Why We Must Forgive the Ones That Have Offended Us...and the Ones That Have Not

Why is it that so often the ones hardest to forgive are the ones that have offended our loved ones, but not us personally?  We might feel we are taking ownership of the pain in order to portray our allegiance for the one who is hurt, but it only opens a door for bitterness and resentment to take root and grow.  Your loyalty does not erase the wrong for the one wronged. It just doesn't work that way.
Sinful people are going to at times live decadent lives without punishment, while the innocents suffer insults and false accusations. But are any of us really innocent? 
Be careful about swallowing all that anyone says about someone else. People will hurt each other without your help.  Be careful not to join in an argument, invited or not. It can only destroy...your spirit, your relationship, your testimony. You can change the whole atmosphere of the conversation by your words, so choose them wisely.
Most of the time when we take up an offense, the two original people will work things out and you will be alone in the anger and bitterness you chose to bear.  It just isn't smart to take things on that have nothing to do with you.
Bear the burden, but not the offense.  There is a difference.
Mark 11:25  "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." 

A Little Place in Africa

Tommy recently returned from an eleven day stay in Africa. This was his second in three years.  He traveled with friend Marcus to a remote region outside Nairobi.  I hesitate to be specific regarding details due to unrest towards believers in so much of the world.
Small churches in small villages need encouragement and training.  Tommy met with a group of twenty-two pastors, each from a different area.  The humble accommodations allowed for little distractions while preparing sermons and lessons for the men, though most of his studying was done at home before the trip.

As the weekdays passed, the crowd grew in number.

Communications between us were sketchy at best.  There were times I imagined him standing on his head, holding his tongue just right while facing the moon in order to get reception so we could text or talk...mostly text.  Phone calls were few.
Still I could detect an excitement in his voice for what was taking place.  He loved teaching these men. God had given him a passion for encouraging fellow leaders in the Church.  There is nothing more joyous and fulfilling than knowing that you are performing a task that glorifies the Lord Jesus..whether you are taking on a sink full of dirty dishes or bringing the Good News to a country thousands of miles away.

Two boys peeking in the church window.

Peter, a student and Tommy

Johannes and Pastor Peter

Abel, the Director of the Kisii County Association which has 11 churches 

Just a sample of the meals Tommy enjoyed.

Above is the entrance to the men's bathroom and the bathroom itself.  I have no idea why Tommy took these pictures, but they are interesting.

 These ladies are drying beans and they wanted Tommy to take a picture.

 

 The stores above might be a cell phone shop, a doctor's office, or farm supply store.  This is town.

 The class they taught.

Maunda, Marcus, Christopher, and teacher Peter 

 Soapstone carvings

This man is a famous soap stone artist and he then carves the figures to make them stand out.

Persecution has become rampant towards Christians at home and abroad. There is a cost in presenting the Gospel in dark places...like Africa and America.  My life has never been threatened.  I have all I need and more. With no looming danger near me, how loud is my cry of Truth?  Where and when is my devotion the strongest - within church walls or in my encounters as I run errands around town?  The challenge is an obvious one.  Hungry people are looking for food.  Those with food (for the body and the soul) are filling needs when they share what they have.
Tommy's short lived visit will have lasting effects because it is the Gospel that lives on - past mortal limitations and beyond this present generation.  What are we doing that lasts forever?  This is the question we must answer.
We are grateful for the chance Tommy was given to share scripture with other pastors and laymen in a distant land.  We at home can hide under all that glitters and covers the need for something more. We must be Christ to those around us.
May the Lord Jesus pierce my heart with His convicting command to go and tell.  I live near hungry people. So do you. If we hold our tongues and fail to speak where freedom rings, what will we do when it rings no more?

God is Looking for People Who Can't

Do you have any crooked places in your life? Me too. Rarely is the road ahead of me a straight and direct line, without snags and pits. There are times when all I see are corners and I am left wondering what unseen events lie hidden in the coming shadows. While they might appear to be beyond my view, they are not unknown: They have been carefully and lovingly designed by my Maker for my  good.  He has things He wants to teach me.
I might feel unequipped for the task He has given me, but just because someone else could do a better job, doesn't mean I am allowed to withdraw from trying.  There will always be someone who is better at something than I am, and at times I know there is no one worse.  It is when I feel least capable than I am most reliant on the Lord Jesus.
If God is looking for perfect people to do perfect jobs, then His power and might aren't needed. But that's not how He works. He is looking for willing people who will say, "Yes, Lord. Here am I. Send me" as Isaiah did.  He is most glorified through the weak, the simple, and those unable in their own strength.
The next time God prompts you to do what seems impossible, give it your best.  Your best is all He desires.
Luke 3:4-6  As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." 

1 Corinthians 1:26-31  For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 

Write It In Pencil

Calendars.  My daily routines change too much to write in ink, but still I do - in all colors.  What is the verse about man making his plans, but the Lord directs his steps?  Time and again I find myself slapping a sticker over what never happens or gets moved to a different block on my wall. Some weeks look like chicken scratches, with arrows crossing over to changed dates along with attempts to add another reminder to an already full day. I've given up on beauty and order. 

Maybe things on the calendar should just be written in pencil, especially those items we think we should do or else.....  Or else what? The sky will fall in?  Are we afraid we will not be invited next time if we don't respond this time?  And what if that next invite doesn't come?

                 

How many times do we make our agendas based on the wrong things?  The older I get, the less it happens, but still it happens - especially in cases where guilt or self-inflicted pressure are involved.

God knows exactly what each of us needs to be doing. He may present us with a circumstance in which we are the only answer to a dilemma. It will be obvious to us when it occurs and no matter how difficult it is, the pleasure we will receive from answering a need will be abundantly more rewarding than anything we might have written on our calendars. Big "happies" come and go. Their memories are soon forgotten, but people seldom forget the kindnesses done to them and for them...especially in a crisis.

Life is too short, ladies.  Make it count in the right direction.  Seek to spend your energy and time on worthwhile ventures. Fall and the holidays are knocking at the door..  If you are not careful, you will miss this present moment, this opportunity called "now" because you are checking those squares on the wall and thinking about tomorrow.

What if, instead of taking advantage of every outing offered, you looked first at your present surroundings?  Are you needed more at home?  Did you leave things undone that are your responsibilities?  Are you running out the door to escape something far better?  'Me time' is a phrase used a bit too often and it isn't biblical at all if the truth be told.  Choose your activities wisely and write them in pencil...so you can erase what doesn't matter for today. 'Now' happens to us all.  Don't miss it.                 

           

A Change in the Tide

It has been awhile since I have blogged anything. The most I could manage to pen is a grocery list or a sermon note or a reminder to do the same things I do each week....with little if any variation.
Life kept happening on the outside, but it had stopped inside me. Repeated behaviors kept me on track - predictably executing my next move which resulted in little satisfaction at the end of the day. Simply put, I was stuck.
God doesn't ever do things for just one reason. He has a way of using the same event in the lives of thousands, orchestrating it all for a thousand different purposes and all for His glory alone.
Catastrophe broke through the thick wall that surrounded me and held me in apathy: Harvey hit Texas. It was as if our television knew no other stations existed but the local ones, the weather channel, and the national news....as all were focused and stayed on our coastline. I waited for wind that never really came to our area. The waters rose up into our yard, only to recede again with time and never coming even close to our doors.
We soon learned that we were an island, unable to leave town for quite some time. The reality of what was happening could only be viewed on the screen.  Horror struck so many with the loss of loved ones and homes, cars and belongings. Some were being rescued by helicopters from rooftops, others by boats floating right over unseen streets and curbs and landscapes. Others were less fortunate and not rescued at all.
Refuges and shelters soon sprung up all over town - filled beyond capacity in some areas. Days went by. I texted with friends I could not reach whose homes were flooded.  Little has changed in some areas even now and many, many will be displaced for months to come.
But God.  I love those words. God did not look away.  He saw it all and His people were stirred. Love grew from Harvey. Groups of people held hands and prayed on tv and the newsmen did not turn their cameras away. Churches from all over arrived to minister to and care for the helpless. God was at work. Gifts of all kinds poured in without reservation.
It is easy to feel a kind of survivor's guilt. It may not have hit our home, but it did hit our hearts. With each sad story I encountered, came a positive outlook on what lies ahead - many keeping faith in the Lord Jesus.
Writing this brings a kind of closure for me - a closure to apathy, to the nightmares, and to my failure to wholeheartedly grasp each moment of this life I have been given. I am fully Christ's to use as He wishes. I had just lost my focus for a little while.

We opened our church to gather things and deliver them to surrounding shelters.

Our friends, the Johnsons were flooded and had to put all in storage.

Friends - the Swain home. 

Diane with a smile on her face.

Our friends, the Falkenstines also took on water.

Friendswood area

The Greens' home was less than a year old.

Jeremy Fleming saving some piglets out of the barn. Other animals did not survive.

Happy Fourth 2017!

True freedom was bought with a price...forever free - no matter the circumstances.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for the ultimate price you paid for my freedom.

Our church had its annual 4th of July festivities last Tuesday.  Hot as usual, but the fellowship and fun were as fresh as ever.  Enjoy the pics!

Peter lost a tooth on the water slide.

 Kristin and Karen, I mean Bonnie and Clyde.

Our awesome hosts, Marlon and Karen Littlejohn

Wow, this couple looks tired.

Becky, Me, and Karen saying "Happy 4th y'all!"