A Beautiful Language!

Sign language is the language of the hearing impaired, and I think it's one of the most beautiful languages there are! Whenever my sons and I lead children's worship, I always teach the children the sign language for the key words of each song. I love being on stage and watching the children sign the words. I find it amazing how quickly children learn the language, and see how the boys are just as eager as the girls to learn.

I usually explain to the children beforehand how it is important for Christians to know this language because it opens the small world of the hearing impaired when more people learn the language. It also opens the doors for us to befriend them and teach them about the love of Christ and salvation. There is a whole mission field out there among the hearing impaired!

I first became interested in sign language in Bible College with one of my girlfriends had a little brother who was hearing impaired. I loved watching the two of them communicate with each other using their hands, and I felt bad that I couldn't understand what they were saying or be able to talk with the boy myself. At the time, I didn't even know how to say "Hi!"

Jesus, Himself, had great compassion for the deaf. Here is one example in Scriptures:

"Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to Him, and the people begged Jesus to lay His hands on the man to heal Him. Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put His fingers into the man's ears. Then, spitting on His own fingers, He touched the man's tongue. Looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said, 'Ephphatha,' which means, 'Be opened!' Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly! Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more He told them not to, the more they spread the news. They were completely amazed and said again and again, 'Everything He does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.'"

Mark 7:31-37 (NLT)

I couldn't say it better myself. Everything Jesus does is indeed wonderful! He even makes the deaf hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.

Power In Prayer

I am a firm believer in praying against sicknesses before they even occur in one's body. Why wait until one is diagnosed with a disease first? Praying against sickness beforehand battles fear of possible future diseases, and it also prevents them because the Bible says there is power in prayer and faith.

"Therefore I tell you,

whatever you ask for in prayer,

believe that you have received it,

and it will be yours."

Mark 11:24 9 (NIV)

"If you believe,

you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Matthew 21:22 (NIV)

Whenever I start to get fearful of a common disease that one of my immediate family members has had, I pray against that disease and trust the Scriptures until my fear is lifted.

Yesterday, I had my routine mammogram and I hate mammograms! They are not only uncomfortable physically, but also emotionally. I would rather not have them, and I told my doctor that, but she insisted that just the fact I am a woman was reason enough to have the screening done.

Then as I sat in the office waiting for my mammogram, I started to get fearful of the actual disease, not just the mammogram; so I prayed and believed in God's Word. When my name was finally called, I was able to cheerfully go in with a positive frame of mind, and leave thankful!

Do Not Exasperate Children

Three parents attempted to pick up their children after church yesterday without a security code sticker: it was either lost, misplaced, forgotten, or, most likely, simply dropped on the floor and lying abandoned somewhere in the church.

When a parent shows up without a security code sticker, we are unable to match the code number of the parent's sticker to the code number on the children's stickers. So what do we do in this circumstance? Do we withhold their children and call the police? Do we tell them go back, search the whole church until they find their sticker? Or do we say, "Don't worry about it. If you won't tell, I won't either." I opted for the last one. After all, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to determine whether the children belong to their parents when you see the smiles on the children's faces. I haven't been fired yet, but I'm expecting to.

As I saw the sticker-less parents start to get agitated and angry when we hesitated to let them have their children, this verse came to mind. (I added the words in parentheses to apply.)

"Fathers, (or church people,)
do not exasperate your children, (or the children and their parents); 

instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

Churches need to be very careful that they don't become legalistic in allowing rules to become more important than people, and thus lose their sensitivity in allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct.

The Lord Our God Is Truly Our Protector

Tim and I will be checking in and checking out children in church today. The procedure is done through computers, security code stickers, and scanners. I try to be friendly with the parents and their children, but the whole process is cold and anything but friendly. I feel like I am a security guard in a prison camp, as I say, "Next please," to try and lessen the waiting time for the parents standing in line. Gone are the days when children's ministry leaders can just chat freely with the parents without worrying about how much time is passing.

It is sad that this is what the children's ministry in churches have come down to for the safety and protection of our children. Don't get me wrong. I understand the importance of keeping children safe and protected, but something is missing. As I sit there punching computer keys, the Spirit of God inside me feels uneasy. I wonder if God and faith went out the window. What about the importance of prayer amongst the leaders and volunteers before the children arrive? There is no time set aside for such a meeting. Is there too much faith in technology? I know I still see a lot of imperfections in the system, and I see other ways children could get hurt that are more likely than abductions. Prayer is really our only reliable source. Why is it missing?

Even the mighty and fearless warrior, David, prayed to God for safety and protection of himself and his people.

"Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever."

Psalm 12:7 (NLT)

We also need to follow David's example and pray earnestly to God for the protection of our children.

Should I Feel Guilty?

The dry climate where I live is brutal to the skin. As a result, Tim and I both have developed rosacea. At first I tried to battle it myself with very little success. Then I went to the doctor and was prescribed a topical gel, but that only made my rosacea worse. When I went back to the doctor, she recommended photo facial treatments at a clinic in the city. Photo facials treat rosacea by using intense pulsed light. My doctor told me to ask for a specific lady at the clinic to do these IPL treatments.

As I drove to the clinic Wednesday of this week for a consultation, I was a bit nervous because the area I had to travel was new to me. Also, I wasn't too sure if I could trust someone I didn't know to do these treatments on my face, even though she was highly recommended.

Well, God is good because He is the One who really orchestrated everything. Sometimes I don't even know why I worry. The lady was extremely nice, and after talking with her a bit, I found out that she is a Christian attending a sister church to the one I am attending. God sure amazes me at times!

But that's not all. The friendly lady had time on the Wednesday I was there to give me a preliminary facial before the actual IPL treatments. I guess someone must have cancelled because she said she usually is extremely busy working six days a week til eight o'clock each night. I agreed to the facial, even though I felt a bit guilty as I pondered the question: Should Christians have facials? Anyways, even though I had a hard time relaxing, it felt absolutely wonderful! She complimented me on my skin and said that I must eat healthy, which I do. I don't smoke, I don't drink alcohol, pop, or coffee, and I don't eat junk food. Neither do I suntan. My only problem is that my skin is just far too sensitive to handle the dry air.

Yesterday, I had my first IPL treatment. It hurt, but for the first time last night, I was able to sleep without waking up several times in the night to scratch my skin and put moisturizer on it. I praise God for technology and medical care. Oh yeah, and also for water and vitamin E: to prevent flare ups, I am supposed to drink eight glasses of water a day and put vitamin E on my skin in the evening.

I can certainly handle that. I don't know if I ever will have another facial. I still feel a bit guilty thinking about it, but it sure felt nice!

I know God created this lady with a special gift to treat people's skin problems, so I must learn not reject her help and care, or feel guilty, but rather be thankful to God for her.

"Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,

 in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 5:20 (NIT)

Saying I'm Sorry

In the well-known "Lord's Prayer," God teaches us to apologize.

"And forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us."

Matthew 6:12 (NLT)

Genuinely saying you're sorry to someone you've hurt shows that you care about his/her feelings and value your relationship. We are all human, and sometimes we say or do hurtful things to others, especially those we are close to. Apologizing is the first step in making amends and releasing the guilt we feel inside.

However, some people will never apologize. The words, "I'm sorry," have never been spoken from their lips, and never will. Why is that? I have personally known people in my life who were like that, so I have pondered this question for some time.

I believe that people who are unable to apologize have a very fragile sense of self. These people cannot acknowledge or admit they were wrong because they feel it would destroy the little bit of positive self-image they have left. Instead, they justify their hurtful words or actions within themselves, or erase their mistakes from memory to ease their guilt, instead of facing their inadequacies or failings by apologizing. In reality, however, the opposite occurs: their close, intimate relationships will ultimately fail, leaving them with an even lower self-image.

Selfishness and pride leads to the inability to apologize to someone we have hurt. Conversely, humbleness in spirit creates a spirit within ourselves that allows us to easily apologize to others. People have increased respect and love for a person who is able to apologize with sincerity, and apologizing creates a stronger bond in relationships. This is why God commands us to be humble, and why He blesses us when we are.

"Clothe yourselves, all of you,

with humility toward one another,

for 'God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.'"

1 Peter 5:5b (NLT)

We Can't Outsmart God

Our cat, Osha, has a fixation for a particular stuffed hamster named Stealth. Stealth was given last Christmas to my son, Tim, by his younger brother, Matthew. Matthew bought him for Tim because he reminded him of the likeable hamster named Rhino in the movie Bolt. Tim decided to put Stealth on his computer desk, within easy reach to juggle while trying to solve a difficult math problem.

It wasn't long, however, before Osha noticed the cute, stuffed hamster on Tim's desk and decided to run off with him when Tim left the room. I found the hamster later in my shoe closet. Of course, we reprimanded Osha, but it seemed to have little effect. She continued stealing the hamster whenever she could get away with it. Eventually she got smarter and started stealing the hamster at night when Tim was sleeping, so she couldn't be caught running around the house with the forbidden hamster in her mouth. In the morning, Tim and I would find Stealth sitting in weird places, like the cat's food dish. We were both thankful that Osha never left the hamster in her kitty litter box.

Tim tried to outsmart Osha by hiding Stealth in different places in the house downstairs, but Osha discovered every one of Tim's hiding places. Finally, Tim gave up and hid the hamster in his closet at night and shut the door. Well, that proved to be a terrible mistake because the cat terrorized his room at night trying to look for Stealth. Tim woke up from his sound sleep to find his room in disarray and an insane cat.

Then Matthew came up with a brilliant solution: while we were shopping for costumes at Value Village, Matthew noticed a used hamster ball for a couple of dollars, and suggested I buy it for Stealth. I did so with a smirk on my face, knowing we'll have finally outsmarted Osha.

Now Stealth is safe and sound in his clear plastic ball on the floor of Tim's bedroom. Osha can see, but not touch. I can't help but chuckle to myself whenever I go into Tim's room and see the hamster staring out of that ball. There is no doubt Osha is smart, but she can no way outsmart her human masters no matter how hard she might try.

Some people in this world are like Osha. They might think they are very clever, so they try to outsmart God, but God always catches them. I wonder if at times God chuckles to Himself too at people's foolishness.

"He frustrates the plans of schemers

 so the work of their hands will not succeed.

He traps the wise in their own cleverness

 so their cunning schemes are thwarted.

They find it is dark in the daytime,

and they grope at noon as if it were night.

Job 5:12-14 (NLT)

I think He does.