Deep thoughts by ... a four year old

Lately we have these very deep theological discussions in the car. Usually it is just me and the 4 year old but sometimes my husband get in on the discussions too.

It always starts with a question... like these:

• Mommy, how DOES God hold everything in His hands?
• Mommy, when does God sleep?
  
• Doesn't He get tired? If He sleeps, will we fall out of his hands?
• Does Katy Fish know how sorry I am that I dropped her and are you sure God is remembering to feed her?
• How did God make us out of dirt and why did he use dirt? Doesn't He know it is dirty?
• Did God forget about me because everyone else has a brother or a sister? Can we ask God to remember to send us one of those?
  

All deep thoughts right? But my favorite is this question:

• Mommy, how does Jesus get into my heart?
• Mommy, will I get to go to heaven one day and see Jesus?

And the door is opened...

Thank you Lord for letting me have these little moments to share truth with my daughter.
Please let me always listen for an opportunity to lead her to You. Help me to slow down and not miss it. I pray that her heart will always be soft and yearn to learn more about You and your home heaven, and most of all dear Lord, I pray that at a very early age she will have true understanding and ask you into her heart... to stay... amen

God of This City

I heard this Chris Tomlin song for the first time a few weeks ago. I love it. I've been working on a video to go with it for a project for Gideons International. The Austin,TX group is planning a scripture blizt to get Bibles in the hands of thousands of people. This song is perfect for that becasue it is about reaching your city for Christ. Our Nation for Christ...this World for Christ. I hope you listen to these words and think about how you can help to reach your city for Christ too.


For more inspiration go to Amy's site and see more videos today!

***Clarification: I did not make this video, I am working on one similiar to this that will have some pictures added regarding the Gideon project. I thought I should make that clear :-) ***

What is YOUR Cardboard testimony?

If you will look a few posts down you will see the YouTube video "Cardboard Testimonies" This really hit home for me. Last fall a very good friend of mine had one of those moments. You know, THE MOMENT when you know that ALL IS REVEALED. His sin was revealed to us all. Not only to his friends but to more people than you would believe. Then we had a moment. The moment to decide, who do we think we are? Who are we to turn him away, one of us... one of us sinners As we ministered to his wife and talked about how you go forward from here. I thought long and hard and said, who are we to judge ANYONE? I know it is our nature to say, "OH my... poor, poor them. I'm glad that isn't my life" OH PLEASE... but for one moment and all of us are revealed. I remember thinking, what if we sat in church in our pew and wore our sign. You'd look down the row and this is what you would see if we wore our "sign" around our neck; depressed; alcoholic; insecure; sexually abused as a child; never felt love from my parents; afraid of the future; adulterer; liar; homosexual... these are the signs you would see all over the church, they would represent every sin. Do you know how I know it? Because I too have a sign, my cardboard testimony, it would say:
backsliding and defeated I got divorced then the other sign would say...
God's second chance gave me new life touched by His grace

So... what is your cardboard testimony? What would your sign say and how has God changed your life?

Revival

Remember when we would have a week long revival at church? Some preacher from far away would come to town and everyone would get all excited and invite everyone they knew to come to church. We were going to save the world. Now I know when we think of revival, we all picture white tents and someone at the front of the stage preachin' about Hell and death. We would go every night that week and when it was over, we were on a mountain high. Many people came to the Lord. But those week long revivals are gone... where did they go?

I've been thinking about this as we have been praying for at least two years at our church specifically on Sunday nights for revival to break out. We had been stuck spiritually in a huge rut. But God has worked in a way that none of us ever imagined (that is how He usually works by the way) our stuck church has been un-stuck. He picked up our giant church, turned it over and began to shake, and shake, and shake. We lost a lot of members. People who were faithful to serve and give. But God kept shaking and now it is done. The remnant are changed. The revival we have so desperately prayed for... it has begun. Not in away that anyone expected. It started in our hearts. We are being changed one heart and one life at a time.

This revival that I am watching is coming with tears and openness and love. It is about freedom. Freedom to worship in a way that many people never dreamed they could worship. I see hands lifted to God, hands that are lifted because they want to touch the hem of the Savior. I see eyes looking heavenward because the things of this earth don't matter when you truly seek the face of the creator who loves you. I see hearts changed. I see lives being transformed. I see... God.

Finding the words

I find myself searching for the right thing to say. I know you have been there too. You are in a situation that is unthinkable, unimaginable and you are trying to find the words to say when in reality, words will NEVER be enough.

In the past year we have been to more funerals than I can begin to number to you. In fact I was at a funeral when I got word that our good friends daughter had been killed in a tragic accident. This week would have been her third birthday, and her parents are mourning that she is not here to celebrate. I can not begin to know how they feel, I just know my heart hurts for them. As I was thinking of them and praying for God to continue to heal their hearts, God gave them a glimpse of His grace. Easter Sunday, as we were closing a joyous service at church, I looked and coming down the aisle was one of their other little girls. She was walking with her Mommy to tell everyone she has asked Jesus to be in her heart. I was standing on stage with her Daddy, as we were preparing to sing. He quickly went down to be with them and the rest of us were in tears as we rejoiced in God's grace. For a family who has spent so much time talking about heaven and who they would greet when they got there, a little girl asked Jesus in her heart and is assured to see her little sister again in Glory.

So, I rejoice with them in this wonderful decision made by a young girl, but my heart aches for them as they continue to grieve.

Then last night we got word from my sister that her sweet 6 year old neighbor, Jackson is dying. We have been praying for him since his diagnosis in Dec. 2006 of a inoperable brain tumor. He is in the final stages now and will not live much longer. I sat at the foot of my daughter's bed last night and wept and prayed as she slept. I thanked God for her, and asked that He would protect her and then I just prayed for Jackson and for our friends and ask for comfort for them all. Our friends have the hope and knowledge that they will one day see their little girl again, but I don't know that Jackson's parents have that same assurance, I don't know if they are Christ followers.

So, when words are not enough, when it is too painful to try to understand...all I can think to do is pray and trust that when I need the words, God will just speak to me and through me.

Happy Easter

Well my daughter has been sick again all this week. We thought it was strep but it was "hand, foot & mouth" virus. Basically, very painful with high fever and you just have to let it pass. The worst thing it is very contagious and she has missed out on seeing and playing with her triplet cousins who are in town right now. I just could not expose them to the misery of our last week. Poor little thing, at night she has been miserable, can't sleep because her throat hurts so bad...
I think she has turned the corner and she had a good night. Thank you, Lord.

Now, I am struggling with the "do we take her to church tomorrow for Easter" question. I honestly think she is over the contagious part, but I am certain we got this wonderful virus last week at church. So... I will have to think long and hard about that today. Granna has already agreed to watch her tomorrow if we don't want to take her to church as me and my husband have major responsibilities for the Easter services at tomorrow. It is tough for sure.

I pray you have a Easter that is full of joy and that you will celebrate the Risen Lord If you do not know the story of Jesus, I pray you will soon know of His love for you and His power to change your life.

Happy Easter!

Pretty Princess

My devotional this morning was called "Pretty, Pretty, Princess" The writer was talking about the royal priesthood... she said "...if you’re a child of the King, then you’re already a princess. “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). You and I were not only called out of our sin into the saving light of Christ, but we were made daughters of the King. As royal princesses, who cares what the world says? God’s princesses come in all shapes and sizes—and He loves them all!

Pretty cool huh? Read the entire devotional,I think you're a princess too!


Devtional y: Micca Campbell of Proverbs 31 Ministries