Caught with your hand in the cookie jar?

Two twin boys lived with their mother and father, and I'm sorry to say it, were both only 10 when they found out they had diabetes. Their poor mother, who loved to give them treats, was beside herself. And yet, because she loved them, she told them that sweet snacks were prohibited unless she gave them out at the proper time. Tommy and Timmy, typical 10 year old boys, were sad and somewhat indignant. They loved their chocolate chip cookies, and one or two wouldn't hurt, right? The boys were old enough to make their own choices and so the mother, wanting them to make good choices even when she wasn't around to make them, set up a bit of a test to see what each would do.

"I"m going shopping sons, please do your homework while I'm gone, and remember, there is celery and peanut butter for snack! See you in an hour." and with that, mother set off in the car.

"Timmy," said Tommy, "you know what this means, right?"

"Cookies!" They both shouted, and ran as fast as they could to the cookie jar in the kitchen.

Now mother could have hid the cookies, could have kept them locked up, but this would only have served to teach them to obey when someone was forcing them.

They stealthily maneuvered cookie after cookie, rearranging the remaining treats in such a way that the jar still looked somewhat full.

While they were still arranging and quite occupied with their activity, father had slipped in the back door, having pulled his car around back. It had been prearranged with mother, and so both twins were thus caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.

"My sons," said their father, "Do you have so little respect and care for us and for yourselves that you would make such a bad choice?"

The twins stared at their sneakers, not wanting to look their father in the eye.

Timmy's eyes began to well with tears. He may love cookies, but he also loved and respected his parents, and he knew they wanted him to be healthy.

Tommy's eyes also filled with tears, not to be outdone by his brother.

"We're sorry Dad!" They said in unison.

"I can see you both seem to feel badly, time will tell whether your actions will follow your apparent remorse." Father replied.

"Huh?" said the twins.

"Next time you're faced with this choice, what you decide will determine if you've really felt badly enough to change your actions. That choice is in your hands, and it will determine what kind of man your turn out to be."

Not a month later, Timmy and Tommy were at the home of their friend Sam. Sam's mother brought them a plate stacked high with gooey chocolate chip cookies. Tommy looked at the stack with a gleam in his eye. He devoured more than his share, and consequently, left Sam's house early feeling very poorly.

Timmy, on the other hand, recalled what his father had said. He thought about his mother's instruction, and how much she cared for him. He also thought about how bad he felt when he made the wrong choice. Now of course, he thought these things in a very 10 year old way, but the outcome was the same. He chose to ask for a string cheese instead, which Sam's mom was happy to get for him.

Timmy had truly felt sorry, he'd asked for forgiveness, and his repentance was followed by action. He turned and went the opposite direction.

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Many times we are faced with similar choices. God says, don't lie. Don't steal. Don't commit adultery. Why? Because he's trying to keep us from having a little fun? No way. It's because it will inevitably lead to the pain and suffering of all involved. His boundaries keep us safe from the natural consequences of sin.

The bible says that the wages of sin are death. Every time we choose to follow our own path instead of God's, something dies. In our pain, we may cry out to God in sorrow or indignation. We may truly look sorry as we moan and cry and rant. But if we feel true sorrow, if we see our actions in light of how much God wants for us and how much he loves us, we will choose to follow him the next time we have the choice. True repentance is followed by a changed heart and life.

So the next time you're caught with your hand in the cookie jar, ask yourself, "Do I feel bad because I see my sin in light of a holy and loving God, or am I just sorry I was caught?"

If you are a sinner like me, but have not yet asked Jesus to cover your sin, come into your life, and make you a new creation, read on.


Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent.

Romans 6:23 teaches us about the consequences of sin -

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

Romans 5:8 declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus' resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins.

Romans 10:9, " if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 8:1 teaches us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Soon

God is not Done with Israel...Watch the Headlines

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins." (Romans 11:25-27)

Fellow sojourners, we are coming upon the 40th anniversary of the Jews re-taking the temple mount in Jerusalem along with many other territories now in dispute. I know that many people who visit this blog don't believe the bible, don't care about prophecy, could let June 7, 2007 pass like any other day. But I wanted to bring it to your attention, and have you think about the significance of a people group displaced from their homeland for hundreds of years, re-taking this land, or any land for that matter. They are a small, virtually insignificant people group, and yet over the centuries we see them face possible extinction over and over again. The Persians, Greeks, Romans, Inquisitors, Russians, Italians, French, Germans, etc have come against the Jews, and yet, here they are. Why? Because of the above passage. God has made a covenant promise to them, that he promised ALL ISRAEL will be saved. We are living during the dispensation of Grace, when the Lord has extended salvation to all mankind, not wanting anyone to perish. But there is a time coming when the fullness of the gentiles (non-Jews) has come into God's family. God WILL do what he says he'll do. There is coming a time when God is going to make himself known VISIBLY again to our world. He will rescue Israel again when all hope seems lost so that no one can question who it was that saved them.

The Bible says that God will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel. When the time comes to see who'll stand for Israel, what side will you be on? What side will our country be on? Until the last couple of years, we have been a nation that has backed Israel since it's inception in 1948, but that tide is turning. Israel will ultimately stand alone.

The age of Grace is about to end. Matthew 24 states that the generation that sees the fig tree blossom again (the fig tree is Israel, specifically Jerusalem throughout the bible) will see the Messiah's 2nd coming. May 14,1948 Israel became a nation. June 7, 1967 Jerusalem, the very temple mount itself, was re-taken by the Jews. This generation will not pass away before the Son of Man comes again. Will you be ready?

What is that Smell?

You remember that part in Grumpy Old Men when John puts the dead fish in the back of Max's car? It starts to decay and Max keeps smelling his pits and rifling through his car to try to find the source of the odor. Such is my life today. Poor Annie. I keep following her around, sure she's the source with some special present in her diaper. I've lit candles, scooped the cat box, turned the fans on, etc, all to no avail. Nathalie was also a potential source, running to the facilities claiming she had "gasarrhea", but no, she made it in time. WHAT IS THAT SMELL??? If I wasn't living a typical suburban life, I'd swear I had landed smack in the middle of a cow pasture. Wait, wait, it's coming to me...that smell...it's coming in from outside...THE NEIGHBORS! They just layered their ENTIRE yard with dark, steaming compost. I'm thinking it should be a law that you have to WARN people before you lambaste them with that kind of stench! Great idea having company over today! "Hi, welcome, sorry about the poop smell, yeah, the neighbors, I know, sorry. Maybe we should do dinner a different night, yeah, when my house doesn't smell like, yeah, you know. Thanks."

The Alliance

Have you ever noticed that on Survivor, some of the people who seemed to be the archest of enemies at the beginning of their ordeal are the very same people who are the FIRST to be in cahoots and forming the secret, now somewhat infamous "alliance"? I've found that my life is no different. It seems that I have not only one, but two Benedict Arnolds in my life. Both have been all nicey nice to me the last couple weeks, seemingly HATING one another, and today, I have been betrayed. Behind my somewhat naive back (the eyes in the back of my head are out of order), these two devious minds have joined evil forces and are now at work against me. Seem a little "paranoid" to you? A little far-fetched? I would have thought so too, but just a couple minutes ago, I walked in on them, together, best of friends, looking at me with those guilty, "the cat's out of the bag" puppy dog eyes. Caught in a compromising position, I found my 70 pound dog spooning with my new cat Charlie. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Traitors! You stick with your little "alliance" and see who's food bowl gets filled first. HA HA HA!

To Mom, on Mother's Day

I am so thankful for the time and the place where the line between mother and daughter becomes a faint, comfortable cushion that we can sit on together and talk.

Where the "because I said so"s that echo from childhood are more appropriately heard as "because I'm wiser and I love you".

Where the economy of childhood (we can't afford that right now) is appreciated as "I'm not working so I can stay home and provide a foundation for you that is worth more than any income."

I'm grateful for the ability to see many of the prayers offered up on my behalf, by my mother, come to fruition in my life.

She is a woman whom I have rarely, if ever,heard speak a bad word about anyone. She thinks the best of people, and though I have criticized her for being naive, it is this quality that has allowed her to remain a faithful and devoted wife and mother and child of the Lord for her whole life. Love always hopes, always perseveres...

She is a woman who rarely asks for anything and is willing to give her last penny to someone in need.

She is a woman who has trudged through life's trials and struggles continually allowing them to shape her and mold her into a more Christ like woman.

She is a woman who is not a radiant pageant queen by earthly standards, but in the courts of the Lord she will radiate a beauty that far outweighs the empty beauty that we see plastered on billboards and television commercials.

She has never once said anything to me that was harsh or critical or self-serving but has always spoken to me as someone she loved and respected. When I was a very young child, not yet in Kindergarten, I remember having people tell me what a large vocabulary I had. Any compliment I have received in my life should be counted as a credit to the time and attention of my mother.

She is someone who takes every situation in life and turns it into a teaching opportunity. No life situation or simple set of events would pass through our days without mom drawing a lesson from it, always pointing to the goodness of God, his faithfulness, his provision, his standards. Not platitudes, but truths spoken at critical times that shaped our character.

Who can understand, as a child, the love of a mother? Where she is overbearing, strict, conservative, nosey, argumentative, persistent or crazy she is what a child can't perceive. She is a shepherd, protecting her little flock from wolves they cannot see. She is a diligent, armed soldier fighting the army that seeks to overtake her children each day that they don't notice. She is a tireless, sacrificial, misunderstood and yet devoted warrior for her child's best interest.

So mom, every time I screamed that you didn't understand, every time I called you names, pouted and slammed doors, thank you for being the one that was sending the arrow over my shoulder, taking down the enemy I didn't know existed.

Mom, You are a gracious, loving, devoted wife and mother and your gentle, encouraging spirit has taught me invaluable lessons about how to walk this earth without being scorched by it. You encourage me in my walk with Jesus, you are a doer and not merely a hearer of the word. You have crowns that you cannot yet see, treasures stored for you that you cannot imagine. I love you, and I'm proud to be your daughter. Without you, I would never have become me.

Things on my mind

Why does my leg still hurt?
I love blue sky.
I wish I were more social so that my girls could be out and about more.
I think the Lord is coming back VERY soon.
I'm afraid for the direction many churches are going.
Why can't most people just say what's on their minds?
Sometimes I wish I were 4 again. Other times that frightens me to death.
Why is love of fashion innate in some?
I can't believe I have such a wonderful husband.
I could work in the yard every day.
Why does most of my family live far away?
What will heaven really be like?
Jesus has white hair.
When we're meeting the Lord in the air, will I still be afraid of heights?
Why is it hard to talk to the people you love most about Christ?
I love my doggy when he's clean.
I played boxing on my Wii and my arms really hurt.
I wish I could snap my fingers like Mary Poppins and tidy up the house.
Why do non- Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo?
Do other countries celebrate the 4th of July?
I love it when Annie says, "Hi Mama!"

Why haven't I written on my blog for WEEKS?