Humor :)

Some humor tonight :) :) It's almost Friday!!!

Letdown {short story}

Letdown

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It wasn't a big deal. Honestly, it really wasn't. Compared to everything else going on in the world, it didn't even qualify as a drop in the bucket. Only a very small group of people (relative to the billions of people on this earth) even knew it existed.

But it mattered to her. It was a big deal to her.

Which was exactly why this was so hard to swallow. She had worked for this...hard - blood, sweat, and tears hard. Dreamed about it...and dreamed big. Gotten excited for it...more excited than anything else in a long time. Planned and schemed and pictured it in her mind a million times...and she fantasized well.

And now...this letdown. This huge, painful, incredibly disappointing letdown.

But honestly, it wasn't a big deal at all. At least, that's what she tried to tell herself. Attempting to distance herself and think realistically about it, she told herself countless people had life much, much worse.....this was such a small thing. But somehow that didn't help.

She next tried to comfort herself with a reason. Obviously God didn't want them to do this...maybe they shouldn't be on the road at that time...maybe they were needed home for a special reason...maybe...maybe...maybe....

Maybe there was no reason at all - at least none she needed to know about. Maybe God was just way, way big and had a plan too expansive and wonderful for her to begin to understand.

Maybe she just needed faith.

Faith to accept that this was the Plan, to be content with her situation, and to rejoice in the trial.

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God's been working on me lately!! Trusting that He will bring me to completion in Him...

Hidden

Hidden

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He turned the truck off and slipped out from behind the wheel unsuspectingly. The silence of a place untouched by man's destructive hands greeted him, and he sighed contentedly - yes, they had been right...this place was gorgeous.

In front of him, the meadow fairly glowed with peace and happiness. Every beautiful yellow flower, every happy bird, even the sun itself - all sent forth a message of joyfulness that did his tired heart good. Marveling at the ability this place had to brighten his day, he set off through the flowers towards the trees beyond.

More calming beauty awaited him. These trees were old....and striking in their age. Their huge gnarled trunks were filled with a silent strength that made him glad they were firmly rooted in the ground. He slid to the ground and let his mind wander for a moment. The things they could do if these trees were able to walk and move! The branches looked like gigantic muscles...waiting for something to come that would put into action a strength beyond our imagination.

The bushes next to him rustled and he turned his head slowly to meet the startled eyes of a little fox. Indignant at the intrusion, the critter whirled around and dashed out of sight. He grinned and started on again. This place invigorated him! The very air was full of  joy....love....contentment...

His pace slowed. There was something off to his right...a darkness through the trees. Changing his course, he started towards it. It was a shadow. Just a shadow - nothing more, but it spoke of something. Discontent, maybe? Something not quite right. But then it was gone. He shook his head as if he was just waking up. Surely there was no discontentment here! Looking over his shoulder, he saw to his satisfaction that the shadow was gone. He must have imagined it.

As he kept going, it became obvious that he was getting pretty deep into the heart of the forest. No longer was there a path....the weeds and grass got higher and harder to walk through. It was as if the forest itself had put up a "No Trespassing" sign. But he was not to be stopped. His progress got slower and slower as he was forced to climb over fallen trees and cut through overgrown weeds.

Then he found it. The hidden heart of the forest.

It was nothing like the outside....nothing at all. Dark, overgrown, and filled with a sadness that entwined itself around everything. Winds of confusion whispered through the branches, and echoes of incompetence and insufficiency surrounded him. There were no flowers here, no birds. Nothing that in any way resembled the bright joy and happiness that surrounded it.

Confused, he turned to leave. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until he was running frantically through the trees. Running for the bright sun and the happy flowers. He burst out of the forest exhausted.

Shaken by what he had seen, he sank to the ground. It dawned on him slowly.....the forest was a picture. A picture of himself. His friends called him the "life-of-the-party", the happy, contented one. People loved to be around him. But deep within the heart of this man....hard to get to, and thickly protected with fallen logs and weeds - there was a weak spot. A vulnerable and hurting spot.

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What do you hide inside yourself? 

What is protected inside your fallen logs and overgrown brush? 

I know this is true of me....I can hide my real feelings oh so well. There's a "normal, around-people me" and a "by-myself me". Cutting down the weeds and clearing the fallen logs is hard work. Maybe painful work. But clearing a path is a worthy goal to work towards....not that every person you know needs access to it. But be willing to be vulnerable.

And remember that a lot of people you know have a hidden part of them. A place hard to get to....but a place that may need a reminder that there is a sun out there....and bright flowers.

"The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out."

Prov. 20:5

Reckless Obedience

Reckless

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For just a moment, he stopped. Not hesitated...stopped to think. In that brief moment, so many things flashed before his mind. He closed his eyes, and remembered.

Remembered that this was the single most important thing he'd ever done in his life....and the most dangerous.

Remembered that he was so incredibly overpowered by the enemy who stood defiantly facing him. He wasn't even supposed to be involved in this in the first place. This wasn't his fight. Or was it?

Remembered that there had been no impressive approval from God that this was what he was meant to be doing. There had been no "open doors" leading up to this. Quite the contrary, actually. Every thing he had tried to do to prepare for this had failed. Every thing that friends and well-wishers had tried to help with had turned into more of a hindrance than a help.

Yet for all this, there was no hesitation in his mind. Why not?

His mind refused to stop - racing back farther in his life.

What would his parents say about this? What if it failed....then what?

Most of his friends and family would probably openly praise him and say what a brave attempt it was, and then think to themselves how incredibly foolish he'd been. Speak at length about how proud they were of him, and secretly wish he'd stayed where he belonged.

Still no hesitation - why not?

All the odds were against him. In all reality, he was a still a boy - a popular, well loved, good looking boy, but what did that matter out here in the real world? The enemy was big, strong, smart, and had way more weaponry than he did.

But still no hesitation. Still no thought that this wasn't what he was meant to do....no thought that this wasn't right. Why not?

Why not? The question swirled around in his mind. How was it possible that he was so absolutely terrified, so completely uncertain....and yet so confident?

Because this was obedience.

The answer washed over him like a wave. Even though he didn't have all the pieces together, this was what truly being obedient was. Knowing what was right, and doing it....no matter what you were up against. Being recklessly confident because it was the only choice left.

His eyes were open now. Wide open.

And David ran to meet the giant.

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 I was reading the story of David and Goliath yesterday, and was hit by how amazingly reckless David was. 
How often in our modern world do we over-think a decision? 
Do we try too hard to "make sure this is God's will"? 
Do we wait too long for the door to open when we should just kick it down ourselves? 

"Closeness to God is not about feelings. Closeness to God is about obedience. It's just as simple as that."
~Rich Mullins

Knowledge Brings Peace

Peace.

Something that everyone strives for to some degree or another. Something that national leaders desire to attain - or at least pretend to desire to attain. Something that couples chase after, families chase after, clubs and committees chase after. Something that sounds so simple and looks so appealing, but ends up appearing quite complicated and hard to reach.

As usual, God has the answer!

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord...." 2 Peter 1:2 

Peace is multiplied towards us through "the knowledge of God." When we really know God - how big He is, how loving He is, how in control He is - then everything else in life will fall into place.  

When we run into problems...when we become flustered, upset, yes, even angry...when we get depressed, sad, hopeless....when we get scared, fearful, start worrying...when life seems like too much and nobody understands and that was just the last straw!...it's because we aren't really believing what is true about God. 

If we really understood how great and grand He is and yet the many ways He is working for our good, we would never have these problems! 

Who needs to be worried when the One who made the world and controls every single little thing that happens is watching us and working for what will be best for us? 

Who needs to get upset when the kids don't listen and the phone's ringing and the dog's barking and a water line just broke if God still loves us? 

If the statement "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God," (Is. 41:10) does not dispel all fears and anger and doubts and worries, then we don't really know Who it is who is saying "I am your God."



With the women in our church right now, we are doing a study called "Taking Time To Quiet Your Noisy Soul" by Dr Jim Berg, and it is so good. I wouldn't have told you that I had a very "noisy" soul, but I do! To my surprise, I have found out that I am a worrier. I hate conflict in any way, shape or form, and if life is not flowing along smoothly and peacefully, it rattles me. 

Not that I mind taking off on a road trip without a map, ready for adventure! Not at all!! But when my family is all at odds with each other, or there's a situation where people are unhappy, I feel like I need to fix it. And if I can't, I worry.


How liberating it has been to meditate on the truth that God is ALWAYS in control of everything. Always. Everything. Nothing escapes Him! 


Because, you know, something can't be true and not true at the same time. "Duh, Lisa," you say, but so often, we believe that. If God always loves us, He can't love us sometimes, and sometimes not. If God is faithful, He can't be sometimes faithful, and sometimes not. If God is in control, He can't be in control sometimes, and sometimes not. He either IS or he ISN'T. 


And, glory be, He IS!!!!


Throughout this Bible study, they give you verses to memorize and meditate on that are truths about God to help us rearrange how we view Him. I just wanted to share some of these truths that have meant a lot to me. I love just reading through them with the mindset that they are always, always true.


God is always good - which means that He will always meet my genuine needs. Always.
  ~ Phil. 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
  ~ Phil. 4:19 - And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
  ~ Matt. 6:31-33 - Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God will always forgive my sin. Always.
  ~ 1 Jn. 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

  ~ Ps. 51:10-13 (the whole chapter is good as well) - Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

God is always up to something good in my life. Always.
  ~ Jer. 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
  ~ Rom. 8:26-34 - Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

God will always love me personally. Always.
  ~ Rom. 8:35-39 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  ~ Jer. 31:3 - The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
  ~ John 17:23 - I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

God will always give me the grace I need. Always.
  ~ 2 Cor. 9:8 - And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
  ~ 1 Cor. 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
  ~ 2 Cor. 12:9-10 - And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God is always great - which means He is always in control of all things. Always.
  ~ Ps. 103:19 - The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.
  ~ Is. 14:27 - For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out,
And who will turn it back?
  ~ Is. 46:9-10 - Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure...’

God is always present with me. Always.
  ~ Ps. 139:7-12 - Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
  ~ Is. 41:10 - Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God

God is always the same. Always.
  ~ Mal. 3:6 - For I am the Lord, I do not change...
  ~ Heb. 1:10-12 - You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment;  Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.

God is always trustworthy. Always.
  ~ 2 Tim. 2:13 - If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
  ~ Ps. 36:5 - Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
  ~ Num. 23:19 - God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
  ~ Deut. 7:9 - Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments...
  ~ Deut. 31:8 - And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.

God is always wise in what He does. Always.
  ~ Rom. 11:33 - Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
  ~ Col. 2:3 - ...in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
  ~ Rev. 15:3-4 - They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”

The true knowledge of who God is will bring us peace!!

If All You Had Was The Bible....

.....how would you set up a government?

Think about it. You've just escaped from the tyrannical rule of Great Britain and you're now on your own in a brand new country...with the daunting task of figuring out how to rule all the people looming over your head. What would you do? Where would you start?

There is a general mold for a Republican government. An executive power (be it a president, a king, etc.) with one or more other powers put in place to act as checks and balances. Obviously, in America, we have the judicial and legislative powers consisting of the Supreme Court, House of Representatives, and the Senate.

But is this the right way?

Most of us in the "Christian, conservative, homeschooled" circle are trying to go back to the Bible in everything we do. We ask ourselves, "if all we have is the Bible, how would we parent?", "if all we had was the Bible, how would we do church?" etc.

So...if all you had was the Bible, how would you set up a government?

My thoughts are in no way settled on this subject, but it has been something that has been consuming my thoughts lately as I read through the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers for school and talk to a friend who is doing the same thing for school.

In the Bible, the government that we see set up is a series of judges. Judges of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands. Yes, Israel dissolved into a monarchy, but that was plainly because they turned away from God.

While reading through the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, I have been really surprised at how little they refer to God as the basis for their government. Of course, I know these men were so Godly, and so Biblically literate, but this struck me as odd. They refer to a Creator and the like off and on, but when they are arguing whether or not an idea will work, it is all based on temporal and pragmatic reasons.

In the Anti-Federalist Papers, Patrick Henry (my newest hero) makes a very interesting point. Before this point in time (about 1788), there had been a very minimalistic government. But the group of men who came together to write the constitution, came together because they believed the existing government was weak and not active enough. Henry's point was:




"The Confederation; this same despised Government, merits, in my opinion, the highest encomium: It carried us through a long and dangerous war: It rendered us victorious in that bloody conflict with a powerful nation: It has secured us a territory greater than any European Monarch possesses: And shall a Government which has been thus strong and vigorous, be accused of imbecility and abandoned for want of energy? Consider what you are about to do before you part with this Government. Take longer time in reckoning things..."






Later, he literally claims that the Constitution could prove a fatal threat to liberty.

That's serious!!

So did "big government" get its foot firmly in the door when the North won the Civil War, or when the Federalists won and ratified the Constitution?

It's a scary question. Especially when many Christians cry "It's Un-Constitutional!"

What if the Constitution is Un-Biblical and a threat to liberty?


"For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men." 1 Cor 7:22-23


Your thoughts?!?!?

A ScribbleFest!

A good friend of mine at www.PerryElizabeth.blogspot.com is doing something called a ScribbleFest. Here's what it includes.


Scribbling Instructions:

• Get out pen and paper, or start up your computer
• Set a 10-minute timer
• Write as quickly as you can (see challenge below)
• When the time is up, send your opening--just the way it is--to me
• I will post your opening on my blog
• Send friends and family to enjoy the fruits of your first Scribble Fest

The challenge this time is to write a story opening that has a sense of back-story. (Almost as if there should could be prequel that the reader is going to be dying to read.) Don't spell everything out, keep the mystery in it, but drop just enough hints.

If you love to write and have some spare time today, scribble something and send it to her!!!

(You can read what I did at  http://perryelisabeth.blogspot.com/2012/03/every-last-one.html  )

 

What if...

What if you were writing a novel and had to pick a name for the "good guy." What would you name him? He's the hero of the story....the really, honestly, Godly good guy.

Any ideas? I need a first and last name for a guy. And one for a girl if you have any ideas, but she's not as important yet :)

I've heard two different opinions on this.

1. No one really has "hero" names. Name your characters simple, honest, down-to-earth names like Jim, Dick, Ted, etc.

2. Everything is in a name. It can convey worlds about a person's character. Choose your names carefully and make them sound like how you want to portray the character.

What do you all think? I have my opinions, but am totally open to changing them. Comment and let me know!

A Different Set of Beliefs

Soooo.... my sisters and I, along with David R, are going through Worldviews of the Western World - I think I mentioned that in an earlier post. This week, we had to write an essay and answer 3 questions from a Biblical perspective:
1. Is There A God? What Is He Like?
2. What Is The Nature Of The Universe?
3. What Is The Essential Nature of Man?
This is all so interesting to me, and it is really helping me to know God better. I have a feeling that pretty soon, we are going to have to do an essay on basically the same thing from the Greco-Roman perspective. Should be some good stuff!!! OK.....so, here's my essay. Critique it, tell me it's boring, amazing, true, or whatever you think!!!!

A Different Set of Beliefs

Over the ages, the Christian belief system has proved to be different than all other religions. For some reason, the nation of America, founded on these beliefs and principles, is the world's most successful country. For some reason, throught earth history, men and women have been brutally tortured and murdered for these beliefs, and yet died willing, even joyfully, able even to pray for and forgive their persecutors. Why? What do these people have that others do not? They have the knowledge that there is an infinite God, who is also a personal God, guiding and governing the lives of each and every individual.

Throughout Scripture, we see many times that God has two main character traits - He is infinite, and He is personal. In Jer. 10:16, it says the God of the Bible is not like other gods, "He is the former of all things." He existed before anything else did. Again in John 17:24, Jesus Himself states that both He and God were existent "before the foundation of the world." As finite humans, it is impossible for us to fully grasp what that means. All we can know is that it is true, and that God is much bigger than us, and for beyond our comprehension. This would be a disheartening realization if we did not also know that He is a personal God. Before the fall, (Gen. 2:16) and after the fall (Gen. 3:8-9), God communicates with man in a loving and personal way. Considering that this is God's nature and that He created all things, it is easy to see that all of His creation was created for a purpose. The universe did no form because of random chance - it was created by the infinite, personal God.

Originally, God created the universe to be subject to and serve man, yet ultimately to be subject to and serve God, but after the fall, things changed. We know that God created the universe (Gen. 1:1) and that He is able to work into it and change it whenever He wishes - as in the time of the Flood (Gen. 7:10-11). Thus, it is not hard to believe that God could change the way His creation worked. Before the Fall, man had dominion over nature and was in harmony with it. When man fell and his nature changed, that which was subject to him changed in it's nature, also. Gen. 3:17-18 shows that God spoke, and the earth changed - it now would not be easy for man to till the ground; it would oppose him. So now, the universe is abnormal. Man knew why the ground opposed him (Gen. 5:29); God cursed it. However, even though the universe is abnormal, it is still under man's dominion because he bears God's image.

God created man in His image and gave him dominion over the earth, but when man chose to disobey, God cursed him. As God's image bearer (Gen. 1:27), man is set apart from the rest of God's creation. He has dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:28), and that dominion is given to him by God. However, in spite of his superiority, man is fallen. God created man with the ability to make choices, and man chose to disobey God (Gen. 3:6). Because man sinnsed, God, as a just God, cursed man (Gen. 3:17). No longer a sinless being, man still has dominion over creation, but he governs imperfectly. However, God, in His mercy, ahs always provided a way for man to still have fellowship with Him. For us today, we have open communication with the infinite, personal God through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In conclusion then, we see that God, as an infinite Being, created the universe and man to relate to Him as a personal Being. We, as sinful, fallen creatures, are able to have fellowship with our Creator. Being made in His image, we are different from the rest of His creation and have dominion over it. This givews us a responsibility - no man can deny the existence of God. For those of us who, as Christians, accept and believe that fact, we are responsible to help others accept it, also. This is the reason that Christianity is different - we have a God-given purpose and meaning in our life.