Dress Excitedly To Honour Him

This week my son Matthew had to attend the grade six graduation into the youth group at the church where he works. As he was about to get ready for the event, he turned to me and asked the male-confounding question that only females can answer, "What shall I wear?" I responded by telling him that he should wear the best he has, to show the grade six children the specialness of the event.

Matthew decided to do better than that. He decided to wear the best everyone had in the house. He searched through all his brothers' and father's closets and came up with this.

Matthew is wearing Tim's olive-green dress shirt and his father's brown tweed jacket. The rest is his. I thought he looked great!

As I watched Matthew get ready, I felt God speak to me. How many of us have this enthusiasm in getting ready for church? Do we excitedly search through our closet to get dressed because we are so eager to go to the house of God and show our honour and joy in knowing Him?

The Bible says we should be rejoicing every time we are about to get ready to go to God's house.

"I rejoiced with those who said to me,

'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'"

Psalm 122:1 (NIV)

Let Us Be A Christ-Like Fragrance

I have two newly-planted carnations in my flower gardens this year. The other day I couldn't resist picking the first few flowers. I put them in a small vase by my computer so I can smell their fragrance. I think carnations smell wonderful!

The Apostle Paul writes in the Bible that his life and the lives of the other apostles are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.

"Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.

But this fragrance is perceived different

by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.

To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom.

But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.

And who is adequate for such a task as this?

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NLT)

In other words, Christians who actively serve God are a sweet, pleasing scent to their Father in Heaven, like the scent of my carnations! And to those whose hearts they've touched and helped bring into God's Kingdom, they are a life-giving perfume. On the other hand, to those who turn away from the God in them, they are a dreadful smell of judgement and death.

Even though, like Paul, we may not feel adequate for such a mission, we are all called as Christians to reach out to those around us with the love of Christ, and to share with those who are in need of the life-giving perfume the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let us not be dormant Christians who don't care about the unsaved in our community, for then we will produce no fragrance to our God in Heaven. Instead, let us be active Christians who have an earnest desire to reach the lost, desperate, and crying souls around us so we will be a sweet-smelling aroma that reaches to the Heavens.

Oprah Winfrey Sermons

"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips."

Psalm 141:3 (NIV)

It's becoming increasingly common for sermons these days to mimic talk and reality TV shows. For example, a pastor might call up previously selected people from the congregation and interview them by asking personal questions about their lives that pertain to the sermon's topic. I don't know about others, but this makes me feel very uncomfortable: knowing personal, intimate details about people that I feel I don't have the right to know.

Then not too long ago, our church had a special speaker talk about sexual immorality. I thought this was great, but when the speaker began to share details about his sexual life before he became a Christian, I felt sick. The man divulged WAY too much information about his personal life, information that was completely unnecessary in supporting the message. Moreover, he wasn't in the least bit uncomfortable being graphic about a woman's body and sex. I felt like crawling under the seat, especially as I was sitting near my four sons.

Also, women today are exposing their bodies at an alarming rate, even revealing their pregnant bellies. Pregnancy is beautiful, but a woman's body should be viewed privately by her husband only, and that includes when she is pregnant. I know my sons would be horrified if they saw a picture in their older years of my naked belly when I was pregnant with them, or of me breastfeeding them when they were babies. (Just to let you know, no such pictures exist.) Do people even think about that? Nothing is sacred any more. We share intimate details about ourselves with everybody, anywhere, anytime. And this type of mindset is even being incorporated into today's sermons!

Don't get me wrong. I think it's good when a pastor or speaker shares personal details about him/herself to the congregation. It's just that nowadays we're sharing mega amounts of it. We're becoming a society that wants to hear it all, the more the better. And somehow the message is lost and we're left remembering repugnant facts about people's pre-Christian lives or personal information about people that should be kept private.

A Lost Soul Returned, Only To Turn Away Again

Yesterday morning, Tim and I were scheduled to help with the check-in and check-out of the children in our church. There was one man I didn't recognize who stood in my line. He was holding a baby in his arms and an elementary-school-aged daughter was standing beside him. I immediately asked if he was new. He responded, "No," but when I typed his daughter's name into the computer, she didn't show up in the church's database. He saw the puzzled look on my face and sheepishly told me that he hadn't been in church for over a year. I then excitedly welcomed him and his daughter back, and felt bad when I had to send him to another line-up to register his daughter, as the church's security system is only eight months old.

After I finished with the check-ins, I sneaked into the sanctuary to hear the Pastor's sermon. The message was on tithing. I am not against tithing, but I don't feel it's an appropriate topic for a Sunday morning sermon. I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable for the man who decided to come back to church again after being gone for a whole year only to hear a sermon about giving ten percent of your money to the church. I felt even worse when I saw the man quietly walk out of the sanctuary. After a few minutes passed, I decided to get up to see if I could find him. I spotted him pacing back and forth in front of the entrance to the gym where the Sunday school program is held. I approached him, touched his arm gently, and asked if he would like me to get his daughter for him. He smiled at me, said, "Yes," and thanked me. When they left, I told the girl and her father to have a wonderful Sunday. It's too bad they couldn't have had it in church. A lost soul with children returned, only to turn away again.

When a Pastor gives a message on tithing during the Sunday service, does he/she have the unsaved and lost in mind or does he/she have the church's finances in mind? And doesn't a sermon on tithing show a lack of trust in God to provide? The Pastor says you should have faith and give your ten percent even if you can't afford it, when, hypocritically, the Pastor stands on stage in front of the people and uses the Sunday morning service as an opportunity for the church to gain wealth, instead of using the Sunday morning service as an opportunity for the church to gain souls for God's Kingdom. In God's eyes, even one soul saved is worth having a Sunday morning service focused on reaching the lost, wandering souls of our world.

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. 

Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country 

and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 

And when he finds it, 

he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. 

Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, 

'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 

I tell you that in the same way

 there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents

 than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

Luke 15:4-7 (NIV)

The Battle Is God's, Not Ours

My sons were out yesterday from morning til supper. They all had the best time of their lives! Here are some pictures Tim took during one of the rounds. It's just too bad he couldn't be in any of the pictures.

Chris (right) prepares to scope through an L96 replica.

Matthew (left) spots targets for him while holding a P30 replica.

Daniel fires from behind some cover.

Chris takes a long-rang shot with his sniper rifle. Not fair!

Daniel fires his MP5 replica.

Chris (left) is almost out of sniper ammo.

Daniel (right) outflanks him and takes aim down his sidearm.

Matthew (left) and Chris (right) pose for a photo after the battle.

Everyone takes a short break before the next round.

When I looked at the pictures they brought home, I thought of this verse below.

"This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid!

Don't be discouraged by this might army,

for the battle is not yours, but God's."

2 Chronicles 20:15b (NLT)

In our lives, we don't to be afraid of our enemies or of Satan because God goes to battle for us. The battle is not ours — it's God's!

Good News And Bad News

The good news is that Tim has a perfect heart — the murmur must be physiological. The bad news is that Tim still has to wait at least three months to see the Immunologist/Allergist. There is nothing the doctor can do to shorten his waiting time. There is a very long waiting list in Alberta for specialized medical care. In the meantime, Tim has to stick with his gluten-free diet and be patient while his intestines heal.

I encouraged Tim to go airsofting with his brothers and a friend today. I believe having fun helps to restore one's health. The Bible says a man's spirit sustains him in sickness and a cheerful heart is good medicine.

"A man's spirit sustains him in sickness,

but a crushed spirit who can bear?

Proverbs 18:14 (NIV)

"A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

I will pack my sons a lunch and they will all head off early this morning to the friend's Uncle's acreage and play war games. They will be divided into two teams. It should be a lot of fun for them! You should see their cool airsoft guns. They look almost real.

With Confidence We Can Approach God

After I prayed yesterday, I phoned the receptionist at our doctor's office and told her what the Referral Coordinator told my son Tim. The receptionist was just as appalled as I was. She passed the information to our doctor and Tim is seeing her this afternoon. I immediately thanked God and now pray for a confirmed diagnosis from a soon-to-be visit with a Specialist, assessment of the damages to Tim's intestines, and treatments.

It's really pathetic, but in this society, if a person is really sick, you either have to go to the hospital for any one to take action, or constantly complain and seek further tests, otherwise you suffer and die silently. My heart breaks for those people who are reserved like Tim and do suffer.

It's so wonderful to know that we can approach God with confidence and without any reservations in our time of need. We don't have to constantly try, beg, or plead God to hear and answer our prayers. God hears us the first time we ask, and cares immensely for us. He loves us and wants us to come to Him to meet all our needs.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God;

that if we ask anything according to His will,

He hears us."

1 John 5:14 (NIV)

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)