"Make Your Move"

Recently, I went to a Christian concert to see Trevor Morgan, Tenth Avenue North, and Third Day. The name of the concert and Third Day's newest album is "Make Your Move". The Singles' group from my church went and we had an absolutely wonderful time...in the end. We all bought tickets at different times, but we were able to sit fairly close together. My friends and I were able to get there early and "pick" our seats and so we did...front and center! Being in a wheelchair, my visual lines are often limited and so during the "meet and greet" time with the guys in the bands, we opted  to grab our seats. and in my case, move a chair because...I bring my own!

It wasn't long before the coliseum began filling up and so we were glad we had decided to get our seats early...until we were told to move. What?! By this time, all the other seats had been taken and the one's we were in were reserved for the Third Day fan club, "Wired". I said, "I'm a fan!" The lady said, "Oh? You're Wired?" I said, "No..." then she proceeded to escort us down to the end of the outside section. I was almost instantly reminded of "8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place." Luke 14:8-9 (ESV)

I said to myself, "I hear You loud and clear, Lord." Was I embarrassed? Oh yeah! Did I feel the sting of the Word? Definitely! I had been rebuked and I was perfectly fine to sit where I had been moved, but one of my friends was not. She went to one of our friends that was a "somebody" at the concert and started asking questions. Seems "asking" where to sit works better than just choosing where to sit.

The issue, at this point, had nothing to do with where I sat, but it had everything to do with the Lord teaching me a lesson. In fact, when the concert was over, I thought how I really wish I had been able to give my tickets to someone that didn't know Him. Tenth Avenue North's lead singer, Mike Donehey, did an incredible job of presenting the gospel in such a way that anyone could "get it". Most Christian concerts that I have attended have been "churchy", but not this one though it was still Christ-centered!

Sharon Bridges, Kathy LaCaze, & I at the "Make Your Move Tour"

The concert was GREAT and I did end up getting seated in an awesome seat (there had been a mix-up...yeah right! God knew exactly what He was doing). Seems the "Make Your Move" theme applied to me as well. I was moved, both physically and spiritually.

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Commit?

25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12:25 (ESV)

A few years ago, a friend stopped by for a few minutes. We were celebrating my mother’s 73rd birthday by eating one of her favorite foods…CRAWFISH! Oh yeah! And, they were some more good, yeah! Hot and spicy. The corn and potatoes had soaked up all those good seasonings. Whew! My mouth is watering, even now! My friend couldn’t stay long so we just continued eating and she grabbed a couple for herself. That’s just how we roll down in the deep-south. We are comfortable at our friends’ home and our friends’ friend’s homes, as well!

We attend the same church, but we never see each other there. We attend a church with three services and two worship centers and a kicking Singles’ ministry! She began questioning me about the Singles’ ministry at our church as she is single “again”. I told her about the many opportunities we offer to get connected and ministry opportunities where she could serve. It wasn’t a volley of conversation, but rather it was me bombarding her with information. And then it came…the statement that I could not keep from repeating over and over…she laughed at herself, but she HAD said it…”Well, I’m gonna commit to try to maybe come to Life Group soon.” Really? And she was SERIOUS! She was ready! Well, to try...maybe.

Sad thing is she said herself that she “knows” what she needs to do. Before I committed or COULD commit, I had to be brought to a place that I recognized my need for Him to be LORD of my life and not just my Savior. Oh, I trusted Him as my Savior, but when I realized that I was nothing without Him in my everyday “walk” of life is when my life really began! I was an energetic young mother, wife, and student with aspirations and dreams of medical school. I thought I was living! It was after I lost MY dreams and aspirations by praying for God to teach me how to love Him that I began to know what real life was about. When Jesus says to you to lay down your life that you might live, He means it! I never knew excitement, joy, peace, love…in the world. My old life dulls in comparison to the life I have now.

You know the Word is clear about being straddled across a fence. This was a great word picture to show us just how uncomfortable we can be when we don’t fully commit to Him. When part of your life is lived doing exactly as you want to live it and a small part is left to live for the Lord, you can experience the pain in the seat just as if there were a fence post riding there! So I would say to, you (my friend), hop off that fence and fully commit to the One that fully committed to you on the Cross.

So, are you committing to try to maybe make Him the most important part of your life? Maybe, if you stop trying and just realize YOU can’t, then you finally will!
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Angry at God

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 (KJV)

Are you struggling through a nasty divorce or custody battle? Maybe your's is not "nasty" and I hope that is the case. Not so with me. My divorces were so painful. I could not understand why the God of all creation would not "fix" my marriages.

I was angry...

Angry at my husband for not being the man of God that I thought he was.

Angry at God for not fixing my marriages.

I did not want a divorce! Because I was not getting my way, I was angry.

However, But, Nonetheless (all three words are my favorites when they pertain to God's hand), God has allowed each situation to show me my mistakes and character flaws! I sure could not live with me then. There is some major reconstruction happening at my "house" and since He is the carpenter, I'm trying to trust Him.

Allow the architect of creation to be builder of Whose YOU are and recognize that His hand IS in your circumstances if you are in His will (Matt 22:37-39). You may be looking at the other person like they are Judas Iscariot, but had it not been for Judas; we would not have had the glorious cross. God uses ALL circumstances, pleasant and difficult, to His marvelous and ultimate glory. "Do", not just read, Phil 4:8. Meditate on God's Word for as long as it takes for your attitude to take on that of Christ. It may not last long, but if you can do that everyday, you may just find that your new attitude lasts longer than just getting out the front door every morning!

"Singled" Out

Why do we get offended at labels? Recently, I was speaking with a friend about a group of single adults at my church and how they do not like to be called "single". I find that odd and a little funny.

Conversations:
"Are they married?"... "No, they are in college age group."... "Yeah, but are they married?"... "No."... "Then, they are single."..."No, they are in the college age group!" (Huh?)

Then, there's that group that are widowed..."Are you single?"..."No, I'm widowed."... "Are you remarried?"..."No, I said I was widowed!" *Double-take*

Do we even have to discuss those that are divorced? Many of them are right back in marriage as soon as the gavel falls and the ink is still damp from divorce papers. I bet some sign the divorce papers and marriage license with the same pen! The divorced scream "I'M SINGLE!!!" They typically want to be married again so badly that they fall for the first person promising some attention (finger pointing in my direction).

So that brings me to that next ambiguous group...the "separated"... "Are you married?"..."No, I'm separated." "So you're divorced?"... "Well, not yet."..."Then, you're married."..."No, I said I was separated!" Until there is a divorce, there is a marriage!

Is being single a sin? drug? bad-habit? curse? plague? No, but we sure treat it as such. I remembered when I was married and I would see single people serving the Lord. I would think, "If I were single, I could do so much more for the Lord..." Crazy thinking, right? Well, I got my wish. I'm single and I do have much time that I can serve the Lord. Notice, I said "much", but not necessarily more. It's a mindset really. I can serve the Lord married or single. The point is...SERVE THE LORD! If we would stop craining our necks through the fence to see how the grass tasted on the otherside of the barbed-wire, we may just find satisfaction serving God with whatever label we are wearing.

Chasing and Catching

11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
Ezek 34:11-16 (KJV)

When I was a little girl, I did not have siblings my age nor neighbors close enough to play with everyday. I did not have video games available to while away my time. I had me, myself, and I. I recall a time when I was in elementary school that brings back vivid smells, visions, and heart feelings that gives me a comfortable feeling.

It was in the fall of the year. The mornings were very cool and the days were warm. On this particular day, there was a "northerner" blowing in and the wind was blowing fairly brisk. The sky was dark in the north and it just appeared ominous. The air was cool as the weather was about to change. We had a huge (well it was huge to me then) oak tree in our front yard. When the wind started blowing, I looked out our front screen door and there were leaves falling from the tree. It was a beautiful sight to me. I ran outside and began trying to catch the leaves that were falling. As I look back now, I'm not sure if I was trying to "save" the leaves from hitting the ground or if it had become some type of game for me, but which ever, I was determined!

The scripture in Ezekiel tells us that He chases after us, but how? How does God, our Shepherd, chase after us? The scripture says He does. The scripture says He looks for those that are hurt and wounded. He searches for the ones malnourished. Obviously, we are His sheep. Have you been wounded? Perhaps, you've been wounded by the church. Possibly, you're own choices have brought you pain. If you are lost or falling...There is hope! The God of ALL creation loves you and He will chase you just like I chased after the falling leaves. He uses the very people you are surrounded by to lift you out of your struggle.

This is a message for Christians. God has placed you in your place of influence to draw the hurt, battered, and struggling back to the One Who can mend them. We should never take it lightly that God has a plan and purpose for our position!

Grandfathers AKA "Pawpaws"

Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Prov 22:6 (ASV)

When I was a child, I was fortunate to live about 2/10 of a mile from my grandparents. Oh yes, I was spoiled rotten. And yes, I was loved by them. They watched me before I went to school when mom worked. They watched me in the summers when I was too young to stay by myself. To say that I was close to them is an understatement.

Mawmaw and Pawpaw saw to it that I went to church when Mom and Dad were not "regular" attenders. I attribute my spiritual education as a child to them. VBS was ALWAYS a time I looked forward to. During craft time, the workers would let me make two of whatever the craft was that day: one for Mom and Dad and one for Mawmaw and Pawpaw. Those are great memories.

During the summer, my cousins that lived in Greenville, MS would come and spend two or three weeks with them (me) and I have wonderful memories of them, also. Getting into the hen house to make "mud pies" (well, we needed eggs!), walking to the cemetery (just behind Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house), climbing in the old barn and corn bin (with all the mice and snakes, I shudder to think!), swinging in the old black walnut tree...Oh I could go on and on. There is one memory however, that as an adult brings a smile to my face and tears to my eyes.

Pawpaw had an old 65 Chevy truck. It was baby blue with white trim. I learned how to drive a standard on the column. In fact, I learned how to drive in that old truck driving on the gravel road between their house and ours. One summer, my cousins were down and we asked if we could paint Pawpaw's truck. What?! We were 8-10 years old. What were we thinking? He said "yes". What was he thinking?! He gave us a bucket of white paint and he told us where we could paint. And paint, we did! We tried to stay within the parameters he set for us, but hey, we were 8-10 years old! His reaction to our handiwork was priceless! He was so proud of what we had done that he showed it off to everyone that day! We were so proud that we had pleased our Pawpaw that we wanted everyone to see our "work".

That reminds me of our heavenly Father. I try to stay within the parameters that He has laid out for me, but I don't always make it. My grandparents instilled in me the importance of pleasing my Father and my Pawpaw showed me how much He delights in me by the way he found joy in me! To honor my Pawpaw's memory, I have restored his old truck. This time I had it professionally painted!

God's ADHD Children

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Heb 12:1-2 (NLT)

When my son was a little boy, he was diagnosed as ADD. For those that have been under a rock for the past 20 years, ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder (without Hyperactivity). The classification for this diagnosis has changed two, maybe three, times in the past twenty years, but we will discuss ADD or ADHD in terms of how God must see His own children. The writer of Hebrews is talking to a bunch of spiritually ADD people(and us as well)! In 12:1-2 he says, "let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up." Every weight. Sin. Every weight. Sin. Things that hinder our relationship with our heavenly Father.

When I was fourteen, I gave my heart to Lord. I remember it was real, because I wanted others to have the same peace that I had been given. I even started taking my Bible to school with me and if you knew me back in those days, that was huge. I knew I had been rescued and I wanted others to experience what I had come to know to be real. I started reading my Bible every night and every day at school. I started going to the devotions that were held on school campus and even LED one. Huge! I mean HUGE for me.

I lived out in the country in a community called Fiske Union. It was a suburb of the parish seat, Oak Grove. When you live as far out in the country as I did, communities blended together much like a 3 year old's finger paint. It was a great place to grow up. The church I attended was in one of those blended communities called Beulah. It was in that little church that I came face to face with my need for a Savior.

One Saturday night in the Spring of my fourteenth year, I was invited to a party in Beulah community. Since I had been saved by Jesus, I was not on the popular list very much anymore. I had gone from very popular to "not so much" in seconds flat! So, when I got the invitation to go to the party, I went. Oh, I took my Bible! I sure did! And I left it sitting on the front seat of the truck. Now can you say "ADD moment"! I took my eyes off of Jesus and looked at what I was "missing". All my old friends were gonna be there and it was a senior party and I was a mere freshman. Can you sense the dilemma? I went telling myself the whole way there that I would not participate in ALL the party, but I could at least be sociable. And sociable, I was! When I left to go home, I barely even noticed my Bible, but by the time I made it home I realized just how far and quickly I had fallen back in the race!

You've heard it said that it takes years to build a reputation, but one act can tear it down. This is precisely what I did that night. I had been "sold out" to Jesus, until it started costing me something. My attention was firmly fixed on Jesus, until...It doesn't matter what draws your attention away from Jesus, the results are detrimental. If worry, dissatisfaction, prestige, etc. draws your attention away, they have a way of making you hyper-focus. This is another trait of ADHD. When you ruminate on the worries of the day, how can you focus on the faithfulness of God to provide for all your needs? If you are dissatisfied with your life and your circumstances, aren't you spitting in the face of God Almighty Who holds you in His hand? And if prestige and wealth have your attention, how can our God Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills bless you?

Yes, we are all ADHD when we look at it from a spiritual perspective. So, what do we do about it? How can we "medicate" our condition? I tell you, routine is the answer. I have seen first hand that routine can help someone with ADHD, but they were intrinsically motivated to change. That says that first, you must want to change the depth of your relationship with God. And second, just start DAILY spending time in His Word and praying. I suggest you pick a time and make it the same time everyday. Routine will lead you to a deeper relationship. How could someone spend time reading His Word and conversing with Him NOT fall deeply in love with Him?

One last word of caution.......

A rabbit!

Lori