Mentoring Woman: "A Boasting Matter!"

Mentoring Woman: "A Boasting Matter!":    It has been a few weeks since I last blogged and when my husband asked me about it last week,  I told him I was just not feeling inspired...

"A Boasting Matter!"

   It has been a few weeks since I last blogged and when my husband asked me about it last week,  I told him I was just not feeling inspired to write!  But today's topic of  "The Cross" got a hold of me and has inspired me beyond measure!

Why would I be thinking about the cross when it is almost Thanksgiving?  "That seems almost like an Easter topic," you might say!  As I have shared, I have been doodling through scripture and just finished up Galatians. Studying scripture like this has challenged me and as I finish Galatians I feel like I do when I finish a good book, like I am leaving a good friend!  It is something I have been personally been missing for some time! (Just keepin it real people!)  Paul says a very interesting thing as he closes out this letter in Chapter 6:14:  "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

The cross was considered a place of shame in biblical days.  It was meant to punish criminals and those who disobeyed the governing law.  Deuteronomy 21:23b says:  "because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse."    This is what makes the cross so fantastic!  Earlier on in Galatians Paul says in Chapter 3:13:  "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

The cross either becomes the unifying point of mankind because it shows us our sinfulness, our need of a saviour and the great lengths that God went to extend His love to us.  Or the cross becomes the great divider!  But each one of us must choose!

For those of us who name the name of Christ we realize that the cross is a place of forgiveness. The singing group, "Mercy Me", has an excellent song called "Flawless" about this very topic.  I invite you to go to their link and pay close attention to the words:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ7EyPTOltw  It is a great reminder when Satan hurls those arrows and claims we are not good enough that "the cross has made us flawless!"

Yes, I will boast in the cross, for it's redeeming power has set me free!
And it reminds me in this crazy mixed up world that I, too, am crucified to its hold on me...for this world is not my home!

Mentoring Woman: Parts is Parts!

Mentoring Woman: Parts is Parts!: First of all I want to thank everyone for your response to last week's blog. It is so encouraging to hear that many of you are alre...

Parts is Parts!

First of all I want to thank everyone for your response to last week's blog. It is so encouraging to hear that many of you are already beginning to "doodle through scripture!

Our small group is coming over Sunday evening and normally getting the house whipped into shape isn't that big of a deal.  But last week I cracked a rib doing something as simple as getting frozen corn out of our chest freezer!  Never mind that I thought myself a contortionist, as I was practically 

standing on my head but OUCH!

So needless to say, I asked two of my granddaughters if I could enlist their help this Saturday in getting my work accomplished.  Fortunately they both agreed to it!  What would I do without them? 

I am making my cleaning list (and checking it twice) so hopefully, I will be ready for company.  

This got me to thinking about all of us working together in the body of Christ. Paul addresses this in I Corinthians 12:14-20:   "Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the boy" It would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?  If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body."   

Another reason this has also been on my mind is because of a new task I am taking on. I used to organize, plan, and execute dinners and banquets more times than I can count! However, due to health issues, I cannot do those things anymore.  I had been praying about where best to serve God, when I was approached to see if I would be willing to call people and organize food whenever there is a funeral dinner at our church.  These dinners are such a comfort during a very stressful time in families.  Yep, that is how God works "Ask and Ye Shall Receive!"  I had to remind myself, that even though I wasn't setting up tables, cooking, and serving, what I would be doing was just as important as those who could.  

My question and challenge is this:   Has God been calling you to ministry?  Have you even asked Him where He might want you to serve? Your local church body needs you!  Ears are needed, eyes are needed and even noses are needed, to make a functioning body of Christ!  Yep, "I took it to the throne last week and now I am literally taking it to the phone for Him in the future!"

Mentoring Woman: I AM A YANKEE DOODLE GIRL!

Mentoring Woman: I AM A YANKEE DOODLE GIRL!: I have been on new adventure lately! I have joined a bible study where we doodle through scripture. Right now we are going through the book...

I AM A YANKEE DOODLE GIRL!

I have been on new adventure lately! I have joined a bible study where we doodle through scripture. Right now we are going through the book of Ephesians.

Now I must admit, I entered this adventure with much fear and trepidation, but I find that I am really enjoying it! Here is another sample of one of the pages I did where Ephesians 2:1-2 talks about how we were dead in our sins and followed the ways of this world.  The look on my husband's face when he saw my name on the tombstone was priceless!

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Those who know me at all, probably think "Wow, this is right up her alley!" because I do tend to be pretty crafty, but doodling is not my spiritual gift. (for lack of a better word) If I would ask our middle son to draw a picture of a penguin fishing, he could draw it in a flash, just off the top of his head.  He has always been a great doodler!  But I could only give it the "old college try" if I saw a picture of it first!

However, I have found through this study that each of us has our "doodling" methods. Some use highlighters, some use stickers, it doesn't matter what you do or how you do it, just SO you do it! I even use the computer, scrapbook embellishments, and my stamps:

When I got to the passage in Ephesians 4:14, Paul tells the church, that if we attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching. I envisioned babies blowing around on the ocean so I got out some trusty stamps and stamped them on the page and went to Pinterest and found a picture of a cloud blowing.  Pinterest is a great resource for lettering, simple drawings, etc.  There are even blogs and websites devoted to scripture doodling and bibles with blank sides devoted to journaling!  Who knew I would be on the cutting edge of technology for once!  I think I will be using this method of scripture studying for myself for some time.  I find it causes me to spend time reflecting and engaging in the text I am reading.  And isn't that what we should be doing with scripture?

II Timothy 2:15 says:  "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  Anything that causes me to study God's word and gets me excited about it, is okay with me!

My encouragement today, is perhaps you would like to try doodling for yourself.  You can do this with other women in a study or in your own quiet time.  Who knows?  Perhaps you will see you are a Yankee Doodler also!

Mentoring Woman: I'VE GOT A SECRET!

Mentoring Woman: I'VE GOT A SECRET!: When I was a kid in (back in the Stone Age) there was a television game show called "I've Got A Secret."  You can tell it is o...

I'VE GOT A SECRET!

When I was a kid in (back in the Stone Age) there was a television game show called "I've Got A Secret."  You can tell it is old one, because when it was in production, there was no color television. Reality check....I am old!




It was hosted by Garry Moore (back) and had a regular panel of members on it, like
Bill Cullin, Audrey Meadows (who was married to Steve Allen), Henry Morgan, and Betsy Palmer.

The whole idea of the show was this:  a contestant would come onto the show and the panel would try to guess through a series of questions, their secret.  An example might be:   "I clean the outside windows on the Empire State Building,"  "I am the chauffeur for the President Of The United States,""I rode an unicycle across the United States", etc.  The viewers at home could either see what their secret was, (it was always written at the bottom of the screen) or not look, and play along with the panel.  They would try to ask questions such as:  "Is what you do part of your profession?"  "Are there several people involved in accomplishing what you do?", etc.  They could only ask questions that could be answered by "yes or no."

That leads me to today's thought.  We who know Christ as Saviour have a secret inside us also.  It was placed there by God and guaranteed by the deposit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Ephesians 1:13b-14 says "Having believed you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory."  (NIV) What is this secret we are guarding?  "And he made know to us the mystery of his will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ."  (Eph. 1:9-10, NIV)


   We who name the name of Christ, know how this world is going to end and we also know what God's ultimate purpose is:  To bring all things into subjection to Christ.  "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Rom. 8:20, NIV)  Christ came to free us and His creation.  Think of the Lord's prayer which says:  "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

This world is getting crazier each day and it can sometimes give us a feeling of hopelessness.  But we have this secret inside us that should put a smile on our face, that one day it will all be made right! However, we have a privilege and responsibility to let as many people know the secret that lies within each of us!

I have a secret....let me share it with you!  Christ died for you!

Mentoring Woman: YOU ARE MOLLYCODDLED!

Mentoring Woman: YOU ARE MOLLYCODDLED!: Ever just have a word pop into your brain and you think to yourself, "where did that come from?" Well, that happened to me las...

YOU ARE MOLLYCODDLED!

Ever just have a word pop into your brain and you think to yourself, "where did that come from?" Well, that happened to me last night.  I was speaking to my husband about something and I said to him: "I don't want you to have to mollycoddle me."  His instant reply was: "What? Is that even a word?" I don't think it is a word men use frequently,  and I think it popped into my mind from reading too many historical fiction books lately! I also laughingly said to him:  "I wonder how I can work this word into my blog tomorrow?"  His reply:  "Oh,  knowing you, I'm sure you'll find a way!"   Well here goes:




The word comes from our friends in Great Britain, so put on your tiaras, pinkies up, and we'll drink a cup of tea while we contemplate it.




The word mollycoddle means to "pamper," "to spoil," and "to overprotect."   It is sometimes used to describe "spoiled children."  No wonder he is so spoiled his mother "mollycoddled" him.

This got me to thinking about our relationship with God.  First of all, keeping to our British theme, we are "heirs to the throne." Romans 8:17 says: "Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory." (NIV) When we ask Christ to be the Lord of our lives, the scripture says "We are adopted into God's family" and with that adoption, comes all the rights and privileges as His heirs.  How wonderful, or as our British friends might say "Bravo!"

 I John 3:1 says:  "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!"  (NIV)   As his child, God lavishes (gives to us in great amounts, without limits) His love on us! Do you feel lavished upon this day?  It is not just a feeling but a fact!  Sometimes when things are going all wrong, we don't feel very lavished upon, but if we just begin to think about it (such as the fact that we are breathing, we got out of bed, etc,) we begin to see how much our King does mollycoddle us.

He also protects us from the harm that threatens us daily.  Remember the 23rd Psalm you might have learned as a child?  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (NIV)  I truly think we will all be amazed someday when we see how the Lord has protected and mollycoddled us down through the years!

Also in that same Psalm it says he pampers us "You prepare (God does it) a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."  I had a note in my bible (yes, it is okay to write in them) that the oil was used in biblical days for kings.   Remember David's head was anointed by Samuel when he was chosen king?   How about when the tabernacle was dedicated?  It was anointed with oil because it was where the king,God Himself, came down to dwell! How about in the New Testament when the woman came into the room and anointed the Lord by pouring the costly perfume on Christ's head in Mark 14:3? It was a costly perfume oil called "Nard" signifying that Christ is King and was used to prepare him for burial! That should make all you essential oil people happy today!  Since we are children of the king, I guess then it makes sense that he tells us in James 5:14  "Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord."

Yes, my dear friends you and I are definitely mollycoddled by the greatest of Kings, and I for one, am thankful and don't mind it one bit!  Now I challenge you to go out today and try to use that word at the grocery or on your kids and see what kind of reaction you will get!

Mentoring Woman: ALWAYS LEARNING!

Mentoring Woman: ALWAYS LEARNING!: It has been so cute to see all the mom's posting their children's first day of school on Facebook.  The child has their finger u...

ALWAYS LEARNING!

It has been so cute to see all the mom's posting their children's first day of school on Facebook.  The child has their finger up for what grade they are in, and some mom's are even getting pictures with the child's teacher. Wish I had thought of doing that as a young mom!

To go along with our theme here is a picture of me in grade school:  

Adorable wasn't I?  Notice the perfectly straight cut bangs.  YIKES! I don't really know for sure how old I was in this picture, it doesn't say,  6ish?  So well done mom's of today!

You might think that I would dedicate this blog to the fact that we always need to keep on learning.  II Timothy 2:15 verse that says:  "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  (NIV)   To be perfectly honest, I thought that was where I was going with this also, but just the opposite is true.  

Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 says:  "I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.  I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven.  What a heavy burden God has laid on men.  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."  (NIV)  

Why would Solomon say such a thing?  Later on in verse 18 he says:  "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief."  (NIV)  Huh?

The whole book of Ecclesiastes speaks of our quest for meaning to this life.  The writer speaks of seeking pleasure in possessions, gluttony, riotous living, and yes, even pursing wisdom and knowledge.  But everything he still says is just chasing after the wind.  Then Solomon begins to realize that it is only God who brings meaning to life and when he examines his life, he finds himself falling short in the department of relying upon Him.  "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.  Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.  Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven and you are on the earth, so let your words be few."  (Ecc. 5:1-2, NIV)  "Do not let your mouth lead you into sin." (Ecc. 5:6, NIV)  "Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God." (Ecc. 5:7, NIV)

Oh, if I would only learn that lesson! I often find my words to be many.  And with that thought, I will end this until next week!  

Mentoring Woman: "A PROMISE KEPT"

Mentoring Woman: "A PROMISE KEPT": Well, we are beginning to hear all the promises come forth from the potential presidential candidates. If they could get done half what t...

"A PROMISE KEPT"

Well, we are beginning to hear all the promises come forth from the potential presidential candidates. If they could get done half what they are promising, this country will be well on it's way down the right path!  But you and I know that just won't happen, for there are too many people in between their ideas and the actual implementing of them.

Have you ever made a promise that you could not keep?  I still remember one that my dad made me when I was little.  I was facing another surgery and he promised me that if I went through it, he would let me ride every ride in Disney Land.  Now this was old school Disney (for Disney World had not been built yet in Florida) so we are talking California, where good old Walt Disney roamed the streets! But alas, dad's promise never came true!  Looking back, it was so silly!  There were 5 of us kids and a dad who drove a truck.  How could he afford to take a family of 7 clear across the country on his salary to do that?   But before you feel too sorry for me, I did get to go to Epcot not long ago, and I am sure I looked just like the Griswald's in "Lampoon's Vacation" arriving at Wally World, when I finally got to go!

But I too, made a promise that I could not keep when our oldest grandchild was born. He was in very critical condition in the NICU unit and I said in front of everyone:  "When he has his 16th birthday I will buy him a car!"  How silly of me, for I have 7 other grandchildren now! Can I buy all 8 of them cars?  Not unless I win the lottery, but then I would have to buy a ticket first! We did get to spend a very special night at a concert with him and I bought him a "Hot Wheels" car so I did semi-fullfill it!  Didn't I?

However, there is one who is always faithful to keep His promises.  God!  In Joshua, after the Israelites had taken over the land that God told them to possess, the scripture says this:  "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." (Joshua 21:45, NIV)

God makes lots of promises to us in His Word and  as "Our Heavenly Father"  he will fulfill them.  Here are a few of them:

Looking out our front door after a rain

God promises us in Genesis 9:15-16 "I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (NIV)

He promised the Messiah and it was fulfilled when Christ was "sent forth from a virgin" in the accounts of Matthew, Luke, and John.  

And He promises that He will come again and take us to be with Him forever. Isaiah 65 says: "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. (vs 17)  Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth;  (vs. 20)  

This promise is especially important to me, because I had a grandson who died at 9 days old and a father-in-law who died just 1 month shy of his 100th birthday. 

So all I can say is hang on sisters! His promises are true and every one of them will be fulfilled. You can take that to the bank! 

Mentoring Woman: DESTINED FOR GREATNESS!

Mentoring Woman: DESTINED FOR GREATNESS!: Look who I found at my favorite thrift store recently!

DESTINED FOR GREATNESS!

Look who I found at my favorite thrift store recently!

Mentoring Woman: ACHIN LIKE ACHAN!

Mentoring Woman: ACHIN LIKE ACHAN!: You ever notice how sometimes a person's name in the Bible fits them like a glove?  Take Achan for instance,  I was reading this week in...

ACHIN LIKE ACHAN!

You ever notice how sometimes a person's name in the Bible fits them like a glove?  Take Achan for instance,  I was reading this week in Joshua 7. The Israelites had just destroyed the city of Jericho, just as the Lord had told them to, but this man Achan thought that rather than put the things he had discovered (robe, gold, and silver) into the treasury of the Lord's house, (Josh. 6:24) he would keep them for himself and so he hid them in the ground in his tent.
This caused God's anger to fall on Israel and so Joshua had to find out who the culprit was and confronted Achan with his sin.  The end result was Achan,all his family, and animals were stoned for their disobedience.  OUCH, HE WAS REALLY ACHIN! (couldn't resist)

Instead of Achan seeing what he did have, he wanted what he did not have.  Kind of reminds me of the Garden of Eden and even though Adam and Eve could eat of all the trees, they wanted the fruit from the one they could not have.

God had promised the Israelites:
            1.  Every place where they stepped their foot would be theirs. (Josh. 1:3)
            2.  Safety from their enemies. (Josh. 1:3)
            3.  His presence and undivided attention. (Josh. 1:5)
            4.  Success if they obeyed His law. (Josh. 1:7)

One of the laws they were to obey was in Deuteronomy 7:25-26 (NIV)  "The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire.  Do not covet the silver or gold on them, and do not take it for themselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God.  Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.  Utterly abhor and detest it for it is set apart for destruction."  Achan would have heard and known this law, but he chose to disobey it. He did it for a few pieces of earthly riches, just as Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver.

Achan had been warned, the Israelites had been warned, we have been warned.  The punishment seems rather harsh doesn't it?  But Achan clearly knew what he was doing!  Why else did he feel the need to hide it in the ground in his tent?  He even admits in Joshua 7:20-21 "I have sinned against the Lord, I saw, I coveted, I took, and I hid."  This seems to be the natural progression to our sin as well. We see, we want, we take it, and then we try to hide it from God!

But because of Christ's great sacrifice, we see the extension of God's grace to us.  Isaiah 53:6 says "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him (Christ) the iniquity (sin) of us all."

There is hope for conquering this monster called "sin"!  The whole Book of Romans speaks to this.  Romans 6:14 says:  "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." and Romans 9:16 says:  "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."  This can only bring us to our knees and say "Thank You Lord for paying the debt that I owed, but could not pay."

The interesting thing about Achan, if he had only remained faithful and obedient, he would have been free to keep some of the spoils from Ai, the next town they were to destroy. (Josh. 8:2).  He only needed to wait.  A great lesson that our greatest blessing might be around the bend, we just need to be obedient to His word, and remain faithful dear sisters!

Mentoring Woman: "HEAVENLY MINDED"

Mentoring Woman: "HEAVENLY MINDED": You ever just wonder what Heaven will be like?  I just watched "Heaven Is For Real" for the second time and although it isn...

"HEAVENLY MINDED"

You ever just wonder what Heaven will be like?  I just watched "Heaven Is For Real" for the second time and although it isn't a movie to base theology on (Scripture only!) it got me to thinking about Heaven this week.

Jesus says in John 14:1, "Do not let your hearts be troubled," Trust in God, trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  (NIV) So one of the reasons we are not to be troubled, is because we know that something wonderful in Heaven awaits us!

Right after Paul explains how our new resurrected bodies will be in Heaven, (I Corinthians 15:50-57) he tells the believers this: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:58, NIV  How can we stand firm in this life?   By knowing this is not our home and Heaven awaits us!

I think it is good sometimes to think about what it will be like in Heaven, but as the saying goes, "you can't keep your head so far in the clouds, that you do no earthly good!" So until that day when Christ either calls us home or returns, we need to keep pressing on doing the things that God has prepared for us to do!  "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV)

As promised, here is a poem I wrote when I was thinking about our topic of soaring last week:

When trials rise to threaten us,

And life's burdens weight seems more.

I pray that we could rise with You,

And You'll teach us, Lord, to soar.

For from Your view, You see it all,

Not one thing escapes Your care.

For You see both when a sparrow falls,

And know the numbers of our hair!

Still there are times when we forget,

And rely on our own strength.

We think we have the answers,

and we struggle at great length!

But You promise that You'll carry us,

No need to ask for more.

Under the shadow of Your wings,

Teach us Lord to soar!

Written by Becky Swymeler, 2015

Mentoring Woman: AND I WILL SOAR WITH YOU!

Mentoring Woman: AND I WILL SOAR WITH YOU!: I am thinking of flying this morning and in particular soaring.  It is probably due to the fact that my mother is flying out for a visit nex...

AND I WILL SOAR WITH YOU!

I am thinking of flying this morning and in particular soaring.  It is probably due to the fact that my mother is flying out for a visit next week.

Webster defines the word soaring as:  "to fly or glide high in the air with little effort or visible motion.  To rise or aspire to a higher or more exalted level.  To rise or ascend to a height, as a mountain."  Sounds a lot like what God does for us, doesn't it?

There is a chorus that we used to sing with these words.

LORD I come to YOU
Let my heart be changed. renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I found in You.
And Lord I've come to know
The weaknesses I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love.

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side.
And as I wait
I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the Power of Your love.



Isaiah 40:31 says:  "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  NIV

I picture in this verse, God helping us rise above each obstacle and carrying us, not under our own power, but by His.  I think I feel a poem coming on about this, and if so, I will share it with you next week.  Have a great weekend everyone and may you soar with God!

Mentoring Woman: 'ROW, ROW, ROW, YOUR BOAT!"

Mentoring Woman: 'ROW, ROW, ROW, YOUR BOAT!":    I cannot begin to count the number of times I have watched the movie the "African Quee n!"  You know the one with Humphrey ...

'ROW, ROW, ROW, YOUR BOAT!"

  I cannot begin to count the number of times I have watched the movie the "African Queen!"  You know the one with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn?  It was on television again tonight, so I was once again drawn into its story.  I watched as these two people braved the rapids, dealt with the breakdown of the motor, were bothered by swarms of mosquitoes at the shore, became tangled in the channel of reeds and leeches, and then finally stuck in the mud. In fact "Rosie", who is played by Audrey Hepburn, is on her knees in the boat and prays:  "Dear Lord, We've come to the end of our journey, and in a little while we'll stand before you. I pray for you to be merciful. Judge us not for our weaknesses, but for our love and open the doors of heaven for Charlie and me."   A real tear jerking moment in the movie!


They are both exhausted so they lie down in the boat thinking that this is the end. Then the camera begins to pan out and you see that they are only 100 yards away from their final destination! I remember the first time I saw it, I wanted to scream into the television..."Don't give up! You're almost there!" But isn't that a lot like life?


We brave the rapids of marriage issues, ill health, financial struggles, job loses. and raising children. We deal with breakdowns like cars, washing machines, and other things around our homes. We are swarmed by time schedules, deadlines, co-workers, bosses, and children yelling "Mom" for the 100th time. We get tangled in the weeds of everyday living with people wanting more and more leeching the very life out of us until we just plain feel like giving up because we are stuck in the mud going nowhere!

It is then we have to remind ourselves that God sees the much bigger picture and that "If God is for us, who can be against us?"(Romans 8:31, NIV) He spurs us on to "Run and not grow weary," (Isaiah 40:31, NIV), that we are to "Run in such a way as to get the prize" (I Corinthians 9:24, NIV), and to remember that we need to "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Heb. 12:1-3, NIV)

It is at times like these that there is nothing left to do, but keep row, row, rowing our boat and counting on Him who see all and knows all.  For it just might be, that the answer to our prayers, could be around the bend, just a mere 100 yards out of our sight!

Mentoring Woman: "Wonder Bread"

Mentoring Woman: "Wonder Bread": I am about to reveal to you another of my many quirks (for lack of a better term).  I just love squishy white bread!  You know the kind ...

"Wonder Bread"

I am about to reveal to you another of my many quirks (for lack of a better term).  I just love squishy white bread!  You know the kind when you open the wrapper and you literally roll it up in a ball and almost use it as play dough?   This has been something that I can remember being an issue since I was a kid seeing the "Wonder Bread" commercials that supposedly builds bodies 8 ways!    If I get a loaf of bread and it isn't fluffy...I will sometimes hesitate to make a sandwich unless I can toast it!  Weird huh?   This presents a real problem when you are trying to eat lo-carb because apparently the yeast combined with sugar is required to make the bread fluffy and loaded with carbs.  Before you give me grief about eating things with white flour you have to remember that I came from the baby boomer age when white bread was $.10 a loaf!

This got me to thinking of this whole business of bread. Bread is another topic mentioned all through scripture!  Of course the first that came to my mind is the bread that God supplied the Israelite's in the desert but even before that, bread is mentioned as a vital part of the Passover Feast in Exodus with specific ways and days to prepare it.  And believe you me, that bread was flat and nothing fluffy about it.  The bread that God supplied in the desert (Manna) was rained down from heaven and they were told specific ways to collect it as test (Exodus 16:4) to see if they would obey God's instructions.  The scripture says in Exodus 16:31 that it was white like coriader seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.  Now, we're talkin!  A jar of Manna was even placed in the tabernacle for a reminder of God's provision for generations to come.

Of course the New Testament speaks of bread as well.  It was used as a temptation in the desert when Satan tempted Christ to turn the stones into bread.  Jesus used it as part of a meal to feed the 4,000 people in Mark 8.  Jesus claimed to be "The Bread of Life" in John 6:47-51:  "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world." (NIV)    Christ even used bread at the Last Supper as a symbol and remembrance of His body broken for us.  So my mentoring challenge today is give the topic of bread some thought.  We use it to feed our families, and we use it to feed our souls!  What a true wonder!

Here is a poem I wrote in 1997 for a friends cookbook.

                                              

 TRUE NOURISHMENT

Two foods are true essentials for man's being to be fed.

The first is cool clean water, and second one is bread.

The rains provide the lakes and streams to quench all nature's thirst

as the oceans and the deepest wells, with water from them burst.

The farmers plant the grain to grow and harvest in their season,

so you can feed your family from your table, is the reason.

The same are sure essentials for nourishment of the soul,

the Water and the Bread Of Life can make a man's life whole.

Jesus gives eternal life, from the well that won't dry.

He promises we'll never thirst, when on His name we cry.

He is the Bread Of Life to all, no hunger shall we know,

by trusting in His payment for our sins so long ago.

The nourishment that we take, lasts shortly and will flee.

The nourishment that Christ provides, lasts for eternity!

Mentoring Woman: SHALL WE GATHER?

Mentoring Woman: SHALL WE GATHER?: This week I took one of my granddaughter's out to lunch and with me to the grocery store.  It is a part of my "Reconne...

SHALL WE GATHER?

This week I took one of my granddaughter's out to lunch and with me to the grocery store.  It is a part of my "Reconnection and Save Grandma Some Steps" summer program.  As we were hauling the groceries into the house, her comment to me was:  "Wow, grandma, this is some workout!"   I wanted to say to her, "Welcome to the sisterhood of "The Great Gatherers" my dear."  (Not to be confused with the "Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants", whatever that is!)  I  truly wanted to grab a wooden spoon and knight her on the head as part of this initiation process, but I thought she might think I had completely gone cuckoo cuckoo!

We women ARE gatherers, are we not?  We gather up the laundry to wash it.  We gather up coupons so we can gather the groceries at the store.  We gather up all the ingredients to make a recipe.  We gather up the kids to head out the door for school, games, events, and even church on Sunday.  We gather up the bills to be paid.  We gather up the items left on counters, floors, and car seats.  And last but not least, at the end of the day, we try to gather the little remaining sanity and thoughts we have together!  Whew!  No wonder I need a grandchild to help after all these years.  My gatherer is completely wore out!

God is a gatherer.  He really is!   The big difference is: God does not grow weary in His gathering.

Genesis 1:9-10, NIV "And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear."  And it was so.  God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas."  And God saw that it was good.

Psalm 33:7, NIV  "He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses."

Isaiah 40:11, NIV  "He tends his flock like a shepherd:  He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

Luke 13:34, NIV  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"

Matthew 24:30-31, NIV  "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.  And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

Gathering is an important task that we women do. We may not think so at the time, because we just get one load of laundry done and it's time to gather another one.  But I am encouraging you as an older woman today, that you not grow weary in your gathering skills. Your family needs you!  If you continue on...then someday you might have the added blessing of a grandchild to help you with your gathering and this whole cycle of "The Great Gatherers" will continue on.


With all this talk about gathering, I suddenly want to break out and sing, "Shall We Gather At The River!"  Hmmm...maybe I am going cuckoo, cuckoo!

Mentoring Woman: 'LET IT BE!"

Mentoring Woman: 'LET IT BE!": You might think from the title that today's blog might have something to do with "The Beatles" or the type of Bee shown abov...

'LET IT BE!"

You might think from the title that today's blog might have something to do with "The Beatles" or the type of Bee shown above, but that is not the case.  I have to admit that the "Beatles" were my heroes in eighth grade, and yes, I even stood in line for several hours to get tickets to their first movie "Hard Days Night."  Silly teenager that I was!

No, today's blog has to do with my real earthly hero, my husband.  As I have told you before, I had polio as a child and now suffer from post-polio syndrome.  The nerves and muscles that once gave me the strength and the stamina to raise a family, are slowly wearing out.  They cry out to me in the wee hours of the morning with pain and make me really exhausted a lot of the time.  I don't tell you this for sympathy, but to let you know where I am coming from in our discussion.

I must admit that sometimes the affects of polio really get to me and I was having a day like that this week.  I asked my husband, "What good am I?"  "I can hardly do anything anymore!"  Hey, everyone needs a pity party once in awhile!  His answer to me has resonated over and over in my mind.  "You don't have to do, you just have to be!"  Yes, he is a keeper and as I told you, my hero.

This got me to thinking about my Christian walk.  God doesn't ask me to DO either, He asks me to BE!

Think about the story of Paul and Silas in jail in the book of Acts 16:25-34.  There Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns and an earthquake happens and the prison doors are opened.  The jailer woke up and thought that Paul and Silas had escaped.  The jailer became fearful of what might happen if they did and was even thinking of harming himself!   So the story goes in Acts 16:28-31:  "But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself!  We are all here!"  The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (NIV)  Isn't that still the age old question?  We all want to DO something to win favor with God!    Notice what they said to him, "BElieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you an your household."  Acts 16:31,( NIV)  Really Paul and Silas it's that simple?  It's that simple!
We're the ones who make it hard, thinking to ourselves that we have to DO something before God accepts us.  Are you one of those ones who think I need to quit smoking first?  I need to quit partying first?  I need to try and do better?  It is a lie from Satan, himself!  God doesn't require you to DO!

Although not an exhaustive list, here are some other BE's if you are a child of God:

BE on your guard; stand firm in the faith; BE men of courage; BE strong. (I Cor. 16:13)
BE sympathetic, love as brothers, BE compassionate and humble.  (I Peter 3:8b)
BE merciful to those who doubt (Jude 1:22)
BE completely humble and gentle; BE patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph. 4:2)
BE merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
BE joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)  Even in post polio syndrome Lord?  Yes, even then!

These verses don't require us DOing but just BEing as a part of this new creation God has made us. This is my mentoring challenge for us all today!

Mentoring Woman: A SHOCKING EXPERIENCE

Mentoring Woman: A SHOCKING EXPERIENCE: Ever think about electric dog fences?  I know, the way my mind wanders never ceases to amaze me either! I was drivi...

A SHOCKING EXPERIENCE

Ever think about electric dog fences?  I know, the way my mind wanders never ceases to amaze me either! I was driving down the road last week when I noticed all these little white flags in someones yard.  I knew that either they had just gotten a new dog or they were training the one they had to stay in the confines of their own domain.

This got me to thinking.  What would happen if God zapped me each time I stepped out of the confines of  His domain also?  Oh, I don't mean a knock me on my seat type of thing, but just a little zap? "You shouldn't have said that Becky!"  ZAP     "You shouldn't have watched that Becky!"   ZAP
"You shouldn't have read that Becky!"  ZAP  "You shouldn't have had that thought!"  ZAP  You catch my drift?  I just wonder how many times a day I would get it?

In a way God does provide us with a ZAP by the Holy Spirit. When we trust Christ as our personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit indwells us.  One of  the things the Holy Spirit does is convict us of sin. , "When He (Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:  (John 16: 8, NIV) "You need to go ask for forgiveness from that person Becky!"   "You need to ask forgiveness from God for that sin Becky!"  The problem is, just like a dog does with these little jolts of electrical current,  I justify in my mind that it is worth the risk to run outside the boundaries and see what is on the other side.  Please tell me I am not the only one who struggles with this issue!

However, God's word tells me that everyone of us sins and we are deceiving ourselves to think otherwise!  My mentoring challenge for us today is this:  Listen to the Holy Spirit.  Is He directing you to seek forgiveness from someone?  Is He prompting you to confess a sin?   If so, rejoice!  God is at work in You conforming you to His imagine!   A good ZAP once in awhile never hurt nobody!  (I think my grandma told me this!)

Mentoring Woman: Mentoring Woman: "GET BACK ON THE HORSE"

Mentoring Woman: Mentoring Woman: "GET BACK ON THE HORSE": Mentoring Woman: "GET BACK ON THE HORSE" : When I was around 6 years old, my cousin and I, were riding my brothers horse on the fa...

HOPE IS NOT A FEELING!

 We've all heard the sayings:  "Keep A Stiff Upper Lip", "It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn",  "Behind Every Cloud Is A Silver Lining" "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" and  "Look For The Bright Side Of Life".  Okay, so perhaps those last two were songs, but you get the road I am traveling on today.

Some things are just hard in this life and telling yourself that you can  "pull yourself up by your boot straps" sometimes just doesn't cut it!  This week I heard that one of the women who attended my bible study is losing her battle with cancer.  It sounds like it won't be long until she is trading her physical home for her eternal home.  It is a hard life that we live down here!   What about last week when we witnessed on TV the devastation of the earthquake in Nepal?  All the happy and good thoughts fly out the window in that light.   There can be no silver lining to cancer, for even if the sun does come up tomorrow, things will never be the same!  Where is the positive thinking behind thousands of people losing their lives under immense rubble? Where is the "bright side" to that? Serious thoughts I am having this week, huh?   But you know, King Solomon, had some of those same thoughts so I am in good company.  He wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Ecc. 2:11, NIV).  I just love that the writers of scripture were human just like us with real human emotions.  For in reality what Solomon said is true and this does convey our life on this earth.

I admit that as a kid, I counted on most of the above cutesy sayings to help me get by.  I had several surgeries as a result of polio and I reminded myself each time, that things would get better and I could make it through all the pain and gain the will to learn to walk again .  But now, as an adult Christian, and one who believes in the promises and truths of scripture, I find the source of all my comfort comes from this glorious book that God has written to us.

So today I find myself needing comfort in its timeless pages and hopefully if you do as well, we can glean together from it.  For what we need in this crazy mixed up world is HOPE!

HOPE is not seen.  "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:24-23  Paul tells the Roman Christian's right before this verse, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."  Rom. 8:18  Paul suffered from beatings, imprisonment, riots, sleepless nights, hunger, and in the end his life.  (II Cor. 6:4-5)  But he never lost HOPE.   Neither should we, for we can be assured that the one in whom we have placed our HOPE, will be revealed to all of us one day!

HOPE produces the characteristics of Christ in us.  "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."  Romans 5:3-6, NIV  Christ died so that we might HOPE not of a temporal life on this earth but of an eternal life forever with Him!  And as this verse indicates He did not leave us hopeless on this earth. He sent the great comforter to come along side us. Suddenly I want to shout Hallelujah!!  Thank you God!

HOPE can and will remain.  In I Corinthians 13 "The Love Chapter" we tend to look over the other two components that will remain in this Christian life.  "And these three remain; faith, HOPE, and love.  But the greatest of these is love." I Cor. 13:13, NIV.  When the valley we are traveling through is at its darkest, when things look the bleakest, we don't just need the "light at the end of the tunnel" we need God traveling right there beside us through it all.  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me."  Psalm 23:4.  He never leaves us, for His HOPE remains!

There are are many other scriptures that have to do with hope and so this brings me to my mentoring challenge today:  If you need to refresh or remind yourself of these truths of hope, please go to www.bible.com.  Select read, type in the version you prefer to study and in the search line type the word HOPE to begin studying for yourself.  We don't have to despair, we don't have to wonder, we don't need to feel alone because He is the God of All HOPE!

Mentoring Woman: "GET BACK ON THE HORSE"

Mentoring Woman: "GET BACK ON THE HORSE": When I was around 6 years old, my cousin and I, were riding my brothers horse on the farm.  Now I admit that I was not skilled in hor...

"GET BACK ON THE HORSE"

When I was around 6 years old, my cousin and I, were riding my brothers horse on the farm.  Now I admit that I was not skilled in horsemanship, but my cousin was the one who had the reigns of "Lightning" (the horses name).  Before I knew what happened, she had somehow reigned the horse into the barbed wire fence.  She evidently wasn't a skilled horsewoman herself! The horse ended up bucking us both off and she required 7-8 stitches in her leg.  (Today, they would probably have simply butterflied it together with super glue!)  Since I grabbed the barbed wire, (I know, bad idea) I had a deep cut and still have a mark to this day on the palm of my right hand.  It was very hard for me to get back on that horse, but I did it.  I am sure this is a hard concept to understand for you knowledgeable equestrians.

That is the way I am feeling this week.  After taking a week off to visit my mother, it is hard to "get back on the horse" of writing this blog.  I feel the enemy telling me "it really doesn't matter, no one would really miss it anyway".  But then the Spirit says, "You have had over 4,400 hits since you began a little over 1 year ago and it is now reaching as far as the Ukraine!"  So with that reality in mind, I will get back on this imaginary horse of writing and persevere, for that is what the Lord has called each of us to do.  "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near."  James 5:7-8, NIV.

Perhaps you are experiencing the same thing because this isn't your first rodeo with God.  You also are having a hard time "Getting Back On The Horse".  You suddenly stopped attending church because your feelings were hurt by someone.  Isn't it time to let the hurt go and allow God to carry you? Maybe you have failed at studying the scriptures and praying like you know you should.  Isn't it time to dust yourself off and get right back in the saddle? Maybe you have fallen into sin and are scared to really trust that God will and can forgive you.  Isn't it time to take Him at His word and ride off into the sunset with Him?  ("If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9)

Your life can be different but you have to allow yourself to "Get Back On The Horse!"

Mentoring Woman: TRAVELING LIGHT

Mentoring Woman: TRAVELING LIGHT: I'm packing my suitcase to visit my mom next week and this time I vow I will travel light.  I always pack way too much and it is...

TRAVELING LIGHT

I'm packing my suitcase to visit my mom next week and this time I vow I will travel light.  I always pack way too much and it isn't as if she doesn't have a washer and dryer to do laundry.  My reasoning for accomplishing this, is so I can take a smaller bag, not have to check it at the gate, and I won't have to wait at the carousal for my luggage to magically or not so magically appear.

Along with planning this trip, my husband and I have been talking about making some vacation plans for the summer.  We have tossed around some ideas and even mentioned camping. (Which we did plenty of times when our children were little.) However, being realistic at the age of 65 and the fact that we do not have a self contained camper with all the luxuries of home, we nixed that idea pretty quickly! Once I began making a list in my head of all things we would need like blow-up mattresses, dishpans, camping stove, coolers, etc. we just shook our heads and said to ourselves, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

This got me to thinking about this whole idea of packing lightly.  In Matthew 10, Jesus is sending out the twelve disciples to be witnesses and healers to the lost sheep of Israel. (vs. 6)  He goes on to tell them in verses 9-11:  "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.  Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave." (NIV)

Talk about traveling light!  No money, no suitcase, no clothes or shoes, not even a staff!  Why in the world would Christ tell them to do that?   The text doesn't say, but perhaps for several reasons.  Could it be that Christ wanted them to experience what it means to really count on God for their daily needs?  Could it be that Christ wanted them to appreciate the total hospitality of the people they encountered along the way?  Could it be that He did not want them encumbered with all the stuff that you and I are encumbered with each day?  Like coffee pots (ouch), hairsprays, body sprays, shampoos or curling irons (now hold on there...those are necessities!) And just could it be that when they had to skedaddle (Missouri term) out of town, for their own safety or because He wanted to use them elsewhere, they didn't have a lot of stuff to gather up and be responsible for?  Hmmm...things to think about.

My mentoring challenge for all of us today is this:   You've heard the expression, "You can't take it with you"?   Just perhaps we all have a tendency to hold on too tight to our possessions, our comforts, our stuff, and God is asking us to trust Him that He will care for us.  I learned that lesson very quickly when my husband was laid off from a job he had held for 37 years.   But I can undoubtedly say, Our God was faithful!  Sound like another passage you've heard?  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:23-26, NIV)

Well, "My bags are packed"....(just had that song running through my head) and yes I am taking my curling iron because I don't want to scare half of the state of Missouri with my wild and crazy hair!  But I will keep close to my thinking this idea of packing light and just what it is that I am carrying a lot of.  I won't be posting next week since I will be giving mom my undivided attention, so I will get back to you the following week.  Who knows what lessons God will be teaching me in between?

Mentoring Woman: EASTER PREPARATIONS

Mentoring Woman: EASTER PREPARATIONS: Spiral Ham....check Ingredients for Cheesy Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole...check 1 dozen eggs for Deviled Eggs...check Pecan Pie Ingr...

EASTER PREPARATIONS

Spiral Ham....check
Ingredients for Cheesy Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole...check
1 dozen eggs for Deviled Eggs...check
Pecan Pie Ingredients...check

As you can see, I am preparing for Easter dinner and it's all about the preparation.   Making out the menu, going to the store, cleaning the house, setting the table, and cooking the food.  I am in the midst of preparing a feast!

Every year, for 25 years our church, performs a drama production called "The Living Last Supper." It is a depiction of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting come to life but with the timeless story of the life of Christ told by the Apostle John.  We went to the performance last night and as I was watching it, I began to think about the preparations it took for that meal so long ago...

There had to be someone to get the upper room ready for the Passover Feast. The account in Matthew says that the disciples were told to "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, "The Teacher says: My appointed time is near.  I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house." So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. (Matthew 26:18-19)  Little did the disciples know that when they purchased the ingredients for their passover meal just what they were preparing.  The bread which symbolized Christ's body that was soon to be broken for mankind. (I Corinthians 11:24, NIV).   The wine which symbolized the blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of mankind's sins. (Matthew 26:28) The Lamb, the perfect sacrifice, sinless, and that which was slain from the creation of the world.  (Revelation 13:8, NIV)  Yet the disciples did as they were told and performed this age old ritual that God had commanded them to do in Exodus 12.  It wasn't until later that they realized the full implications of just what they had prepared.

And how about the women who were preparing to anoint the body of Jesus after his death?  Mark 16:1 (NIV) says:  "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body." Luke 24:1 says: "they took the spices they had prepared" and Luke 23:56 says: "then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes."    I always thought it said they BROUGHT the spices to the tomb but the word is BOUGHT, the women had to go through some kind of preparation to extract the oils and make them ready to use.  Little did those women realize that there would be no physical body in that tomb to anoint. Hallelujah!

My mentoring challenge for us today is this... Are we preparing not only for the celebration of Easter but for the eminent return of Lord and the meal we will soon enjoy with Him?  The Bible says in Revelation 19: 6-7, (NIV) "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready."   Sounds like preparation doesn't it? "Then the angel said to me, "Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"  And he added, "These are the true words of God." Revelation 19:9, NIV   What a feast we will enjoy that day and we only say:  "Come Lord Jesus!

For those who may be diabetic or on Lo-Carb diet.  Here is a great Pecan Pie Recipe:

Crust:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup almond flour (or use all almond flour)

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Mix together and pat into a 8" pie shell

Filling

3 beaten eggs

1 cup Splenda

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 cup sugar-free maple syrup (Walden Farms makes one with no carbs!)

1 1/2 cups pecans either chopped or halved

Blend filling together and add to pie crust bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

Mentoring Woman: IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!

Mentoring Woman: IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!: I am reminded this week of a great quote from the movie "Spiderman".  Uncle Ben says to the young Peter Parker, "Remember wit...

IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!

I am reminded this week of a great quote from the movie "Spiderman".  Uncle Ben says to the young Peter Parker, "Remember with great power, comes great responsibility."  The reason I am thinking about this quote is because my husband and I are taking on a new responsibility this next week. We are grand-puppy sitting!  Now to you who have pets, this is not a huge thing, but I was raised where the animals were outside, like hogs, chickens, and cattle.  Here is our charge "Daisy" a Teacup Morkie. Isn't she adorable?  I am sure before the end of this next week we shall become great friends but I do not take this responsibility lightly!

Even though I realize that I am much bigger and wield more power, I also know that she is the love of my three grandchildren lives, so it is my responsibility to see that their "Daisy" is cared for with the appropriate food, water, and potty breaks.  They however, are not fooling me, I think the real motive for this responsibility is because my husband has wanted a dog of his own for some time. Could this be a conspiracy to slowly break me down?   Hmmmm

All of this responsibility reminds me of our own Christian walk.  Once we except Christ as our personal Saviour, we have power given to us through the Holy Spirit.  Acts 1:8 says:  "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  (NIV)   But also with that power, comes great responsibility!  We can't just sit back, do nothing, and wait for Jesus to appear!  Well, that may not be a true statement, I guess we could, but we would not be obeying scripture and miss out on all of the blessings that come with that obedience.   Here are just some of our responsibilities:

1.  We are responsible to study and know scripture.  "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  (II Timothy 2:15, NIV)  "I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."  (Psalm 119:16, NIV)

2.  We are responsible to tells others the good news about Christ.  "How, then can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  (Romans 10:14-15, NIV)

3.  We are responsible for raising our children correctly.  "Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it."  (Proverbs 22:6)  "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  (Deuteronomy 11:18-19, NIV)

4.  We are responsible for being with fellow believers who can encourage us, pray for us, admonish us, and help us to grow.  "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  (Hebrews 10:25, NIV)

5.  We are responsible for our relationship to our spouse.  "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay to his bones."  (Proverbs 12:4, NIV)  "A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:10-12, NIV)

The responsibilites listed above are just a tip of the iceberg.    It can seem overwhelming at times, but when seen in the light of all that Christ as done for us, it should not become wearisome or seem like a chore.  As my husband likes to say, "We don't got to....we get to!"  My feelings exactly on "Watching Miss Daisy" this week.  I don't got to...I get to!  Smart man that husband of mine!

Mentoring Woman: Keeping A Resurrected Perspective

Mentoring Woman: Keeping A Resurrected Perspective: Do you realize that Easter is only 16 days away?  How did that happen so fast?  One week we are in 6 inches of snow, the next week we are th...

Keeping A Resurrected Perspective

Do you realize that Easter is only 16 days away?  How did that happen so fast?  One week we are in 6 inches of snow, the next week we are thinking about Easter!  This week in order to get my mind focused on Easter, I began reading, "The Beloved Disciple" by Beth Moore.  This book tells of the life of the Apostle John.  Beth begins by recounting John standing at the foot of the cross where the scripture says:  "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son, and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."  John 19:25-27, NIV

The scriptures do not tell us anything further about Mary once John takes her to his house.  So this got my mind wheels spinning.  Did you wonder what that strange noise was?  We know that John wrote the book of Revelation on the Island of Patmos.  This was the place where he was exiled and died as an old man. So it stands to reason that Mary must have died sometime before then.  I mean if you were given the responsibility to care for the mother of the Lord, I am sure you would try to carry it out to the end, right?  Don't you just wonder what kind of funeral Mary had?  I know there was sadness, just as we all experience today at a funeral, but I would imagine it would have been certainly different because the resurrection perspective would have been much clearer. These men and women (including Christ's own mother) were eye witnesses to the resurrection of Christ!  This had to be a life changing event and enabled all the disciples the boldness to preach the gospel to the world even to the point of death, because of their firsthand resurrected experience!

Now when I attend a fellow believers funeral, I have to keep reminding myself where my loved one is, and remind myself through scripture that I will indeed see them again.  But the disciples saw firsthand what true resurrection looks like.  Christ stood among them (John 20:19) in  bodily form, He conversed with them (John 20:21), ate with them (Luke 24: 41-43, NIV) and  even appeared to them behind locked doors! (John 20:26)  Why wouldn't their lives be changed forever?   But the question remains, why wouldn't ours be also?  We serve the very same Lord they saw!

Another great eye witness account was at the stoning of Stephen.  Scripture says:  "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55-56, NIV)  And it goes one to say in Acts 8:1 "And Saul (soon to be Paul) was there, giving approval to his death.  I just wondered, after Paul surrendered his life to Christ, he remembered the words Stephen had said giving him the courage to take all the beatings and times in jail that he experienced in his life.  He had a healthy resurrected perspective to be sure as found in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

It's hard sometimes to keep this resurrection perspective isn't it?  Especially when our mom or dad dies, or we lose another loved one, but we have to keep this resurrected perspective mindset when we go through those tough times.

"Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?"  (I Corinthians 15:55)

GOD'S TIMING

God has each thing in our life planned with a time for things to be done,

A time to be happy, a time to mourn, and a time for souls to be won.

A time for each baby to be born, as well as, a time to die.

He also gives us a time to laugh but also a time to cry.

A time for embracing a loved one and a time for a person to speak.

But there is also a time for silence and a time for us to be weak!

A time for war and a time for peace, for we're filled with both love and hate.

And yet each time is appointed and only His wisdom knows the date.

Yes, God has our days numbered yet ever constant in His sight.

Help us Lord to keep this perspective in the realm of eternity's light.

Written by Becky Swymeler in 1975, based on Ecclesiates 3:2-8