Month: August 2014

With all the protests going on in Ferguson, Missouri, I wonder about equality and fairness. I got thinking about this after watching a video on Facebook. This guy names Johnathon Gentry hits the nail on the head. Click here for to listen to his video…

I completely understand that people are upset over the killing of Michael Brown. For those who may not know what I am talking about, I’m discussing where the police officer killed a African American boy that was unarmed.

What I am going to go into is all the other innocent people that are killed all over the place and not getting the publicity. They don’t have Al Sharpton or the NAACP showing up to help them out because there aren’t cameras rolling.

I have no problem with protecting the rights of all people, no matter what color or race they are. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I have family members of all races, nationalities, faiths and sizes.  I do have a problem though on how people pick and choose who deserves to get more media attention. Yeah, it is important what is going on in Missouri, but it is any more important than a young child being killed because of a stray bullet? Is it any more important than the thousands of innocent lives that are being lost each year because of stupidity or drunk drivers?

There are horrible things going on all over the world and to hundreds of thousands of people that we never hear of. I don’t know if we are hearing more about the shooting of this young man because he is black and the officer is white. To me it would seem that way. If it was the other way around, I don’t think we would be hearing anything about it. And if we do it would be a blurb on the news.

Just the other day, I accidentally came across a video of a black police officer that was killed in the line of duty. Officer Kevin Jordan was killed by some white customers at a Waffle House. When I watched the video on how much he did for his community, it broke my heart to know that he was a fallen officer. Where is the media when things like this happens? Yeah he got local media, but not outside of the area he lived. There were no riots or getting in other peoples faces. It was about remembering someone who made a difference. Click here to watch the video of the tribute video I accidentally came across.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I want to know where all the cameras and media people are when another child dies or get’s diagnosed with cancer. I thank God all the time that my children and grand-kids are healthy. Why isn’t more being done to save these children? Why aren’t picketing for them?

Just today, I was reading about another young child that died from cancer. People should be getting mad and wanting to do something. But they aren’t. Well, some are, but not nearly enough. Richard was laid to rest today. To learn more about Richard, here is a link to his funeral. Even though I never met him, children like him touches my heart and it makes me upset to know more isn’t being done. Are they not worth fighting for? I have been praying for over 30 kids and each week more are added. Each week another child dies senselessly. I want to know where Al Sharpton and the NAACP is? Go to the Jesse Rees Facebook page and look through the pictures of all of the children and families. You will be touched by their stories and strengths. But these children and families don’t have Al Sharpen fighting for them because they aren’t controversial enough I guess.

If just a small about of money and time that was spent on rioting and protesting, a difference can be made in so many peoples lives. I guess it is a pick and choose and see what the media thinks is worth while. To say I am ticked would be an understatement. I will be posting on childhood cancer in September, because awareness needs to happen. I am blessed beyond measure that I don’t know anyone personally with childhood cancer. But I do know many that have cancer of other forms. I guess their lives isn’t worth the publicity and media attention either!!!

 

With the upcoming release of “Left Behind” I have been thinking about this. They have been posting little tidbits about the movie and book series. Of which I love the book series and own them all. I have also watched all the movies that have Kirk Cameron in them. But the question that they pose is pretty simple, but hard. What message would you want those who are left behind know about?

Someone of the Left Behind Facebook page wrote a message to those who have been left behind and I liked what they had to say. It said.  “Stay strong. Do not give up hope on God. This is not necessarily a punishment but a clear message that this is your last chance to turn to God. Do not grieve for those who are gone for they are with God. Grieve for those who are left and will witness the tribulation of God and will still not believe in him and will rely on false prophets. Stay strong in your new found faith and no that it is not too late. See you soon.”

For those who don’t know anything about this movie or book series. It is about the end times. Nickolas Cage will be playing the main roll in it. For many Christians, they believe that Christ will take his church home before the tribulation period begins.

For those who may not be familiar with the end times and what the rapture means, I will try to explain it. The word “rapture” comes from Paul’s “caught up” remark in verse 17. The words “caught up” are translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means “to carry off,” “snatch up,” or “grasp hastily.” The translation from harpazo to “rapture” involved two steps: first, harpazo became the Latin word raptus; second, raptus became the English word “rapture.”

The rapture will take place sometime in the near future. Jesus will come in the air, catch up the Church from the earth, and then return to heaven with the Church. The Apostle Paul gave a clear description of the rapture event in his letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians.

• “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thess, 4:16-18).
• “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on in-corruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

This is how the Left Behind website describes this movie… The most important event in the history of mankind is happening right now. In the blink of an eye, the biblical Rapture strikes the world. Millions of people disappear without a trace. All that remains are their clothes and belongings, and in an instant, terror and chaos spread around the world. The vanishings cause unmanned vehicles to crash and burn. Planes fall from the sky. Emergency forces everywhere are devastated. Gridlock, riots and looting overrun the cities. There is no one to help or provide answers. In a moment, the entire planet is plunged into darkness. Check out more about this movie  and the trailer at http://www.leftbehindmovie.com/

When I think of the end times, I have mixed emotions. The reason I say that is because I am looking forward to the second coming of Christ. But at the same time it is a time of sadness because of those who won’t be with Christ that I love. Each person has to decide for themselves, I can’t make them. The Bible is very clear on how terrible things will be. There are many theories out there about when Christ will come again. Never trust anyone who says they know, because it isn’t true. We are given signs of the end times, but no year, month, day or hour. If anyone is reading this and the rapture has happened, help yourself to the books, bibles and other resource I have, because you will need them.

I do hope that it is the pre-trib theory. The reason I say that is because I am a chicken and no way would I want to have to even think about having to live through the mid tribulation period or any other kind of tribulation period. It doesn’t matter if it’s pre, mid or post tribulation – what matters is it’s real. It’s coming and it’s close. For those who know the Lord personally, does it matter if it is the pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib. We should be doing the Lords work each day. As things begin to unfold in the world, we will know. God knows when things will happen, we just need to be ready and talk to as many as we can about who God is and what His plan of Salvation is. We should all be reaching out to the LOST, and try, in any way…to reach them, with God’s Good News!

Now, if I wanted to leave a message to those who would be left behind. I would say never ever take the mark of the beast. Once you do that, you have sealed your fate. The mark of the beast is the sign of the Antichrist, and is mentioned in Revelation 13:15-18:

” 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.”

Secondly, I would say to read the Bible and hide out. Things are not going to be pretty. The Anti Christ will lie to you and most that will be saved during this time will have to find a safe place. Don’t trust anyone and be on guard. I would guess that most who are saved during this time will be killed for their faith. It is better to loose your temporary life then to loose your life forever. As believers in Christ we must realize that this world is not our home!

Also during this time, you will find it almost impossible to be able to buy food, gas or just about anything. The only way you will be able to do anything is if you have the mark of the beast. That mark could be almost anything. Now, my thoughts is that it will be a micro-chip of sorts since they can be read easily. Don’t do it. It isn’t worth it!!!

Lastly, I would say memorize the Word of God and pray. Don’t believe people when they try to convince you that everyone that is gone was abducted by aliens. The only thing that is true about aliens is that as Christians we are aliens in a sense in the world, since we live in the world, but not of this world. Jesus Christ said, In Matthew 24:40 it says “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left”.

No matter when Christ comes, we know for certain that He will be coming again. We know we must be ready and sharing the Word of God. There are many nay sayers and those who believe that this is fiction. Hopefully those who are the nay sayers will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior before it is too late and guarantee ya, that if you take the mark, then it is too late.

 

Most of the images on this blog posting are from the Left Behind website. They are owned by them.

Sorry All, this is a vent… Just having one of those days.

Stupid people drive me nuts. Or should I say stupid comments. And people that goes on and on and doesn’t have a clue and doesn’t need to be in the middle of my business needs to just step to the side. And for the most part I am probably making more out of this than I need to.

This is the whole thing. We have my brother in laws car. The engine is a mess and I want it out of our garage. It has only been in there for over 2 yrs. My car can’t even fit in there because of this beast. Chuck has no time to work on it. He barely has time to work on the cars we drive all the time. And, by the time we pay for an engine, fix it up, we are in the hole. So when someone tells me that this or that can be done with it. I want to shoot them with a rubber band. If someone else wants to pay to have it fixed and spend countless hours on it, by all means go for it. But when it isn’t their time or money, they need to step aside and leave it alone. I have no patience for this at all and sick of the whole thing. The first $850.00 dollars takes it and they can blow it up for all I care. They can even use it for target practice, I don’t care.

I’m thinking since my cardiologist wants to do a stress test and my blood pressure was 210/128 today or right around there, that they should check my blood pressure around people that have no common sense. My Dr’s say to stay calm and away from stress. How can someone fix stupid??? I don’t think there are enough pills in this world to do that.

Now, I know as a Christian I should be nice and slow to anger. But, I want to also add that I understand the verse where it says “we all fall short of the glory of God.” So I am falling short right now and I am thinking there has to be a Bible verse about stupid people. It is human nature to justify things, so for a few minutes or the night, I am going to justify my thoughts on this whole thing.

OK! So I had to go search for Bible verses on stupidity. And low and behold there is some.

• Proverbs 12:1 – Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
• Ecclesiastes 10:3 – Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense and show everyone how stupid they are.
• Romans 1:22 – Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
• 2 Timothy 2:23 – Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

So, now I am going to have to end this topic because stupid is something that can’t be fixed that easily. And I get really agitated over somethings.

Prayer can and is one of the most powerful tools we posses. When we really pray awesome things can happen. I know this first hand.

About 17 yrs ago I was in a huge amount of pain. The kind of pain that stops you in your tracks and makes it impossible to move let alone breath. Because of my medical condition things are a bit rough. I feel like Job in the Bible quite often. When a person has auto immune diseases it is hard to know what will happen from one minute to the next.

My husband Chuck was home for a couple days. Since he is a truck driver, he is gone a lot. He knew I was having a hard time pain wise and feeling good wise. I was at the point where I couldn’t handle the pain in my back anymore. I have to go to the Dr. After x-rays, the Dr informed me that there wasn’t anything he could do for my back. Because it was auto immune and nuero muscular, just medications was all they could do.

Jessica and Beckiah was home at the time and in high school. Every morning Beckiah or Jessica had to come into my room and put pressure on my spine between my shoulder blades. They had to apply the pressure for about 5 minutes or so to get my back to pop into place. Besides nerve pain, I would have to say back pain is the worst.

I prayed and prayed for something to happen and for the pain to go away. I wasn’t seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. But I still prayed each day for the pain to be gone or made at-least tolerable. And this is when the couple of nights that Chuck was home came into play.

The girls were all tucked into their beds and Chuck and I were heading to bed. We watched a little bit of David Letterman and off to sleep we went.

I prayed again before I went to bed along with all my other prayers. We were sound asleep when the pain in my back became so much worse. I was having thoughts of going to the ER to see if they could at-least stop the pain. Chuck was out to the world and nothing would budge him. Plus he just got home after driving 3000 miles. My only option at that point was to pray and plead with God.

My prayer went something like this, ” OK, God, I am having issues here and I could really use your healing touch on my back. I don’t think I could bear another day with this kind of pain. All I ask is just a few hours of sleep and relief.” I wrote my prayer down since I do that a lot of the times At that moment and I looked at the red numbers on my clock it said it was 12:34 in the morning.

I slept on my stomach at that time and I had this feeling of a hand touching the exact spot where my back would lock up. At first I thought it was Chuck touching my back. I could barely turn my head and seen that it wasn’t him. He was facing the other way. I felt this warm hand on my spine and I became so relaxed to the point where I couldn’t move a muscle. My breathing became calmer and I felt nothing but warmth. I had absolutely no pain whatsoever. I couldn’t even move my fingers or toes. My pain was totally taken away from my back at that point.

The next night, Chuck was still home and we went to bed. He feel asleep before I did. I was watching Letterman too. I was just getting ready to turn the TV off. At that point I could feel this cool hand that was placed on my shoulder. It felt like it was damp and cool. I asked Chuck what he wanted and turned around and he was snoozing. I knew that the cool hand and touch had to have been from nobody but God. There was nothing else that would explain the kind of peace and healing that went on that night.

I had a follow-up appointment with my Dr and they scheduled an MRI for my spine. They were shocked to see that the damage that was there before and the pain I was having was gone. There is still a inward curvature of my spine, but my spine and pain never returned like it was then. I do still have pain, but not like it was.

When people say that prayer doesn’t work, I say they are speaking out of ignorance. When we truly pray for healing or whatever it is, God answers. He may not answer the way I would like. But He does. I have no doubt in this whatsoever.

When I fast forward to my life now, I still have a ton of medical things in my life. But I have to say that if it wasn’t for God in my life and my faith, it would be as unbearable as it was the night my spine locked up. I have had a number of healing interventions in my life. I can’t even count on my hands how many times God has pulled me out of what Dr’s would call impossible crisis’s. There are times when God’s presence was with me, even when the Dr’s couldn’t see it. They have no answers for why I am here. But I know that God knows. Who knows, maybe He wants me to be sure to share how He has worked in my life and share it with some stubborn people, lol.

Eventually I may share more about my medical things. As of right now, just a handful of people really understands it all. Even though when they have awareness months, I will go more into things. Basically the Dr’s say there is no cure, but God is the greatest physician ever. So it is all in His hands. And I would never second guess God in this department.

Many of us are very skeptical when it comes to healing services. Why is that if we see that someone is healed – we rationalize it away . We find it hard to believe that the miracle of healing still takes place today.

I can’t help but wonder if we are scared away or afraid of healing by the laying on of hands or going forth to receive prayer because of all the tel-evangelists on the TV. I was talking to my pastor the other day about this and can’t help but feel that these over the top TV preachers (Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker) has taken from what prayer is really about. There are even those who have been caught and pretended that the hearings were real when they have just been set up.

(James 5:14-16 NKJV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. {15} And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. {16} Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

I believe that God performs miracles of healing through the local church. Through the elders of the church and through you and me. It is our responsibility, our duty is as a church and believers in Christ to provide a healing ministry to those in need.  I definitely believe that God has given some people the gift of healing and that the miracle of healing does happen through them.

I do want to say that even if we aren’t all healed physically, we can still be healed. My pastor is going through the book of Luke and throughout the book it covers all kinds of prayers. Eventually all of those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and has repented of their sins will be healed. It may not be in this world, but they will be.

I do want to add this about my healing. Because of my medical problems and my faith, I have been given a great many opportunities to witness to those who I never would have gotten the chance to. God has opened doors that I wouldn’t be able to open myself had it not been for my health issues. If God chooses to heal me in this world that would be awesome and if not, that is awesome too. Because the greatest reward ever is to be in His Kingdom and in the presence of the Lord. There are no guarantees for anyone. But it sure does make it nice when I think about what it will be like after this earthly life is over with. There is no way to put into words what it will be like. Now if I wasn’t a Christian, I would be scared to death or of death literally.

The hard part for many Christians and non Christians is not in thanking God when He heals you or a loved one. The hard part is thanking God for all things including those times when He chooses not to heal.

I do want to touch on laying on of hands and how we are commanded to do this in the Bible. We should lay hands on the sick and pray the prayer of faith, and the Lord will raise them up and if they have committed any sin, it shall be forgiven.

The church I grew up in had it where if someone needed to be prayed with they had a special time at the end of the service where they would do what is called an alter call. The Pastor, Elders and those who want to pray with someone. Others may gather around and pray also. During this, some of these may reach forward and lay a hand on the person for whom we are praying.

• 1 Timothy 4:14 – Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is healing.  Healing – This is supernatural healing, beyond natural means, given by the Spirit.

Praying for one another and laying on of hands is a wonderful time to gather together and pray for one who is ill or going through other afflictions. If God chooses to heal them, they should gladly accept this; If God chooses to take them home, they, like Paul (Philippians 1:21) can eagerly look forward to seeing Him face to face.

I had/have a time going forward back then because I don’t like being the center of attention and everyone looking at me. I 100% believe that we should be praying in this manner and having others pray with us and for us. Could you imagine what this world would be like if we relied more on prayer instead of worldly things. Not just the world, but our lives. I would think that our lives would be so much more happier and have a sense of peace instead of living in fear.

I’m going to end with a few Bible verses that touches on healings.

• Psalms 147:3 NKJV He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.
• Jeremiah 33:6 NKJV ‘Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
• Psalms 103:1-4 NKJV Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! {2} Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: {3} Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, {4} Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
• Matthew 8:13 NKJV Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

I get encouraging words from K-Love and I love the one I got today in my email. I had to chuckle a bit on it. This is the verse;

TODAY’S ENCOURAGING WORD – 8/13/2014

Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, Proverbs 22:24, NLT

If I read this verse for what it is I would have no friends because I have a temper and I get angry. Just watch me when I get cut off in traffic or someone says something stupid. I would think most if not all of the world would be alone and friendless because we sure have a ton of angry people in the world. So I have to study more on this verse since it is one of those verses you have to really understand what it is saying and in what context.

I couldn’t understand why the Bible would tell us to stay away from these types of people until I read more on it and a few things stood out to me. I would think we should befriend them so we can be a good example and show love and kindness.

In proverbs “Good Friendships” are characterized by qualities, blessings that produce a positive result in our lives.

When we make friends with other people, we have tendency to become more like them. We let our guard down and see no harm in certain behaviors. I have seen this in my own life when it comes to friends and family. When we moved to St. George, I made a conscious decision to only have friends that are positive.

The reason I say this is that before we moved here and I worked at a truck stop, over time I didn’t see the harm in certain things. We would go out after work and usually it was a bar. Even though I wasn’t drinking a lot or doing cat calls to the guys, others were. Eventually it just became normal and I didn’t think nothing of it. I still didn’t do it, but I was finding it funny and would laugh right along with the others. I knew I needed to change this.

When the friendships are new, it’s easier to restrain ourselves, but over time it becomes an acceptable standard of behavior. For some reason we have it in our minds that we can change them, but that is far from the truth. We eventually become more like them.

We are known by the company we keep…

• 1 Corinthians 15.33 “Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionship’s (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.”

For example- I notice this with my niece. I love her in every sense and would give my life for her. She is like a daughter to me. When she is around certain people, she takes on their mannerisms. She talks like them, swears like them and even walks the same way. It’s as if she wants to be like them and accepted by them.

She is doing much better now and many of those friends that used her in the past are no longer in her life. Which I am incredibly happy about. They knew what to say and do to get her to do what they wanted her to do. They would break her spirit and didn’t care about her as a person.  She is no different than anyone else. We all want to be loved and accepted. But and this is a big but. We need to keep ourselves in check. And we only need to allow those who have our best interest into our lives.

I know many people that are of all walks of life. I try not to judge them because of the choices they make or because they don’t believe in the same God I believe in. When I read this passage it spoke of truth.

• Psalms 106.35-36 – “Instead, they mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs. They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall.”

When we become friends with someone who is toxic to us. These types of friendships can be deadly for us. Not just in the way we live but also spiritually. These types of friends don’t really care or love us. They are out for themselves and when the chips are down, they will book on ya.

Here are some verses that describe a true friend.

• (Paul) 1 Corinthians 4:14-6:20 – ‘a great man who helps friends grow in their faith, by encouraging them and being bold enough to correct them.’
• (Jesus) Colossians 3:12-17… ‘Compassionate, encouraging, patient, loyal, understanding, loving’. To be a good friend, let us “clothe” ourselves with the things of God.
• (Jonathan) 1 Samuel 20:1-42 – who risks his life for a friend. He helped save his friend, David’s life when he heard that his father King Saul wanted to kill him. He told David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it for you.”‘
• (Ruth) Ruth 1:1-22 – ‘who is loyal even when in times of difficulty. When Naomi told Ruth to stay behind, Ruth said these words, “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay”.’

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Here are some verses that describe a toxic friend…

• (Judas)
  Matthew 26:15-17, 25
  Luke 22:47-48 who acts like a friend but puts his own self-interests above everything else.
• 2 Samuel 15:12-17:23
  (Ahithopel) King David’s betrayer, he befriends an enemy who wanted to overthrow the kingdom. He was also ‘David’s trusted counselor, but he gives lousy advice and spread rumors about the king’.

In closing, I just want to say that we should be careful who we associate with, even if they are family. I have had a hard time with this most of my life. When I keep focused on God I do much better when weeding out those who cause havoc and chaos in my life. If I notice that I have become more bitter or on edge, I ask myself why I am that way and what has changed. And usually it is because I let my guard down and allowed the wrong people in my life. I allow them to influence me instead of God influencing me. I am a work in progress.

When we think about real friendships Proverbs 18:24 sums it up pretty good. There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. Real friends bring a consistency into our lives that we come to know and depend upon.

We all should be wanting to build better friendships, providing the kind of positive influence that will help people learn more about Christ.

With the passing of Robin Williams, suicide has been on the minds of many people. They can’t seem to grasp how a seemingly happy guy on the outside can have the kind of depression that he suffered with.

Robin Williams was one of those actors who touched lives all over the world. He brought joy and laughter into the homes via movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, RV, Jack, Toys and so many other movies and the list goes on and on. He left behind a legacy that many will find irreplaceable.

There is one of Robin Williams movies that is almost surreal when it comes to depression and suicide. And I wonder if this movie in some ways really are a parallel of his own life and darkest moments. It has been some time since I seen it and I don’t necessarily believe in the afterlife like this movie portrays. The movie is called “What Dreams May Come”.

What I have been thinking about is how difficult it must have been for him due to being bi-polar, major depression and addiction. We all see the happy guy that is full of life and smiling. But he is also the face that shows that anyone can suffer from mental illness. It doesn’t how much money you have or what you do for a living. People don’t choose to have mental illness, it is a disease and a difficult one to treat.

I have known a few people that have committed suicide. I can’t begin to understand how dark they may have seen the world. I also have friends that have bi-polar and other mental illnesses. It is sad at how different they are treated from medical patients when they have to go in for treatment.

My friend Jeri is a rapid cycler. That is one of the harder to treat forms of bi-polar. She also has borderline personality disorder and other things I can’t spell. One night I had to take her to the ER. They way they treated her you would have thought she was a leaper or had the bubonic plague. They treated her like she didn’t matter and some of the nurses mocked her behavior. Her behavior wasn’t because she wanted to act out. It was just what happens. It was at the point that I felt blessed that I have a physical illness instead of a mental illness.

Another friend of mine has a husband that has anxiety and depression. It isn’t just the person who has the disease that has to live with it, it is also the family. My heart goes out to them as they live each day with mental illness. It isn’t like they wake up one day and decide it is cool to have mental illness. It’s a chemical imbalance in the brain and they should be treated the same as anyone else. The stigmas need to stop if there is any hope for those who suffer that doesn’t need to. 

Mental illness shouldn’t define a person though. It is a disease that can be treated. But I think there is a huge amount of fear when it comes to mental illness in regular people and the medical profession.

Recently a young man that was like a nephew to me committed suicide. Some will say that he was selfish and knew what he was doing. And others understand that mental illness can ruin lives. Frankie was a kid that had a lot of dark patches in his life. He had a beautiful daughter that he loved more than life. I can’t say why he chose to do what he did. Maybe he didn’t feel he had a choice. I know I miss his quirky smile and his off the wall sense of humor. Suicide not only takes the life of the person who does it, but it also takes a part of the lives of those around and those who loves the person. I choose to remember Frankie for smile and off the wall humor.

I do hope that people will remember Robin Williams for all the wonderful things he has done. He should be remembered for bringing joy and happiness to a world who could use it. He was loved by millions and by his family and friends. I will choose not to remember him for how he died, but for what he brought to the world. I loved his movies and he will be missed.

Click here for more information about depression and bi-polar

Have you ever heard the saying or cliche”life has no remote. Get up and change it yourself?”

Every now and then I will see someone post a picture on Facebook that says this and it is very true. We gripe and complain about our lives, but how many are willing to really do anything about it? I know this one all to well in my own life. There are things that I could change or want to and I keep procrastinating or I don’t want to put in the effort to do it. It may be out of my comfort zone. We humans have a way of staying in our own sink holes and are happy to stay there. Eventually those sink holes are going to swallow us alive and there is no making it out of it in one piece.

When we lived in Phoenix, AZ I hate it there. We were so stuck in the here and now that we couldn’t figure out how to go forward. We knew we wanted and needed to move in order to actually have a decent life that wasn’t all about work, commutes and living paycheck to paycheck. Chuck and I would have an ongoing discussion about how much we hated it in Phoenix. Change is what needed to happen, but it was a lot easier to say than to do. Years went by.

Chuck wanted to be an over the road truck driver. For years he would go on about this. I hate the heat and I would go on and on about that. Really, I still do. Eventually things fell into place when we actively began to search for a way to get out of the hell hole we call Phoenix.

I worked at a truck stop in Phoenix and began asking drivers about companies. I applied for a few of the jobs for Chuck and he was called back by a few of them. Which is good since a few is all I filled out applications for. The company he is working for now was one of them. Obviously he got the job. And in no way no how was I going to move to Utah where they are based. OK! I guess I shouldn’t have said that since we live here now. We love it here and have never regretted moving here.

The change was hard. Hard isn’t even a good way to put it. In order to make a new life and a more fulfilled one, we have to make choices and take chances. We had to get off our lazy butts and do something about it. I made a conscious decision that if we are going to be moving to a place where we don’t know anyone, then we might as well change everything. My daughters were less than enthusiastic about these changes.

Jessica just graduated from 8th grade and Beckiah was going into 8th. They had all their friends and routines memorized. They even had classes chosen out for high school and the last year in junior high. My daughters were the typical girls that wore normal clothes. Well for them and for Phoenix. When we moved to St. George life changed big time for them. There was a whole other set of standards for dress and behaviors.

It took a long time for them to make friends and somewhat fit into our area. It wasn’t just the girls that had to adapt to a new area and way of living, i had to also. I never thought twice about what I said. I had no problem dropping the F bomb or whatever else. I convinced myself that it didn’t mean anything and it is just the way people talk. I did work in a truck stop, so why would there be a problem?

One day when I was out somewhere in our new home, what I have been saying came back to me like a ton of brinks. It was at that point that I stopped swearing. It has now been almost 20 yrs since I have sworn. I also decided that I needed to take a more involved role in church and in my daughters lives. They weren’t pleased at first. They got by with a lot in Phoenix and those days were gone. I was now a stay at home mom who refused to work Sundays and became active in their lives.

It was a struggle at first when we moved to Utah because we weren’t familiar with what happens here. We have heard stories of polygamists and all the other things that are Mormon related. It took time to learn more about their beliefs and how life was in Utah. And I have to say that when I prayed to God to send us to a place where life is more about family and being happy then scrapping by, He listened. We love it here. Our life took a 380 degree turn when we moved here. We finally found a place where we can call home. We aren’t Mormon and that is OK.

Change can be very hard when you don’t know what you need to do to change. God had a way of helping me with my change, but I had to want it too and be willing. Nobody else could do it for me.

I try not to go into too much of my families business. My parents for most of their lives have fought and bickered. And that is putting it mildly. Lately there has been so much that they are thinking of leaving each other. My parents are in their 70’s. My mom says that she has a great deal of medical issues. My dad has his problems too. My brother lives with them. It’s a mess to say the very least. My dad wants my brother to live on his own and be responsible for himself. He is tired of supporting my brother who is almost 50 now. My mom has insurance and she knows that if she doesn’t do something, it could kill her. But she is so worried about material things that she isn’t seeing there is a great need. When I get to thinking about my parents and brother, it gives me a headache because they can’t seem to get powered up to change. They are on self destruction mode.

I hear a lot of complaints and how things need to change, but they aren’t willing to make those changes. At this point, I wonder if they actually want to change because this is their normal. Nobody can make things better for them unless they are willing to change. Yes, I feel bad for them, but there is nothing I can do. I don’t have the remote control for their lives. I just have mine and God is the main power source.

Then I think of my sister and her husband. They have been talking about the need to stop smoking. And for the most part I hear him complain about it more. But then when he has no cigarettes he gets loud and grumbles and I can tell ya that I have issues with someone yelling at my sister when she is doing all she can do to make a better life for themselves.

My sister is no where near being lazy and shouldn’t have to be doing everything. Out of respect for my sister I won’t go into how aggravated it makes me that she is doing it all. There isn’t much I can do about that though because it isn’t my business to change them. I think the desire is there, but the getting up and picking up the remote is hard to grasp.

My sisters remote to her life has been getting a work out and she is going great. I pray that all they desire comes true. They do have the motivation and for the first time they are allowing God to be the remote control power source too.

This is one of those cliche’s or quotes that aggravate me: It is said that the most dangerous phrase in the language is ‘we’ve always done it this way.’

Matthew 15:6 – “…So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.”

Jesus spoke these words to the religious leaders of His day. Earlier they had confronted Him and asked why His disciples doesn’t follow some of the cleansing ritual ceremonies of the elders. Jesus went on to point out that these rituals are a man made tradition. It was not prescribed by God’s law (the Bible). We hold to our traditions so closely that we treat them as if they came down from the mountain as God’s holy commands.

Someone asked me why we do certain things at our church. And all I can say is that is the way they have always done it, and I don’t think it will change. This was asked some time ago. I do wonder how many churches do things out of tradition, but they don’t really know why. I have also asked this question when I visit other churches and for the most part the answer isn’t know. They don’t know why they are doing what they are doing, they just say, “it has always been done this way.”

This is one of those cliche’s that drives me crazy. When I get into conversations about this cliche it brings up various emotions in people. Mainly the tradition I bring up that while it is a good one but also is something that many don’t like is meeting and greeting during the Sunday service. I have discussed this tradition a number of times. Continuing to do things you’ve “always done” is appropriate in some cases, but not just because it has always been done. I can understand why people enjoy this, but there comes a time when things need to change because change is good. It’s a dangerous myth to think that we can stand still, or do what we’ve always done.

The Ham Story- Why do we do that?

By now you may have heard the story about the Christmas ham. (Preachers love it.) It goes like this: One year, as Mama prepared to put the Christmas ham in the pan, she cut a piece off one end. Her daughter was watching, and she asked, “Mama, why do you do that?” Mama thought a moment and replied: “You know, I’m not sure. All I know is that my mama always did it that way.”

So the daughter went to Grandma. She asked Grandma if it was true that she always cut a piece off the Christmas ham, and if so, why. “I don’t know, child,” said Grandma. “I guess it was because my mama always did it that way.”

I am a creature of habit just as much as anyone else. I like things a certain way. I have found that I am guilt on using the cliche ‘I have always done it that way” way to many times. As time goes by, I realize that doing things the same way over the years and through generations doesn’t always work for everyone. My traditions or habits don’t work for others too. And I can’t always explain why I do something, I just do. As humans we don’t like to put ourselves into situations that are outside our comfort zone and rituals. And when it comes to this, I am no different than anyone else.

Times do change and how we communicate and reach out to others needs to change as well. We should be going to church to worship God, not worry over music, traditions and all the other distractions.

The stereotype or those who use this cliche are usually the die-hard, traditional, older member who can’t see past the decisions and patterns of behavior in the past. We have gone to our church since we moved to St. George over 19 yrs ago. I have heard this cliche so many times and with each pastoral change. I feel bad many times for the new pastor or new leaders because it is as if they must stick to the things of the past because people have always done things a certain way. I do believe that by not changing some members may be saying, “Pastor, this has meant a lot to me in the past. I just want you to know this will be a difficult change for me.” Change can be difficult to say the least. But there does come a time when change needs to happen.

So when newcomers express interest and want to become fully involved, they begin to look at the church or organization with new eyes. Suddenly, the questions start to arise: “How come we do this?” “Why do we do it this way?” “Has anyone ever tried this this way?”

I’m pretty sure pastors cringed when they come to a new church and the members and leaders wants to have them preach or do the same thing. Thankfully our church isn’t as bad as some. Every time I hear “We’ve always done it that way,” my mind was goes ballistic to the stereotype.

When I think of this phrase or cliche when it comes to church leaders and pastors, I think back to my days working in sales. When I have heard this cliche at places I have worked or churches I have gone to, it stops me in my tracks because it is as if they are saying that they don’t value my opinion or ideas I can bring to the table. This is the way it is and if you don’t like it, move on.

My church is considered a traditional church. We have our own set traditions that at times bug me to no end. But there isn’t much I can do about it. I can complain, which you all get a chance to hear me vent on things like this. It’s as if some long time members consider these traditions a must have and they can’t see it being done in any other way. It’s the my way or the highway mentality.

Traditions aren’t necessarily a bad thing. But when I read Matthew 15:6 – “…So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” this verse reminds me that I need to guard how and why we do certain things. Are we doing them simply because “We’ve always done it that way!”?

People have a way of obsessing over change and at times chaos is created. Some churches have coasted for so long on autopilot that they truly cannot tell you why they do the things they do. I often wonder if people are too afraid to challenge a tradition. They don’t want to offend anyone. When we first started going to our church. There was this couple that was there. They donated a piano and some other things to the church. Eventually they moved away and went on to be with the Lord. Someone asked the choir director why we were doing something the way we were. And they told them that we done it this way because of who donated the items. So until the person is no longer with us, we will continue to do this. I was confused by this. They were doing this activity because someone that no longer goes there liked to do it, so they continue for no other reason. Hmmmm…

I have worked in sales most of my life and from the prospective of a salesperson I think about how we are representing Christ and the image we are putting out there. If the traditions and habits we are doing are ineffective and aren’t advancing the growth God’s Kingdom, then it’s time to stop, evaluate, and possibly move in another direction.

I must be on a roll when it comes to cliche’s lol. Here is my third installment of cliche’s. This is one that I have been guilty of too and it actually drives me crazy. It is the cliche or phrase “everything will be OK!” What if it won’t be OK? And according to who is it going to be OK with? This is one of those phrases I have a difficult time with because of my own situation.

First, I want to start with a positive message on this saying. Everything’s Gonna Be All Right! It may look bad at this very moment or at the end of the day, but in the end, things are going to work out just like God has planned! And, you may ask, what has God planned?

He has planned nothing but the best for His children, Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor,4:17; Jer. 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

I’m guessing that almost everyone has heard or have said this phrase at some point in their life. I had to look up this cliche to understand it more and found it interesting when it says that it is what is called a reassuring cliche. They are often given out automatically and a sort of a pattern response. A couple of other cliches that are similar to this one is “keep your head up” and “chin up.”

Now I know that everything will be OK for the most part. I do trust that God will take care of me and that things work out in the end. But, I have to say that I’m not always OK with the way things work out. It may be for the greater good, but good for who? I would say that there are times when it is OK, to not be OK.

I can get to be a bit sarcastic on this topic because I have no patience for waiting for things to work out and to be OK. And there are days that I have no intention of “keeping my head up.” That just aggravates me to no end when that isn’t something I am prepared to do.

My parents and siblings have had a very difficult time. Over the past year or so things with my parents have gotten really rough. They don’t have a personal relationship with God and as far as I know, they have never accepted Christ. My parents are in their 70’s and they have my brother who is almost 50 that is living with them (that’s a whole other topic or book) . As a Christian I know without any reservations that unless they know Christ, it will not work out. Growing up there has always been anger, fighting and wondering if we would be hurt or killed during some of these battles. It is like living at the OK Corral and having nightly shoot outs.  After I get off the phone with them I can’t help but wonder if it will be OK for them. So I pray and pray some more. That is all that I know that I can do.

One of the things that is awesome though about this cliche or phrase is that it is true. Since I have an abundant amount of faith in God, I know that everything will be fine and that things work out. When I am going through something or watch others struggle, I have to remind myself and open myself up to prayer and Gods Word. Because I can guarantee ya that if I was left to my own accord, things would NOT be

OK! They would be a disaster in the making. When I look around at the vast amount of troubles and worries that people go through I can’t help but wonder why. This is one of those cliches/phrases that kinda pushes me to to the point of wondering why and when did I become like Job. In my logical part of my brain and heart I realize that there is going to be times when our troubles hit us like a ton of bricks, knocking us down and causing us injury. But God can bring us to a place where we are stronger in our lives through these burdens and trials. As I said, this is my logical way of thinking. Depending on my day is how I see things. My human thoughts and emotions can easily get clouded if I don’t stay grounded in the Word of God.

One of many things I struggle with is knowing what to say when a parent looses a child or they lost everything they have. I know for myself if someone told me that “everything will be OK” I would go ballistic. My next blog cliche post is on how “time heals all things”. I don’t know about that. One of my dear friends lost their lovely daughter on her 30th birthday. Clair Rose was murdered by a hit and run driver. She still struggles and is trying to ease that pain. How do you tell a grieving parent or someone who doesn’t know God that “everything will be OK?” How do you tell a family that their 3 yr old child is going to be dying of cancer and to make the most of the little time they have?  For them, everything isn’t OK. Yes! Life does go on, but depending on where a persons faith is, is dependent on how you can console them. Everything may not be OK for them.

One of the biggest worries that fills our minds is about the future. We spend much of our time worrying about the here and now and forget about trusting in God’s promises. I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion. I do find it interesting on the things I worry about. I don’t worry about my health because I have no fear of death. But I do worry about those who don’t know God. I worry about the things that I can’t control, but I try to. Believe me, it doesn’t work and it doesn’t change anything. When someone tells me that “everything is going to be OK, I want to dummy slap them. Of course I wouldn’t literally, but I have that desire.  This is something I have to work on and pray about constantly. Only because of God will things work out for the future!

“There will be good times and there will be bad times in the future, but through them all, remember that we serve a God Who is already in the future and He has promised to go with us there to lead us safely through those highs and lows. This is one of those promises that I hold near and dear to me. In my own life I have witnessed this over and over again. Maybe this is why I have a love/hate relationship with the book of Job.

Job was a man after God’s own heart and he was allowed to tested by Satan. God allowed Satan to destroy Job’s life. Job teaches us that there is a great deal more going on than just what we can see in our lives, and that God does oversee it all for His own glory. During his trials Job was feeling weak. Both his body and his spirit were weak.

Job felt as if he could not even control his own words. After all the testing was done and he remained faithful to God. Things worked out and he was blessed even more than he was before he was allowed to be tested. Everything was going to be more than OK for Job as it will be for us if we trust in Christ alone.

As I close this topic, I just want to say that no matter what the future holds, God has promised us that He will go with us and will lead us safely through it.

Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

 

 

Yesterday I did my blog on “you’re in my thoughts and prayers” cliché. Today I am going to write on how the term ‘I love You” has become a cliché.

The word “Love” is used in many different ways. The word is defined as an extreme affection towards someone or something; however this is not the case in which it is used by most. The phrase “I love you” doesn’t seem to have any special meaning anymore. Seems like everyone loves songs, food, trees, yellow roses, Facebook and just about anything else under the sun.

I am guilty of this myself. I use the word love randomly without a lot of emotion connected to it. I started noticing this when I am on the phone with someone. As I get ready to hang up, I will say, “talk to you later, love ya.” I have even used the term “I love the Phoenix Suns”. Now in actuality it isn’t that I love them, but I enjoy watching them and they are my favorite basketball team.

Love isn’t an overnight thing. Love is developed over a period of time. I guess for me, when I think of the worldly view of love it means that I would do anything for that person. If a train was coming at them, I would throw them out of the way and be smooshed like a bug.
Thankfully we have no train tracks here in St. George. I would give my life for those I love without hesitation. Love is also where you think about the other person and can’t possibly see them not being in your life. Love can never be duplicated and love above all things is the greatest of all.

Now, I want to cover Agape Love. This is the most important kind of love. This is the kind of love we only can get from God.

John 14:21 – Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.

Definition: Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.

This Greek word and variations of it are found throughout the New Testament. Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for his Father and for his followers:

As a Christian, Agape means the unearned love God had for people – a love so great that God was willing to send his only begotten son to suffer and die on our behalf.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Many people can quote 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. It is the most used Bible Verse when it comes to marriages. I just want to close this post with this verse.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7, “Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over another’s sins, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is not limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love.”