Forgive? Her??

My mom called me last week. For those of you who may be new to the blog, my mom and I have been estranged for several years. She is a mentally ill alcoholic. One of the things she said in the voice mail message she left to me was, "You are everything that is wrong with the Christian faith. I am embarrassed of you."

I was upset. I was mad. Mad at myself as much as her, that I had listened to the message and not just deleted it. I was driving around running errands, and I was stewing. Dwelling. Making myself miserable. And I thought to myself, "I hate her. I really hate her."

I'd not said those words before, though I'd had grounds to do so. But a funny thing happened. Finally giving myself permission to say that did not make me feel better. It made me feel worse. And I felt like the devil smiled.

So this time I said out loud, "I forgive you, Mom." I felt a twinge in my heart. What was that? Could it be joy? I said it again, louder, "I forgive you, Mom." I said it twice more, than I started thanking and praising God that he forgives me. And I was filled with such abundant joy. And I haven't felt badly about that message again.

Does this mean we all live happily ever after? No. This is real life. I am still estranged from my mom. But I can still forgive her, even without her asking for it. And I can be joyful in spite of the pain, and because of the forgiveness.

Who can you forgive today that will not only free them from the debt of hurting you, but free yourself from the pain of the hurt as well?

Matthew 6:14, 15 -- For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

In Remembrance of....

Monday was Memorial Day. I explained to my six year old daughter what that meant. "Today is the day we remember the soldiers," I told her. "How can I remember them if I don't know them?" she asked.

From a six year old point of view, that is a very good question. How do we "remember" someone we don't know? For us, it was easy to resolve. I reminded her that her daddy was a soldier, and a veteran. She knew him. She excitedly replied, "That means my daddy is special to the earth!" That was good enough for a six year old. To tell her we are specifically remembering fallen soldiers would wait for a few more years.

"Do this in remembrance of me," Jesus told the disciples after breaking bread, and telling them its symbolism of his body being broken for them. He was reminding them that after he was resurrected to Heaven, that we should still break bread together, and should remember His sacrificial death so that we may have eternal life.

But do we remember?

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God bless the USA

I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the ones who died, who gave their life for me.
God Bless the USA, Lee Greenwood, 1984

We're leaving 70s music for today, because it's Memorial Day, and I think Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA is the perfect song for a Memorial Day Musical Monday. While many folks will have cookouts, hit the pool, or visit shopping sales today, the real reason for Memorial Day is to remember and commemorate the US men and women who died in military service.

My husband is a Vietnam Veteran, and knows first hand the sacrifices that are made to serve our country by the military. His Military Academy room-mate died in Vietnam. He lost other friends as well.

The Bible says, " Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Unfortunately, it's all too easy to forget about the sacrifices of others.

Jesus is another who made a sacrifice and gave his life for us. Just as the soldiers' sacrifices give us freedoms in the US, Jesus' sacrifice frees us from sin, death and the devil. His sacrifice on the cross, dying for our sins allows us to have eternal life.

I hope today you will think about the ones who died for your freedom. But I hope everyday, you will think about THE ONE who died for YOU.

Musical Musings:
1. Think about a way you can remember, reflect upon and honor our fallen military personnel today.
2. Say a prayer for military families today, including spouses and children of military.
3. Thank Jesus for the sacrifice He made for you.

Karaoke:
Dear God, thank you for sending your son to die for me. There is no greater love then that. Help me to show love to others, like you have shown for me. Thank you, Lord, for the freedoms you allow us. May I remember daily what you have done for me. In Jesus name, Amen.

Rock On:
Go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ and search the words free or freedom in the Bible. See all the ways that Christ has made you free. Praise God for them.

God Bless the USA, Lee Greenwood video:

My Cardboard Testimony

This past Sunday at my church we presented our own version of Cardboard Testimonies. One member of our church said that in 40 years of attending, it was one of the best and most powerful sermon series he had experienced. This video is longer than I usually post here, but it is worth every minute.

My cardboard testimony (presented around the 5 minute mark) says "Rejected by an earthly Mother -- Accepted by a Heavenly Father."

What would your cardboard testimony say?

If you are reading this post through an email subscription, you may need to visit my blog at http://www.chattykelly.com/ to view the video. I encourage you to do so. Have tissues on hand.

Time Keeps On Slipping

“Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future.”
Fly Like An Eagle, Steve Miller Band, 1976

Don’t delay. Act now. Today only. These are some of the marketing tools to entice us to hurry up and make our purchases. The truth is time does keep slipping, slipping, slipping, into the future. Sometimes we may lose out on a great deal if we wait. To quote a popular proverb, “He who hesitates is lost.”

God offers us something wonderful, without cost. It is the gift of eternal life. While we receive it without cost to us, Jesus paid the price in full so we could have this free gift. He died on the cross, paying the price for our sins. The wages (cost) of sin is death. But because Jesus paid that cost by his own death, then we are free to receive this gift.

But wait, there's more! If you act now, you will also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In addition to the gift of eternal life with God, which you will receive at the time of your earthly death, you will also receive now, without waiting, the gift of the Holy Spirit. No shipping fees! Acts 2:38 says "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." There is no cost for this additional gift.
Act now! Don't miss out on this great offer. Simply confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) There is no phone call to make, and He doesn't need your credit card number! Simply pray the prayer below.

Don't let this offer slip away! Unlike those offers on TV, this offer doesn’t expire…until you do. Once you die, there will be no more chances to accept this free gift. So what are you waiting for? “He who hesitates loses.” Why not accept Christ today? Before time slips away.

Musical Musings:
1. Have you asked Jesus into your life as your Savior?
2. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?
3. Why not pray the prayer below right now. Then let someone know you did.

Karaoke: "God, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey you, and to do your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

Rock On: Joining a Bible study or reading a daily devotional is a great way to get to know God better. Don't let time keep slipping away. Join one today.

Bonus Post: A Writer's Life

This is the life of a writer after they get published. This made me laugh so much, that I thought some of you may enjoy it too. It's musical, of course. Makes me not mind so much that I haven't been picked up for publication yet. heehee.



Thanks to Warren Baldwin, I saw this on his blog.

Don't Shut the Door

I live in a semi-rural community. It is a popular community because it is only about 20 minutes outside of a metropolitan area; but because it is not in that area property is cheaper, lots are bigger and crime is lower. Because of that, many want to move from the city to what was once a rural area. Now it is only semi-rural, because of all the "come-here" folks, as they are called. The community has experienced lots of growth because of the come-heres.

Funny thing about the come-heres. They move into the area, and then they shout, "Stop the growth!" They try to pass laws keeping farmers from subdividing their property into housing developments. They want to keep it rural...once they get here. Although they don't mind that their new home is on what was once a farm too.

Sometimes in the Christian community, we too can want to come in, and shut the door behind us. Once we are saved and walk away from our past life of sin, we get comfortable in our upstanding Christian community. Then when the "sinner" comes to our church, we don't want their kind there. We yell "Stop the growth!" or "Shut the door!"

To read the rest of this post, come over to Titus 2 in Action (by clicking the icon below) where I am a guest contributor every other Wednesday.