"WALK-ALONG-SIDERS"

11/27/12 "WALK-ALONG-SIDERS" I heard that term from a recent Allen Bible Church's, Buddy Liles sermon. It has resonated in my thoughts ever since. We all need such folks in our Christian walk. We also need to be such a person for others.
The Christian life is NOT to be lived in isolation. Relationships in the faith are vital.
Hebrews 3:13 says it well.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

We all need "walk-along-siders!"

Worthy Meditation

11/26/12 A somewhat recent blog comment from Aggie T.(from France) has impacted my thinking for several weeks now. Her comment dealt with living a life of faith and what that looks like to others. She recalls hearing a the comment, "Don't answer questions that people aren't asking you, BUT (emphasis, mine) live in such a way that people will ask you questions (about your faith in, or walk with, God." God's word exhorts us to do that. To live a "worthy" life.

so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls…(I Thessalonians 2:12)

What would such a life look like to you? 

Does your life look like that to others? 

Does anyone every comment or ask about your faith or the hope that is in you?

The verse and the questions are worthy of consideration.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Thanks & giving

11/25/12 Thankful to have time with a grandchild over the weekend and grateful for all the places where one can easily give to St. Jude

THANKS MALCO theaters for supporting St. Jude!

Owen was thankful for a "fun" Pop-Pop who took him to ride a camel!

Admission was giving cans of food to the Memphis Food Bank---thankful for that kind of giving.

Owen met the STAR, Carley, after the performance. She gave a great performance and Owen loved the play!

THANKS AND GIVING

11/22/12 "Give thanks with a grateful heart......"   And what does that look like? According to Marlo Thomas it looks like a donation to St. Jude. I have to agree with her.

Knowing the family of the child (Ingram) whose face graces the billboard in Times Square and in the Martha Stewart magazine along with knowing 5 yr. old Michael B. from Oak Grove, IL, who will return in a month for his quarterly scans, I see St. Jude as an AMAZING place. St. Jude doctors have been diligent in finding just the right meds for these two young men. Their families are ever so grateful for every extra day they have been given. Michael's mom and her sisters helped raise over $360,000 for St. Jude thru their "Dream A Little Dream Fashion Show" & Ingram's two young sisters (elementary age) have raised $200,000 since April in their "Conquer Cancer" campaign. 

If you looked around your Thanksgiving table today and were grateful for your kids or grandkids, how about choosing to give thanks by honoring all St. Jude's neuroblastoma patients, like these two, Super hero Michael (Batman) and Ingram the Conquerer with a donation.

Thank God for your blessings and then you can  click here to donate and thus give a blessing to others.

BUCKET BECKONINGS.....

11/20 12 .....the RED one, that is. 

Michèle Phoenix, my fellow MAC cancer sister, never "bypasses" a RED bucket. She always puts something in! I learned that last year when I met up with her in the "windy city." There are lots of RED buckets in Chicago. As a single gal starting up a new stateside ministry, after years on foreign soil, I'm sure her pockets aren't the deepest. Possibly not giving out of her abundance but out of her need. What an example!

You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

This year I plan to follow suit. Won't you join me?

Let's allow the Salvation Army RED Bucket to beckon us all.

True Meditation

11/19/12 Returning from the mission trip to India, Hickman E. said that MANY in India worship in spirit but NOT in truth. There are many gods, hundreds, if not thousands, of personal gods in the faiths of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, etc. The sacred cow came to my mind.

Christianity calls one to worship One True God and to worship in "Spirit and in Truth."

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."(John 4:24)

So how does one find truth. John 14: 6 gives that answer. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  Meditate on that "truth."

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Sanctuary Revisited

11/18/12 In Genesis 12:8, Abraham built an altar after pitching his tent between Bethel and Ai. Bethel is a symbol for communing with God and Ai is the symbol of the world. That's right where we all live today---between quiet times with God and the clamors of the world. That's why we need a Bethel-type "sanctuary." A place to meet with God.

Inside St. George's sanctuary--seeking to capture His created "light." 

Even our soul can become a sanctuary where we fellowship with the Lord, the God and Father of our universe. Sometimes it just takes pulling away to a quiet place---an outside sanctuary to nurture our soul, an inside sanctuary.

Outside sanctuary--seeking "light" from His Word thru prayer and meditation.

"a spot of tea"

11/17/12 humiliTEA---I still need a few more little sips. 

As I was closing my NIV Bible this morning, I noticed on the frontispiece a "defining" note. Son Buddy's definition for humility, which he called the "key to life."

Humility is a "right" estimation of our life/ self toward God and others. Eyes to see eternal perspective is key to humility. Self turned toward God and others so affirmed what I sensed the Lord started teaching me as I prepared the James chapter 4 lesson. He continues to "show" me that true humility doesn't conclude with a life turned toward God.....but God would have my love and esteem for Him to continue to turn toward others. 

It's a reiteration of my "roots and fruits" musings. A heart "rooted" in humility of love and esteem for the Lord bears the fruit of love and service to others.

"Still sipping on that truth, today."

ANAGRAM ANALOGY

11/16/12 Game icons on my iPad are few---and only 1 of the 6 is mine, and I don't even play it very often. My friend, Ann Martin, introduced me to Whirly Word---an APP for a puzzle game that starts with 6 letters for the player to make as many words from those letters as you can. Accepted words appear as they are entered. Nothing high tech. I don't even keep the sound on. One can play it alone---or with a friend looking over your shoulder, not one out in cyberspace. When you're stuck, you can press whirl and the letters change positions. Sometimes with that simple change of perspective, clarity comes.

 In this game, the first word I saw was "Shug."  In an Urban Dictionary, shug is short for sugar. My Daddy's nickname for me was Sugar so that's exactly why my "grands" call me "Shug." Whirly Word wouldn't accept it.

A recent revelation came from a "new" similar game. The letters were
e t  s  l  n i. 
There were five 6-letter words listed as possibilities on that grid. "Listen" came easily. Enlist. Inlets. I needed to whirl.
A "whirl" could give me a new perspective.

I moved those letters around. SILENT jumped out at me. Silent---the adjective that describes a person on one side of a conversation. If I indeed listen attentively, with the purpose of hearing, during my prayer conversations with the Lord, I need to be silent.

Anne Graham Lotz said it well when describing how we "hear" God's voice. "We "silently" listen with our eyes open on the page of our Bible." (my paraphrase)

VISIBLE CONVICTIONS

11/14/12 CONVICTIONS! Do you have any? Are they visible to others?

Sweet friend, Kathi Wright, came by a set of convictions the "hard way." Having lost nephew, Kyle Kiihnl, as a result of a somnolent student driver. (Both students at Houston High & a great tragedy for both families.)

Kathi has been standing firm on her conviction to save lives by creating an awareness of the consequences of driving while drowsy. Fund raising thru the “Eye Opener 5k” has raised funds for a memorial scholarship in Kyle’s name for an “exceptional” wrestling student at the school. They also provide literature with statistics to increase awareness of the tragic results of driver fatigue. Kathi is boldly "standing up" for her heartfelt conviction.

While traveling I-40 recently, I saw evidence of Kathi’s conviction. A blinking message. A reminder that if folks don’t drive while drowsy, then falling asleep at the wheel won’t result in a death.

Growing up I always heard that “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. With that memory, the flashing sign on I-40 and a weekend message on “My Heart’s Cry for MORE Courage in My Convictions” coupled with yesterdays jury duty time, I began to ask myself about my spiritual convictions.  
Am I standing up and standing out in the world with my spiritual convictions? Or….do I have a case of “spiritual anemia” and I’m just blending in with the world around me?

Jesus is God. He is NOT God jr…. but fully man, fully God and He gave His life for my (your) sin. May my blog never slur the integrity of that truth.

Ask yourself, “How visible are my spiritual convictions? Are they so evident they appear to be flashing as on an interstate message board?”