Reasons to Skip Church

Do you ever think up reasons to skip church? Maybe you didn't sleep well last night. Perhaps you have to work on Sunday and it's too much trouble to make time for church. It's a hassle to get everyone ready and out the door. There are lots of reasons to skip church.

Sunday at church I looked over in the row across from mine as four Emergency Medical Technicians came in and sat down. I thought about those four men sitting there. I didn't know if they'd have many calls the night before, but since it was a Saturday night, chances were good that they'd been up a lot of the night.

They were obviously still on-call. It would have been easier to stay at the station and sleep-in, or at least relax. But they were up and out to worship the Lord. A hassle to get everyone out the door? They had to be in full gear, with the truck ready to go, in case they got a call during the service. They had much more to be ready for than any of us do on a given Sunday, yet they were there.

Those four men sat there as an example to all of us. They could have skipped church without any rebuke. Yet, they chose to make the effort to be there. Shouldn't we do the same?

Hebrews 10:25 -- 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.

Psalm 150:1 -- Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Exodus 20:8 -- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Sunday Music - Worship Offering

This song speaks to my heart. Hope it blesses you too, today.

Thankful Thursday 7/23

What I am thankful for this week?

1. After the worst 7 days in recent memory, I am truly thankful that the week is over. Thank you Jesus! Keep moving me forward.

2. I am thankful for caring friends who rise up and pray for me when I can't or won't do it myself.

3. I am thankful that my family (including hubs) went to the theme park together! It was a wonderful day. We still aren't sure if we'll get a real vacation this summer, so it was nice to do something together.

4. I'm thankful that my writers conference is in just 2 weeks! Wow! I'm so excited to go for lots of reasons. I'll learn so much, great opportunities, and GIRLS TRIP with my friend Sonya (who hosts the Thankful Thursday meme at her blog).

5. I'm thankful that Jesus covers all of my sins. When God looks he doesn't see my mess ups, but Jesus' perfection. I need that, because hard as a try, I just can't seem to get it right. Thank you Jesus!

What are you thankful for this week??

No, No, No!

Seems like God tells me no often. So many times I've prayed that my mentally ill, alcoholic mom would get better. No. I've prayed for an older mentor woman to come along side me in place of my mom. No. I know he tells me yes often too, but it's easier to remember the no's. This week my children were exposed to a nasty bug. "Lord, please, please, spare my children catching this bug." NO!

I'm exhausted and have done multiple loads of laundry. The kids are grumpy and whiny. I'm sad, burned out and beaten down. And I'm scared to death I'll catch what they have. (You all know I'm a germaphobe).

Truthfully this one has knocked me down. Why, Lord, why? Was it too much to ask to spare me this, on top of my already chaotic life. I'm tired, grumpy and whiny, not unlike the kids.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 says "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I'm not quite delighting in hardships and difficulties, but I'll gladly take the Lord's strength in this. Because right now, I'm weak.

**
Post Script: I wrote this last week, and we are doing better today. :-)

Verses I'm Claiming:
Rom. 8:28 -- “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

Jeremiah 29:11 -- “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and NOT FOR EVIL, to give you hope in your final outcome.”

1Peter 1:6-7 -- "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. "

Isaiah 40:20 -- He {God} gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Be A Simon of Cyrene

Being a Christian doesn't mean we don't still have troubles. Even in following Jesus we will have our share of problems, sometimes because we follow Jesus. The quote goes "we all have our crosses to bear." Jesus even said to follow him we must "take up our cross and follow him." But that doesn't mean we have to bear our cross alone.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all share the story of when Jesus was carrying His own cross to be crucified. When Jesus was no longer able to carry His cross, Simon of Cyrene carried it for Him. Now truthfully, Simon wasn't really a volunteer in this effort. He was forced to do it. But none-the-less, he came up beside Jesus and carried Jesus' cross.

When we look around the Christian community, we may see a lot of folks struggling to carry their own crosses. It is our job (whether we want to or not) to come up beside them and help them carry their cross.

Be a Simon of Cyrene. Help someone carry their cross today.

Matthew 10:37-39 -- "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

Matthew 16:24 -- Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Luke 23:26 -- As they led him {Jesus} away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

This post was inspired by the testimony of a woman in my church.

Thankful Thursday

Five things I'm thankful for this week:

1. My husband. He goes into work later on Tues & Thurs so I can go to the gym without waking up the kids and/or dragging them along.

2. New Piano Teacher. My daughter's former teacher has moved, so we started with the new teacher on this week. My daughter LOVED her and we are excited to be under the tutelage of a locally renowned teacher.

3. Lazy Days of Summer vacation. We're 1 month into it and having fun.

4. Writing Opportunities. I've inquired about 3 writing opportunities this past week. I haven't heard back on any of them, but I took the step to inquiry. I'll let you know how it goes when I hear something.

5. Air conditioning. Our unit was out for about 36 hrs this week. When you don't have it, you suddenly appreciate it all the more.

Well, that's my 5 simple things I'm thankful for this week. I'm always thankful for God's love & sovereignty. What are you thankful for this week? Leave a comment or link up at Truth4theJourney by clicking the button.

Get Back Up

"It ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." Rocky Balboa '06

Sometimes I feel like Rocky. Life has hit me a few times. I'm bloody, my eye is swollen ("Cut me, Mick!"), I've been beaten up and sometimes I may think I don't have the strength to get back up.

I get down on myself and I think "Loser!" But Rocky said something I really like. Being a winner isn't how hard you hit, it's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. When life gets me down, I keep moving forward. I may be down, but I'm never down for the count.

In the orginial Rocky movie (1976) Rocky was explaining his relationship with his girlfriend, Adrian. He said, "she fills gaps." His friend Paulie asked "what's gaps?" Rocky explained "I dunno, she's got gaps, I got gaps, together we fill gaps."

I've got gaps, but Jesus died on the cross for me. His cross bridged the gaps in my life, to make way for me to go to heaven. Jesus filled my gaps.

So even though sometimes I feel like the picture of Rocky at the top of this post, exhausted and broken down; with Jesus on my side, I'm more like the Rocky picture posted below (after he just ran up the stairs). "Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop. Just a man and his will to survive." (Eye of the Tiger)

With the help of God, I'm not gonna stop either.




Psalm 121:1-2 -- I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth


Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 -- Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!


Luke 8:54 -- But he {Jesus} took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!"