One of the issues I have debated with others about quite often is given or tithing as the church calls it. I have heard every excuse in the book for why we don't have to give, why we can't give or why it just isn't our duty to give. Personally, I think they are all hogwash.
I have been told that its our duty to find out how the receiver will use the gift and this should determine whether we give or not. I must disagree with this also. I probably need to clarify this statement though because obviously, some wisdom must be used in giving. For example, I know of a situation where a church member withheld their financial support from the church because they did not favor one Elder of the church. To me, this is just an excuse to keep your money for yourself. That's kind of funny since the money we have is not really ours anyway.
One person I continually discussed this with explained that although he had given 10% faithfully, he had never received the return we are promised. My answer to that has always been that the giver's attitude was not right. I will agree that obedience is in order even if the heart is not but I'm not sure we are richly blessed and rewarded for our obedience as much as we are for a right heart.
So, how does a person get a right heart? It seems an impossible thing to convey to another. Recently, as I was reading Proverbs it hit me like a lightning bolt! Here's the verse that got me: Proverbs 22:9 "Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor". Do you see the answer?
I've never understood holding on to possessions so tight and I think it comes from a story I heard as a child. The story goes: Some parents and their children were camping one weekend in their family camper. The mother was washing dishes and took off her wedding ring and put it on the back of the sink. In the commotion of packing up she forgot to put her ring back on. On the trip home, she realized she did not have it on. They stopped and tore the camper apart to find it but never found it. Her daughter began to cry for her mom and felt horrible. Her mom said to her "Honey, never cry over anything that cannot cry over you". I have to admit... if I had been in the same situation, I'm pretty sure I would have been crying! But, I never forgot the story and it taught me that possessions are just that - possessions - things - you can't take them with you!
Here's the point I learned from that Proverb verse - We must FIRST see ourselves as bountifully blessed before we will have the right heart and attitude when giving to others! Once you believe that God has given you everything you have and will continue to bless your socks off it makes it so easy to turn around and bless others!
After reading that and pondering it over the last couple of weeks I absolutely believe it to be true. I am constantly telling others how blessed I am and I believe that! I love to share my blessings with others. I have often told others that I can really see in my life when I am giving and when I am not. Its very obvious in the blessings that I receive. Seriously!
Moral of the blog.... If you are one of those folks who have a hard time parting with cash, possessions or your time to help others try to look at your own life and see how you have been blessed and pay attention to every good thing that comes your way and thank God for them! Over time, you will begin to feel blessed and as you make it habit to do so, you will begin to experience the unbelievable joy in giving!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
House Update # 1
Back when I started my blog I wrote about moving to my parent's house and I think I mentioned some of the challenges of moving here and the condition to which I found it after it had been vandalized. I've worked hard at getting the house put together, selling off everything extra at my "Big Ass Garage Sale" which was a great success. Now, I need to have a small hiney garage sale and get rid of more stuff.
I wanted to add some pictures of a few rooms that have been finished.
First is my bathroom. Here's a before picture. The first picture on the left is what it looked like when my folks lived here. The second picture is what it looked like 6 years later when I moved here. The lovely neighborhood thieves stole that attractive handicap and rusted toilet.
That's about as girly as I can get although I did pick up a $10 chandelier at a yard sale to hang in here but I just haven't gotten around to it. I keep thinking some knight in shining armor is going to show up to do it for me but so far that hasn't happened.
There is also a sign inside the pink frame now that says "Its never to late to Live Happily Ever After". I thought it was very appropriate for my life.
I love my little laundry room. Its not much and isn't big but since I have very little storage at this house I have to make a little space go a long ways.
Before pictures:
I can't remember which came first but I picked out this really bright yellow color for my sewing room or my laundry room and loved it so much I did both rooms. I really think I picked it for the laundry room first. The room is long and narrow and dark so I wanted a color that would reflect any light that made it in there and also put me in a cheery mood every time I see it. Here's the finished -and incredibly full, but organized - laundry room.
As for the living room and bedroom, I just had to figure out how to make everything fit in those rooms. I haven't painted either room. My bedroom has a 1/2 bath but because the thieves took the toilet out of there too and I have yet to replace it, it is just a storage room for now. I don't have a good picture of the living room but here is the bedroom although it has already changed from this. I found that that the old screen with the little dresses kept getting bumped so I hung a picture there instead.
When I moved in my office it was green due to my bargain $5 paint purchase at Home Depot. I'm just not a green person. So, I painted it a lavender color and made it the "bear" room .
I wanted to add some pictures of a few rooms that have been finished.
Since moving here I have gotten a new toilet (first thing), painted and decorated it into a "girly" room.
There is also a sign inside the pink frame now that says "Its never to late to Live Happily Ever After". I thought it was very appropriate for my life.
I love my little laundry room. Its not much and isn't big but since I have very little storage at this house I have to make a little space go a long ways.
Before pictures:
I can't remember which came first but I picked out this really bright yellow color for my sewing room or my laundry room and loved it so much I did both rooms. I really think I picked it for the laundry room first. The room is long and narrow and dark so I wanted a color that would reflect any light that made it in there and also put me in a cheery mood every time I see it. Here's the finished -and incredibly full, but organized - laundry room.
As for the living room and bedroom, I just had to figure out how to make everything fit in those rooms. I haven't painted either room. My bedroom has a 1/2 bath but because the thieves took the toilet out of there too and I have yet to replace it, it is just a storage room for now. I don't have a good picture of the living room but here is the bedroom although it has already changed from this. I found that that the old screen with the little dresses kept getting bumped so I hung a picture there instead.
When I moved in my office it was green due to my bargain $5 paint purchase at Home Depot. I'm just not a green person. So, I painted it a lavender color and made it the "bear" room .
Here are a few more favorite pictures from my house. I have a long ways to go. Its a small house but just right for me. I want it to be a cozy, welcoming house where a person feels comfortable putting their feet up and relaxing.
The old birdhouse is something I found at an Antique Mall awhile back for $22. I just couldn't pass it up. It has so much character. The big picture behind it is one of my most favorite possessions. The picture really doesn't do it justice. Its about 5' x 4' on a big heavy board plank and is probably 100+ years old. The paint is chippy and the old wood shows through in just the right places. One of the things I love most about it is that there are 2 churches among the houses on the right side of the painting. This painting was the big adventure when moving. I wrapped it in Saran Wrap and then we laughed every time we started to move it because I was so paranoid more paint would fleck off of it. My son finally decided he wasn't moving it at all. It was all mine to take care of. That works for me!! The last picture is my front porch decorated for the 4th of July. I love my little porch. Its not much but its a nice place to sit when the weather is less than 100 degrees outside.
I hope you enjoyed the tour. I'll post more as I get more work done. I'm afraid a lot of what is left is big ticket items that don't show up too well like a new roof, new A/C and heat, etc.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Moses: The Corporate World
I'm currently studying the life of Moses and finding God's glory, blessings and humor (yes, humor) throughout his life. Not all of this humor is exactly related to Moses but more about things I read in scripture that strike my funny bone. If it doesn't strike yours the same, well, sorry but its my blog and I'll laugh if I want to....
I work for Dell which has some 100K+ employees all over the world. It doesn't get much more corporate than that. I can honestly say that I so look forward to the day when I can kiss the corporate world goodbye and work at something I want to do because I want to do it and not something that just brings in a healthy paycheck.
Today I was reading Exodus 5 where Moses first approaches Pharaoh and asked that the people be allowed to travel 3 days into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord. This request doesn't sit too well with Pharaoh. He reasons (now, here comes the corporate part) that if the people have enough time on their hands that they can make a 3 day trip for something he considers quite petty, that they must not have enough to do. So, Pharaoh says no to the request and then decides to put new policies in place for the brick makers. Apparently, up until this point, the foremen provided the straw to the brick makers. Pharaoh is now saying that this will no longer be provided. The people will now have to go find their own straw wherever they can to make their bricks and even though this new process is much more difficult than their past process, they still must produce the same quota of bricks per day.
Are you seeing it yet? If you have worked around the corporate world very long at all, you have surely experienced layoffs and budget cuts. Of course, they have nice corporate sounding words for layoffs and budget cuts and work really hard at making us feel like its for our benefit - those of us who still have a job.
So, in order to be more efficient and make better use of Pharaoh's (the company's) resources, we will no longer be able to provide the straw (supplies, staff) previously in place for brick making (order completion, product lines, sales). Because it has been observed that the slaves (staff) have abundant time for 3 day journeys to the wilderness (lunches, breaks, potty breaks) slaves (staff) will now be required to obtain their own straw (office supplies) to complete the required allotment of daily bricks (job requirements). In the long run, this will make our operations much more productive and cost effective resulting in the company stock prices to rise and adding a thicker lining to our shareholder's pockets. yada, yada, yada, Who knew the corporate world existed 6000 years ago???
Moses : "BUT I DON'T WANNA..."
I've decided to spend a little time studying the life of Moses. Its a bit of a long story explaining why but I'll try to sum it up by saying I have had questions all of my life about why God placed me in the home he did when I was born. You see, I am adopted. He could have put me in any household looking for a child but he chose the one he did for a reason. Yet, even after wondering about this for the last 25+ years I still have no clue as to the reason why the stork dropped me off where he did. It occurred to me this last week that Moses has the same sort of situation. Yes, he was born to his own mother and he was even raised by her to a point but the Bible says that once he was raised, he was taken back to Pharaoh's daughter and given to her to finish raising as her own child. Do you think his mother told him he had a great purpose in life? Do you think he wondered why he was spared and what God wanted of him for sparing his life?
As I go through Exodus, I thought I would write some of the interesting things that strike me along the way. I tend to have a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor and I find much humor in the Bible. If you have raised children, you should too. Very often, God deals with us just as we deal with our children. Here's a prime example:
How many times have you reasoned with your child to get them out the door in the morning or to get them to jump in the pool or get on the school bus or get off of the school bus, etc. All the while we are compromising with them in the back of our minds we are thinking "Good Grief! How ridiculous is this??" I feel this is exactly what God did with Moses when he balked at being the one to speak to Pharaoh. "Oh no God, I CAN'T do that!" What Moses is really saying is "I don't WANT to do that. I'm afraid!". Now, can't you just see God standing there, arms crossed, tapping the front of his foot up and down and saying, "OOOKKKK... what if Aaron goes with you and even stands in front of you?" All the while God knows he has fully equipped Moses for this task but he is giving in a bit to get the show on the road. How many times are we tempted to just sweep the little boogers up by the hand, plant a little pop on the hiney, and say "JUST DO IT!"? I mean, let's face it, Nike has made millions with this statement. But no, God is patient and loving and works with Moses instead of just laying down the law.
Anyway... we serve a GREAT GOD! One who knows us inside and out and yet stops and says, "OK, what's the problem?" and then doesn't look at us like we are complete idiots for not believing in ourselves because both God and us know that he doesn't give us anything to do that is more than we can do. Why do we balk when we get a clear "GO" from God?
So, what's my point? I don't really have one other than to see the humor in the fact that God deals with us just as we deal with our children. He's the first and best role model we will ever have.
Here's another piece of humor I read today that is not really long enough for a blog entry but it cracked me up anyway. Should I mention somewhere in here that I'm currently taking a lot of pain pills for my back? Maybe that is why things are so funny to me these days. Oh well...
So, when God told Moses to throw his staff on the ground and it turned into a snake, Moses ran! Apparently, Moses was afraid of snakes! I'm not sure why I think that is funny. Maybe its because I am one of the only people I know who is not afraid of snakes. We do have to give Moses credit though because when God told him to pick up the snake by the tail the Bible doesn't say Moses hesitated at all. I would venture to guess that most of the snakes in that region were probably poisonous snakes too.
That's it. Just learning and laughing my way through Exodus!
As I go through Exodus, I thought I would write some of the interesting things that strike me along the way. I tend to have a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor and I find much humor in the Bible. If you have raised children, you should too. Very often, God deals with us just as we deal with our children. Here's a prime example:
How many times have you reasoned with your child to get them out the door in the morning or to get them to jump in the pool or get on the school bus or get off of the school bus, etc. All the while we are compromising with them in the back of our minds we are thinking "Good Grief! How ridiculous is this??" I feel this is exactly what God did with Moses when he balked at being the one to speak to Pharaoh. "Oh no God, I CAN'T do that!" What Moses is really saying is "I don't WANT to do that. I'm afraid!". Now, can't you just see God standing there, arms crossed, tapping the front of his foot up and down and saying, "OOOKKKK... what if Aaron goes with you and even stands in front of you?" All the while God knows he has fully equipped Moses for this task but he is giving in a bit to get the show on the road. How many times are we tempted to just sweep the little boogers up by the hand, plant a little pop on the hiney, and say "JUST DO IT!"? I mean, let's face it, Nike has made millions with this statement. But no, God is patient and loving and works with Moses instead of just laying down the law.
Anyway... we serve a GREAT GOD! One who knows us inside and out and yet stops and says, "OK, what's the problem?" and then doesn't look at us like we are complete idiots for not believing in ourselves because both God and us know that he doesn't give us anything to do that is more than we can do. Why do we balk when we get a clear "GO" from God?
So, what's my point? I don't really have one other than to see the humor in the fact that God deals with us just as we deal with our children. He's the first and best role model we will ever have.
Here's another piece of humor I read today that is not really long enough for a blog entry but it cracked me up anyway. Should I mention somewhere in here that I'm currently taking a lot of pain pills for my back? Maybe that is why things are so funny to me these days. Oh well...
So, when God told Moses to throw his staff on the ground and it turned into a snake, Moses ran! Apparently, Moses was afraid of snakes! I'm not sure why I think that is funny. Maybe its because I am one of the only people I know who is not afraid of snakes. We do have to give Moses credit though because when God told him to pick up the snake by the tail the Bible doesn't say Moses hesitated at all. I would venture to guess that most of the snakes in that region were probably poisonous snakes too.
That's it. Just learning and laughing my way through Exodus!
Friday, July 6, 2012
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 not 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 of 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 it 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.
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 not 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 of 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 it 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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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