Thoughts on Faith

As I drove home today I was listening to K-Love and a couple of my favorite worship songs came on the radio.  I sang along and began thinking about my relationship with God.  See, I've known God my whole life.  I was raised in a Christian home and can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't going to church and spending time with God.  Now don't get me wrong.  I am far from the perfect Christian.  I go days without reading my Bible.  (That's something I'm trying to fix.)  Many of my prayers are one or two liners, not an hour long or even a half hour.  I've often wondered how much I rely on Him because there was no obvious life-changing experience for me.  He has just always been there.  As I thought about this and listened to the music, I realized something.  I am FREE!  I always heard people talking about being free from various forms of bondage because they placed their trust in Christ but I never felt free from anything before.  I guess it's just that I usually hear about bondage such as substance abuse or addictions so I never realized that I am free, as well.  Not only am I free from those things because He has kept me from them but I am free from a life of constant worry over finances and my family's health and well-being.  Yes, I still worry sometimes about those things but it's always temporary because I know that my faith and trust in the Lord.  He will not give my any difficulties that He will not carry me through.   I know this doesn't seem like much to many of you but for me it was a wonderful realization.  Thanks, God!

The Value of a Diamond

In determining the value of a diamond there are five C's to be considered: carat, color, clarity, cut, and cost. The carat refers to the weight of the diamond, not the diameter. The color is actually the lack of color. The clarity is the amount, location, and contrast of flaws, both internal and external with internal having a greater effect on the value of the diamond. The cut, which is often confused with the shape, actually refers to the proportions and cut specifications. These specs are extremely important in how the diamond returns the brilliance, dispersion and scintillation to the viewer's eyes. Finally, the cost is how much consumers are willing to pay for the diamond given its grading based on the first four C's. To find a diamond that is perfect in every category is incredibly rare.

Now, I'm not writing all of this because I am some kind of diamond expert. The only diamond I own is on my engagement ring and I have no idea what it's grade is. I've never shopped for a diamond and, beyond the basics, would have no idea for what to look. I can't imagine the pressure many man feel when shopping for that perfect engagement ring. They want to find something that they can afford that their fiance is going to love. Of course, most (if not all) women I know wouldn't know the difference between a good diamond and a great diamond just by looking at it with the naked eye. That's because you can't tell much about the appearance of a diamond without the help of some special tools like a microscope, a scale, and some color grading stones. On a couple of occasions I've found myself admiring another woman's engagement ring because the diamond was so much bigger than mine or it seemed to sparkle more. In all actuality mine could have been more valuable (doubtful, but possible) if it had less internal flaws, had more clarity, and was cut properly. But to my naked eye the other diamond just seemed prettier.

Isn't this true in life as well? Don't others seem to somehow have better lives than us? Have you ever looked around and thought, "That person has it all together.", "They have the perfect relationship with their spouse.", "They have the most well-behaved children.", "They have the easiest job.", "They have the nicest house.", or "They are so much more spiritual than I am."? It's an easy trap to fall into. We've all done it. We look around and see a bunch of beautiful diamonds and we feel like a lump of coal beside them. It's funny how to some of those very people, WE look like the beautiful diamond and THEY feel like the lump of coal but we have no idea. We can only see with our naked eye what their lives are like. We see how they sparkle and shine. But remember, the perfect diamond is rare.

Unless they give us the microscope to see inside, we don't see the tint of color, the internal flaws, or even the external blemishes . Even then, we can only see so deep. God is the only one who can see right down to the core of each person and know their true value. Of course, He's the one who gives us our value and really, we all have the same value in His eyes no matter what our C's tell us. We ALL have the same cost: the life of Jesus Christ, His Son. He paid the same price for each and every one of us. Jesus was the only perfect diamond.

So the next time you start to think about how someone else has it better than you, remember that they are just an imperfect diamond like you. If we start allowing others to use our microscopes, they'll probably let us use theirs. When we realize that others have imperfections just like we do, we can stop comparing ourselves and start helping each other instead.

One final note: Did you know that the purpose of some diamonds is to be ground up to polish other diamonds? Food for thought...

FREE Music!

I've known about this for a while and I don't know why I didn't think of blogging about it before now.  Hopefully, this is new and helpful to some of you.  Although if it is not new then that's great because you are already taking advantage of it.  So anyway, if you have an mp3 player and want to try some music without having to pay for it, here is a LEGAL way to do it.  (By the way, it is illegal to have music, movies, etc. on your mp3 player or on a copied disk that you have taken off a friend's cd/dvd, a library cd/dvd, a netflix dvd, etc.  Sorry, that's the law.  Don't shoot the messenger.)

So for the FREE music, you can go to Amazon and search for FREE songs or albums by clicking HERE.  Look on the right hand side and you'll see the top downloaded FREE songs.  Below that are the top downloaded FREE albums.

Or you can go to the iTunes store.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the page there is a spot that says "Free on iTunes".  Click there and you can get FREE songs, videos, television episodes, and podcasts.

You can also get FREE music at your local Starbucks store.  They typically have a display of "pick of the week" cards either on the counter where you order, pick-up, or doctor your coffee.  On the back of the card is a code with instructions on how to download the song.  You do need to have an iTunes account for this.  They update every Tuesday.

Another way to get FREE music is at walmart.com.  If you click HERE, you will see about five songs that you can choose to download for FREE.

I'm sure there are many other places to download FREE music.  These are just a few that I know.  By far, amazon.com gives the widest selection from which to choose.

I hope this helps some of you in your quest to build your music library or try new styles of music or new artists.

Want vs. Need

I think the question of want versus need is a universal question regardless of spiritual beliefs.  Do I really need a new house, car, video game system, sweater, or even a name brand food item when there are people starving without a roof over their heads?

I've been thinking about this for a while.  Our church has just begun a faith-raising campaign.  The vision that God has given us is to expand His family in a variety of ways in our community and surrounding area.  He also wants those of us who are already part of His family to grow deeper in our relationship with Him.  This is why it is called a faith-raising campaign instead of fund-raising.  The main goal is to grow His kingdom deeper and wider, not to raise money.  If we follow His call to give what He wants each of us individually to give then He will be blessed and so will we.  (Luke 16:10-13)  But this campaign didn't begin these thoughts of need versus want.  I've been contemplating them for a long time, especially when my husband and I getting ready to make large purchases.  Although, I've been trying harder with the small purchases because they really add up.

I've always struggled with wondering if I really need something that seems like a non-necessity when compared to the starving children in Africa, for example.  I think it would be easy (in some ways) to say I don't need much and live in the smallest house you can find, ride a bike everywhere you go and send everything you have to those in need.  Then you could say,  "Look what I gave up to help others."  But if God wants you to have a house that can accommodate four or more people so you can host a small group or have a car so you can transport people to work, school, or wherever, then your lifestyle is disobedient to Him and therefore sinful.   On the flip side, it would also be easy (in other ways) to have a large home and a nice new SUV that holds eight people so you can host a large group and transport people who need rides.  But if God wants you to downsize because you can still do those things with a smaller house and a used vehicle that is less expensive to own, then your lifestyle is disobedient to Him and therefore sinful.  Now those are two ends of the spectrum.  My family falls somewhere in the middle.  Our home is not large but is big enough to accommodate around twelve people comfortably for a gathering.  Our vehicles are not new.  We've never owned a new vehicle.  They are big enough to transport our family but no one else if the kids are with us.  But we do have two.

Part of the problem lies in comparing ourselves to other people.  This is a problem in so many areas of our lives.  The funny thing is that God doesn't compare us to one another so why do we?  This can be problematic in a several ways.  We can see what others have and think, "I wish I had that because then I could really do God's work" or "Do they really need that?  They should sell it and give the money to someone who needs it."  Both scenarios are wrong.  God gives us what we have for a reason.  Sometimes we just need to get creative to find ways to serve Him with what we have instead of wanting something else.  Who are we to judge what others have and what they should do?  How do we know that God didn't give them what they have so they could reach people that we can't?  Who could better minister to a wealthy person than someone else with wealth?  It gives them a common ground and allows a relationship to form without guilt for having money.  Having wealth is not a sin.  God made Solomon a very wealthy man.  (1 Kings 3) On the other hand, we can see what others don't have and think, "They have nothing.  I should give away everything to help others" or "See how much I have compared to them.  I must be doing something better than they are."  Now it may seem in the former to be a noble, godly thought.  However,  God wants us to be good stewards of what we have.  If we give everything away just to make ourselves feel good we may be robbing ourselves and our families of things that God wants to give us.  I think it's fairly obvious that in the latter thought there is an amount of arrogance and self-reliance to the statement.  We need to recognize that everything we have comes from God.  We don't earn the money we have.  God blessed us with the job and the ability to perform that job so that we can receive money to provide for our families and the needs of others.  (James 1:17)

So where does this leave us?  Well, we need to earnestly ask God what He wants us to own and what He wants us to give away.  Sometimes that can be the hardest part, figuring out what He wants us to give.  I think that once you know that it becomes a lot easier in the sense that you only have two options, be obedient and give and trust that He'll take care of your needs or disobey by holding back because you think you need what you have.  But, still, many times it's not easy because you have to give something up.  If your instinct is to hold back, you should try to seek out why and ask Him to help you to trust Him. (Acts 20:35)  We also need to realize that He could send His answer in many ways, not just through an intense feeling that He is leading you in one direction but also through the encouragement of others,  circumstances in our lives, and His Word.  He may just ask us to give even though we may not know exactly what we're giving to.  It's the condition and attitude of our hearts toward Him in giving that gift that He honors, not that we think we are giving to a good cause.

Building a Better Marriage

We just went to one of these conferences this past weekend.  It was fantastic!  There really is something for every couple whether you are engaged, newlyweds (one couple on our weekend had been married for 6 days), married for 52 years (as was one couple there), in a "healthy" marriage, or on the verge of divorce.  

My husband and I have been married for 7 1/2 years and have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old.  This conference helped us remember why we got married and figure out how to grow toward oneness with our busy home life and schedules.  There's even a built-in date night so we went out to a restaurant that we don't have at home and just enjoyed each other's company.

For more information, click HERE.

Next year Family Life is having a marriage cruise!  I would love to go on that because we've never been on one and if it's anything like the conference it will be AWESOME!  I don't know if you can read it but it will be Feb. 14-18 2011 from Port Canaveral, FL to Cococay & Nassau, Bahamas.  I'm sure there will be more information on their website (www.familylife.com) as the date drawers nearer.

Losing it

Since we've been snowed in for the past four days, we told the kids that we could build a tent in the living room. So while I was building the tent, the kids started playing in it. My daughter kept throwing a monkey beanie baby on top of it. In my frustration, I scolded her by saying, "If you keep playing with the tent, I'm going to take it down!" Okay, so that really just makes no sense. The whole point of putting the tent up was to PLAY with it.

Sometimes things come out of my mouth and I just have to wonder where my brain cells went. I used to be an intelligent person, who taught high school and had a come-back for most of their comments. Now I have trouble coming up with words that make sense most of the time. My husband blames the children. He says that I lose brain cells with each child we have. So far we only have two. I was hoping to have more. Will I end up completely stupid, walking around with my tongue hanging out, uttering nonsense? Will it make a difference if we choose to adopt the other children? Is it the birthing process that takes the brain cells? (I did notice that the whole getting dumber started with my first pregnancy.) These are things I think about. What do you think?

Hopes and Dreams

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) meeting and spent some time with new and old friends. As I sat at a table talking with other moms, the conversation turned to the spacing of our children and the pros and cons of having them close together or far apart. There were several opinions based on a variety of experiences and life circumstances. One woman made the comment that life rarely turns out the way we plan or expect anyway. I tucked that statement in the back of my mind for the rest of the day.

That evening I had the opportunity to spend some time with some dear old friends. I went out to dinner with a couple of women whom I've know since high school and two mothers (who are also dear friends) of other friends with whom I went to high school and youth group. We all get together, give or take a few other women, every year to remember our friend who passed away nine years ago at the age of 21. Her mother is part of our standing dinner date every year. She is a strong, Christian woman who has been through a lot in the past nine years. Years after her daughter died, her husband left her for another woman. However, she has been very blessed to have her son remain close to her and she is now recently remarried to a great man who loves her deeply. She probably thought she'd be spending her retirement alone but God has blessed her with someone with whom to enjoy it.

I'm sure when she was my age she never thought her life would turn out this way. We all have our hopes and dreams but rarely do they come to fruition the way we have planned in our minds. Dreams are a great thing but if we get too stuck on them we can't move forward when they don't turn out the way we want. If my friend had chosen to dwell on her dreams from the past, she would have missed out on the blessing of her new husband. We may go through difficult times but God works through it all if we allow Him into our lives. He has better plans for us than we could ever dream.