A Shot of Whiskey

Life is not dull when one is in possession of a super-charged, doesn't miss a beat 3 year old. Yesterday, I was forced to cover my hind end at church because of a comment made by Baby Girl in Sunday school class a few weeks ago. Now mind you, this is second hand info through my hubby, but needless to say, still alarming. While Baby Girl and friends were wading through a detailed bible lesson about Joseph, Baby Girl decides she will give a lengthy dissertation about "a shot of whiskey" that she'd heard about. My hubby had been telling me about an illness deterrent/remedy that his dad had been given which consisted of a shot of whiskey. That was enough, I guess, for Baby Girl to generate an entire story about how SHE had had a shot of whiskey. Apparently, the teacher said she could have that at home, but they needed to talk about Joseph in class. So, yesterday, I felt it incumbent upon me to explain the incident to the pastor's wife, just in case it got around. We don't have a gossipy church, but I figured, who wouldn't want to share a story like that! And so, I share it with all of my blogging buddies.

Wake up!

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11)

Warning: this post is not for the faint of heart. Although it may seem a bit harsh, please trust that it comes from a loving heart who's just tired of having people beat around the bush.

I cannot describe to you how many times I've woken up during the night with the words running through my mind, "wake up! Wake up!" Although this may seem a "normal" thing to think upon waking up, my spirit understood what I was hearing. It was a prayer for the church, the very body of Christ living in these end times. The Spirit cries "wake up!!"


While my sisters and brothers are eating, drinking and being merry; while they store up treasures on earth and allow themselves to be tainted by divorce and infidelity, the Lord is drawing many to him, pouring out his Spirit, bringing revival. As American Christians, we are at best luke warm, people are being brutally murdered around the world every day because they simply believe in Christ.

If you grew up in church and now think you are OK and have no room for God, wake up! You will not enter into heaven just because your parents went to church or you were a good person. No one is good enough to stand in front of a holy God. Turn back to him and allow yourself to be humble and give praise where it's due. Your jobs, activities, possessions, etc will not save you, only the gift of grace offered by Jesus can cover our sins.

Find out for yourself where you stand. This is not a time just to look for comfort. A time is rapidly approaching when it will be too late to plead ignorance, and if you've read this message, you are already without excuse. Even as I write this, please know I'm not nuts. I simply love the Lord, and I have researched my faith and discovered that Jesus really is who he claimed to be, and he claimed to be the only way to the Father, the only narrow road to eternal life.

He will not force himself on you. Unlike other rapidly growing faiths, you won't be beheaded if you don't convert. You may feel like you're really just coasting right through life, but ask yourself, is that hope based on anything, or do you feel like you're OK because things are going OK right now?

Lift your eyes to the heavens, because the King is coming soon.

Have I mentionedmy hubby Lately?

I've seen a lot of proud mom blogs. Everyone espousing some pithy anecdote about this child or that, proclaiming their 3 year old's brilliance, or contrarily, their endearing mischief and adventures. As Seinfeld would say, "not that there's anything wrong with that." But something is missing on many a stay-at-home mom's blog and today, I will attempt to address this directly by giving a big old shout out to the dad of the year, my hubby.
Have I mentioned him lately? Probably not as much as I should, or in the light that I should. He is the hardest worker I know and gets little praise or compensation for his diligence. And yet, his comment about that is, "The Lord knows and he'll reward me." The world (and I) would say, "But you deserve so much more, stand up for yourself, demand the reward and attention that you deserve. Don't let other people take credit for your ideas and labor!" We as believers are not called to be doormats, and He certainly isn't that. What he is is an incredibly humble man. His ego does not need the boost of others to affirm that he is worth while or successful.
As long as I've known him, he has defined his success by keeping his family his top priority in time and attention. He loves his girls, gives me nights off regularly, tells me that he loves me. And what do I do? I get on him for not asking for more money. I have already asked for forgiveness for this, but by way of making amends, I offer this: There is no one like my hubby, he is a wonderful husband and father, and I will not wait until someone is writing an obituary for him to shout it from the rooftop of my blog.
There, the truth is spoken.

An Empty Tomb and Sharing My Hope

A week ago, I shared with a friend how negligent I'd been about sharing the hope that I have in Jesus with others. I have all the same excuses as everyone else. I'm short on time. I'm embarrassed. I'm sure they'll consider me a fanatic. There is one thing, however, that I don't think. I don't think Jesus is a liar. He said of himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through me."(John 14:6) Perhaps you've heard the "Lunatic,Liar or Lord" argument that was made famous by C.S. Lewis. If Jesus was just a good moral teacher and he claimed to be God and wasn't, he was lying. Good moral teachers don't lie. Either he was lying and wasn't God or a good moral teacher, or he was crazy to say he was God. None of his actions or statements would fall into ANY category of mental illness or instability. If he is neither crazy, nor a liar, he is then who he said he was. The only way to the Father. Jesus said that he and the Father are one, making himself equal to, and therefore, God. This is why he was accused by the Jewish leaders and consequently crucified. Listen to me carefully. He didn't say he was just a good teacher. He said he was God. So what do YOU do with that? If he is God, he deserves our complete worship and trust.
So, I had confessed my indifference about evangelism to my friend, and she suggested I listen to "The Way of the Master" which teaches believers in Jesus how to share their faith. I made a mental note, but didn't follow up. So last night, as I dozed after American Idol, I flipped to a channel that was showing Kirk Cameron of 80's fame teaching about evangelism. I thought, hey, that's cool. He's got some good stuff there. I watched for a while, then fell asleep. So this morning, I click on a link to someone's blog, and they have a link to a test asking "Are you good enough". I thought this was odd because this was on the TV show last night. I clicked on it, and sure enough, there was Kirk Cameron, teaching evangelism. I looked at the website, it was www.wayofthemaster.com. So, God pointed the way last week. He showed me the way last night, he maneuvered the way online this morning to hear "The Way of the Master". And isn't that just like the way of my master. He will never leave me or forsake me. He does not dwell in coincidence, but delights in showing his glory in our lives.
This "God Stop" in my life served to do two things: To remind me again that God is NEAR and cares intimately about me. And also, he cares about all of us and wants everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:4) I can either let him use me to reach others, or, as the bible says, the very rocks will cry out. So now, I'm convinced, "Ain't no rock gonna take my place."

Rapture's Song

May I be convicted
May my guilt be lifted
May your mercy and your faithfulness abide.
Will you crucify me
Let it purify me
That I may become the righteousness of Christ

May your love root deeply
That it may flow freely
As your Spirit finds a home in me my King
Won't you come and hide me
And ever guide me
As I sing beneath the shadow of your wing...

Someday I'll see you coming in the air
And I'll rise with all the saints to meet you there
When I hear the trumpet blast
And when finally at last your promised face I'll see
Your beauty and your grace will testify
That you have come to gather up your bride
May my hope and faith be true
And my love only for you
For you are Lord for all eternity

May you find me waiting
And anticipating
May my faith and life be incense Lord, to you
may I store up treasure
May it give you pleasure
Let me offer up the crowns I earn to you

Someday I'll see you coming in the air
And I'll rise with all the saints to meet you there
When I hear the trumpet blast
And when finally at last your promised face I'll see
Your beauty and your grace will testify
That you have come to gather up your bride
May my hope and faith be true
And my love only for you
For you are Lord for all eternity

And whether this life takes me
And my eyes shut here at last
Or I live to see the day you come
With a shout and trumpet blast
I know that you are truth and life
The beginning and the end
The Holy One, the great I AM
And on this I will depend

Someday I'll see you coming in the air
And I'll rise with all the saints to meet you there
When I hear the trumpet blast
And when finally at last your promised face I'll see
Your beauty and your grace will testify
That you have come to gather up your bride
May my hope and faith be true
And my love only for you
For you are Lord for all eternity