where we go... matters a lot to God!

It is not that God is all bossy. He is not a shouting drill sergeant or a cold-hearted dictator. He is not an evil superior or a wicked master. Nor is he is not a controlling parent. Too often we have a warped view of what an all-knowing, all-powerful, supreme authority person would be like because we try to piece together ideas of people we have known, experienced or been taught about. God is best known by His Word.

In Luke 5, Jesus approaches Peter on the shores after a long night of fishing, that was an unsuccessful waste of time. Peter had not gotten a catch. He was tired, frustrated, and wanted nothing more of fishing at this point. But Jesus...

I can't help to pause. Isn't it always after we have failed, we have a wonderful opportunity for a "But Jesus..." moment. When we are at our end, finished with our own efforts, Jesus is about to begin.

So Jesus tells Peter to go back out into the water and fish AGAIN. You have to imagine Peter is reeling, ready to unload of realistic excuses. I know I would be fully tired, and ready to let fly what I wanted to say. Listen to what Peter said:

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5, NKJV)

Some of the new versions of Scripture use the phrase "if you say so" in place of "nevertheless" making Simon Peter's response sound like one of my teens. I am sure you will agree if any of our children replied, "Mom, I have already tried for a long time doing that, and it didn't work; nevertheless at your word I will do what you say" we would question our hearing.

Simon Peter in submission, in deference, in honor, in faith begins with "Master." In this one word it is clear he complete knew who Jesus was and who he was. By addressing Jesus as Master, he was admitting to be a slave to Jesus. For a Master, does not have simply followers. We must first come to Him in complete surrender as have slave, willing to do as He bids.This is a point that can't be skipped.We can't be a friend, an heir, a child, a vessel, a disciple, or a follower, until we first know Him as His slave. Many "Sunday Go To Church" people never were told about this. They prayed a prayer to be saved, and asked Jesus in their heart. It is a shock, even a repulsion, to think being a Christian means they have to die to themselves, their will, their wants... and never knowing God as Master, they distance themselves or even simply and suddenly walk away when their are confronted with this truth.

Then after Peter explained the evident situation, he said "nevertheless." What a powerhouse packed word! Nevertheless is a turning point word. It is coming to a free will decision that you will put aside your feelings, desires and wants. It is surrendering your previous direction. Nevertheless should be a key word in the vocabulary of every follower of Jesus, because "not my will but yours" thinking is what follows.

The next words Simon Peter spoke were "at your word" which is also paramount in the thinking of Jesus' followers. We live by faith, we walk by faith, and faith comes by the hearing of God's Word. The Bible is the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path. His Words are truth, eternal, and good. In anytime of life, any moment, any day, that we find ourselves uncertain, questioning our direction, unclear of a choice, or worried about what we need to do, the answers we seek are found in God's Words. His Word is the User Guide Manual for life. The more we read, study, meditate and memorize the Bible, the more transformed we will be, because the Bible says we are transformed by the renewing of our mind with the Word. It is what shapes us, corrects us, instructs us, and encourages us.

We can never go wrong will saying to God, "at Your Word, I will." Moreover, it is the essence of what our every follower of Jesus' response to God should be.

God, I love you. I know you love me. Everything in me is exhausted. I have tried as hard as I can, and I have been working a long time with nothing to show for it; nevertheless at Your Word I will do what you say!

I believe God!

Of course, God, if you say so, I believe!

Real Hope - Daring to Experience Fullness

2011-07-28T09:32:00.002-05:00

What Joy there is in Living for God? I am His! I am joyful!

Real Hope has nothing to do with what a person, a church, the government, a job, riches, or anything can do for you. These can only bring short-term satisfaction. Tell me about yourself? Tell me who you are, not what you do! Our identity is found in our source of hope.

Real hope is only found through Jesus. Anyone who commits to live for Jesus, to give their everything to Him, will know real hope. Accepting Jesus is an all of you surrendered acceptance unto Him or a none of you option. You can't partially be God's! Many people go to church, serve in ministries, attend studies or meetings, get involved in good causes and have kind-hearted intentions, but even with all of these great qualities, they can still miss Jesus. HOW?

Knowing God is different than following God as His believer. Do you believe in God, that there is a God, that God is real OR do you believe God and confess Him to be your Master? When a person follows God, that is, becomes His disciple, they no longer live for themselves but they offer their every breathing moment to being who God created him/her to be. Faith is about being (surrendering), and through believing, you will naturally do (obey).

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

We can't do our way into God's heart. We can never please Him enough by all the great programs, events and activities we are involved for Him. The Bible says these kinds of actions are like fifthly rags to Him (literally dirty, used menstrual rags - I know that is not a pleasant picture, but it is Biblically how He describes our good works.)

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:5-7)

We must be His child, be redeemed, be forgiven, be filled with His Spirit, be ready, be relational, be His child, be a source of living water, be His recipient of grace, be healed, be changed, be motivated by love, be attentive, be listening, be Christlike.... be everything He desires us to be. In Christ, it matters first whose we are, not what we do.

Being His comes before serving Him. Are you His? Does He possess all of you? Are you totally abandoned unto Him? Are you ready to go, walk, speak, sit, pray, hug, rest, etc because He asks you to?

I don't know what God will have me do today... living as His child is a daily adventure. What I do know is that I need to be His, always available, always listening, always ready, always seeking to be walking instep with His Holy Spirit. I know no other way of living, and I wouldn't want life any other way. The peace and joy from being in continual access and communion with God is the greatest delight anyone could attain in life - nothing else compares. My heart is filled and my joy is complete.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.(Romans 15:12-14)

Sure, laundry is piled out of hampers, papers are scattered that need to be filed, meals have to be planned, responsibilities and deadlines must be met.... living with, in and for God doesn't make the practical details of life disappear, but it does bring a fullness of living into even the most mundane tasks like scrubbing a tub, pulling weeds, or cleaning the garage.

Christians have a poor reputation in the world. Hypocrites are everywhere; people pretending to know God. People thinking they know the answer or truth to life's purpose want to do something great, successful, powerful, financially thriving, and influential. Everything we do: our plans, our desires, our schedules, our programs, our buildings, our things, our activities, and our ideas can be purposefully used by God, but the act of doing is not what makes us His.

Living for God brings real hope that is not some man-made, artificial promise that will never satisfy your every need.

Only being rightly related to God can give the foundation to begin abundant living. He is the beginning, the source, the motivation, the goal - He is everything and complete! He surpasses our wants, needs and dreams - when we surrender to Him to have His way in our moment by moment practical life.

Are you stepping out it in real hope today? Do you dare to walk by faith and experience His fullness?

Casey Released

2011-07-20T21:00:00.003-05:00

Words, in Anger and Revenge, Kill

Totally unplanned, I ended up at the hotel immediately behind the Orlando Prison where Casey Anthony was about to be released. The news said she would leave on Sunday. I had flown into the Orlando Airport for a trip that had been planned for six months to help a girlfriend before, during and after surgery. She is from NM and I am from TN. With God there are NO coincidences... no chance happenings... no lucky moments. In a web of time beyond my understanding (but totally in God's hands), time, people and events collide for purposes allowed by His permissive will.

Driving from the airport, I noticed as the mapquest directions became shorter (indicating our hotel for the night was near), we passed a wall barricaded with two rows of spiral barbed wire strategically placed between an inner and outer wall. "Barbed Wire"... razor barbed wire normally signals a prison/ correctional facility. My heart sensed... Casey must be here.

As we turned on the final road for our hotel (well, a motel since the doors were open to the parking), we drove past a handful of protesters carrying large signs. "MURDERER" was prominent on one. The big, red painted words were intended for cameras and Casey's eyes pierced my heart. (The vulture media was in position, even at our motel, aiming lights and cameras to the facility)

That could be me... I am guilty of so much in life... what about you? (Didn't Jesus say if you hate someone in your heart you are guilty of murder?)

I prayed for Casey, and against the desire of satan - the accuser - to keep her in a inner prison more powerfully guarded than with barbed wire and gun toting police. Satan is dancing! He is the only winner in this whole situation. He delights in people being killed, destroyed, and trapped from ever knowing God. He cares not who his victim is... a baby, a young mother, a family, a generation, a city, or a nation.

Could what I felt be the type of pain Jesus felt deep within his heart of compassion when a crowd angrily determined the proper punishment for the woman caught in adultery?

Read carefully, John 8: 3-10,

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, ⁴ they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” ⁶ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. ⁷ But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. ¹⁰ Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

Who are you in the case of Casey Anthony?

How do you judge?

A Scribe or Pharisee - You have duly noted the guilt of Casey Anthony, and in your heart or words sought punishment, even vengeance (justice), for the sake of the precious dead child, Caylee. You uphold the law and want to Casey to suffer punishment (even death) since her daughter was killed/murdered. You cringed at seeing a young mother party with friends, to you this behavior that was caught on tape proved her guilt. You were persistent in your call for punishment.

Jesus stooping down and writing on ground - You waited, listened, and refrained from passing judgement. You are taking time to hear from God. You remembered what God requires of each of us, to "do unto others as you want others to do unto you, to "forgive others as He has forgiven you," and to trust God since He says, "Vengeance is Mine."

The Adulterer - You are guilty and people know it. You have a reputation that follows you and you are scared that you will never be set free. You are in a prison... you have been for a long time... Fingers point, ugly words are thrown... You know the receiving side of vengeance, anger, blame and shame. Fear and hope encircle you. Dark frightening nightmares are reeled as nightly reruns. It feels there is no way out, and the love of God is for others... good people, not you.

Of course, we all know the public answer, the" supposedly good Christian one" is always to be like Jesus. But for a moment, why not be REAL... and answer these questions....

Have you ever sinned? or can you answer, "Yes" when Jesus said, are you the one "who is without sin"?
Are you the Lawmaker? Are you the Judge? Did you pass judgement on Casey?
Did you see what happen? Are you able to know the hearts and the absolute truth of Caylee's death?
If your worst actions in life, especially as a teen or in your twenties was on video, what would people think of you? What would your reputation be? What if we could know your secret thoughts? What if we magnified your life and scrutinized every detail?
Have you ever been either rightly or wrongly accused? Has all the circumstantial evidence pointed to you? Has this ever happen to someone you love?
Did you ever have compassion on Casey? Did you imagine how you could be like Christ in response to this very horrible situation? Did you cover it all in prayer? Did you listen for God?

As we rested in bed late Saturday night, we heard several helicopters fly overhead at 30 minute intervals until about 1 A.M. My sincere prayer was for Casey to leave in the night protected from hatred, and to somehow encounter God's love. I covered the area in spiritual prayer calling upon God to move in her behalf.

Does she deserve such compassion, grace, mercy, protection? Of course not... but do any of us?

Do YOU?

Obesity - What is the Solution?

2011-07-15T13:13:00.004-05:00

So what is the new buzz, everyone is talking about... Obesity.

'What is the solution for obesity?' is not the first question to answer. 'What is the problem that caused obesity?' needs to be addressed initially. Obesity is just the 'other side of the coin' of anorexia/bulimia; both are unhealthy behavior lived out through lies we believe. Can you identify the lies?

We hear those words - "I hate you."

Today government policy making officials think they can solve obesity, but they come up with the worst solutions... what do they want to do about Obesity? This week, I heard that there is serious discussion about removing obese children from their home, family, and parents. And where will they put these Obese children? No one knows - as if the government can handle more children who are fosters of the State.

"The Biggest Loser" Facility would probably satisfy the desires of the government, encroaching, nanny-state, policy makers. Come to think of it, if they take obese children from parents, wont they soon be wanting to take away overly skinny children.... where will it stop?

We need to acknowledge God!

If we don't recognize God's natural laws - His laws being higher than man-made laws, how can we be rightly accountable (personally responsible) to God? God's laws are constant. In the Bible, we can learn right living from wrong living (which is sinful). Sin breaks our relationship with God - We can not know Him or hear Him when we live in sin.

"Certainly sin was in the world before the law was given, but no record of sin is kept when there is no law" Romans 5:13.

Obesity is a sin issue. Don't start throwing angry darts my way! Grace, grace, grace is sufficient for any sin area in our life.And the person who is obese is often in sin because of the result of sinful choices made against them. If a child is sinned against, cut apart by harsh unloving words, sexually abused, etc, the child will over-eat, unconsciously desiring to be unseen... to keep from being abused again... to even feel a sense of control over their body that was stolen by another. In suffering, in pain, in brokenness, we live in a cycle of sin.

Apart from knowing God and living a loving, following life with Him, people have little hope for making right decisions.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Seek Him - He is reaching out to you! He loves You!

So how is it sin? Sin is doing anything being disobedient to God. And, no one gets away with sin. We all suffer consequences and most always we also cause others to suffer. No one is isolated (able to not painfully effect people with our wrong choices).

What is important to know is: there is NO perfect shape or size! We simply need to be living obediently to God day by day, step by step, in grace, repentance, and out of love for God.

The mind-set (what we really believe that shows in our daily actions) is the source from which sin flows... out of the heart our actions flow. Our heart includes our mind, will and emotions: what we think, what we do, and how we feel. If our goal is to change behavior, we first need a change of heart. We need to identify lies, and replace them with truths. Our mind can be renewed and transformed to align rightly with God by reading, praying and studying the Bible which is of course God's Word.

Our will functions out of our mind-set; We consistently choose to do what we believe.

"To focus our minds on the human nature leads to death, but to focus our minds on the Spirit leads to life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

"Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is-what is proper, pleasing, and perfect" (Romans 12:2).

The only way to change behavior (that being, 'what we do') is to change what the think about and believe as truth.

Emotions are developed by our experiences. Love, gentleness, attention, appreciation, respect, and the like, help us to be emotionally positive, healthy, and consistent. Anger, impatience, ignoring, neglecting, ridiculing, bullying, abuse, and actions like these create in a person emotions that are negative beliefs, unhealthy, and unstable. The door to our emotions is AGAPE - God's unconditional love! (I will explain this more in detail below.)

The reasons are many:

Emotional Eating to fill the void of not being loved, being abused/violated, etc.
Computer, Gaming, TV sitting activities for more than 2 hours daily
No physical exercise: walking, running, backyard playing, jump rope, biking, skating, etc
Recess removed from schools (I had 2 recesses a day - one 40 minute and one 20 minute)
High calorie processed fast foods - both restaurant, tv style dinners, junk food, sodas
Few healthy home cooked meals from mostly scratch (for the newer gen that means whole foods)
Habit... you eat because it is time to eat and you eat portions to fill your large plate or family habits
Skipping breakfast (breakfast is proven over and over to be the most important necessary meal!)
Starbucks, other fancy coffees, smoothies, etc. (calories add up quick especially if daily intake)
Bored, recluse, no contact with people, no friends, etc.
Bad choices (like a domino, one wrong choice can spiral too many when we don't repent)

Most people struggle with a multiple list of reasons. God may want you to know which ones you face or He may want you to never go one by one through the issues. What He does positively want is for you to know Him and to know His love and acceptance of who He designed you to be.

Losing weight is a constant struggle for many people, especially if they are obese (what an ugly word that is to many people!). Inside the physical body of every obese person is a priceless soul that needs to believe - to in a knowing way accept that they are LOVED. Beloved one, God loves you!

God will show you the path to walk in obedience.

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1John 4:11).

"Am I loved? Does he/she love me?" cries the heart of every person.

Once we by faith believe God that He does love us, we must begin to unconditionally love ourselves.

No one should be loved for performance (conditional), but instead for who they are (unconditional). Frankly, a person isn't often what we see on the outside or what you see when you look in a mirror. Who we are is the core essence of our unique person; no one is the exception. 'Who we are' was God breathed into us -designed by God - and therefore, we will be restored to our original design by God... if only we will surrender our will, and let Him be LORD of our life. God always completes what He begins.

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

Do you know this cycle? Do you have insight to share with others who are hurting?

Casey Anthony is Guilty - Of What?

2011-07-05T14:55:00.002-05:00

Telling the Truth is the only Hope of Being Set Free

A jury of Casey Anthony's peers found her not guilty!!! of murder 1, aggrevated child abuse, and manslaughter. She was found guilty of lying to officers. Everyone knows this is true. She definitely lied to the officers. Three years of propoganda against Casey Anthony has been defeated. Caylee has not been given justice, but Casey has. It was an American virtue to not be charged for a crime that was not proven. And this has been renewed for each of us as citizens.

To be honest, something in my heart of hearts has told me that this case is not about truth - it is about lies.

This case is a cause for us to learn:

You should not convict someone until they have their day in court.
Evidence must prove guilt beyond a shadow of doubt.
The media, public and talking heads do not have the facts.
Murder is not right no matter who does it.

No doubt Casey Anthony is guilty, no matter what the verdict of the jury says! But we must all ask, looking at the facts, what is she guilty of? We are a country of laws that give each American citizen the God given right to be innocent of a crime until proven guilty.

I do not always agree with the verdict of the jury. But I do in this case! I saw no facts proving Casey Anthony was guilty of murder or of child abuse. I want to know what really happen, but I am so relieved. Hopefully one day we will hear the truth. This is a lesson in not listening to talking heads.

We must remember a shameful reality of our court system today. Trials are not about truth. Trails are about winning. The State prosecuter wants to win. The Defense wants to win. Both care not about what really happen to Kayle, and this is pitiful. Truth does not always win out in courts of law. It should be based on facts.

The judge allowed the State to present evidence that was given only to make the jury angry and dislike her. The State spent millions of dollars against her. Still the government did not meet it's burden, and justifiably given a "not guilty" verdict. The jury did what it was suppose to do. They decided the State did not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

What do we know with absolutely?:

Casey became pregnant at the age of 19.
Cindy and George (her grandparents) took good care of Caylee.
Many photos and videos show Caylee was happy. She enjoyed time with her mom.
Caylee was taken care of with a clean home, toy filled backyard,
Caylee is dead.
The decomposed bones of her body was found in a swamp.
Casey would not tell anyone where Caylee was while she was missing.
Casey had a tatoo, danced, partied and lied.
Her family has many relationship problems. It was common to hide truth and lie in her family.

The very best action Casey Anthony could take was to speak the truth, to tell exactly what happened. It would be better to die of the death penalty and tell the truth, than to lie. The only way for Casey be ever be free is to come clean and tell the truth. If she does not satan will imprision her for life.

None of us know what happened, expect Casey Anthony. Whether we will ever know the truth, the facts presented as evidence did not tell us what happen. Aggravated child abuse has not been established by the state. Matter of fact, it is insulting to people who have been horrifically abused to hear the State claim this charge.

I don't think I would personally like Casey Anthony. From what I have seen it would have not be easy to be a friend. It would have torn me up to listen to her lie and toy with people who were seriously trying to find her daughter. Her behavior was bizarre. I usually don't say this but she appeared very selfish. She definitely emotionally detached herself from the events - almost a psychotic episode of detachment from reality.

My hope is that maybe now, Casey can tell the truth and really be set free. May God help her in these days to come to become really the person He created her to be. And the guilty whomever they may be, I trust God to punish. Caylee's death will be vidicated in the end. God will make sure of it - I am certain.

A Critical Heart

2011-07-04T16:29:00.000-05:00

I have been very guilty over the years of having a critical heart with myself, others and life in general.

God, Change My Critical Heart!

Maybe it has something to do with trying so hard to live life "right". It is not so much that I held others to my standards, which I really hoped were not mine but God's. I think, it more had to do with the fact that in order to not 'fall off the apple cart' of life, I needed a sense of stability around me.

How could I live a life that glorified God, correcting all of the errors of my past, if I didn't have like-minded thinking about me? I needed the support, and the example.

Does that make any sense or did I just stir up a bunch of old leftover thoughts and try to make it appealing with a fresh scoop of cool-whipping-excuses?

Does anyone like being avoided, disliked, tolerated?

I don't. I never have, but I haven't always had the benefit of knowing what it is to life a normal life, to have the majority of my thoughts being peaceful, clear and light with joy.

I was complicated... and that is a huge understatement!

So, the junk in me that I was so trying to work through would often bust out in a quest of wanting to see others embrace truth bathed in morally sound responsibility. So many people in my life did not take responsibility for the wrongs of their actions or words. From a teen, I wanted the guilty to be held accountable. But I have had to find rest in the act of forgiveness - letting go and letting God be the ultimate Judge of hearts. Long ago, I learned I was hurting myself more than the person I wanted to pay for their crimes.

But I really think, while I let the done deeds of my past perpretrators to be forgiven, I became vigilant to be the superhero of justice. To me it was pretty simple, God is right and we need to align our ways to His so that we can be molded into Christlikeness. While this is all truth, and a great personal goal, I many times overstepped my authority and my role of being God's daughter.

I get especially irked by church-people - people who are suppose to know better and to desire to live according to the Bible standards. I hate when people are frauds, fakes, liars.. when the say one thing to one person but lie with ease when the circumstances or audience has changed. When their words and actions turn with the ease of a color wheel shining upon an aluminun tinsel tree. The shading of the truth does not matter as long as they look good to those they consider "important".

But doing this only hurt me, or at least hurt me the most.

So, yes... I finally see my critical heart and it reeked. I am sure I have seen it here and there before, but now I see how tiring being a busibody and self-righteously detective has been. I really bet being in my company was often like sitting next to putrid stink. No wonder, I found myself often tossed away without a thought like week old trash decomposing in the heat of summer. Yes, it hurt me, but I also hurt others.

As my mind clears in this new phase of wholeness in my life, I pray the Lord to temper me to love others more than myself, and to see the good in people and circumstances more vividly than seeing errors. May I be the fragergence of newly bloomed flowers after the gentle spring rain. And just maybe, I will cause a few more people to linger - to stop and smell His flowers - and to seek to know the cause of my peaceful delight.

What a blessed change of heart that will be!

Accept Jesus and Die

2011-06-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

I drive past so many church signs, but this one almost caused me to wreck:

COME AND DIE!

What an invitation! I am sure they will have a big crowd for that sermon. It just sounds creepy. I wonder what the follow up sermon will be next week: Carry Your Own Cross in Pain and Suffering, or what about, You Will Be Persecuted!, or God says, "I Want Everything!"

Some loony Fundie (Urban language for Christian Fundamentalist) must have taken over the pulpit of that church. I wont be surprised if we soon see bonfires encouraging people to burn Korans, Crude Music and Adult Rated Movies.

When I got to the red light, I glanced back to make sure I read the sign right. I did. I shook my head and then rolled my eyes in disgust. When will those preachers ever learn? That is not the way to win people to Jesus. People have to know:

He loves them,
He will heal them,
He will always be there for them, and
He wants to be their friend.

The little children's song started playing in my mind, "Jesus loves me this I know, because the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong...yes, Jesus loves me..." As it trailed off I laughingly thought about what that church might be teaching their children to sing, "Jesus loves you, come and die, Sunday Preacher will tell you why, Expect to suffer and some pain, Your life will never be the same... yes, Jesus love you..."

I continued down the familiar road home, my driving was on mental cruise control. I instinctively knew every bump, stop or turn. My mind drifted back to that church. Newer popular churches have learned how to attract people to the gospel message. A successful church aims to get as many people as possible to come to their church by creating a memorable, appealing experience. Even the church names are chosen to sound inviting: Willow Creek, The Vine, Coastlands, Saddleback, Grace Street and Pleasant Valley. In my memory, I thought back to picture the name of that church, The Cross. Oh, well that was a winner! Why not call it "Two Bloody Beams Nailed Together"?

I finally arrived at my home sweet home, ready to plop down after I opened the door. I rattled around my purse as usual digging for the keys I just took out of the car. Panic hit me... oh, no... maybe I forgot. Are the keys still in the car? Flinging back to the driveway I peered through the window to see no keys in the ignition, but I was grateful I left the doors unlocked. Pulling across the front seat I slid my finger between the console and the seat. Yes, I felt the dangling metal objects that slid between some old piece of paper. Drawing them both out, I rested back in relief. I began to open the worn, tattered flyer.

Seeing it, I remembered it was a piece of paper that someone slid under my windshield a while back when I was shopping one day. I looked at the quote in the center of the paper. It was an invitation from Jesus. An actual quote from the Bible! I read:

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

As I stared at the words printed on that tattered piece of paper, the words "Come and Die" echoed in my head.

(This is a fictitious story written after being inspired by the book, "Not A Fan". I highly recommend that you read it!)

Playing, Dancing, and Artful Expression

2011-06-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

Colors so brightly dance around in beauty. Musical melodies sprinkle through my soul. Paint, beads, and a rainbow of inks sing to me. "Come and play," they softly pull my heart strings.

"Yes," I reply, "I want to play." I want to draw, make jewelry and create all whimsical designs running around my soul, waiting to be explored.

But I stop. I wait for God to say, "Go, it is time, enjoy." Those words never come.

I could be sad. Maybe even mad! Why? I watch so many ladies getting to discover the childlike enthusiasm and fulfilling satisfaction of making wonderful things with their hands.

Recently, I visited a website that was so creatively expressive. It has been over the past year that I have been watching this women blossom in so many different fun activities. She is gushing with joy. And I am happy for her, but part of me feels a little green.

So much of what she does resonant the "wants" hidden inside of me, not yet fully explored. In my spirit, I am fluttering about deep within becoming beautiful, but I don't often get to play like I want. So much of me knows God will give a time for all to be explored, even if I must wait until until heavenly days of eternity. And I know those days will go on without end, and we will all be creating like our Father.

Today, in these present days, I am raising my three high-energy teens helping them to fulfill their dreams. And I am trying to be a loving wife to my beloved husband of 27 years.

I long to ease away from the serious grip of issues of the world: broken relationships, lies, impurity, laziness, painful experiences, illness, and watching our freedoms taken for granted until they are being usurped. So many things grip the heart of God! He cries when a baby is killed, when a person is raped, when a child does drugs, when a family is filled with violence, when greedy people steal from hard working families or when lazy people take advantage of kind hearted people... and unfortunately the list goes on.

And I know the grime reality stares back at me impressing the urgency of this moment. Sin can not be prevented by whimsical, artsy, playful days. And our days are numbered, time is short, and each has a calling from God on their life.

Yes, I want to indulge in what bring me that greatest freedom, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull carefree ways. Then God's love restrains me.

I pause knowing God gives each of us a role... a purpose... and He made me to see, to care, to speak up for truth, to stand in the gap, to lay prostrate in prayer, to grieve with the hurting, to give hope to the dying, to encouraging some to keep living no matter what they have been through or are about to enter, to plead for the unborn, and to stand on the battleground as a spiritual warrior!

It is then when I see who He made me to be, what He calls me to do, what He illuminates for me to see that I am lifted up by His Spirit. Isaiah 40:31 says,

Yet those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.

And I humbly bow to my God, my Lord, My MASTER. I willingly become His bond-servant, His slave, out of love, and surrender my wishes for His. We are each called for His glory, and as a follower, we must be willing to obey what He asked us to do, knowing the grass/life on the other side is not better/greener. The best life is to live the life He directs step by step.

God created me for His purpose, for this time, to bring Him glory... each and every day. I shall rejoice in my calling, singing praises to Him as I learn to surrendered to accomplish what His heart desires!

Have you struggled with wanting to get to do what others do? Do you know what you are called to do?

What Do You Fear?

2011-06-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

Empty eyes know real fear.

I say, "fear". You say, "____________"

Word associations were a fun game when I was growing up. We also called it free associations so everyone knew any answer was correct.

Fear, panic, terror. Palms sweating, heart palpitated, heading to a dizzy spin.

FEAR!!!!! what do you fear? You can whisper your answer to yourself.

I am told the greatest fear among all people is death, followed by speaking in public. I know darkness brings fear to many souls. And when the economy is bad, losing a job, losing a house, or getting seriously sick are top on the public's list.

What did or do you fear the most?

I feared my father, and it was not a healthy loving fear of disappointing him. It was a realistic fear of a psychopathic angry violent father that laughed at evil. I fear him no more.

At church today we talked about fear. Jesus taught about fear. In Luke 14:4-5, Jesus taught the need for fearing God:

⁴ “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"

Have you ever had a healthy fear of God? God loves you, and God is love. His perfect love casts out all fear. But before we can know God as our Father, we must have first bowed to Him as our LORD (master). We must become his slave, giving up all we own, want or do to become His willing obedient slave. This is the invitation God offers to every person in the world. He offers us the opportunity to be His slave, and for Him to be our Master. Do you feel uncomfortable about God? Does this seem repulsive to freedom loving people?

I need to tell you something beautiful about God being your Master. He is going to adopt you as His child, His son or daughter. You are going to be an heir to all He is and owns, and you will know Him better than your best friend on earth.

The object of our greatest fear is our Master, with the ability to control our mind, will and emotions. Who or what do you most fear? The answer is your current Master, your earthly Lord!

In coming to know God, who is All-powerful, All-seeing, All-hearing, Just and Holy.... it is easy to see how before you are in a right relationship with Him that you SHOULD fear Him. He alone has the power to end your physical life AND he determines whether you go to heaven or hell. Once again I ask, "Do you not like this God I am describing; does He not fit your comfortably teddy bear papa in the sky image?" Have you read the Bible? Do you really know God?

Do you fear surrendering all to Him? Do you fear losing face with family or friends? Do you fear being outcast at work? Do you feel the humiliation of bowing to Him? Oh,THAT IS NOT THE GOD YOU SIGNED UP TO BE FRIENDS WITH, the One you were told you would be following? This is the tradgedy of say a prayer with me, join the love fest, easy believism. You were tricked to commit to and believe a part of God, a censored God, a joyful celebrating laughing fun God. Are you willing to risk your eternity on waiting to hear God say to you, "Depart from Me. I never knew you."?

Do you fear having to give up fun activities? What about hanging out with friends, drinking, partying late into the night? Does God want to take that away? But I love to.....(you fill in). Do you love it more than God? Will you place it in His hands? Will you give Him every talent, dream, gift, vision, ability for Him to tell you how to use these to bring HIM that greatest glory?

When we bow before God in fear, accept His invitation to be His slave for life, He will lift our head up and looking deep within our being saying, "I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind." (paraphrase 2Tim 1:7)

In fearing Him, we conquer ALL other fears: death, broken relationships, bankruptcy, standing up for justice, speaking in crowds, going on mission trips, changing jobs, moving to other cities, giving our money for His Kingdom work, being labeled a freak (or Fundie - Fundamental Christian), or basically, taking the plunge into anything He asks with a strong "Yes, God."

In turn, God will supply all your needs abundantly. He will give you a spirit of power (Holy Spirit Power, Resurrection Power, Enabling Power), love (sacrificial, selfless, abandoned love) and of sound mind (having the mind of Jesus Christ through meditating and studying His Holy Bible, His Word). We learn to grow into using His power, love and sound mind in and through us every day.

So, let me ask again, what/who do you fear? Even what did you fear, before you learned the freedom and wisdom in fearing God?

I feared my father. God showed me He is the kindest, caring, available, personable Father in the world! He is the Father to the fatherless, the abandoned, the beat, the raped, the belittled, the hurting wounded child.

What about you? What have you learned to not fear? Or do you still fear someone or something?

No Truth in Public Education

2011-06-15T22:21:00.000-05:00

America is keeping Truth out of Public schools. We must return to our foundational morals and principles that made America the greatest Nation of Time.

Throughout history power has been obtained over the large masses of people by removing the Bible. Emperors of Rome did it! Popes did it! Murderous Conquerors and Rulers did it!

America is keeping the Truth out of School!

Why would they? What does Scripture have to do with government and power since the Bible teaches Christians should be submit to secular authority? Jesus, Himself, said, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

The problem is a question of knowledge of truth and absolute authority, not civil obedience and honoring governing leaders. The person that gets to define truth and absolute authority has controlling power. If people are allowed to read God's Word for themselves they discover truth, and question whether ultimate authority rests with government leadership or Scriptures.

Wycliffe stated, "We ought to believe in the authority of no man unless he say the Word of God. It is impossible if any word or deed of man should be of equal authority of the Holy Scripture." We certainly don't believe this today! If we desire to be a Nation of Christian values we must protect our liberty in civil arenas, we can't just sit on our pews in church.

Is it any wonder today, 60 years after the Bible has been removed from American education schooling that no one can be absolute about anything that is taught in schools?!? Apart from God there is no truth! We foolishly have allowed the Judaical Branch of our USA government to turn our public schools into institutions of chaos that are amoral, even violent. Without a Biblical God Worldview, our country and western civilization will be destroyed.

I am not advocating evangelism, preaching, trying to get people to say a Jesus prayer in American public schools. No one can or even should pathetically try to force anyone to accept Jesus as their Lord. Everyone must decide for himself if he chooses to be a follower, disciple, of Jesus. Frankly, the only way to become a follower is by free will choice. But everyone should hear truth, know right from wrong, and be taught that there are absolute truths. The Bible, the Book of Truth, must be returned and placed into the hands of all Americans.

The textbooks filled with Bible verses used for over 200 years in the Americas, even prior to becoming a Nation, are what build up the minds and hearts of Americans! The moral decline, the school chaos, the acceptance of abortion, the break up of families, the economic destruction of our great Nation can be directly linked to the removal of Biblical truth text from public schools.

To hide Truth from American students in public schools is to be like the Papal state of Rome that would burn Bibles in English or German and not allow the public access to the Bible because they wanted to be empowered by keeping people in the dark. This mindset ushered in the dark ages! They did not want anyone to question their authority. They did not want people to know God had absolute authority, answers, help for everything they needed for life because they wanted people to live totally dependent on government!

In the 1960's Truth was removed from Education.

Fact:

1962 Engel v. Vitale case in which the Court first negated school prayer (“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country”).

Abington School District v. Schempp, the lawsuit reached the Supreme Court of the United States in 1963. The Court voted 8-1 in Murray's favor, which effectively banned coercive prayer and Bible verse recitation at public schools in the United States. (Madalyn Murray O'Hair claimed that her son was bullied when he refused to partake in Bible reading in class.)

Let us look at a quote from Thomas Jefferson:

"The reason Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion in the world that deals with the heart."

Jefferson understood that Christianity was the only religion that could stop crime before it started because all crime came out of the heart. If you deal with the heart problem, you won't have to deal with crime, such as adultery, lying, stealing, murder, etc.

Let's also look at a quote from John Dewey (regarded as the architect of modern education):

"There is no God and there is no soul. Hence, there is no need for the props of traditional religion. With dogma and creed excluded, then immutable truth is also dead and buried. There is no room for fixed, natural law or moral absolutes."

Therefore, it is with this mindset (of Dewey) and the Supreme Court laws of 1962 and 1963, that absolute truth was dismissed from American Public School Education!

Schools don't need more money! If we want to see America turn around, to become a Nation of Great Citizens, to be a people who can truly govern themselves, we must have truth read and taught in school!

Why do you think we who even claim to be Christians don't protect Truth?

Special Summer Blogroll Listing - Being a Follower of Jesus!

2011-06-12T16:33:00.001-05:00

We are all unique to God!

When is the last time you enjoyed checking out other people's blogs? It seems many people today write, write, write but have so few regular followers. Just yesterday I was reading a post by a book publisher that I enjoy, Michael Hyatt from Thomas Nelson. He explaining how essential it is to have a high number of followers on your blog/website. He encouraged want-to -be published writers to work hard to promote themselves. Something didn't ring Biblical in his suggestions; it didn't set right with the indwelling Holy Spirit. So I thought the opposite: "What does it take to get people to take time to check each others' blog/website as a way to serve, encourage, and see another person grow?" or easily said "how can I promote others?"

The solution is surrender (or submission). We must surrender to God.

My pastor this morning talked about submission (don't freak out yet). He explained that when we submit to one another, we put the needs of others above our own. So how can I meet the needs of my friends and followers to help them get a wider platform in the eyes of publishers? This week, June 12-18, I will offer anyone who desires to list their blog with their comment below if they want others to check them out. Simply make a comment and add your site/location and a friend's!

Then during the week of June 20-26, I will compile an interactive blog list and encourage others to take 15-30 each day for this one week to check out other people's blogs/websites. Not as a duty, but as a summer luxury: In the hot days of summer, we should enjoy taking time to rest from hectic school schedules and soak up some healthy vitamin D from a daily dose of sunshine, sip on iced tea/coffee and browse a few blogs. If you like it, join as a follower! Even better, if you find a treasure and join it, come back to comment and let other's know. Write a simple one sentence review of why you liked another's blog/website. I will try to ask God to show me what makes each site special to Him and comment on this point.

Then beginning on Monday, June 27 I will highlight and review a few (2-3) blogs for a weekly Monday post on my site for the rest of the year. Between now and January 2012 we could together preview 100+ sites and really be a strong godly influence in each other lives! Hopefully, I will be able to focus on every single person's blog by doing a few each week! You can always return to check out that week's highlighted blogs!

It is that simple!

If you are talented enough to help make a "follower of Jesus" graphic button during this week, send it to me at www.lindylou.abbott@gmail.com. I will hopefully be able to pick one to provide everyone with a button that can be add it to our personal sites to show our support of others. In being a follower of Jesus we are learning to live God's way, not the way of the world. The Bible teaches when we humble ourselves and promote Him by what we say, do and think that He will lift us up when He deems the timing to be right!

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall life you up."

Philippians 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better then themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

Galatians 5:13-14 "...but by love serve one another. For all law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Being a disciple of Jesus is all about living for Jesus, and not ourselves. We sing "I surrender all" but are we really willing to take the risk of surrender ALL (our writing, our photos, our plans, our goals, our blogs, our daily routine, our very life). Being a follower of Jesus is rewarding!

Becoming A Great Writer of Devotions

2011-06-11T14:49:00.002-05:00

What makes a devotion great?

She is precious in God's sight!

Real life illustration:

Every writer has heard this saying over and over, "show, don't tell." I still don't have this ability down like a great fiction writer.

Showing would be something like this:

"The wind whipped around the two Asian ladies as they dragged their happy, bright-colored, heavy suitcases down the wet two lane street. With her damp hat folded in one hand, she tried to focus her map directions that she held in her other hand as it flipped around in the steamy early evening breeze. Confused but not discouraged, she trudged along with her companion in tow until I interrupted their odd journey. Smiling as I offered to give them a ride to their destination, their jaw dropped before they could speak."

Really, I do get it. Showing instead of telling is so nice to read, but it is not very natural to me. It is not the way God created me to write, at least not yet. I never know what He may do next. So here is what naturally flows from my rapid typing fingers:

I love God, and have many real life encounters with Him and people. For example, after dropping off my 16 year old son on Thursday night to do his 4th double day of volunteering (morning VBS at one church and evening VBS at another church), I saw two Asian ladies pulling huge suitcases down the busy 4 lane street. I pulled into the entrance/exit path out of the church so that I would be close to the road to ask these ladies if they needed a ride somewhere or help of some kind. One spoke broken English, the other mostly her native tongue, Japanese. I happily offered to drive them to their destination, a hotel on the main Hwy after the upcoming light. Stunned by kindness of a stranger, she handed me the map and directions. I assisted in loading the luggage and they gratefully climbed up into my van.

On the way I asked questions to find out more about my new passengers. They had flown from Japan to our little town of Murfreesboro, TN to attend the Bonaroo, a yearly musical festival that has attracted really big name artists in a woodstock-ish environment for a long weekend on farmland in the middle of nowhere. They were so cheerful, and very willing to explain their situation. I drove them about 10-15 blocks down to the hotel that even included an overpass over the interstate! It would have taken them hours on a very dangerous highway path.

I enjoy allowing God to let me cross roads with people I may never see again. I am not sure how God will use this experience in their life, but I loving cared for them and even gave them my number in case they needed a ride again while still in town. When I hugged them goodbye and wished them well on their visit, they both bowed in thanksgiving toward me. As I drove off I trusted God to use the encounter for good in these two sweet ladies lives.

This is an example of a day in my life. It is not all neatly, packaged, well-written showing- story with a great moral punch. I may never know the "Paul Harvey, "And here is the rest of the story" ending" until I am in heaven. It is enough for me to be obedient to God's nudging to intervene in helping two strangers on His behalf without cheapening the moment by trying any gimmicky one verse or one question evangelism. I trust the Holy Spirit to do His job, and simply am content to do my part... not flashy, not a cinch in my witnessing belt, not a number to report for a religious job well done. No, simply living the life of a disciple, a Jesus follower, bringing warmth, kindness, and help in others lives.

I reflect on this today because I have been trying to take a stab at writing devotions for a ministry that I was the copy editor for their magazine. The devotional site is a new ministry and I just thought I would try it out, but it seems I can't compose the kind of devotions they are needing for their intended audience. It is either not based on a single theme, not short enough, or not having illustrations of how I have had great interactions with my children or others that can be perfect little examples of God at work in our lives. Here is the example I was to try to follow:

Where I have highlighted could you replace with a story to illustrate this idea - such as “When I saw my son give away one of his favorite Hot Wheels I asked why he was so nice to the little boy who wasn’t even a close friend and he replied, ‘Well, I saw you being nice to Mrs. Nelson our neighbor when she was lonely and you did it even though we know she is a real bad gossip.’ I was amazed seeing my actions spoke louder than words and my child was exercising spiritual values based on what he saw as much or more than what he heard.”

I get the point. It is a very nicely concise story that gets a moral point across, but for me it is not real. Maybe it is what happens in other Christian families, but it has not been my experience. So, this was my reply to the devotional re-write suggestion:

When it comes to examples I am not the best because I don't have a lot of typical real life examples... like the one you wrote is really nice but in my life that was the "suppose to happen" example and never reality. My children never spoke to me that way, and still don't. And I never had many "perfect scenario" teaching moments. I don't know how to pretend or to write a pretend "wish it was like that" story illustration. (inserted thought for blog, not included in original response: I think these kind of stories make most normal parents feel like failures thinking why can't my child be like that and why don't I find those great statements to make in "teachable" moments.)

Everything we did together was a challenge. Raising up my little ones was one struggle after the next. I was on my knees a lot, and really crying out to God in desperation. He never failed to meet me, but many times the messy reality of imperfect parenting caused me to be more of a teacher to my children in seeking forgiveness and trying to make sense out of disasters. We had a lot of spiritual warfare, conflict, disobedience, repentance, forgiveness, grace and gradual growth - but it was all real.

No hypocrites in my house. And while we love each other deeply, we know each other deeply. My children have seen most of my faults firsthand, and I have seen theirs. The real victory in Christ is despite the rumbling, uphill path God allowed us to walk on, we still have very honest, open, important conversations.

We push deep into our relationship with God, knowing how easily we fail ourselves, each other and mostly God. But we don't hold grudges, grace abounds. My children are now teens (17 (18 in July),16,13 (14 in Aug). And I am just entering the healing years of being more consistent, stable and available. Due to all of this, I am not sure I am able to provide the type of devotions that will be telling sweet stories like the one you wrote. I have none to share. Nothing like that ever happen in my life or my children's. It would have been nice, maybe, but I don't regret our experience. I know that God will use it mightily in each of our lives.

I thanked the editor for the opportunity but declined trying another re-write. My writing just doesn't fit the mold the site is looking for and that is OK. If you might like to read the devotion I submitted go to this link.

How do your illustrations flow as you write?

Beyond Material Needs

2011-06-11T14:48:00.000-05:00

Newborns enter life naked and naturally beautiful. The adoring eyes of parents and grandparents delight at the innocence of their precious infant. However innocent a child may first appear, no one is born intrinsically good, and all parents can attest to how quickly the innocence disappears. Consider St. Paul’s words:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12 NAS).

It is hard to see that a child’s greatest need is spiritual, and not physical, mental or emotional. Every person born into this world has a pressing need to be spiritually alive to God. Parents diligently provide sustenance and comfort for their children. They want them to have quality medical care, new clothes, healthy meals, and a wide variety of toys and activities to stimulate their mind. What parent does love to hear pure giggling pleasure from their child? In providing their child these good things, a strong sense of safety and emotional stability is established. Unintentionally a child spiritual health is easily overlooked.

During a very trying time or an actual crisis, people tend to focus on spirituality. For example, after violent storms ravage cities with widespread destruction, even lose of life, we see people quickly understand that relationships are the most vital part of life, and for a short time, attendance grows at churches. Suffering pierces the thin line between physical and spiritual realms, and the emptiness of life alone, apart from God, is more clearly revealed through painful experiences.

Mankind’s personal relationship with God is the greatest gift to obtain in life. No preparatory preschool, athletic finesse, musical skill or quantity of material belongings, can satisfy the spiritual need of a child. As parents, we must, from our child’s earliest days, teach him to know and love God through our example of a personal prayer life, meditative Bible study, and a disciplined moral lifestyle. In doing so, we demonstrate how God has provided abundantly for our spiritual needs. People remember stories. That’s why Jesus used them so much. And, they put more power to your words.

Because of man’s sin, which is common to all, Jesus took the form of man and was birthed through the body of Mary as her firstborn son. Jesus, though, was not fathered like all men but by the Holy Spirit. He is the only begotten son of God, through Him we have this hope:

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

You see, it is by Jesus’ sinless life, that parents of every child can believe the promise:

Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Faith in God must be taught and the best way this is done is through demonstrating God’s sacrificial grace-filled life with our children and one another. The spiritual re-birth of a child is truly the greatest day in their life!

Bio: Lindy Abbott, raised in New Orleans, met her husband of 27 years at the University of AL. After they wed, they moved Nashville, TN where they placed their roots and homeschooled three precious children. Lindy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She is a published author in the book Out of The Overflow and a frequent writer of articles in magazines and online sites. Her weekly column, Letters From the King for Take, Root and Write has been her most popular. Lindy has a passion to see broken people find healing and encouragement in God and through His ministering believers. http://lindylou-abbott.blogspot.com

Racism - How Do You Help Stop it?

2011-06-05T12:21:00.005-05:00

The answer is in the blood - not the skin.

Understanding racism helps people to change their own thoughts that precede behavior. We are each responsible for how we teach our own family and others how we should live. Racism can be stopped because:

Ethnicity (race) is taught; ethnicity (race) is not an inborn trait!

Believe it! YOU are beautiful!

Go, back and re-read the previous bold sentence because it may be easy to miss how important it is to solving racism. Racist are taught to be racist. No person is born a racist! God did not create any human to be a racist; He created us all equal of one human race. People are taught through parents, teachers, peers, neighbors, family members, ministers, books, media, and inter-relational experience what to think about the difference in people's skin color. In some ethnic groups, parents strongly teach their children to make judgements about a person based on the pigment color of their skin.

The blood is the living vitality of the body, not the skin. While the skin is the largest organ in the human body, the protective layer, the outer layer, the visible cover, the blood is the life giving essential element. Is it not surprising the Jesus came to redeem the blood. He bled out for each person equally. His blood covers all humans alike. In Jesus no racism exists! And it is the very blood - the spiritual and physical understanding - of the Jesus through which we will experience the washing, purification, and justice for all. The blood - particularly the blood of Jesus - is the great equalizer of humanity. One for all. All need One.

In America's early years, especially during and after slavery, white skinned parents taught their children they were better than dark skinned people. But this teaching has all but stopped in most white American families. Matter of fact, I personally do not know current peers (and I am from the south) that have ever taught their children to judge a person in any way by skin color. While I am certain racial prejudice still takes place in pockets of people throughout society, it is NOT the norm nor acceptable to most.

I am almost fifty; my parent's generation did learn to judge people by skin color; I did not, nor have I taught my children. Thankfully, to teach your child to judge someone based on skin color is viewed as something very sinful and therefore, wrong. But what is alarmingly, discouraging is MANY ethnic groups, particularly black Americans, raise up their children to determine a person's attitude, actions and thoughts based on color. Black children are largely taught to be weary, guarded, even to hate or fight, people based on skin color. If racism is to stop, Black Americans must stop perpetuating it through generational prejudice upbring, both at home and in many all Black Congregations/Churches/organizations.

Genetic diversity is not synonymous to Ethnic diversity! In plain language, our genetic make-up does not identify what is most commonly, and erroneously, called "race." Yes, the DNA does have coding to regulate the size of cells that cause a variety in skin color, but scientist are unable to separate DNA by ethnic groups (black, white, asian, latino, etc.). Matter of fact, there is a larger variety of DNA within all distinct social ethnic groups than what is varying between groupings of people.

On October 3, 2009, I wrote an article about An Easy Solution for Racism which has been the second most viewed article in the life of my blog. With so many people from all over the world seeking a solution for racism it seems some progress would be made. But in our current times, especially in America, so many people hitched their hope of change to Barack Obama to be the great peacemaker. If you recall, he was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize BEFORE he did anything negative or positive toward peacemaking! (Maybe it was given as a sign of hope for change and encouragement.)

When we give anything (advancement, promotions, privileges, programs, membership, education, credit, testing, opportunity, scholarship, admittance, acceptance, assistance) based on pseudo-race (code for skin color), we are WRONG! And moreover, doing so is a SIN that separates you from fellowship with God if left un-confessed and un-repented. It is also wrong to only think racism is a "white" person's sin. A variety of ethnic groups and individuals sin in this way, and it should not be acceptable for any human to be racist!

After two years of Obama's presidency America is much more race-conscious, and divided. It is unfortunate that he has not been a leader of unity, but one of a deeper divide as his administration attempts to broaden the have and the have-nots. Black Americans overwhelmingly (85%) voted for Barack Obama, mostly because he was a black canidate, not because they necessarily supported his policies. This is surely unfortunate, because it shows that black Americans, in larger majority than white, voted purely based on race... something whites are accused of all the time. And moreover, anyone who did not vote for Obama or who doesn't not support his governing are called racist. Ironically, that is such a racist claim... to blame people who disagree on principle policies to be skin-color-haters. The accusations are not better in 2011. To the contrary, they have only increased. And the fall-out of blaming innocent people of being racist makes people who are not very spiritually mature more likely to think of race and to consider judging people by skin color.

In the first article I addressed the truth that we are all created by God. We are all sons and daughters of Adam, and Noah. God made the human race. Every human is a member of this race regardless to skin color. Moreover, evolution has only fed hate-filled people with philosophies to deny equality of all races because they deny that humans are created by one loving, sovereign God and teach lies about races being a unique identifying factor. Truth is skin color is only skin deep. Only 10% of the top layer of skin cells is responsible for variety in skin color due to ranges of size of the pigmentation cells, not quanity.

I found this information from another author quite interesting:

Once humans formed settlements all over the world, the relative geographic isolation of those settlements led to some degree of reproductive isolation. Then, the differences in local climate, ecology, and culture, combined with random mutation and genetic drift, led inevitably to the evolution of ethnic diversity. The single human population that migrated out of Africa eventually became many thousands of tribes, each with slightly different gene pools. Of course, reproductive isolation was never absolute; some genetic mixing of neighbors did occur. Nonetheless, ethnic diversity clearly exists and seems strongly connected to the dispersal of humans to different parts of the globe.

So how is a white-skinned Icelander related to a tan-skinned Taiwanese? Well, the ancestors of both people lived in Central Asia about 40,000 years ago. And how are the Icelander and Taiwanese person related to a black-skinned Rwandan? They all share ancestors....

It is clear that all human beings are related to each other and shared a common ancestor less than 5000 generations ago. Within that time, the genes contributing to skin color have diversified. (Dennis Chang, PhD Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2009)

I am not in agreement the all Dennis Chang, PhD wrote nor do we share the same ultimate conclusions, but his observable research is eye-opening, and mind-opening.

If racism is to be stopped we must see into the eyes of people, beyond the skin color. We must look to the soul! And it will only be stopped one person at a time, one family at a time. What about you? What do you choose for you and your family? Consider Joshua 24:15:

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served ... in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (able to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, wh

Who Am I? According to God

2011-06-04T15:00:00.001-05:00

Take a Gaze of the Self-Existent One

This conversation reminded me of "Who Am I?" in comparison to God!

I received this recent response to a book review I placed on amazon:

This was an intriguing "review" of Dr. Daft's book; it is interesting to see how some individuals believe that the world, and all the individuals within it, must cater to their dogma and frame ideas based upon a worldview they do not hold in order for those ideas to be given serious consideration. Very interesting indeed . . .

So this was my reply:

Hrbizstudent, you misunderstand. Not at all!

I do not believe all individuals must cater to my dogma nor my frame of ideas based upon the worldview "they do not hold in order for those ideas to be given serious consideration." I have no dogma, framework or worldview of my own. I simply believe God's worldview, and naturally so, since He alone is the One who created and set in motion all that we know and live in - our reality - our world.

Quite opposite to what you state - His worldview is given all serious consideration and validity apart from whether anyone "holds them" or denies them. He is self-existent! He so are his ways not dependent upon anyone's belief. God and His ways remain, even in the midst of total rejection and denial.

This is the mindset you are unaware of if you make such a claim.

If I die and never read, breathe or write another word, God and His worldview and His ways remain - and therefore MUST be dealt with even by if people believing as you deal with by rejecting or claiming to be "very interesting indeed".

The views of man has no effect on the reality of God. And is that not such a wonderful fact, because if God was left to man we would certainly completely mess Him up as we often do in the churches and denominational organizations of today.

Awake! Book Review of The Future War of the Church By Chuck Pierce

2011-06-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

AWAKE!

The cry of Chuck Pierce book, The Future War of the Church is for the Church to awake! While I am a quick reader, I was still surprised last night I read this 300 page book in full. I could not put it down because in it is an urgent message for members of the body of Christ, particularly those who are still finding God asking them to align and not abandon the local church - even if the local church has abandoned them. Originally written in 2001 prior to 9/11 (and revised/updated/re-released in 2007) the prophetic words are rich with punctuation now of how the Spirit of God is supplying the ministry and message given to Chuck Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema.

We, the Church, the Body of Christ, must not run and hide, nor fearfully reject the non-traditionalism move of the Holy Spirit. That which we don't understand, can still be quite grounded in the Word of God. The Church NEEDS its gifted apostles and prophets just as much as it needs its pastors, teachers and evangelists! Who is man, apart of the Spirit, to determine what is of God and what is not? Is not that the office of the Holy Spirit to confirm or deny a moving of God? Too long has the members of Christ who are gifted in Apostolic and Prophetic ministries been sidelined, removed, stripped of authority, and denied access to the local church.

What are We afraid of - that the Spirit of God might take control of equipping His people for the work of the ministry? Is it that leaders in churches do not want to see God's power distributed freely as He chooses, in the manner He decides, in the timing He ordains, in the way He designs, through the vessels He deems? Is the controlling spirit so strong in the halls and office of pastoral staff? Are they afraid God might call them to serve and minister to the very disciples of Jesus that are not contained by tradition and conditioned by seminary schooling, and therefore not rendered controllable by administrators or executives of the hierarchal norm found in the majority of denominational churches?

God has a plan! He is preparing new wineskin! God is on the move! We either join Him or we quench His Spirit to empower and release supernatural ability to harvest the lost and captive to the father of this world. Since we don't fight against flesh and blood, why do churches attempt to lead in it! The Future of the Church and its powerful role to defeat lawlessness and to bring God's order to the earth depends on our readiness. This is War! We must be disciplined in the ways of spiritual battle. The fight against darkness has its key focus on prayer for standing strong in the very real battle that we are already surrounded by. Is the Church willing to be used? Are you positioning yourself to be prepared for the day God calls you to "Fear not, and tread forth!"? Is this is your heart-cry? If so, read this book by Chuck Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema and awaken your mind and spirit to God.

Is There Some ONE You Need To Forgive?

2011-05-29T14:01:00.001-05:00

Forgive...

You are not alone. Forgive yourself. Give yourself this freeing gift!

How do you hear that word? Releasing, condemning, sweet, burdened, stuck, free.

What does it feel like? shameful, glorious, sorrowful, joyful, negative, positive.

Who do you think of? a sin against you, a sin you committed, the blood of Jesus.

Most people have been told they should forgive others, and may struggle with doing so. But usually when they understand the blood of Jesus paid the debt, how can you not release the injustice committed against you? We get this, so we work toward and try to do it in our life. Releasing people from owing us a debt.

How often though do we not forgive ourselves?

We berate ourselves over our failures, sins, missed opportunities, etc. It doesn't matter what "It" is.... We must learn that God can forgive us and not bring our sin up again through the power of Jesus' blood. His righteous blood is enough for our sin, more than enough!!!

So we must do the same.... and forgive ourselves. Jesus' blood removes the sin and balances the account of what we owe God and others (even what we may think we owe ourselves). Without looking back at "could have been," "should have done," "I knew better," "how could I," we need to allow the blood of Jesus to release us from all guilt, and apart from using "it" for ministry forward we must forget it and leave it behind.

Don't you dare let Satan win in your life!

Let the blood have powerful victory in your life. Forgive yourself!

Stress, Mess and Lazy Weekends Go-together So Well

2011-05-27T12:28:00.000-05:00

Is it just my life, or do you relate?

I roll out of bed and hit the ground running. Oh, where is that daytimer...hmm, I just remembered I forgot to pick it up last Tuesday when I received a call from Captain D's. I left my calender/scheduler/my life organizer on the bench of Captain D's. Why I bring stuff like that in a fast food restaurant -I never will know. You think after 15 years of parenting, and having three children I wouldn't think I might get to look through my scheduler while I swallow down a baked potatoe (Quayle spelling) and tea, and listen to my tween/teens graze through conversation as their chicken dinner disappears. But, yes, it is Sunday, and my scheduler hopefully is still behind the counter.

Nothing to worry too much about it just had my original Social Security Card and some other papers I tucked away into it when I took my oldest a few weeks ago to his second failed attempt to get a driver's permit. (He thinks he can pass without studying...retaking tests appears to be a new way of learning)

Don't ask where Tuesday to Sunday went. If my life is anything like yours, half of it was in my car limoing (did I create a new word?) a child here, another there, picking up friends, dropping off overdue library books.... Yes, once again my library books are overdue, I think two weeks this time. I yearly make a "donation" to the county library so that I can take home more books to rack up more fees.

And this week had a very special celebration, to ring the weekend in, and rush me all around town. My middle son had his 14th birthday party. Thank God, he is pretty laid back and isn't into fru-fru decorations, events, activities. (Although we did shop for his gifts from 10 am til 3 when we picked up one of his friends thirty minutes late.) I had no real planning to do. He was just meeting three friends (I set the limit for the sake of midnight noise control) at the local mall to hear their youth group band do a live acoustic set in a store about the size of a fancy mansion's clothes closet. I was informed by my daughter that the store required you to be an emo or was it emu in order to enter as a girl. Something about having a wildish, Gothic-like, cool look, which she didn't have and so she stayed out in the mall walking around with her dad and me (oh, what joy for a tween!)

After about an hour, the party group was all ready to get into my car. Dad took off with sister to pick up the pizzas. Mom headed to the grocery store to get cake, ice cream and soft drinks. I know, you just love how prepared I am. I run in the store in the middle of a heavy drizzle and a great view of a perfect rainbow! Speeding around the Indy, tackling all the needed items and a few extra: chips, batteries, nightlight....I get a call before I can check out. The boys have set off the car alarm! Finding a safe place to park my cart, I quickly head outside to the beeping car and teens boys laughing their heads off. I tell them I have to run back in and, by the way, "Your dad called and told me to hurry because a tornado was on the way!" Leaving the now, panicking boys I head back in to complete my purchase. (Seriously, my husband had called me while I was in the store, but I know my husband well enough to know it is about 30 minutes away...for me, that is lots of time!)

We zip out of the parking lot and get into the house where dear hubby is holding down storm track central. After the excitement of pea-size hail, wind and rain, the party heads upstairs for gaming. I am not gonna go into the rest of the lively details, just know I was patrolling upstairs at midnight after a wild dance of "jump on it" made it sound like buffalo were migrating on my bedroom ceiling.

Laying down in my bed, I finish my Novel, When Heaven and Hell Changed Places, truly a great story about the Vietnam war from the point of view of a precious Vietnamese child - now American women. And I fell asleep, to only begin my morning rolling out of bed in half-sleep after 6 am, making my way to the kitchen to put the Pillsbury grand cinnamon rolls (all 15 of them) in the oven to greet the hungry boys before they launch off to church with my husband that teaches Sunday School. Nothing like sugar to get teen boys rolling fast in the morning! (:

I get back in bed, watch some news (another billion $ bailout is planned...and they call this news), read the paper (only takes a few minutes now because they have no writers on staff anymore due to cutbacks), and pick up my next book to read, And The Rain Fell Hard, a novel by a GI from the Vietnam War. (I bought four books from different perspectives because I wanted to get an all around view of what happen...OK, now you know, I like/love to read, and learn, and see lessons in life.) Getting sleepy-eyed, I fall back asleep about 10 am, just in time so my dear husband will come home from church and think I have slept the morning away. (yes, he did!)

So, I will get off this computer and head out into the house of mess, dust and believe-it-or-nots. Stress, mess and lazy weekends go-together so well. I push my children so much during the week to get things done, I think everyone needs a break...including me. (And I wonder why I feel like I am having an elephant on my chest just in time for Sunday night church, you think I would learn a new way) If I leave everything as it is and walk with tunnel vision, I just experience stress. If I start to clean, as I see everything that needs to be done, I am sweaty exhausted and anxious because I will never finish, and of course, because I never gave myself a chance to rest...before the rush of the weeks starts all over again.

For my organized, compulsive readers, just pretend my house looks just as nice as yours....it works for me(:

Now why did I come to this computer in the first place, check email, write an article for the e-magazine, research potential 25th anniversary destinations....oh, I was going to read my Bible and write a short devotion. I wanted it to be real. My Bible is still on my lap...and I am not sure I have any material here to springboard from. Now let's see....rest, one of my favorite verses is "Be Still and Know That I am God!" Maybe I could start there.

(This is a republished post from 3/29/09)

The Pastoral Sin of Creating Seeker-Friendly Churches

2011-05-27T11:06:00.000-05:00

Why do Church members not mature to be like Christ?

I have just finished reading the most incredible book by the now very popular author among American seminaries, Dallas Willard. I picked up a copy of a book he wrote in 1986, The Spirit of The Disciplines (understanding how God changes lives). I loved learning how to implement spiritual disciplines to become more like Christ, and honestly, I have not yet started any live changes. Like all books, I feel the need to allow its teaching to simmer in my heart during quiet time with the Lord to determine what He would have me to do first.

But I am writing about this because what I read in the last two pages of the book surprised me, in a good way, and for me at least, it made this book a classic that should be read by all disciples of Jesus Christ. What could possibly be so powerful, you may think? I will let Dallas Willard's words speak for himself:

But there is a prevailing problem. The people of Christ have never lacked for available power to accomplish the task set for them by their Master. But they have failed to make disciples in the New Testament sense of the term. And naturally following upon this, they have failed even to intend to teach people to do all that Christ would have us do. ....

At this point in history, every leader among those who identify with Christ as Lord must ask himself or herself: "How can I justify not leading my people into the practice of disciplines for the spiritual life that would enable them to reign in their lives by Christ Jesus? How can I fail to give them this opportunity?...

Ministers pay far too much attention to people who do not come to services. ... The Christian leader has something much more important to do than pursue the godless. The leader's task is to equip saints until they are like Christ (Eph. 4:12), and history and the God of history waits for him to do this job. It is so easy for the leader today to get caught up in illusory goals, pursuing the marks of success which come from our training as Christian leaders or which are simply imposed from our world. It is big, Big, always BIG, and BIGGER STILL! That is the contemporary imperative. Thus we fail to take seriously the nurture and training of those, however few, who stand constantly by us. (italics and caps taken from the book text, as is)

Everyone who has a pastoral role to others, ... must strive for a specific understanding of what is happening to those who come regularly under his or her influence and must pay individual attention to their development. This is the absolutely sure way to "win the world" (John 17:21-23).

There is a special evangelistic work to be done, of course, and there are special callings to it. But if those in the churches really are enjoying fullness of life, evangelism will be unstoppable and largely automatic. The local assembly, for its part, can then become an academy where people throng from the surrounding community to learn how to live. It will be a school of life (for a disciple is a pupil, a student) where all aspects of that life seen in the New Testament records are practiced and mastered under those who have themselves mastered them through practice. Only by taking this as our immediate goal can we intend to carry out the Great Commission.

I want to shout the last sentence from the roof top of every church! Only by taking this as our immediate goal can we intend to carry out the Great Commission. How long will pastors of American churches not hear God's cry? How long will they seek "illusory goals" pursing "the mark of success" of "big, Big, always BIG, and BIGGER STILL"? When will they become themselves spiritually disciplined disciples instead of evangelically aimed program promoters? What will cause them to see "equipping the saints" is to be their God designed role in the body of the Church, not getting the godless lost to come to church?

Plain and simple, the Bible is quite clear on this point: The local assembly (called the church) is the place for disciples to meet regularly to be equipped until they are like Christ! Churches are not for lost souls; they are for saved souls! A church is one of few places in this entire world that is to be set apart unto God in holiness, not a place to make seeker-friendly goals to draw godless people to God.

The Great Commission has been twisted totally out of context on the altar of seeking "illusory goals" pursing "the mark of success" of "big"! Jesus desires remaining fruit that is spiritual matured through the equipping by ministers who should be teaching them in the local churches. Pastor must stop feeding baby food in sermons driven by the seeker-friendly illusory goal and equip his flock through solid, convicting, developing food from the Word of God.

Most pastor are taught to judge the health and effectiveness of his ministry by higher numbers indicating growth, but oh how deceptive the lie of "how many" is!

True disciples of Jesus will be racing to the doors of a church that was equipping them week by week to be like Christ, and each true disciple would carry his weight of the ministry (in service, tithe, ministering, giving, winning souls to the Lord)! There should be no free-loafers in the Body of Christ who simply come to the local church to enjoy programs, having activities for their children and a place to find friendships or socials.

Churches should not be a place that non-Christian find comfortable or appealing, since they don't have the indwelling spirit of Jesus Christ but are children of the Evil One.

If people with Satan as their father are drawn continually to come and attend church to hear the message and participate in gatherings, in greater and greater numbers, pastoral leadership should be alarmed, not celebrating. Evangelism is to be done through the outreaching arm of every church, ministering each where they live, work and play. And once a person comes to know Jesus they should then be baptized into the faith, since they are a member of the body of Christ, and therefore encouraged to continually attend services to be taught how they are to live to be like Christ.

Is this not clear and Biblical teaching? And if so, why do so many pastors not obey God?