the differences

Yesterday I was at the YMCA with my friend. We decided we both needed a break from the frustrating and stressful things of life. So we went straight to the sauna room! It was really nice to just be sitting there soaking up the heat and then a few people came in and joined us. One man - a friend who is a married born again christian and 2 women both divorced single moms and in their 30s. The women walked in when my friend was just telling us how he and his wife overcame a divorce that had him frazzled for about 2 years. At the tail end of this conversation -right when these 2 ladies entered the room...he began to tell us how they realized that they needed each other. He was saying that a man needs a woman and a woman needs a man.

The 2 women that walked in heard this and said..."and you are still single right?"
They obviously did not agree with his statement. The subject changed and after he left the room the girls commented that what he was saying was a bunch of sexist B.S. I needed some water so I exited the room and found him outside the door getting water... we both started laughing. Perspective is so different when you look at things with a Godly perspective.

I told him...you have to realize that you were just talking to a bunch of single divorced women, and it is really hard to find a good man. I told him... "your wife is blessed to find you!"

Is it all in the perspective?? What about the ones out there who don't have the best? It seems that God enables us to do what we have to do somehow... people have differences, different sets of circumstances...but it is just perspective. God's way is always best.

gullible green

—Synonyms
credulous, trusting, naive, innocent, simple, green.

Our culture seems to be going green -as in gullible green.

dignity

God has been showing me some things in the last year. For some reason I was on a kick last summer that I wanted to work for an adoption agency. It started when I learned about a hosting program that brings children from Russia to the United States for medical care. It is temporary hosting -but ideally these kids could be adopted by loving U.S. adopters. I found out that I as a single woman could not adopt... but I could get involved. just the idea of partnering with an agency to give homes and a chance to unpriveledged children made my heart swell.

So I learned of an opening with an adoption agency near where I live and I went in for a meeting.
This was a unique agency that specialized in special needs kids from China!! Wow! Not only was there a language barrier but the kids had problems too! Who would want a child with a disability?? I saw lists and pictures of young chinese boys who were unwanted because of their disbility. Here I learned that a child with a disability especially a boy was a burden that warented an adoption or foster home.

It really was amazing to also learn that there are people in the US with disposable income taht were very interested in adopting these children. It iss quite an expense to adopt and then take care of a disabled child.... but people are doing it! I was amazed.

Several months later I was attending a women's conference and one woman at my table was asked what her passion in life was....I was truly astounded when she told our small group that she had a dream to adopt a special needs child from China. I couldn't believe it! Here was a person right in front of me who was an answer to my query.

So then the issue of abortion sneaks up on me from time to time with questions about fetal right to life and the value and dignity of life. And while there are some who may choose abortion for various reasons and feel later that they made the right decision... but then they will never know what they missed. the story continues as the questions about God and morality and even evolution and survival of the fittest emerge in seeker churches. God shows us that when we are weak and humble in the world -he is strong. The child who is imperfect has the same life inside that a perfectly healthy child has. We can learn from both children and both are valuable.
God uses the imperfect to show his grace in the world... so that we can see his glory.

Babel

So the story of the Tower of Babel is one that always confused me! Why would God want to confuse the people? Well...thanks to life I now understand it. Funny how the things that I really didn't understand in life become high lighted when I finally understand them...it is like God is making a point! My way not yours! So in their own will the people raised up a tower in an effort to reach the heavens so they could get closer to God. So wouldn't God be happy that the people were trying to get closer to him?
The scripture says that God had to come down from the heavens in order to see what they had done. This story is talking about how small we really are. Small thoughts, small things...God's way is bigger and our works do not even come close to what he is able to do for us.
that is why our works can not save us.
Have you ever been confused and can't even figure out why? Why can't some people get along with other people? Why can't 2 people understand each other? It is because of the communication problem.. we are not speaking the same language with each other. We do so many things is our own strength; but if it is not God's will...there is nothing you can do.
As we work though life's challenges -we learn that we need God -he does these things to draw us closer to him. Acts 17:27

on earth as it is in heaven

I think I did... I heard 3 times this week a reference to the Lord's prayer... and the message that God is trying to put across to me is that it is his will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Okay, how many times have I heard this prayer before? many... but I believe this is being highlighted to me for some new wisdom. What does it mean? One friend was explaining to me that if God's time is not our time... then what is done in heaven is already done! So while we are living in the moment -day to day... trying to understand why things happen, who, what, how, why... the answer is ours to discover....but it is already done.

Pray for Hearts

This week for Valentines day... pray for all of the single men and women out there...and married people too.

Valentine's day is coming up and there are a lot of people out there feeling heartache. Here is a event you can attend if you care to. The facebook event True Heart invites all to pray and spread the word by inviting friends to pray for people who have broken hearts or marriage issues...or maybe someone is lonely or just needs to find someone special to love. Basically we all need prayer.. and the word is out... Just Pray!

plumbline

Just going to share this: a woman in my bible study group told us about an awakening she recently had. Literally she was awakened from her sleep by a sound that was like a "ping".
She went back to sleep and dreamt something about the plumbline. She told us about this and with amazement we read in our bibles about the significance of the plumbline! It is a straight line that is used in the rebuilding of a temple.
This woman thought that the word was for us as a group... but when I think of the devastation in Haiti... I can only think that it could be a call to the world to cling to God's plumbline; to rebuild this part of the world in a fresh way. God uses all things for good for those who love him. The unconditional love that is pouring out to the Haitian people is an example of how God uses tragedy to work his amazing grace.