Packing My Baggage

Photographer: winnond

Just over twenty four hours ago, I received the most amazing news. I started the morning dealing with the emotions of not winning the She Speaks scholarship. I was disappointed, but I went back to the words God had spoken to me last week, "Go. I will make a way".

God is not human, that he should lie, 
not a human being, that he should change his mind. 

Does he speak and then not act? 

Does he promise and not fulfill?

-Numbers 23:19

I believed Him. If it was not through the scholarship, it would be through another source. As I was working on some writing, I received a message on my blog:

Hi Lynnette,

I have some wonderful news for you :)

After reading your scholarship entry, someone felt God nudging she and her husband to pay your registration fee so that you can attend the conference this year! This anonymous donation is clearly God's provision, and His intent for you to attend She Speaks this year.

Please email me as soon as you can so that I can get you registered :)

And... congratulations!

Blessings,
LeAnn Rice
Proverbs 31 Ministries

I was shocked! Somehow, my best friend has a sense about these things, she called me at the exact moment I was reading the message. She and I laughed together and praised God for His provision. My mom was the next call followed, of course, by my sister-in-law. She was driving back to work from lunch. Just a minute she said, "I have to pull over. I can't see." She and I talked for a few minutes and cried for a couple. Even though we were thousands of miles apart, I have never felt closer to her. "Keep me updated on everything," she requested later, via text. "Of course I will," I responded. "You are part of this now."

It is so easy to get sidetracked by negative feelings, emotions and thoughts. These are the times we need to draw closer to God and His truth. In our Bible Study yesterday, Beth Moore said, that the enemy wins when he silences our testimony. When we are quiet about the great things that God has done, when we don't share the amazing gift of our Savior, the enemy speaks. The devil will do anything to undermine our personal testimony and witness because he knows the power that it holds. Beth went on to say that while we are waiting for the big victory, we should look for the little battles where the enemy is defeated. We are more than conquerors. We are more than over comers. We are not fragile. Although we feel insecure, we are victors!

That is why Christ died. So that the victory would be ours!

I encourage you to think about your testimony. Look at the little battles where you have been victorious. Think about the times that He has been faithful when everything else seemed to be crumbling around you. You were made to be victorious. You were made to be blessed and highly favored. No matter what the world is telling you, the truth comes from Him.

Heavenly Father, I am humbled by Your blessings this week. I am in awe of You and all that you do to meet my needs abundantly. I confess that there are times I forget that You are in control and that everything will work according to Your purpose and plan. Teach me the way to be strong in Jesus. I know that I am not capable of accomplishing great things on my own, but, with You, nothing will be impossible for me. I love you with all of my heart. Amen.

My Broken Heart

While I was doing the reading for today, I kept thinking about Heather’s blog from yesterday. The people of Judah were definitely experiencing one of those “how can this be” moments that Heather described.

There were swarms of locusts and a severe drought destroying their crops and their land. This meant their livelihood and their lives were being threatened. That sounds familiar.

You may be experiencing the locusts. What is eating away at you? Is it fear, stress, anger, un-forgiveness, hurt?

You may be experiencing drought. What is drying up? Maybe your finances, a job, love, a relationship, hope, faith, your Spirit?

In Joel 2:12-13, we discover the key to living through their, and our, circumstances: return to God “with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments.”

I did not know what “rend your heart and not your garments” meant. I had to look it up.

Rend means to tear something into two or more pieces. To rend one's garments, means “to tear one’s clothes as a sign of extreme grief or distress”.

Joel is telling the people of Judah to go to God with their entire heart, open to Him.

My study Bible notes Psalm 51:17 as a reference to Joel. The text note there says, “what pleases God more than sacrifices is a humble heart that looks to him when troubles crush and penitently pleads for mercy when sin has been committed.”

Wow! God wants our hearts more than anything else that we might offer. It may be broken, it may be bruised or stained, but He still wants it. It is not beyond His healing.

His word says, that when we turn to Him, He is faithful and will take pity on us. (Joel 2:18). He will feel sorrow and show compassion on those because of their suffering. God says that on the day of the Lord, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25), He promises to “pour out His Spirit” (Joel 2:28) and He says, the water will return and be plentiful (Joel 3:16).

That is great news! When we turn to Him, He is faithful in healing our hearts and our lives, when the time is right. Aha! There is the catch you might be thinking (or even saying.) These things all happen in His time, not on ours. It is true, it is not on our schedule, but on His. But, don’t give up! Keep going to Him. Open your heart in prayer. Prayer gets to heaven. Want proof? Revelation 5:8b tells us, “they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” And, according to Romans 1:7 and Ephesians 1:1, you who are faithful to Christ, are a Saint!

Our prayers are lifted to heaven as incense, when the time is right, when the bowls overflow, they will be overturned and the blessings will be abundant. All that has been taken will be repaid.

You may be broken right now, but when you humbly go to Him, the healing and help will begin. He will take all of the pieces and put them back the way He meant for them to be.


Lord, my heart has been broken by my circumstances, by other people and even through my own mistakes. I am not without stain and blemish. I rend my heart and give it to you. I know that it is better in Your hands than in my own. You are my Healer, my Comforter, my Help. I know that you hear my prayer and that you will answer in Your way and in Your time. Thank you for feeling my hurt and for showing compassion. “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Rev 5:13) Amen. 



Hugs,

Lynnette

Praise Him

On the radio this morning, I happened to catch a few minutes of the Joyce Meyer broadcast. There was one thing that really stuck out for me. She said we need to fill our spirit. I have heard these words before, but what does it really mean? She went on to explain, that we fill our spirit when we read the word of God. When our spirit is full, we react better to life. When something bad, maybe I should say, when life happens and our spirit is full, we have better responses, use kinder words and we act out of love. When life happens, and our spirit is empty, our flesh speaks loudly! These are the times when we say hurtful things, lose our temper or we are just plain grumpy.

Everyday life is draining! I don’t always find it easy to act the way that I know God wants me to act. There are days that my patience dwindles, everything upsets and irritates me. These are the days that I need God the most! These are the times I need to stop whatever I am doing and turn to Him. Often, these are the hardest times to reach out to Him. I think it is possible that I let myself get so empty that there is nothing left. It is scary how quickly our flesh takes over: you don’t really need God. How is that really going to help you? What has He done for you lately?

The longer that I walk with Him and the more I know about Him, the easier it is for me to recognize these “empty times” in myself and even in my kids. I see the signs. Actually, I usually hear the signs before I see them and I have found a few ways to fight back against the darkness that can so easily take over.

Like every household, our morning routine is pretty rushed. I have one child who happily bounces out of bed and another who would love to sleep until about nine a.m. everyday. One or the other eventually gets upset about the toothpaste, the unequal amount of cereal in their bowl or some other great offense. When I hear the voice levels raise, I know it is time to pull out the praise music! I have stopped trying to solve the disputes or argue about who gets what color juice cup. I invite God into our morning. I have a playlist of songs that we all love. They are fast, uplifting and fun! We often “get our praise on” right in the middle of breakfast. Sometimes there is dancing, sometimes there is silliness, but there are always smiles.

Another way that we have found to fill up our spirit is, our praise jar. I got the idea during one of our Tuesday morning Bible Studies. I don’t really remember how the idea came about, but I was trying to think of ways for my little ones to be more conscious of our day and our faithful Lord. I started with a vase. It is one of those simple ones that comes with a flower arrangement that I never know whether to keep or get rid of. I cut up some pieces of colorful paper and put them in a bowl and then put a pen right there. This collection now sits on a shelf in a high traffic area, right in eye sight. It is an open invitation to praise Him. Sometimes it is one word, sometimes it is a name, sometimes it is something we saw outside, sometimes it is when are spirits are full and sometimes it is when our spirits are empty. I have found that when I am empty, I really need to look at what I have. This praise jar reminds me to focus on Him rather than on me. Physically writing it down and focusing on the good snaps me out of the darkness. I am reminded that I am not really as empty as I may feel.

Ezekiel 3:3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. 

I love this passage. My NIV study Bible says, “ Ezekiel must ingest the Lord’s message... so that it becomes part of his being. The words of God are sweet to the taste.” The more we fill ourselves with the goodness of His word, the sweeter our life will be. The more we praise, the happier we are. The more we spend time with Him, the more like Jesus we become.

I love looking through our praise jar. My kids are just learning to write. There are a lot of papers that say “Mom”, “Dad”, “God”. There is even one that says “elephants”. But really, what else do we need?

Buried Treasure

You never know when God is going to show up. Earlier this week, I was mindlessly going about my morning routine. I pulled the basket out of the coffee pot to throw away the old grounds, and then opened the cupboard to pull out the garbage can. I was caught of guard. First, there was a fresh garbage bag, which doesn't often happen. We play the game of garbage balancing in our home. You may be familiar with this game, the rules are simple, just put your garbage on top and if it topples over, you have to take out the trash. But, second, in the bottom of the can was a little treasure!

My daughter is in first grade this year. She is really enjoying reading and writing. She has truly found freedom and fulfillment in sounding out words, putting sentences together and then drawing pictures to go with them. She spends most of her free time making books or writing stories. The treasure that I found in the garbage belonged to her. I garbage picked it!

The words weren't spelled correctly and usually, I can sound it out to understand what she is writing, but this time I couldn't do it. I got most of it, but not the whole thing. I set it aside, in a prominent place, so that I could be sure to ask about it later.

The morning routine was crazy, I didn't have a spare minute to talk with her about it. I needed more than just a quick answer, I wanted to have a conversation with her. It stayed on top of the microwave for the day. Every time I walked past, I looked at it and tried to unscramble the message. Similar to a puzzle that you can't walk away from, it was in the back of my mind all day. I couldn't wait until she got home. 

After she had a few minutes to unwind from the busyness of the day, I picked up the piece of paper, handed it to her and asked her to read it to me. 

"I follow my heart. Step, by step, by step. You will make it right for me." 

"Did you hear that somewhere?" I asked. 

"No" she replied, "I was just writing a song, and I made it up." 

My next question,"why did you throw it away?"

"I messed up", she said sadly. 

Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless. Daniel 11:35

I was silenced. Her words were so simple and yet, so true. How many times have we been following God along the path and we mess up. We don't know how to undo what we have done so instead, we throw it away.

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Romans 11:11a

I made my request. "Can I have this?"

"Sure." Pause.  "Why?" She wondered.

"I like it. I want to write about it. Is that okay?"

"Yes", she smiled.

though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:24

God placed it on my heart to use this as a teachable moment. "You know, God loves us all the time. Even when we mess up. There is nothing we can do to make Him stop loving us. If we apologize and ask Him for forgiveness, He always forgives us."

"I know, Mom", she said. As she rolled her eyes and walked away.

I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. Prov 4:11

I could have taken offense, but I didn't. She heard me. It will be there when she needs it most.

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Prov 3:6

Father, I praise you for your goodness, favor and mercy. Thank you for loving me so perfectly. I know that I am human and I am going to make mistakes. But, I also know that you forgive every one of them. I am grateful for your wisdom, guidance, knowledge and for all of the times you have picked me up and put me back on your perfect path. Amen.

I don't know anything

What do you know? You don't have the credentials for this. You have never been to school for this kind of thing. I know all of your weaknesses, who do you think you are fooling? How can you tell people this stuff when you are so far from perfect?

These are all things that I heard this week. Earlier, I mentioned the quiet whisper of God and I realized that there is another small voice that I often hear. However, these things are not supportive, encouraging or loving. They are destructive, debilitating and crushing.

Throughout our lives, we hear many different voices talking to us. Parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, spouses, bosses, the media, the enemy. While most of these voices mean well, they may (or do) tell us things that are hurtful.

It is so easy to hear things and accept them as truth.

Now that I think about it, the things above are true. I don't have the credentials to write this blog. I don't have the education to interpret the things of God. I am not good enough on my own to direct people down the path of Jesus.

Don't listen to me... What do I know?

Looking back over my previous posts, I am the one who needed to hear these things the most. These are the things that God was speaking to me. These are the lessons that I needed (and still need) to learn.

So, what do I do with those bad whispers?

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)

I have a choice to make. 

I can quit writing. I can go back to my shelter, where my life was hidden. I can stop sharing my story, my struggle, my experience. I lived there for a long time. It was comfortable and it is not that far from here.

Or.

I can continue down this unknown path. Through my lack of education, I can continue to share. I can tell you about my ups and my downs. Perhaps they will help you, perhaps they are only helping me.

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. Deuteronomy 8:2

I know that God is leading me. There are things that I have written that I know did not come from me. He has placed things on my heart and at times I feel I will burst if I don't write them down and share. I pray every time, before I write a word. Please God, let these be your words and not mine.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Today, dear friends I am boasting in the Lord. It is Him and not me! I am foolish, weak and lowly. He is all knowing and all loving. These are things I will never be. But, I will choose to be obedient!

Lord, I thank you for being good all the time. Thank you for always knowing what is best for me. I am nothing without you. Thank you for teaching me, for encouraging me and for leading me. I seek to serve you as Jesus served. I love you and I give you all that I am, even in my weakness. Amen.

My Story

I have had three people within the last week mention "your story" or "your testimony". Around here, we call that an echo from God. Perhaps He is trying to tell me something!

Until yesterday, I didn't think I had a testimony. It seems silly now, but there wasn't a big life changing experience or a flash of lightning. After some reflection, I don't think that testimonies have to be that way. Some are big and exciting and "flashy" and then there is the rest of us. Normal everyday people. With normal everyday stories.

I was raised in the church by Christian parents. We went to church most Sunday's (unless someone was sick or we were out of town) and Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. In High School, I joined the Youth Group and got very involved there with activities and work/mission trips. Then college... I didn't do as well. I didn't completely walk away from God, but I am pretty sure I didn't follow the path that He had planned for me. Looking back, I know that God was with me even though I wasn't seeking Him. He put people in my life that were strong Christians and they were a good influence on me when everything else was so bad. I tried attending church there and did a few times, but it never became habit and it was so easy to just sleep in.

After college, I moved back home. I went back to church with my family and was welcomed with open arms and even taught Confirmation that year. Shortly after moving home, I met my husband and while we were dating, we often attended church. Either his or mine. Looking back at that time, I see now that I still wasn't following God. I did my best and fooled a lot of people including myself. Maybe it wasn't fooling, but ignorance on my part. 

Life went on. I went to church on Sunday and I did my own thing the rest of the week. I thought that was enough. I had the label "Christian". I had accepted Jesus. I knew right from wrong (in my own mind). I tried to be a good person, helping others, not stealing or killing. What more was there? 

This season lasted about seven years. During that time, I almost completely quit going to church. Things did not really start to change until I was trying to get pregnant for the first time. Typical of the season I was in, I didn't turn to God until I needed Him. I was fine on my own, until a crisis appeared. Then, I treated God like my personal Genie. I went through tests and took fertility medication, until I couldn't live with the side effects any longer. A month later, I was pregnant. I would like to say that I had turned to God and said, "You are bigger and You know what is best. I surrender my life to you."  But, I didn't. I thanked God and moved on. 

But, I began thinking (or rather, God placed it on my heart and I finally started to listen) that I needed more.  I wanted my child to have a good foundation. I wanted to give my baby the good morals that I had been given. In my heart, I knew there was something to the "whole church thing", I just didn't know what it was. I began "church shopping". I tried several local churches and decided on the one that was the most comfortable. I got involved with the Children's ministry and made some great friends. We stayed there for almost three years, until the church changed and I no longer felt comfortable. I took a step back to analyze the changes.

On Thanksgiving morning of 2008, I was getting ready to go to dinner at my parents house. I had the TV on for news and background noise. Joyce Meyer came on and that is when things really changed for me. I don't remember what she said exactly, but I was at that point I realized there was something more to church than "religion". That was the turning point for me, I began to find my own faith. For so long, I was living on what my parents said or the way they raised me. It wasn't until I really started doing it for me that I was able to understand what so many others already had and what God wants for all of us. I began to read my Bible, although I didn't understand it, and we found a new church. 

The new church has made a huge difference. I am really being fed the word! I didn't realize how hungry I was until I heard someone who really spoke to me. I also joined a women's Bible study. That has been a big step for me and really encouraged me in my daily walk. I enjoy reading the Bible and reading books that take me deeper in the word. I love being around Christian women who share the same values and beliefs that I do. I miss it when I am not there and have made it a priority in my schedule.

Everyday, I work at being more open about my faith and my Savior. Throughout my life, I hid my faith and beliefs (and still do to some extent) from others out of fear of rejection. What I didn't understand is that our choices are either good or bad. So, fear of rejection from people caused me to reject God. I should have feared Him more than people. I am getting better at it, and stepping out on faith more than ever before. I am trying to be open with my children, so that they will learn that God's opinion is much more important than people's opinion. I am trying to teach them that their faith is not something to hide or be ashamed of. As the women of my Bible studies have taught me, it is in the sharing that we grow.

Those who have known me for a while can appreciate that this blog was a big, scary step. I don't really know where this is all going- meaning the blog. I just felt like this was the direction that He was leading me. I have never been a writer, but it seems like He is using me for something. My wonderful and supportive Mom recently told me, "you don't need to know why, you just need to obey and trust in Him who always knows".

That is the cool thing about God! He is not normal or everyday. He is creative and exciting and unexpected. When we follow Him, our lives are that way too. Looking back, I see that His fingerprints are all over my life! This is not really my story it is our story.

1 Kings 19:11-12 (New Living Translation)

 ¹¹ “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

Lord, I am a sinner. On my own, I am not good enough to come into your presence. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins. I believe that he rose and ascended into heaven. Through my belief in Jesus I am able to come to you at the throne. Thank you Abba, that you were faithful when I was fickle. Thank you for pursuing me when I turned away. Thank you for loving me when I was unloveable. Amen.

You Alone

I woke up in such a bad place today- to be honest- I went to sleep in one too. Picking up, cleaning up, putting away, bringing in. Why doesn't anyone do for themselves? Why am I the only one who sees the dirt on the floor or the garbage cans at the street? There is so much that needs to be done and so much that I want to do.

God, help me! I am in an ugly place!

1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Father, save me and deliver me.

Psalm 7:1-2 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

² or they will tear me like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

Lord, help me to be happy.

Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Father, please fill me with joy.

Psalm 4:7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound

God, I praise you!

1 Samuel 2:1-10
Hannah's Prayer
¹ Then Hannah prayed and said:
"My heart rejoices in the LORD;
in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.

² "There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

³ "Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.

⁴ "The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

⁵ Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.

⁶ "The LORD brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.

⁷ The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.

⁸ He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
"For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;
upon them he has set the world.

⁹ He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
"It is not by strength that one prevails;

¹⁰ those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
"He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed."

You alone are worthy of praise.

The Oil of Gladness

Easter is so close. I am thinking a lot about death right now because someone special to me is very sick. We don't know what is going to happen. There is so much pain in loss. We feel it here.

God made the biggest sacrifice by sending his only son to die for us. That must have been a painful decision to make. But, it was necessary. The Lord does not want anyone to perish. (2 Peter 3:9) Time after time, God watched as people denied Him or chose to do things on their own. (Sounds like me.) The people of Israel couldn't do it- they were God's chosen people. Exodus 19:5 If you obey me and keep my covenant- you will be my treasured possession. Yet, they made golden calves (Ex 32:7-8) and built high places to worship other gods (2 Kings 17:9).

God knew from the beginning that his people needed a savior. When He created the garden of Eden, he already had Calvary planned. He knew why he was sending his son to earth. Yet He had to do it. He loved us so much that he sent his son (John 3:16) to die a terrible, painful and tortuous death (Matthew 27:27-50).

It reminds me of my loved one, watching someone we love in pain and suffering. God watched his son and could not take that from him. Like us, Jesus asked his Father to take it away. In fact, he asked twice, Matthew 26:39 & 42. But, God could not. Jesus had to die so that we could know heaven (John 3:16). It is difficult to watch someone we love, hurt and know there is nothing more we can do.

I am not comparing my loved one to Jesus. I am saying that God understands the pain and hurt that we experience.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
- Psalm 56:8

Instead of turning against Him, we need to turn towards Him. He is the God of all comforts (2 Cor 1:3-4) and that is why he sent his son.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

Am I boring?

I read an article quite a while ago. It left a big impression on me. In fact, it was one that I kept. I'm not sure how I feel about it though.

It was written by Paul Scanlon. He is the founder of Abundant Life Church Ministries. Scanlon writes, "Christianity is not boring, but many Christians are because their interests go no further than all things churchy. If my one interest is church, then obviously I will only connect with church people, but it won't help me reach the vast majority of the planet who don't live in that world. If I only socialize with Christians, listen to Christian music, read Christian books, watch Christian television, attend a Christian school, vacation at Christian resorts, attend Christian exercise classes and go to my Christian hairdresser, then I think it's safe to say I need to get out more.

Millions of us burned our Elvis records, gave up our interests in politics, business, media, fashion, the arts, technology, entertainment and show business. We did it all for Jesus, who never asked us to give it up in the first place! We've become uncomfortable and at times dysfunctional in the worlds we left, worlds we demonized and theologized into becoming our enemies, worlds that God loves and hardwired us to flourish in. We were designed by God to prosper behind enemy lines- not for comfort, safety or retreat."

He concludes, "God made you to be interesting, so don't let the church make you boring. Don't work on developing a new personality, just work on building some bridges of interest. And before you know it, you will be in another world of potential new relationships and influence. If the great apostle Paul was willing to become "all things to all men," so can we. And whatever happens, it will be interesting!"

You can read the entire article here Are you Bored? on pages 24 & 25.

So what is written?

John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

John 17:14-15 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

1 John 2:15- 17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

I recently read this, by Beth Moore, "To live victoriously, every day we must learn to pour out our hearts to God, confess sin daily, acknowledge every hollow place and invite Him to fill us fully! Then we need to continue to fan the flame of His love by reading Scripture, listening to edifying music, and praying often. We also need to avoid things that obviously quench His spirit."

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 17:24 A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

I had a computer programming professor that always said "garbage in, garbage out". He was referring to the programs that we wrote, but could the same be said about our mind?

In order to become "interesting", I can watch Grey's Anatomy and make conversation with others who like that show. But, are those the images and situations that I want to put in my head? I can listen to main-stream music, but what are the messages I am I hearing? I can go to a bar with friends, with the intention of finding someone to minister to, but what am I exposing myself to, in the meantime?

I am NOT trying to condemn anyone, believe me, I have my own guilty pleasures! I am not saying any of these things are right or wrong. I think it would be easy to go off the chart- marking everything as either right or wrong. I don't believe that God calls us to hide out and limit our interactions with the world, as we cannot win others to Christ that way. So, where do we draw the line?

When we are filling our time, and ultimately our minds, do we say this is "good" or do we strive for this is "great"?