A trip to the McDonald Observatory, an astronomoy observation center close to Fort Davis, made me do some thinking. We drove three and a half hours to attend a “Star Party”. Before the Star Party began the clouds began to move in across the sky. It was time to begin star gazing but there were no stars. The moon was shining through the clouds so the star guide discussed some specifics about the moon. As we looked, a star began to peek through the clouds. Slowly, two or three more stars began to follow the example of the first. Knowing there were billions of stars in the sky, I began to ponder the situation. Even though there are times when the moon may not be visible to us, we all know that it is there every single night. Likewise, each of those stars faithfully shine through our every night sky. Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and the other planets are there every night. However, here we sit under the vast expansion of stars and planets without being able to visualize them.
This is exactly what happens to us when we are inside of the “Well of Despair.” We look around and blame God for not being there. We blame our friends and family for not being there. And, there are times when our friends and our family may abandon us. Most of the time those friends and family members who truly love us will be there for us, and the kicker is that God IS ALWAYS THERE. Yet, through our emotional clouds, we often become unaware of His presence and even convince ourselves that he has gone away. As humans none of us are immune. Our problems overwhelm us. Our problems cause the clouds to roll in and put a covering between us and God. If we think of the parallel between the human race and the universe, we can see that God is our “Sun.” He is our constant. He is the reason that we shine. Our friends and family are a lot like those other stars and planets. They are typically there, but throughout time, even a star will burn out. We can hope and pray that our family and friends will stick with us to the end, but sometimes they aren’t that reliable because they are human. Pretty often they are there, but we just can’t see them through the clouds. However we know that our God will never burn out. HE IS ALWAYS THERE!
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
We also need to remember that as christian ladies we are like the moon. The moon reflects the sun and if you are not letting your life reflect that of the Lord Jesus Christ, there may be other people in the "Well of Despair" and looking for a ray of light or a ray of hope. They will not be able to see the light if you are not lining yourself up with the Word of God and reflecting that light to them.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
EXHAUSTED BUT BLESSED
Our ladies meeting in Andrews, TX was great today! God blessed in a mighty way, but not without a battle. As we set up equipment and was getting ready for the meeting, we had battles from every direction. An hour before the meeting, it looked as if the whole thing was falling apart. We couldn't get any of our equipment to coordinate with the equipment at the church, and without the equipment, basically the whole program couldn't move forward.
The night before, we had worked on getting everything set up. When it came to the sound equipment it was way over my head. So an hour before the meeting today I called in reinforcements. When they arrived and looked over the project, it just seemed impossible. Without the equipment working properly we would have to change the whole schedule. We then decided we needed a stronger reinforcement. We stopped and asked God to show up. There were 4 of us that went into a back room and prayed. We walked out of the room and the whole project came together in an unbelievable way.
When Lisa got ready to sing, the DVD player froze up, and we couldn't get it to operate. We stopped and prayed. During our prayer, the DVD started working, and she could select her song. There were about 4 or 5 times that things like this happened during the process of getting set up and during the service. Each time we would have to just stop, pray, and tell God we needed him to take control, because we are nothing and can do nothing. He is everything, owns everything, and controls everything. He is has control over Satan, our enemy, and when he tells him to step aside and let the "KING OF KINGS" have it, then Satan has to step aside.
Many of the ladies were blessed today. I, myself, was also blessed. Every time Lisa sings, I am blessed. God is Good and doing some mighty things in and through "Digging A Well" and "Indignus." If you haven't had a chance to visit the Indignus blog, here is the link, http://www.indignusyouth.blogspot.com
If you haven't had a chance to hear Indignus, come to Northside Baptist Church, Kermit TX on Thursdays at 7 and see what God is doing in and through two young people who are just as the name says, "Indignus," which means, "unworthy." They were willing to lay their lives before God and be used by him, and he is truly using them to show the youth in Kermit that, we are unworthy, but we are saved by God's grace. He can take the most unworthy person and touch their lives and make them:
The night before, we had worked on getting everything set up. When it came to the sound equipment it was way over my head. So an hour before the meeting today I called in reinforcements. When they arrived and looked over the project, it just seemed impossible. Without the equipment working properly we would have to change the whole schedule. We then decided we needed a stronger reinforcement. We stopped and asked God to show up. There were 4 of us that went into a back room and prayed. We walked out of the room and the whole project came together in an unbelievable way.
When Lisa got ready to sing, the DVD player froze up, and we couldn't get it to operate. We stopped and prayed. During our prayer, the DVD started working, and she could select her song. There were about 4 or 5 times that things like this happened during the process of getting set up and during the service. Each time we would have to just stop, pray, and tell God we needed him to take control, because we are nothing and can do nothing. He is everything, owns everything, and controls everything. He is has control over Satan, our enemy, and when he tells him to step aside and let the "KING OF KINGS" have it, then Satan has to step aside.
Many of the ladies were blessed today. I, myself, was also blessed. Every time Lisa sings, I am blessed. God is Good and doing some mighty things in and through "Digging A Well" and "Indignus." If you haven't had a chance to visit the Indignus blog, here is the link, http://www.indignusyouth.blogspot.com
If you haven't had a chance to hear Indignus, come to Northside Baptist Church, Kermit TX on Thursdays at 7 and see what God is doing in and through two young people who are just as the name says, "Indignus," which means, "unworthy." They were willing to lay their lives before God and be used by him, and he is truly using them to show the youth in Kermit that, we are unworthy, but we are saved by God's grace. He can take the most unworthy person and touch their lives and make them:
WORTHY TO STAND BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
DIGGING DEEPER
Vicki awakens to the sound of the birds singing, coffee brewing and the smell of spring flowers blooming outside her bay window. She throws back the covers and decides to go for a stroll in her newly planted flower garden. Breathing in the brisk morning air and thinking how blessed she must be. As the morning passes she receives a phone call from an old friend who lives nearby.
“Vicki, this is JoAnn. I need to stop by and visit with you, is this a good time?”
Vicki replies that it couldn’t be a better time..
When JoAnn arrives she looks deep into Vicki’s excited blue eyes. Vicki realizes after just a moment that JoAnn has a very heavy heart. JoAnn expresses that she is concerned about something that she had seen yesterday while making a floral delivery at a nearby hotel.
“Vicki,” she says, “as I was about to round the corner at the hotel I saw John come out of one of the rooms with a young lady about 25 years old. I slipped back so that John couldn’t see me. As John walked by the doorway where I was standing I overheard his conversation. Vicki I don’t mean to hurt you this way, but John is very involved with this lady.”
A thousand thoughts raced through Vicki’s mind. Shock, fear, hurt, and sorrow began to overtake Vicki. She didn’t know where to run. “Why me! Why, Why Me! My life was so full, so abundant, so great. No, this can’t be true. I’ll wake up tomorrow and realize this was just a dream. We just built our new dream house. No John wouldn’t do this.”
Vicki confronts her husband. She finds out that JoAnn had been correct. She can’t believe this is really happening. Her shock, fear and hurt now turns to anger.
Growing up in a minister’s home and now being a pastor’s wife for 28 years, this is a story we hear often. Listed below are four different wells that we can dig. I hope after reading this, you will see the importance of choosing the fourth well.
Pastor John sits and thinks. “Vicki, can you meet me at the church in 30 minutes." Vicki drives to the church. Pastor John gets out of his truck picks up a toolbox. As they walk into the building, Pastor John explains, you know being angry isn’t a sin. You have the right to be angry. It’s what you do with your anger that can become sin. You know we have needed to remodel this area of the building for a long time. He places the sledge hammer into Vicki’s hand and shows her a wall that needs knocked down. You can stay here as long as you need to. Vicki spends the day beating, pounding, slamming the hammer into the wall. She falls to the floor in exhaustion and begins to cry and pray. She ask the Lord to help her cope with this trauma. As time passes Vicki learns to have a closer walk with Jesus Christ.
When I came into Vicki’s life, my heart was filled with fear, hurt, and anger, Vicki showed me the place the wall use to be and showed me the newly built area. She encouraged me rather than becoming “bitter,” I need to become “better.” Instead of destroying myself in Well number one, two, or three, she challenged me to dig deep and do something constructive instead of destructive during this time in my life.
“Vicki, this is JoAnn. I need to stop by and visit with you, is this a good time?”
Vicki replies that it couldn’t be a better time..
When JoAnn arrives she looks deep into Vicki’s excited blue eyes. Vicki realizes after just a moment that JoAnn has a very heavy heart. JoAnn expresses that she is concerned about something that she had seen yesterday while making a floral delivery at a nearby hotel.
“Vicki,” she says, “as I was about to round the corner at the hotel I saw John come out of one of the rooms with a young lady about 25 years old. I slipped back so that John couldn’t see me. As John walked by the doorway where I was standing I overheard his conversation. Vicki I don’t mean to hurt you this way, but John is very involved with this lady.”
A thousand thoughts raced through Vicki’s mind. Shock, fear, hurt, and sorrow began to overtake Vicki. She didn’t know where to run. “Why me! Why, Why Me! My life was so full, so abundant, so great. No, this can’t be true. I’ll wake up tomorrow and realize this was just a dream. We just built our new dream house. No John wouldn’t do this.”
Vicki confronts her husband. She finds out that JoAnn had been correct. She can’t believe this is really happening. Her shock, fear and hurt now turns to anger.
Growing up in a minister’s home and now being a pastor’s wife for 28 years, this is a story we hear often. Listed below are four different wells that we can dig. I hope after reading this, you will see the importance of choosing the fourth well.
WELL #1
“I’m going to hurt him as badly as he has hurt me. I’m going to find a guy strip bar and start going just to show him.”
WELL #2
“Jose Cuervo, you’re a friend of mine,” thinks Vicki, as she leaves the bar. Vicki drives home, stammers in the door to find her children fighting with each other. She throws her purse across the room and starts screaming at the children. She then suddenly decides she doesn’t want to be a mom any longer. She tells her children that she is going to give them up. They beg and plead with their mom. She screams at them, “you might as well grow up and realize that this stuff happens. Just get used to it. “
WELL #3
Vicki remembers when she was young how that she use to take drugs. Maybe if she could find Frank and get a fix it would help her cope with this, forgetting that it took thousands of dollars and months in a rehab to overcome her addiction. She calls Frank and asks him to meet her.
WELL #4
“I just want to kill him. OH YES, I DO! As she begins to reflect on things, she decides to call her pastor. Bro John, this is Vicki. "I know you have heard what has happened. I am really angry. I just want to kill John. I want to destroy his life, as he has destroyed mine. He made a vow to me. We loved each other. He acted like he was happy. I don't understand. I feel like I could knock a house down, I'm so angry”Pastor John sits and thinks. “Vicki, can you meet me at the church in 30 minutes." Vicki drives to the church. Pastor John gets out of his truck picks up a toolbox. As they walk into the building, Pastor John explains, you know being angry isn’t a sin. You have the right to be angry. It’s what you do with your anger that can become sin. You know we have needed to remodel this area of the building for a long time. He places the sledge hammer into Vicki’s hand and shows her a wall that needs knocked down. You can stay here as long as you need to. Vicki spends the day beating, pounding, slamming the hammer into the wall. She falls to the floor in exhaustion and begins to cry and pray. She ask the Lord to help her cope with this trauma. As time passes Vicki learns to have a closer walk with Jesus Christ.
When I came into Vicki’s life, my heart was filled with fear, hurt, and anger, Vicki showed me the place the wall use to be and showed me the newly built area. She encouraged me rather than becoming “bitter,” I need to become “better.” Instead of destroying myself in Well number one, two, or three, she challenged me to dig deep and do something constructive instead of destructive during this time in my life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)