Rejoice in the Lord~~ALWAYS!

Part One:

After my list of blessings in last week's blog, I thought it only fair to continue the list from the other side!

 We are home now after our wonderful week in Florida, but, I'm not going to complain about the fact that it was a cloudy, windy 33 degrees upon arrival. Instead, I am going to choose to follow the exhortation found in Philippians 4:4-Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS, and again, I say, rejoice. The meaning of this passage is... that we rejoice in the Lord always-for all things-in all things. (That wasn't so difficult!)


So, I am rejoicing in our safe arrival.
     I am rejoicing:
           that is was not 32 degrees.
           that is was not snowing.
           that is was not storming (like it was last night).
           that we have our home to come home to.
           that we have a family here to return to (including grandkids)!
           that Ethan has a basketball game tonight (and only had one last week).
           that God has given us a wonderful ministry in Springfield.
           that an hour after getting home, the clouds broke, and it is now bright and sunny (ok, maybe not warm and sunny-but I will take bright and sunny)!
           that God provided the opportunity in the first place....


Yep, God is good--ALL the time!



Part Two:


I learned something else while we were in Florida. Sermon illustrations are a little different there. In SS yesterday, my parents' pastor was teaching from Hebrews 2.While teaching from verse 10, he was making the point that Jesus is more than just someone we call on in an emergency. The Lord  is not simply a life preserver hanging on the side of the pool that we call for when we are in distress. He is more than some'thing' that arrives in time to bring us to safety. He deserves more than our quick thank you before He is hung back on the hook for the next emergency. I really don't think I have ever heard that illustration in Missouri! 


The lesson was wrapped up with this point:

Is the Lord merely your life preserver? Or, is He the Captain of your ship?

I think that is how I will wrap up today's blog!

Rejoice~~ALWAYS!

Debbie

A Humble Brag? A Shared Blessing?

I had something light-hearted started to publish this week while I am in Florida visiting my parents. But, we have been busy doing things like going to the beach and visiting the Cardinals Spring Training Facility. Plus, not having the internet access I thought I would have, I was not sure just if I would get anything up.

So, I have been trying to keep everyone caught up on how things are going via my iphone and facebook. Yet, I have been worried and careful to not sound like it was too wonderful and make everyone ‘mad’ at me! 

Well, last night’s episode of NCIS LA got me thinking along a new train of thought. So hopefully I will get over to a Wi-Fi place and get this published later this week.

The joke among the NCIS team (February 22, 2011) was “That is a humble brag.”  I thought, yea, all my Florida blessings this week would be considered a humble brag.  But these great and wonderful opportunities don’t come from me. They weren’t done by me. They were done FOR me by my loving and gracious Heavenly Father. So, why shouldn’t I share them?

After all, I can’t think of a particular verse that says, “SH! Don’t tell your friends about how great God is and all the wonderful things He does for you.” (Except for one in the gospels-but God had a particular purpose for that). No, Scripture tells us to “Go home to your friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you...” (Mark 5:19).  Throughout the Old Testament God tells the Children of Israel that He blesses them so that the nations may know of the greatness of The One True God-The God of Israel.

I guess, then, I should share how thankful I am for this awesome opportunity and the wonderful blessings the Lord has afforded me this week. Because, God is good~~ all the time!

            I am thankful for 80 some odd degrees and sunshine the last week in February.

            I am thankful for the opportunity to travel with my husband as he attends a conference in Orlando in February. (I am thankful for a wonderful, loving husband who wants me to travel with him!)

            I am thankful for Allegiant Airlines!

            I am thankful that the humming noise in the house is the AC instead of the heater.

            I am thankful for getting to wear shorts and capris instead of long johns and heavy coats!

            I am thankful for flip-flops instead of boots! (I even prefer my flip-flops over my orange boots!)

            I am thankful for the opportunity to travel down to Jupiter to visit the Cardinals Spring Training Facility.

            I am thankful for the combination of heat and humidity that made it hard for me to breathe as we were walking to the practice fields.

            I am thankful for healthy, loving parents who are willing to drive two hours so we could do so!

            I am thankful for sitting outside in a lawn chair past dark and visiting with neighbors in February.

            I am thankful for the bug bites I received while sitting outside after dark.

            I am thankful for sitting on the patio at McDonalds for lunch in February.

            I am thankful for wanting to hurry outside and then strolling slowly to the car.

            I am thankful to be going to the beach in about an hour!!!!!!!!

            I am thankful for the sunburn on my neck.

            I am thankful for the opportunity to see Discovery lift-off (if no last minute delays).

            I am thankful for the opportunity to visit with old friends.

            I am thankful…….for whatever else comes along this week.

So, the choice is yours-- rather to roll your eyes and consider this a humble brag-or to take an opportunity to praise the Lord for His goodness to a dear friend! Scripture tells me to share God’s blessings and give Him the credit, so that you may get a glimpse of His greatness and be encouraged by His blessings to His children. I sincerely trust you take this as an opportunity to praise the Lord for His blessings towards us everyday!

Having a blast!

Love you all,

Debbie

(Next week we will get started with John 11.)

Blended Service

As I was trying to think of a title for this segment, I wanted to go with something along the lines of merging Mary and Martha,  but that is the same idea Joanna Weaver used in her concluding chapter (even though I thought of that terminology before I got to that last chapter L). So, how could I keep that same thought with different terminology? I sat and went through synonyms in my mind and came up with blended-which made me think of churches which refer to their worship time as a ‘blended service’. AH! Perfect! Blended Service—that is exactly what our service to the Lord should be~~ a little Martha and a little Mary.

Personally, I prefer a blended service. I really enjoy worshipping with a balanced mixture of 'traditional' and 'contemporary'. So, I find this idea of blended ‘service’ to be a very practical and sensible  idea, not to mention, biblical.

We have already discussed the dangers of too much Mary as we looked at James 2:14-17-Faith without works to back it up is dead. We discussed Jesus’ examples and teaching about going above the call of duty and going out of our way-whether we feel like it or not in an effort to demonstrate Christ-like compassion to the hurting. Another passage that follows this same thought is found in 1 John 3:16-18.

We have already discussed the dangers of too much Martha as we looked in depth at Luke 10:40-41. We have seen the answer to this danger when we studied Psalm 46:10~~ Be still and know that I am God.

But I would like to add one more concern. Consider the teaching of Matthew 7:21-23. Please consider, are you doing the Mary-like things (verse 21) apart from the Lord?  Are you doing the Martha-like things (verse 22) completely without the Lord? We will look more at this when we get into our study of John 11 and look at Martha’s answer to Jesus’ most-pointed question, “Do you believe?”

We ended our last Mary/Martha segment with the following two statements that bear repeating.

Martha, do you temper your Martha deeds with a devoted Mary heart and  take time to “Be still and know?"

Mary, do you express your devoted heart with Martha-like deeds with love and compassion?

I asked people from my church to help me think of an appropriate chorus or hymn that would express the dilemma of too much Mary and one to express the dilemma of too much Martha. The following old hymn was mentioned for both! As I read through the entire hymn, I quickly noticed that it wasn’t divided with one verse to encourage Mary and one verse to encourage Martha. Phrases were arranged throughout each verse to encourage both. Now, I doubt seriously if the author had Mary and Martha in mind as he penned these lyrics, but thank you Wm. D. Longstaff for such encouraging words for all the Marys and Marthas that have struggled through the years.

Take Time to be Holy

Take time to be holy, Speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His word.

 Make friends with God’s children; help those who are weak;

forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

 much time spend in secret with Jesus alone;

 by looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

 thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy guide,

 and run not before Him, whatever betide;

in joy or in sorrow still follow the Lord,

and looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,

each thought and each motive beneath His control;

thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Can you pick out the Mary phrases and the Martha phrases?


It is all about balance-all about blended service!

Take time to be holy,
Debbie

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Red to say I LOVE YOU!

I just want to take this opportunity to express my love, devotion, and appreciation to the dear and precious people God has placed in my life. Please understand, however, that I prefer to not use names in my blog.

First and foremost~I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for how He showed His love for me.  "The only word for grace is amazing."

Romans 5:8 says, "For God commended (demonstrated) His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Jesus is the ultimate Valentine!

Next, I want to express my undying love to my sweet  loving husband! He is, by far, the most gracious and godly man on this earth. I love him deeply and am so grateful for our nearly 34 years of marriage! I love you, dear!

I so love our two children, although that is a strange word to use, as they are both mature, wonderful young adults with families of their own-although I am anxiously awaiting one family to grow! I am so very proud of both of them, and their spouses.

Hugs and kisses to our three precious and adorable grandchildren. I pray for them daily that they grow to learn of Christ's love and salvation young in life.

I love and appreciate my loving parents (See you next week!) for raising me in the things of the Lord.

I also love and appreciate my awesome extended family, including everyone who ends in...in-law. You have all been an important part of my life and my family's life in so many ways!

I truly love my church family as well. Berean Baptist Church, Bolivar, I love you all and so appreciate the opportunity I have had to minister with you and to you. You have been such a blessing to my family and me! I also want to send a special "I love you" to my childrens' workers. Your minsitry will touch lives for years to come!

I also want to express love and appreciaton to my many wonderful friends- both new and old~~extending across the miles and across the years. I am thankful for the memories you have left on my heart.

I love and appreciate my faithful readers as well. I appreciate your support and trust I can be a continued encouragement to your life.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY,
debbie

Choosing the Better Part

As we conclude Mary’s and Martha’s first encounter with Jesus as seen in Luke 10:38-42, we see that we are left with a choice. Not so much a choice of actions, but rather a choice of priority.

Martha chose to allow herself to become overwhelmed with much doing because she thought the things that needed to be done were of utmost importance. She thought her worth and value were wrapped up in her productivity. “I have to get this done, or I will be a ‘failure’”.

Mary, on the other hand, believed taking advantage of this special time with Jesus was what was most important at that moment.

Jesus, in the midst of His rebuke of Martha’s over-occupied and distracted attitude, reminds us that Mary CHOSE the Better Part.

We have discussed how the need for service and hospitality are very important in our efforts to minister to others, but there are times when the BETTER choice is to put down the pitchers and the trays and listen to God’s message for our hearts-BE STILL AND KNOW. Even though serving is a good thing, stopping and seeking the Word of the Lord is the Better Part.

Our responsibilities as believers and servants of our Lord involve both our relationship with Him and with others. However, we must be careful to not put the cart before the horse. Before we can have the proper relationship with others, we must first develop the proper relationship with God.

Ephesians 2:10 is an interesting verse that can speak to both Marys and Marthas. Placed in a section of Paul's letter that encourages the Ephesians to walk worhty of their salvation, it states that we, as new creatures in Christ, have been created unto His workmanship (listen, Mary) to do good works, as (your turn, Martha) He has prepared for us to do.”  We have been created as His masterpiece, not because we have done good works, but in order to ENABLE us to follow His path of good works. According to this verse, and what we have seen from James 2, one of the goals of our salvation is to walk worthy, which involves DOING (Mary) HIS (Martha) GOOD WORKS.

Marthas must practice saying “NO”. Christian inspirational writer, Jill Briscoe wrote along these lines as she encouraged her readers that it is not doing it all that matters. What matters is that we do all He gives us to do.  Keep in mind that I Corinthians 10:13 promises He will never give us more than we can handle. So, let me ask, are we doing what He gives us to do as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23) and not worrying about the rest?

Marys, on the other hand, must practice saying “YES”. Are we looking for ways to have the heart of a grandma and step out of our comfort zones and do something special for someone who needs a little encouragement?

So, whether a Mary or a Martha be, it all comes down to this:

Martha, do you temper your Martha deeds with a devoted Mary heart and take time to “Be Still and Know”?

Mary, do you express your devoted heart with Martha-like deeds with love and compassion?

The choice is ours to make.

Debbie

Coming soon-Does Martha Learn Her Lesson?-the second encounter

Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone: The level at which one functions with ease and familiarity-Merriam/Webster Dictionary

Last week we discussed how Marys often use their desire to sit and learn at Jesus’ feet as an excuse to not get as involved as we should with serving. The delicate scales of Mary’s worship and Martha’s service tend, too often, to not balance. Marthas often use the excuse that there is so much that needs to be done. What excuse do Marys use?

Mine is “I’m not creative enough to do Martha stuff.” Therefore, I end up doing nothing at all. Let’s go back to one of the first installments of the Mary/Martha Saga. We discussed Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto man”.  My excuse basically means, if it doesn’t impress, it’s not worthy of doing. Goodness, what an unscriptural thought is that!

Before we can rely on our excuses as good motives for our actions, we must first consider the motive behind our excuses. NOT SERVING for the wrong reason is just as bad as SERVING for the wrong reason.

It is not so much changing our works that makes the difference, but changing the motives behind our works.

Serving others is not a matter of impressing others. It is meeting the needs of others in a loving, godly manner. It is an act of love and compassion that reaches others for the cause of Christ.  It is showing compassion, not showing talent.

The Good Samaritan showed compassion in Luke 10. Remember, I often refer to this parable because Jesus had just shared it with the disciples before arriving at Martha’s home. Verses 33-34 say: “…he had compassion on him. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds….and took care of him.” He saw a need and went beyond the call of duty to care for him.

Jesus showed compassion in John 4 when He went out of His way to go through Samaria and minister to the woman at the well.

In Matthew 14:14 Jesus had compassion on the crowd on the same day he found out that his cousin John had been beheaded. I really don’t think Jesus FELT like ministering then, but He did.

According to Mounce (Complete Expository Dictionary...), the usage of the word compassion in these passages refers to a feeling of affection and tenderness. It involves a deep heart-felt emotion that can “affect us in the pit of our stomachs”. It carries the idea of being moved in the inner parts of one’s being.

Other passages where Jesus shows this kind of deep compassion include: Matthew 9:36, Mark 8:2, Mark 9:22 and Luke 7:13.

When we see a need, are we stirred with enough heart-felt compassion to reach out and encourage or help? Doing so requires we leave our comfort zone. It requires that we go beyond the call of duty, as the Good Samaritan did. It requires that we go out of our way, whether we feel like it or not, as Jesus did.

 Marys-we have a loving heart for our Savior. We must also develop a loving heart for others.

You may be asking, “But, how?” Like I said, I lack creativity, so what can I do? I read one little paragraph in Joanna Weaver’s “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World” that made it all make sense to me. It is really such an easy concept, I find myself doing it regularly.  I bopped myself on the forehead and immediately wrote in the margin, “Have the heart of a grandma.” Let’s take a look.

Joanna quotes author Linda Anderson from Love Adds a Little Chocolate.

“Duty can pack an adequate sack lunch, but love may decide to enclose a little love note inside…Obligation sends the children to bed on time, but love tucks the covers in around their necks and passes out hugs and kisses…Obligation can pour a glass of milk, but quite often, love adds a little chocolate.”

The grandkids know at grandmas they get chocolate milk. Jim and Sharon didn’t get chocolate milk all the time, but the grandkids do! That last sentence from Linda Anderson struck me like the heartburn commercial where various food items slap the person back and forth across the face! It’s just something special I do for them. Who says I’m not creative?!  You see, service just takes a little going out of the way, a little going beyond the call of duty, a little something special. It doesn’t take a giant leap to step out of that comfort zone. It just takes little steps of love and compassion.

Here are a few simple examples of small acts of compassion that can help us as Marys gently step into the realm of service. Some are my ideas, some are from other sources. Feel free to add others.

                Secret Opportunities: Appoint yourself as someone’s secret sister. Send a card. Send a box of candy-or even a candy bar. (Did you notice I did not suggest MAKE a card, or PUT TOGETHER A FANCY BOX OF CANDY?) It doesn’t have to be fancy, ladies!  Secret steps of service are a good start for intimidated Marys. As you begin to feel more comfortable, find your own ‘personal comfortee’ and slowly get involved in someone’s life in an outward manner. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

                Volunteer for a trusted Christian organization. Get involved with group service so you don’t feel like it is all up to you.

                Volunteer as a helper in your church children’s ministry. Once again, this will allow you to blend in and not be in the forefront.

                Be aware of your surroundings. Look for small needs that can be met behind the scenes. Church dinner over?  Clean up beginning? I always grab the salt/pepper boxes and quietly begin to pick up the S/P shakers from the tables. Let Marthas do the set-up. We can take care of clean up.

                Consider needs that may be brought to mind during your Be Still time. As you allow Him, God will direct your attentions.

I leave you with this quote from Joanna Weaver.

“A true passion for God will naturally result in compassion for people.”

Mary, this is for you! 

Have the heart of a grandma!

Debbie

               

               

Lessons for Mary

We have spent quite a bit of time discussing Martha’s frustrations of much serving ‘alone’. We have discussed Jesus’ rebuke of her attitude of being over-occupied and cumbered about with her serving. We have looked at Scriptures’ command to “Be still and know I am God”.

Let’s take a moment today to move away from Martha’s tilt on the serving/worship scale and consider Mary’s tilt on that scale. If Marthas tend to be over-occupied, I think (from experience) that Marys tend to be under-occupied. Therein lies a problem which also needs to be considered. Just where do we draw that line? How do we perfectly balance that delicate scale?

Yes, Marthas need to move some of their service to the worship side of the scale. But, Marys, too, need to move some of their worship to the service side of the scale.

James 2:14-20 teaches that faith without works is dead.  A claim of faith with no deeds to back it up is worthless.  Because of our love and faith we have for Christ, our hearts should be motivated to serve others. Sharing our faith with others is best demonstrated by serving others. We have all heard the saying, “you are the only Bible some people read.”  What we do for others is important and should not be overlooked. 

Stop and think for a minute-during the early church age before scripture was written and available, the lives of the early believers WAS the only Bible the lost world could read!

 Our lives must actively demonstrate God’s love to others.

Taking time to DO for others is commanded by and modeled by Jesus throughout the gospels.  

Known as the Great Commandment, Matthew 22:38-39 stresses the importance of loving (caring for) your neighbor as yourself.  This concept is demonstrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. And, in the parallel passage in Mark 12, Jesus speaks of the wise answer given by a questioning scribe. The scribe readily agreed that loving one’s neighbor was more important than the offering of sacrifices.

I am sure we can all share a story about someone who came to Christ as a result of a loving Christian outreached hand that came to the rescue during a time of heartache or trouble.

You see, Mary, you (we) must make room for service as well as worship. I remember a pastor during my youth days making the following comment, “Some people are so heavenly-minded, that they are of no earthly good.” What a sad commentary.  Marys, let’s not let that be true of us. As we look more at Mary in the next couple of weeks, we will see that that wasn’t true of Mary. We read later of the day she DID a most amazing act of service that demonstrated her great love for her Savior.

I recently read the following on a church marquee. “God’s will is not something we seek-it is something we do.”  This should be an eye-opening realization to us Marys. We need to stop spending so much of our time seeking God’s will. We must also get out and DO it.

By the way, since I consider myself a Mary, I can step on my own toes with a few gulping, afraid to say it comments. One of which is….could it be that one reason we like to stay in the front room ‘learning at Jesus feet’ is because getting out and serving would take us out of our comfort zone?

Or, could it be that Mary’s checklist (read Proverbs 1, read Matthew 6-8, read from my devotional book, pray for the missionaries, etc.) can easily be checked off for a day of successful devotion time. (If you haven’t read the previous installment, "Be Still and Know"…, this would be a good time to do so! That is usually what is lacking with this type of devotional attitude. )

Or, do we find ourselves reading even more if there is competition involved. I could easily find myself desiring to be the best student if I were involved in a group Bible Study.  All that type of stuff is easy for us Marys.—Our Comfort Zone! BUT, to go out of that zone and DO something? Oh, the excuses start pouring out of our mouths!

Next time, I will share some Mary excuses and some suggestions (from my Joanna Weaver book and other sources) that may help us get out of our comfort zone and move over to the serving side of the scale.

Let’s DO it!

Debbie

For the fun of it: Here is a picture of today's snowstorm in Springfield!