Think On These Things Thursday

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

You reap what you sow...

Galations 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I taught this verse to Junior Church last month and have been thinking about it this week. Largely due to a situation at work. It struck me, though when I was explaining it to the kids that God doesn't just say, you reap what you sow, but also commands us "Be not deceived." It is so easy to get caught up in the world's philosphy of do what "feels good" TO YOU. Don't worry about how your actions effect others, just if they make YOU feel good. This is deceitful! God however has commanded us to be kind, do what is right, etc. We need to follow HIS commands, not necessarily what we WANT to do! God is going to bless us when we do what is right.

Think of your life as a garden. If you sow kindness, you will reap kindness. If you sow anger, you will reap anger. There will be times that some weeds end up in our garden and we think were wronged unjustly, however if we think back and are honest, we sowed those seeds, maybe long ago! There may be times that someone else's weeds end up in our garden and maybe unjustly. What matters at the end of the day is what WE sow. God is going to bless when we sow things that are flowers in life, not weeds.

Flowers in life are: Phillippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

What is in your garden?

Weeds?

OR

Flowers?

Recap

I apologize for not posting much, but it has been busy since we returned from our trip and my mom is here.

To recap our trip, I picked the kids up at Camp on Saturday, June 27th, then headed to IL. The kids got to use their DVD player they got for Christmas for the first time. I'm amazed to be able to say we got it to work just fine WITHOUT Daddy along! Of course, I did have Timothy. We went to a friend's house in IL (hopefully they are still friends after I invaded them with four kids and four loads of laundry to do before Sunday morning when we had to leave for TN--Thanks Pam and Brian!) I got to go see my mom's new house.

We left Sunday morning, leaving behind "Z" with mom. Mike and I had found a church about 1 1/2 hours away that would put us a bit on the way to TN. When I got the "Harvest Baptist Church" the building had obviously been deserted for awhile and now read "arvest aptist Church". I went to a gas station and found another Baptist church. The kids learned about Christian rock music, unfortunately first hand. They realized it was wrong right away, thanks to Mr. Doyle Robertson. We arrived safely in Murfreesboro, TN. We went to McDonalds so the kids could play in the outdoor playland. We bought five icecream cones and a cheeseburger for $4.12! We went to church at Franklin Road Baptist Church. It was a great patriotic service. David Gibbs of the Christian Law Association was the speaker. We went to the Bill Rice Ranch after church. I always feel a little like I've come home when I go to the Ranch. Some things have changed since I was last there about 7 years ago, but it is still the same in many ways, especially the most important--their standards and preaching! It is so nice to go somewhere and see that they are standing by the Word of God and not compromising!!!

The camp week was relatively uneventful. A few bumps and scrapes and creepy crawlies to deal with, but overall a good week. I'm so thankful the Lord answered my prayers in this regard. The most excitement was provided by "T" who was knocked out for a few seconds by accident playing basketball. He was fine, though.

The kids and I did get to go on a Cowboy Cookout. The preaching was great. I enjoyed meeting old friends and making some new ones.

I'll probably post more later about the weekend. The clock is running away from me! :o)

Think On These Things Thursday

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

What is Love?

Dr. Bill Rice preached on what love is while I was at the Bill Rice Ranch. I had heard him preach on this before, but it was a good reminder and has been a help in my life. I know it would be even more helpful if I would remember it and apply it to my life more!

So often love is seen as some gushy feeling. This is not how the Bible defines love, however.

Here is the Bible definition of love:

Romans 13: 8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

To define love practically is to simply define it as doing what is right. Jesus even reminded us of the commandments that deal with our relationships with others when talking about love being the fulfilling of the law. He goes on to talk about loving our neighbor as our self. We tend to be pretty good at watching out for ourselves, but what about for others?

So to put this into practice:

If we say you love the Lord, are we: obeying His Word, spending time with Him by reading our Bibles and praying, going to church, witnessing, maintaining a good testimony, etc.

If we say we love our family are we: being kind, patient, helpful, not leaving things for the other person to do when we could do it our self, talking about them in a kind way, not complaining about them to others, etc. Also, in regards to our children, are we disciplining them, teaching them Biblical truths, spending time with them, etc.

If we say we love our friends are we: being kind, not gossiping, helping them, encouraging them, etc.

Basically, if we can remember that showing love is simply doing what is right by that person, our life and theirs will be much better!

Also, remember that God does not expect us to love other in our own strength, He expects us to rely on Him for the strength to do what is right!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We're back

We got back last night. The trip went really well. I need a little time to catch my breath and recover from driving 19 hours in two days, then I will have a better post. :o) It's back to work today. Hopefully they didn't realize they didn't need me after all. :0)

Blogging Break

I will be out of town until July 8th, so have a great week or so! I am going to be a camp nurse for a little over a week. Please pray everyone stays healthy and uninjured! I don't really want to work. :o) The internet was not working at home this morning, so sorry for the quick post.

Think on These Things Thursday

Giving Others the "Benefit of the Doubt"

Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

I have been saddened the last couple of weeks by the way people are offended by what others say. Especially when someone is trying to relate to or comfort another. I think that many times people are just trying to relate in some way, even if it is small and say things that to the one in a difficult situation seems to "trivilize" THEIR situation.

Helping the one going through a difficult time:
I have learned that it is difficult to say the right thing to someone going through a difficult time because we have NO idea how that person is truly feeling. Everyone reacts to situations differently and works through them in different ways. One person may need a shoulder to cry on as soon as difficulty comes, another may take days or weeks to come to that point. I wonder how many times I have said something that may have been taken in the wrong way. Furthermore, I have to resist the temptation to say the first thing that comes to mind, usually some trite little saying, in my temptation to fill the void in conversation. I think that often people just say ANYTHING to fill the void in conversation, because most of us are uncomfortable with silence and feel like we need to help the other by saying something really wise. We often end up saying the wrong thing and further upsetting the other. I think the best thing we can do is let others know we are thinking and praying for them. Let them know we love them and are concerned for them and to PLEASE let us know if we can be of any help--meals, listening, cleaning their house, watching their kids, etc. Then BE QUIET!!! You can also offer to take them out for a meal or coffee, but be ready to listen and be quiet!

Please Listen ~ author unknown
This poem was given to me when I worked at a camp for children with cancer. It is a good reminder to BE QUIET! :o)

When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.

Listen! All I ask is that you listen. Don't talk or do - just hear me.Advice is cheap; 20 cents will get you both Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper, and I can do for myself; I am not helpless. Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and inadequacy. But when you accept as a simple fact that I feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I can stop trying to convince you and get about this business of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling.

And when that's clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice. Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what's behind them.So please listen, and just hear me. And if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn - and I will listen to you.

If you are the one going through a difficult time:
Realize that people are genuinely trying to be helpful, even if they may not truly BE helping you. I learned this when my father passed away. The circumstances were really difficult. Many people said things that were not comforting in their attempt to BE comforting. I can’t imagine anyone would have deliberately caused us more pain. Even if they were, we can not judge another's intentions because we don’t know their heart. I guess I just want people to give others the benefit of the doubt. Try to look at them as helpers accidentally saying the wrong thing. Be thankful that they care enough to try. You can let them know nicely that you just need some quiet time or would like them to listen for awhile. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, will allow you and others to be much happier. If you allow yourself to be offended, you will probably just end up hurting yourself the most. Being upset at another is quite a burden to carry around!

P.S. I am still learning. The verses above are helpful and remind me to be more forgiving if only I would remember them all the time!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

How to keep eggs from cracking while you boil them

Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. This works really well. I'm told it will also keep a poached egg compact in the water instead of spreading out. I haven't tried the vinegar with poached eggs as I never cook them.

For more great kitchen tips, visit: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/