Month: December 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is a bit long, but it is important.

The other day I had a young mother whom I will call “Marie” come up to me with tears in her eyes. I use to work with her about 7 yrs ago. I didn’t know much about her personal life and what I did know was that she was married and had 2 small kids under the age of 10.

While I was at my Dr’s appt last week, we started catching up on what has been going on in our lives. I asked her how her kids were and hows her hubby. I was surprised to say the least that her marriage is struggling. She broke down in the waiting area. She also went on to tell me that her family life isn’t as joyful as it used to be. Her family is being destroyed by addictions. It wasn’t just her husband who is addicted, it is also her two young children.

From what she was saying she was telling me that she is about to file for a divorce. She loves her husband, but there is nothing there anymore emotional wise. I was nervous to ask her what her husband and kids are addicted to. I knew I didn’t want to hear they were into drugs or anything. Especially since her children are under 10. After about 5 minutes she opened up and told me that the games her husband (Chris) has been playing online games with real people. As she was becoming harder and harder to understand, she said that she feels invisible. Her husband will spend hours playing these games with strangers and can’t take the time to even spend an hour with her.

Marie said that ever since her husband bought a game that interacts with strangers from all over the world, she feels she has lost her husband. Marie works at the hospital here in town and doesn’t really get much time to spend with her husband and kids. When she told me that the video games he plays is ruining her marriage, I didn’t know what to say to her.

I can understand her in a bit. I would get so upset with my husband over video games. From the time he woke up, till the time he would go to bed, he would be sitting in the same spot and playing Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers. If I needed to ask him a question, he was zoned out. If I repeated my question, he would get snappy with me and tell me, ” don’t you see I am playing a game?” The answer is obviously yes, since he has been playing it since he woke up and it was already dinner time.

When we moved to Rockford, Illinois for a short time someone broke into our apartment and stole the game. It made me scared and worried that someone broke in, but I can tell you that I didn’t miss that game station.

Marie’s children also have game stations in their rooms. She was saying how she hasn’t seen her children out of their room for a couple of days at a time. The only time she would see any movement from them or her husband was if they were hungry or needed to pee. I did give her a bit of advice on her kids. I told her that she is the mom and they are the kids. If the games are getting in the way of time spent with family and friends, then it should be taken away. I don’t mind games and they aren’t the enemy, but in my opinion, moderation is needed.

Marie works 12 hour shifts 4 days a week at the hospital in the NICU. When she comes home, she wants to unwind and talk to her husband about what went on in her day. Marie feels like she is being ignored since he puts her on hold so he can talk to random people online that he has never met. Her husband has invested many hours each day. I believe she told me that he spends at least 7-8 hours a day playing games and interacting with complete strangers, and yet he has no time for her. He won’t talk to her, but he will talk to strangers. They are co-existing and that’s about it.

Video games have changed the way we interact with others. They change how we talk to each other and how we invest our time and energy . I had to ask my daughter to break down how much time is actually used when it comes to my friends husband on the computer. This is in just 1 years time.

This is how much wasted time that is spent on playing video games instead of investing that time in the family. 1872 hours, 112,320 minutes, 78 twenty-four hour days or 234 eight-hour days, and 11 weeks 1 day (if all consecutive hours).This is just for her husband. She said the kids will get online for a few hours a day and I am sure that adds up also.

Marie was in the room trying to have a conversation with Chris while he was on the computer. She was saying that in one of the games her husband was playing was adult themed. She questioned him about what was going on and he lashed out at her and put his hand over the screen so she couldn’t see. He was basically playing porn games and even had a female partner.

 

In moderation, children and adults can learn from video games. I am somewhat sure that there are useful video games. Her husband Christ was substituting video games and the computer for his personal relationships and life in general. There are educational games and games that are fun. Video games aren’t all bad, but when they take the place of interacting one on one with those around you, then there is a huge problem.

During our conversation, she was saying that video games have become the elephant in the room. Family time ceased and life passed them by. Before they got the video game console, they would do many family activities outside of the house. They are LDS (Mormon) and they would attend church weekly and take part in the mid week services. I’m not sure what they are since I’m not LDS.

Over this last year, her husband has ceased going to any kind of church or services. He says he still believes, however his actions say something differently. The longer he is away from church and other like minded people, the easier it is to fall back into the old way of doing things. The children would go to church with Marie, but they were distracted while they were there.

Marie went into her kid’s room and shut off the game console. The little one called her a blanken B and turned around and turned the game back on. I asked Marie what she did when he did that and she said that she didn’t want to fight with him, so she let him play. She and I would handle that differently. If that was my child that said that, that game would be smashed to smithereens.

I suggested to her that she tells him what she is thinking and feeling before it is too late. Since she is LDS (Mormon), she could even talk to her Bishop. They could also do couples counseling and family meetings.  I ended up getting called back to the Drs office, so I had to end the conversation. I did call her later that night. I just wanted to say a couple of things to her about what she is going through. She didn’t have to do it if she chose not to.

Marie has been thinking about divorce since there is little to no conversations. Marie loves Chris, but she can’t compete with a video game and his online friends.  She is finding herself more and more depressed over this situation. She is nicer than I am when it comes to that kind of thing. It would be sledge hammer time.

Her children are following in her husbands foot steps. They totally zone out the world while they play games. Since Chris is the one home with the kids while she is on her job at the hospital, they all pretty much do the same thing. The kids are playing their games and her husband is playing his. Since her children are playing games, I suggested to her that she should monitor what they are doing.  If they are playing online games with strangers, that is dangerous. Most people have no clue who is on the other end.She was saying how her kids feels like those they are playing with and talking to are real live actual friends, even though they have never met. I see danger signs all over the place when it comes to children chatting to strangers online.

I got to thinking about how much time her husband is spending on the computer each year and what a huge block of time is spent doing these games. How much time is being wasted when that time could be spent doing things with his children, wife and for the Lord?

My husband was on the road all the time and he would play video games or get on the computer when he came home. I had no problem with him doing that unless it was from the time he woke up till he went to bed. I threw a shoe at his head one time when he was playing a came for 12 hours straight. He was  to the point where he couldn’t even stand up. If I walked in front of the game, he would throw a child size temper tantrum. Thankfully that game was stolen. He doesn’t play games very much now. He will go online and play games. But, they aren’t the kind where you talk to strangers. They are one player games and he isn’t playing all day and night, while life passes him by.

Maybe Maries husband is using the game to unwind also. He works at Cosco’s and maybe he needs some his time. I told Marie that she should talk to him about it and be honest about how his addiction to playing games is destroying your marriage. I find there are two sides to all stories. I am praying that she doesn’t go through with this divorce. He use to play only a couple of hours at a time. Now about 37 hours a week. She needs to find out by asking what it is about video games that fills the voids in his life.

If you could pray for Marie’s husband and two kids, that would be awesome. They can really use them.

 

 

When I think of Christmas, I think of Christ giving us the greatest gift of all. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. I believe this 120 percent. For a number of years, my family has been celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ at Easter time.

A Little Christmas FYI;

• Fact 1. When you read the Bible, you will find that there is no mention of how Jesus Christ was born on December 25th. Most historians believe that He was born in the spring time, which would be closer to Easter.
• Fact 2. For the first 300 years, there really wasn’t much importance given to birthdays and not even Jesus Christs. When a person died most considered it more important because it was a time they entered the kingdom of Heaven. Even the baptism of Christ drew more attention than the birth of Christ.
• Fact 3. Christmas has become the most commercialized holiday. Toys, candies, candles and ornaments was officially ready to buy. found ready markets. Greenhouse-grown poinsettia were sold as early as 1830, but in the 1870s, New York shops began selling them as Christmas specialties.

At Easter time, we put up our tree and that’s when we exchange gifts. It is the perfect time to remember that Jesus Christ came to us as a baby. He died on the cross so we can live forever. Doing our Christmas at Easter has provided a variety of opportunities to tell the complete story of Christ.

There are no Santa’s, bunnies or Easter Eggs. You won’t find a Santa or Easter bunny in my house at all. Our family didn’t always celebrate the birth, death and the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. When we moved our Christmas to Easter, it made the day special. I know Easter is  my all time favorite holidays. These are the only two holidays that are dedicated to Christ. All the rest can get kicked to the curb in my opinion.

Since my daughters got married and became parents, life was getting busy fast. It broke my heart to see my daughters struggle when it came to giving gifts for their children and for their spouses. They were spending money that they didn’t have.Each year, they would split their time. They would eat at one home and then they would come to our house. They felt like they had to do it this way or we would be mad at them. I wasn’t mad at them and since I have no problem celebrating holidays on different days, we could move the day.

Most years they were also very low on money since they had to get food, gifts and so on for each person. By the time January came around, they were broke and struggling to pay their utility bills. I would prefer to get nothing at all over getting gifts that I didn’t need. Paying rent, utilities and for food are more important than anything else.

I hate to burst anyone’s bubbles, but Christmas is NOT about going broke when buying gifts that you can’t afford..It’s as if parents and other people will go for broke in order to buy the biggest and coolest gifts of all. I can’t imagine buying gifts a person can’t afford or doesn’t want to buy would please Jesus at all.

My husband has always been the kind of person who hated Christmas. Not because of the fact that we are celebrating the birth of Christ. It’s because of the money, gift giving, greed and so on. Over the years, I came around to his way of thinking on some things. Commercialism is one of those things that I also have big issues with.

Instead of the grand-kids opening presents up and throwing them aside, they will take the time to open and show the others what they received. They only get three gifts each and they are carefully selected.  I was extremely frustrated over the kids being ungrateful for the past couple of years. When our daughter were younger they would get so many gifts, they had no clue who gave them what. Some gifts got lost in the shuffle and were thrown away. Our grand-kids are the same way. I am sure most kids are.

I felt really bad for my sister Joyce. She went out of her way to buy nice gifts for all of the kids. My sister has no children of her own and yet she made it a point to give gifts to all of the kids. When the kids asked how they liked their gifts, the answer was always, “yeah, that’s cool”. Then the gifts were tossed aside. They did this no matter who gave them the gift.  I felt bad for Joyce and I hope this year all of the kids are grateful and say thank you. I sound like I am picking on my grand-kids. If I am, I don’t mean to. I am using them as examples on how Christmas has become the “me” holiday instead of the “He” holiday.

In a couple of months I will be done shopping for gifts. This year gifts will be given that will promote togetherness. I think the only grand-kid that won’t toss the gifts aside is Josalyn. Since she won’t be one till May, she will probably enjoy the wrapping paper most of all, lol. My husband and I both have our son in-laws. I have one and he has the other. Neither one of them will get anything computer or game wise.  A couple of my grand-kids have asked for games for the Wii or another game console. I told my daughters that will NOT happen. .

I was talking to one of my grandsons last week about how his classes are going. He hates school because he can’t play the games he has on his game console. People don’t talk anymore. So, when I give gifts this year, they will be about togetherness and about Christ. I’m pretty sure that they will toss them aside when they get home because it isn’t something that can be played on a computer or with people online that they don’t know. I can’t do anything about that though.

The true spirit of Christmas has been lost and I prayed about what it was that I needed to do in order to retain a sense of being grateful and at the same time honoring Jesus Christ. It seems as if Jesus has been missing from Christmas.

My prayers for you all are that you have a very merry Jesus filled Christmas.

Christmas is right around the corner and millions around the world are searching for the perfect gift. Most people, well, at least I believe that many would want to give the perfect gift. There is a common quote that says;” it’s the thought that counts when it comes to picking out the perfect gift.” When I give gifts, I put a lot of thought into the gift and the person receiving. I’m not the kind of person that just walks into the store and picks up whatever it is that is in front of me. When I give gifts I take into consideration a few things.

1. Is the said gift practical?
2. Does the gift have a special meaning?
3. I will also take into account the cost of said gift.

When it comes to getting gifts for my grand-kids I take in the pros and cons. My daughter Beckiah (Becca) was our first daughter to have children. When she made the announcement, it was exciting. I ran out to the store to get her baby a Precious Moments bear. I was in high gear when it came to picking out the perfect gifts for my grandson Tyson (15). Soft blankets, bibs, diapers, toys and whatever else jumped out at me was in my cart. It was the same way for all of my grand-kids.

My daughter Jessica has 2 children and I was present for both of the births. With Beckiah I was with her for the boys, but not Kora. Children are a true blessing from God. As I would and still surf the internet and Amazon, I make sure to read all about the item. Is it useful, fun and how much does it cost. My grand-kids are worth every penny I spend on them. I am bringing up my grand-kids because of the story of the birth of Christ and the gifts the Magi’s brought to a newborn child who is the King of the Jews.

When baby Jesus was born, there was no Amazon or stores to go searching for the perfect gift. Have you ever thought about what in the world was the Magi’s (Wise-men) were thinking. The Magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. What in the world would baby Jesus  who is the newborn king do with these gifts?

 

December 25th is the day that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In my opinion I think that it has become a day filled with people showering their children and loved ones with toys, gizmos, electronics and so on. When Jesus was born, He received gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold

Gold is pretty easy for me to understand. Gold is a gift that is fit for a king. It symbolizes royalty. I would say that you can’t be more royal that Jesus is.

• 1 Timothy 6:15,  which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

When the Magi presented gold to Jesus, they made it known that Jesus has right to rule. The Magi knew that baby Jesus was the King of kings

Frankincense

What is Frankincense? Frankincense is a white resin or gum. Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. Frankincense is fragrant when it is burned. They used Frankincense when they would worship in the temple and was used for priesthood ordinances. Frankincense also represents Jesus’s role as the Lamb of God. He would be sacrificed so we could be saved.  It was mixed with the oil that was used to anoint the priests of Israel.

• Matthew 2:11, Upon finding the baby Jesus, “they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh”.
• John 1:29, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Myrrh

What is Myrrh? Myrrh is a product of Arabia, and it also came from a tree like Frankincense. Myrrh is a spice that is used when someone is embalmed. Myrrh was also used to make wine more drinkable. I’m not exactly sure why this would be a practical gift for baby Jesus.I would be interested in hearing what my pastor says about this gift. 

Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction. I have read a number of articles about what Myrrh is. The only thing I got out of this is that it symbolic when it comes to how Jesus would suffer in ways we would never know. He paid the greatest price when He died on the cross for all of the world.

• John 19:39-40,  He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. ⁴⁰ Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

I’m not exactly clear when it came to the intention of these particular gifts to baby Jesus.

What I have gotten out of studying up on the gifts of the Magi, my conclusions are that all of these gifts are of great value. Gold acknowledges that baby Jesus is royalty and He is the King of the Jews and Lord of Lords. Frankincense signifies His priesthood and Myrrh represented Jesus’ humanity.Myrrh was used for embalming and it symbolizes His death and His burial.

 

 

Lisa L– Do not delete this blog because there are a lot of words to read, lol. Sorry all, I have to leave a note like this since Lisa deletes long winded blog posts, lol.

The other night I was having a conversation with my sister about how hard it was for me to accept help from others. I have always been the kind of person who felt I could do it myself and I needed no help. It’s wasn’t until Ruth Heuring who is married to my previous pastor pointed out that sometimes it isn’t just a way of helping me do things when needed, it was also a way to help others be a blessing to me. I didn’t get what she was saying.

My answer when asked if I need something was always, “no, I can do that myself.” Then one night while I was sitting alone in my hospital bed, God turned the light on for me. I didn’t get it. While I was in bed, God told me that the same joy I get when I help people, is the same joy the person who wants to help needs. By saying no, I was taking away the opportunity that they needed by serving others and being a blessing to me.

I have this burning desire to live my life by serving others. I feel that as a Christian we are born to bless God and those around me. My husband doesn’t understand this in many ways. I would hope that throughout my live that people have felt bless by allowing me to serve them by helping them in whatever way I could.

There was a sweet little lady named Dena Allen. She went to my church. Because of Dena I was given the gift of knowledge. Dena was a teacher and she loved to talk about her childhood. Dena lived alone by the time I met her. Her husband passed away a few years before I met her. Her son Howard was a drug addict and his drug of choice was heroine. Dena was the kind of person that made me want to do more. She educated me in so many areas. Most of all, she blessed me by sharing her life.

We would sit on the phone for hours and talk about anything and everything. We had many conversations about the Bible. All of our conversations would begin around 10pm and go till around 2 or 3 am. As I listened to her life stories, I realized how lonely she was. She needed someone to talk to during those times because she didn’t feel alone. She would ask me about my life and I would say very little. I didn’t want to share certain parts of my life. My life had a lock on it and unless you knew the combination, nobody would be able to enter. Dena and God changed all of that.

My sister Joyce and I spend a lot of time just sitting and talking. Joyce and I share many experiences and while I don’t like to accept help, she knows when I need help the most. There are times when I would get angry with her because she wanted to help. In my mind, there wasn’t anything she nor anyone else could do to make things better. I was strong, or so I thought and I alone could conquer the world and do it “my way.” Of course that wasn’t the way things turned out, I would say I was a bit delusional when it came and comes to accepting help.

Both of us started sharing our experiences, pains and heartaches we were having or have had in our life. When I think about the conversations I would have with Dena Allen and with my sister Joyce, I would say that the best things about our talks is that we all were blessed because of the experiences that we shared.

My best friend Lisa has also taught me that it is OK to allow people to help you. I feel blessed by Lisa each and every day. Lisa won’t take no for an answer. Well, my sister Joyce won’t either, lol. I guess God knew that I needed people who are just as stubborn as I was in order for me to learn the whole “blessing” thing.

I have been overly blessed when it comes to my friendship with Lisa. When I first met her, I thought I was going to have to swoop in and save the day with her. I don’t think I have ever said that to her,lol. Let’s be honest here, I thought she was a mess. Her life was very chaotic. I have never known anyone like Lisa. Lisa is a veteran and served in the Navy. She is a motorcycle momma, tattooed and had fire engine red and at times other colors. I had a person tell me that I should stay clear of Lisa because of how her personal life was. Well, let me say this, I am SOOOOOOOO happy that I didn’t listen to this person.

With my sister Joyce, I also felt like I was going to go in and save the day. She needed saving in my mind. She made some bad choices in life and like Lisa, she has tattoos, smokes and she will tell it like it is. Her life was a mess also. For a long time I would think that I was so happy that I wasn’t as screwed up as Joyce. I do want to say that these thoughts were many years back for the most part. But, I felt I was the one and only person to save my sister. I must have thought I was “underdog”. If you don’t know who “Underdog” is. It is a beagle that was like a superman kind of beagle dog and he says, “Have No Fear, Underdog is Here.” God eventually let me know that I was as screwed up as the rest of the world and that wasn’t a good reality check, but a very much-needed one.

It wasn’t until I had so many life threatening health issues that are still in play that I realized that I wasn’t Underdog and I wasn’t the one saving the day. It is God who is saving the day by putting people like Lisa and Joyce in my life. It isn’t about giving something, money, objects and time. It has nothing to do with material things. It is about encouraging one another by sharing God’s Word.

As we go about our day I would like to ask if you have a goal when it comes to being a blessing to others?

•  Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Serving others not only blesses them, but it equally blesses us.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about my church and those in my church and Pastor Ray and his lovely wife Kathi.

• Ephesians 4:11-13, So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ

Pastor Ray and Kathi came to us a few years ago and I don’t know about anyone else, but I have been very much blessed by them. The reason I say that is because for the longest time I have felt like our church is a dying church. When Pastor Dean was there, he was able to bring about a lot of positive changes. Our church was growing and life was coming back. For me, I still felt something was missing. What I felt was missing is reaching out to those in our community. We were writing checks to help with missions and outreach, but there was very little outreach when it came to those in our own community. St. George is a unique mission field and my church is directly across the street from the University. And yet, we were sitting in our pews, singing songs and listening to sermons, but not really getting out there and talking to those around us.

• Ephesians 4:14-16, Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work

I realize that not everyone has a gift for missions and reaching out to others. But, God made each and every one of us and we each have a unique talent and skills. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and into our lives, we are given at least one spiritual gift. We get the most happiness and blessings that make a difference when we use our God-given talents and gifts.

What I have noticed is that when Pastor Ray and Kathi came here is that Pastor Ray also has the gift of missions and reaching out to those around him and those most would never want to be around. He see’s past what the outside may seem like. I believe that pastors have a number of gifts and not all use them. Pastor Ray does. I had almost given up on our church. People were content to just be there. Not everyone, but many do.

When we shift our focus away from ourselves and serve others, our eyes are opened up to see others as Jesus would see them. Serving others helps us be more like Jesus. Pastor Ray is a great example of this. There are times he is the only person that shows up to events.

• Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

As we work side by side with other people, bond form and this was part of God’s plan when it comes to how the church is supposed to work.Eventually there comes a time where we need to move out of our comfort zone. This is something I have a hard time with at times. Over the past few years, I have seen that when we see what God can do when we let God work within ourselves, we start looking for the doors that He is opening instead of pushing our way through the ones that have already closed.

• Hebrews 10:24 -25, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
• Ephesians 3:20, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

I have found time after time that when I serve others, it is the best distraction from my own worries. I have had many ask me why I do what I do when health wise I should be in bed and not really do much. All I can say is that I know that God will give me the strength to do what I have to do and what He needs me to do. If He can give Moses the words to speak to Pharaoh, then He can give me the strength to do whatever it is that has to be done. Even if I am the only one standing outside handing out fliers, that’s OK.

There are many at my church that are the same way. I know they may not like me giving them a shout out, but I will. And that’s because they serve others even when they struggle to get out of bed or they struggle with health issues.

• Pastor Ray: He is willing to stand alone on street corners if that is what it takes to share the Gospel.
• Bruce B: Bruce and his lovely wife Pam shows up to set things up, tear things down, serve people for hours on end, even when they are exhausted. There have been times they were the only ones there when others said they would be there.
• Barbara A: She serves people each and every week at church. She has the secret ingredient called “love”. She won’t go into her hardships and she will work through them. Barbara has always answered God with, “yes”, I will do that.
• Bob W: God has given him the gift of working with his hands. He made a beautiful wooden cross by hand for our church. Bob serves the Lord in so many ways. I am sure in ways I don’t know about and ways that only he and God knows.
• Kitchen Helpers: Each and every Sunday there are many that show up to help serve others. No matter how tired they are, they have a smile on their face.
• Care Team: God has gifted some very special ladies when it comes to loving others and serving them. We have Shirley M, Evelyn, Peggi, Lyn, Grace, Sheila and so many others that I lose track of.
• The Vincents and the Parkers: Tom, Sandi, Paul and Lucretia amaze me when it comes to the dedication they display. They love others and serve the Lord in countless ways.

I normally don’t name names, but this time I want to. All of these people and many more that I haven’t mentions has encouraged others and when we see the healing and love that comes from those who serve others as Christ would want us to, then we are encouraged to do the same and to be Christlike. I am willing to be that the reason they serve others and reach out to those that are living in our own mission field is because they feel like they got more than they gave.

There isn’t a day that goes by when I hear someone say that they wish they could talk to people the way I do. Or they wish they could do more, but they can’t because they can’t lift, walk, talk or whatever other excuse. What I would say is that the Lord doesn’t always call the ones who are equipped; He equips the ones He calls. God used men and women who didn’t think they could do whatever it is that God wanted them to do, and yet they changed history. Again, like I mentioned before, Moses didn’t think he would be able to speak to Pharaoh, but God worked through Moses to bring Israel out of slavery.

Then you have Paul who used to kill Christians before he met Jesus and he became one of the most prolific writer and planted many churches.  You can even look at  David. I’m sure you have heard the story of David and Goliath. David  was the youngest of all his brothers, but God worked through David to defeat Goliath by striking him down with a stone, and eventually made him a king.

In closing, I just want to say that there are many ways to show Christ’s love and to reach others. God has put missions and outreach on my heart. I know it isn’t everyone’s gift, but I sincerely believe that everyone should have the goal to let Jesus Christ’s love change someone else’s lives. You don’t have to go out knocking on doors, you can show Christ;s love by treating the other person as Christ would. Each and every person is special and Christ died for them and for you. When we see everything that God has done, we will want to share His love with others.

Be a blessing to others and allow others to bless you.