Train wreck one mile down the track!

God recently gave me a great analogy I want to share....

We all find it tough to witness at times and it seems close friends and family are the hardest to talk to of all! Here's something to think about.....

What if a loved one was getting on a train and you were 100% sure that one mile down the tracks, the bridge was gone! You are certain that if your loved one gets on that train that they will plummet to their death one mile down the track. Wouldn't you do everything in your power to get them off of that train even to the point of acting like a fool?

That scenerio is just fiction but the real truth is that millions are on the train to hell and its OUR job as believers to do everything in our power to get them off of that train and onto the one whose track never fails!

A tough holdout for some people...

Here's something to think about when witnessing to an unbeliever....

If a person's family or friends are not Christians and they are considering becoming one there is a tough hurdle they have to deal with emotionally at some point that I think a lot of Christians never realize.

If this new person comes to believe that the ONLY way to heaven is Jesus (I am The Way, The Truth, The Life and no one can enter the kingdom of heaven except through me)  then at some point they have to accept that all of their loved ones who have died before are NOT in heaven.

Think on that for a minute.

"But grandpa and grandma were good people! They helped others and never hurt anyone"

" My dad was a coach all his life and helped so many kids!"

" Mom never hurt a soul. She took care of the poor and gave to needy"

The Bible clearly shows that being "good" is not the way to heaven. For a new believer to learn and accept that Christ is the only way, he has to accept at some point that his loved ones who have gone on are not going to be there.

I have no answers for how to deal with this but I believe this may be the reason some will never accept Christ. The thought is just too much to handle.

Put this in your hat and remember it when you are dealing with a person who has no logical reason for not accepting Christ. They may not know how to voice it, but this may be what holds them back.

Follow up to "Would Jesus hang out at Hooters?"

I came across a section of scripture this morning that was new to me although I'm sure I've read it many times before. I was still thinking about the Hooter's blog when I found this. It comes from 1 Corinthians 5:9-12:

I wrote to you in  my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of  brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler - not even to eat with such a one. 

I don't believe Paul is telling us not to associate with these people (sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and and swindlers, or idolaters). He is telling us not to allow this behaviour to go on among believers and to cast out anyone who commits these acts continually and still calls themselves a Christian. He says that if we were not to associate with those people outside of the church, we would need to leave the world. I do not believe this applies to people who are struggling with a sin and trying to overcome it. I believe this refers to those who relish in what they are doing and somehow call it good.

I believe he is calling us to associate and teach the lost outside of the church. He is also teaching us to keep the House of God pure and undefiled.

The truth is that not all people can do this. If going into the world and associating with those of the world would bring temptation to great to resist - then this is not what God is calling YOU to do. The people who can do this and not become defiled need a support base that remains within the walls of God's house. Find where you fit best and plug in! God didn't create us all to do the same thing.

Numbered Hairs

Here's a short little thing to think about today...

The Bible says "are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered".

All of my life I took this to mean that God knows how many hairs are on my head at any given moment but recently someone brought to light that not ONLY does he know how many hairs their are - each has a unique identifiable number! Imagine that! So, when you sweep your bangs to the side or tuck your hair behind your ear, just remember that may have been number 1000-4000. :-)

God is SO big that we can not fathom it with our human brains! Its overwhelming to think that he knows each of us individually, that each of us have a unique name known only to him but to think that he knows us so intimately that he even numbers every hair on our heads!

Heaven is gonna be great! Happy Thanksgiving!

Would Jesus hang out at Hooters?

So, would he? Don't answer too quick. What about the local bar on a Friday night? 

I believe he would hang out at Hooters or any other place today's "good" Christians frown upon. You see, Jesus made it very clear that he came to this world for the non-believers - not the believers. He came for the sick, not the well. He came for the sinner, not the saved.

In Matthew 9 and Mark 2 the Bible clearly shows Jesus reclining with tax collectors and sinners. Now, look at that line again - Jesus was reclining with them. He was not sitting straight up at attention and nervously looking around to see who might see him. He was reclining. I don't know what reclining means to you but to me it means relaxed, resting, comfortable and in no rush to leave.  Now, can you do that? Could you go down to the local Hooters or Pike's Peak and hang out without feeling like you were doing something wrong? Or, would you be looking over your shoulder constantly to see who might have seen you there because you know your name would be ruined at Church for sure.

I challenge you to think long and hard about this one. Let me tell you a true store that happened to me.

I worked in a small office with about 12 people. I was the only Christian in the office. I really cared about these people and they were my friends so when they went to their monthly Happy Hour at a local bar I decided to go along. All bars have Coke on hand because it is used in many mixed drinks. So, I decided to go and hang out and just drink pop. Let me interject here that I really don't think there is any sin in drinking. The Bible clearly says the sin is in being drunk and losing control of yourself. Anyway, I was sitting at the bar next to my friend. She had been going to a few Bible study classes and had some interest in the subject but she was the kind of person that would never ask someone else about it. Wow, this girl could drink! She could drink most men under the table. We had been sitting at the bar for about an hour and she had drank 5 or 6 bottles of beer and was feeling a little tipsy. She leaned over to me and asked "So, what is this Jesus thing about anyway?" I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. It took me a second to get my head together and then I began to tell her the story of Jesus. We talked for a few more hours - way past Happy Hour! This occurred on a Thursday night. The next day at work she called me to her desk and said she was ready to commit her life to Christ and she AND her daughter both came to church Sunday morning, went forward during the invitation and were baptized. Now, I don't tell this story to bring credit to myself. I tell it to show that we should go wherever life takes us. If I had been too "good" to go to that bar with my friends she may have never asked the question that led to a life change. And, if you are asking yourself where she is now - well - she is amazing! She has been on fire for God since that weekend. She has way surpassed me in witnessing and a Christlike life. I just thank God often that he gave me the opportunity and the Holy Spirit gave me the words.

So, again, I challenge you - don't avoid people or places because of what society thinks of those people. Remember, Jesus talked to the woman at the well when society said that NO ONE should speak to her. It was the very reason she was at the well at the time of day that she was. She had to wait until all the "good" people were through at the well before she could go get her own water. I suspect Jesus was waiting for her. He had such love for people like this. I think we should too.

Here's a link to a site where this idea is discussed and I seem to be on the outs of the general opinion! 

http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=2879&forum=35&start=0&viewmode=flat&order=0

Today has enough trouble of its own!

Have you ever wondered what "worry" is about? Why do we worry? Why can't we STOP worrying? Well, I think it comes down to one simple thing. Ready? You aren't gonna like it....

We worry because we want to CONTROL OUR LIVES. See, our little human minds believe that if WE do all the worrying, then we can control the outcome of situations. Giving up control of our lives is probably the hardest thing anyone of us will ever do. But, here's the big secret in all of this - once you try it - that is giving up the worry and letting God who is in charge of all do the worrying for you - it is one of the most free feelings you will ever experience.

Have you ever found yourself in a circle like this: "I worry that my car is going to break down any day and I won't be able to fix it and then I won't be able to go to work and then I will lose my job and then I will lose my house and then my family will leave me and then....." This is a vicious cycle and we can serve God wholeheartedly while we're riding this train. So, I say - GET OFF.

The Bible clearly states that we are not to worry. And not only are we not to worry about important things - we are not to worry about the piddly things either! Good Grief! Isn't God just a tad busy with saving the world from hunger and terrorists to worry about the fact that I have NOTHING to wear?? We are so good at boxing God up into our own little human perimeters.

"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the ski: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any o f you add single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't He do much more for you - you of little faith? So, don't worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34.

So, here's my challenge to you - ask yourself this question - Do you in your daily life (I mean every bit of it) seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? If you can say yes to that, then there isn't a reason in this world to worry. I'm not saying you have to be perfect but if your overall intent in life is to put God first, then you MUST believe that God will care and provide for you. If it helps, keep a journal. Record the challenges in life and how they were resolved. This helps a lot of people see that God was with them all along. Things don't always work out the WAY we would plan them but they do work out the way GOD designs them too.

Give a try - just for one day. Leave every single worry to God. Now, don't get me wrong. You still have to make decisions and function in life. You just have to give up worrying about the things that worry can't change.  

First Post

I so wanted to do a post about sewing, crafting and all things homespun but I think God has other plans. He keeps giving me these great lessons and I have no one to share them with other than hubby so I have decided to begin saving them in a blog. I hope the posts don't bore you and I would love to hear your comments. Some folks think hubby and I are a little "out there" when it comes to our beliefs but the truth is, we just go by what the Good Book says and try to not let what the world thinks influence what we believe.

Thanks for reading along in this journey!