Caught 'Cha Doin' Good!

 

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" (Luke 6:1-2)

The reason I stopped with verse 2 was that it became even more clear that no matter where Jesus went there were the criticizing Pharisees -- asking why He was doing this and why He was doing that, trying to make Him obey and fit into their little picture of what He should look like. What in the world were they doing in the grainfields with him on the Sabbath anyway? Why weren't they resting if they were so concerned about the law? They weren't waiting on the Master to do something magnificent, they were waiting on him to break a rule so they could correct Him on it!

A wonderful principle of parenting is to not focus on the negative behaviors of your children but to accentuate the good. It is the "Caught Cha' Doin' Good" principal. Obviously, the Pharisees had never heard of this! Sometimes we don't act too much like it as Christians, either.

I talked with a friend yesterday who was so discouraged because one friend had confessed that she was having difficulty and then another friend berated her and threw that failure up in her face every chance she got, as if degrading her about it over and over would bring about a positive change. Unfortunately, there are those within the Body that throw grace out the window and feel as though conviction of sin has somehow transferred out of the hands of the Holy Spirit and is now their responsibility.

How many times have you been on the receiving end of someone who seemed to make it their job in life to follow you around and pounce on your every time you did something wrong? When was the last time that you noticed a fellow Believer doing something good and thanked them for it?

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. (I Thessalonians 5:11-15)

Let's be people who realize the grace that has been lavished on us when we certainly didn't deserve it. Let's be people who take every opportunity to look at fellow sojourners and say, "Caught Cha' Doin' Good!"

Blessings,
Dori

Livin' on Our Own

We have spent the last 3 days at Fall Creek Falls. We have slept in a tent, built huge fires, roasted marshmallows, taken pictures, sat and talked, and paddleboated. Now we are at the inn playing pool and ping pong and having the time of our lives with our kids!

We've discovered we love life without Gameboys, PS2's and computers (except for this one check of e-mail on the laptop). Life has been a whole lot sweeter with the simplicity of playing all day until you are filthy and then falling asleep in 10 seconds flat because you are so tired from the day's activities. We've not once missed television. Zac and Cody have not been mentioned. Only Hannah Montana has made an appearance as me and my daughter have been singing her songs all morning long. I have even learned to love the granddaddy longlegs that are in the shower each day! Lindsey put it nicely when she said, "Mommy, I like 'livin' on our own!'"

Blessings,
Dori

Thankful Thursday

I LOVE GOD'S WORD!!

I love how it comes alive the minute you open it.

I love how you can learn something new from a scripture you have read hundreds of times.

I love how it is timeless and relevant.

I love how it is simply the love of God from Genesis to Revelation!

But for today, I LOVE HOW IT SOUNDS WHEN READ BY MY CHILDREN!!

Lindsey read Deuteronomy 31:6 to us the other night during our devotional.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Taylor read John 1:1-14 to me last night before bedtime.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14)

It is a sweet sound, indeed, and I pray that they fall head over heels in love with God through the pages of His Word!

What are YOU thankful for today?

Blessings,
Dori

For This Child...

This is a long post, friends! Please bear with me and I pray that you will find some encouragement in my sharing.

Sitting up last night and trying to calm a fear that the enemy planted in my mind regarding my sweet girl, I asked God to help me not only get over the fear but to confirm in my heart and in my mind (because you have to not only feel relief from the fear, you have to believe it in your mind) that my little sweetheart, the child I prayed for and dedicated to Him over 6 years ago, had not been forgotten by Him, that not a hair on her head was one He didn't know about, and that she was fearfully and wonderful made by Him. Nothing happens to her that He doesn't know about and if we, being comparatively evil parents, would do anything for our child's well-being His love and concern for her is beyond anything we could ever imagine, think or ask. She is His and is the apple of His eye.

My desk calendar this morning had this scripture:

I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer and gave him to me. I Samuel 1:27 NCV

This was Hannah's prayer to God after He had given her the desire of her heart -- a baby boy. This story is all too real for me. It was the story that my life paralleled in the days of trying to conceive our second child and experiencing secondary infertility issues. It was part of my testimony after giving birth -- a testimony that God allowed me to share with our congregation on Mother's Day only two weeks after experiencing one of the greatest miracles God has ever given me.

When I looked at this scripture and the verses that followed it, I found the challenge that praying for our children and dedicating them to God is an ongoing process. The word "dedicate" in the Hebrew hinted at an ongoing action. In other words, Hannah dedicated Samuel to God and His work that day and I doubt that her lips ever stopped dedicating him until she closed her eyes in death.

So today, I dedicate once again my children to the Lord -- specifically Lindsey because of all the challenges that we have faced and seem to come up against with her temperment. I know this post is long, but I wanted you to read my testimony regarding Lindsey -- my prayer and dedication to God because "for this child I prayed." I pray that it challenges you to never stop praying for and dedicating your children to the Lord.

Mother's Day Testimony
Originally presented at FBC Smyrna on May 13, 2001

What a very special day this is for me and what a privilege it is to share with you, on Mother’s Day, God’s faithfulness in my life.

In 1995, I became a mother when my sweet little boy came into my life. He has been my greatest joy, teaching me more and more every day about the unconditional love of God. That’s what children do.

When our son turned 3 years old, Butch and I decided that it was time for us to have another child. Little did we know that God was about to lead us on a much different journey. One that we would have never chosen for ourselves. One that would draw us closer to the Lord and together as husband and wife.

We learned in the summer of 1998 that we were going to be parents again. As most anyone would be, we were so excited and began to make plans for our baby’s arrival in April of the next year. For reasons unknown to us, a month later I began to experience complications and ultimately my first miscarriage. I can identify with Hannah in many ways because I spent many days crying out to God and many nights weeping until I fell asleep. I prayed and asked God “why” and I would beg Him to give us another child. I can honestly say it never occurred to me to turn away from God or blame Him for the loss of our baby. I knew, at that time more than ever, it was important for me to stay connected to my Faithful Father who had walked with me through trials before. It never occurred to me that He would be any less faithful through the dark days ahead.

I would like to say that the story ended there. But it didn’t. Over the next year and a half we lost two other children through miscarriage. Without sharing all the details of those experiences, I would like you know that God proved faithful once again. He has given me a hope that one day I will see my babies face to face. Until then I have three children who are being cradled in the arms of Jesus. I would also like for you to know the story is more about how God has ministered to me through our journey.

First of all, I have been strengthened through pouring my heart out to God. I’m not talking about flowery words and empty promises. I’m talking about being completely honest with God. Through those very hard days, I told Him how I felt, knowing there was no reason to hide it because He knew already. I pleaded with Him to show me why we had suffered so much. I cried out to Him asking Him to take away the desire for me to hold my own baby again if it was never to be. I asked Him to give me His peace and comfort. Let me tell you that my Abba Father, my Daddy, gave me peace and comfort and so much more. He never judged me. He comforted me by revealing Himself to me in ways I would have never known had I not experienced such terrible loss. Through each miscarriage, I learned to know God as my Healer, not only of my body but of my Spirit as well. I began to understand His role as the Prince of Peace in my life. He was and is my Wonderful Counselor. Had I not stayed connected to Him 24/7 through those dark days, I would have never known personally these wonderful attributes of my Heavenly Father. I would have missed sweet communion with Him.

Not only was I blessed through prayer, but God began to minister to me through His Word in a powerful way. I began to cling to the promise found in Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

And in Isaiah 43:1-4, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze…Since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you.”

And later in that chapter in verses 18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

Finally, I took a fresh look at Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I am not a theologian, but I began to see that it wasn’t about God giving me every little thing that I desired, but as I began to turn to Him in prayer and depend on Him for my strength, He would change my heart so my desires conformed to His will. His desires for my life become my desires. His will becomes what I want for my life. As I began to put my desire for another child into the hands of God and say, “Lord, I’m willing to change this desire to conform to Your will” He began to give me peace about the future, whether or not it included becoming a mother again. You see, as believers we worship Him and serve Him because of who He is, not for what He does for us.

Once again, as you can see, the story doesn’t end there. God is not a God of time, but of timing, and in His perfect time, we found out we were going to have another baby. And once again, God was faithful. Through what could have been a very stressful time for us, God gave us healing, peace and comfort. We were blessed with a wonderful pregnancy and two weeks ago on April 30 God gave us a precious baby girl. I want to introduce to you to her today. Both of my children are extra special, but I want you to know that every time I look into this sweet face, I am reminded how important it is to stay connected to the Father through prayer, to pour out my heart to Him. Praying without ceasing brought me a renewed relationship with God, I experienced His peace, comfort and healing and, in His time, not mine, He gave me the desire of my heart – a precious baby girl.

Whatever you are facing today that seems more than you can handle, seems impossible, turn to God, lay it down, give it to Him. Allow Him to show Himself strong in your weakness. Don’t miss the new thing He is doing in your life by dwelling on the past. Remember, He is a God of timing, not of time and He is working everything for your good. Pray without ceasing.

All this and Jesus, too!