Give Jesus

Last fall I started reading a blog called Bella Mella by Melanie Clark.

I love her sensible fashion tips that she provides.

And then suddenly in August she put a post up asking for prayer for her 12 year old son Andrew. And all her fashion tips were set aside.

The Clark family would find out their son would have brain cancer and life as they knew it would never be the same. Andrew's skateboard that he rode on daily was put down as he would be taken to doctor's appointments and even checked into the hospital.

Prayer after prayer from all over the country bombarded the throne room of heaven on behalf of Andrew.

Hoping, begging God for a miracle.

Wednesday, December 15th Melanie and her family ushered Andrew into the arms of his Creator.

So as we are stressed about getting the right gift, enough gifts, the perfect gift,

Melanie is picking out what to bury her 12 year old son in.

Choosing a casket to hold his body.

Songs.

Pictures.

Going through his empty bedroom and getting his favorite stuff to display at his funeral.

Holding his skateboard he'll never ride again.

And in the midst of this horrible storm that just started last fall,

she is choosing to keep her eyes focused on Christ.

Her ending of her post says:

God is good.

I would say Jesus is definitely the reason of her season.

The season of her life she never thought she would be going through and yet she chooses to bring honor and glory to her King.

Want to give someone the perfect gift this Christmas?

Give them Jesus.

Keep focused no matter what on Him, because you can get sucked in so quickly to the demands of this world.

If you would've told Melanie that her youngest of 3 children would be dead before Christmas,

she would've never believed your news.

Andrew was healthy and was riding on a skateboard more than he walked

just days before his diagnosis in August.

BUT

if Melanie did have a heads' up of her son's death,

her panic wouldn't have been over where Andrew was going to spend eternity.

Her actions would have been the same ones she displayed these last 3 months.

She would have tried to find a way to save his life, buy them more time, make him comfortable, ask others to pray,

but never worry about where he was going.

Why?

Because Andrew knew Jesus.

And in the last days Melanie had with her son on earth,

she didn't ask him to make a Christmas list and then run out and join the mad shoppers to

buy him the

best skateboard,

latest video console or i-pod.

Instead, she sang songs about Jesus to him,

read the Bible to him,

prayed over him

and laid in bed with her Andrew.

And with his last breath, her 12 year old son reminded her that

God is good.

He gave her Jesus for Christmas.

Let's keep the X out of CHRISTmas

and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Only a Mother can describe her child's last moments in such a beautiful way...

please click here to visit Melanie and leave her an encouraging message.

Love,

The Last Jesus

This song (bottom of post) by Kirk Franklin, The Last Jesus really goes along with yesterday's post.

Hope you take the time to listen to the very truthful powerful words of this song.

It's meant for all of us.

If you were the Last Jesus someone saw...Who are they seeing in you?

Love,

.75 cent Jesus

The church.
It's made up of many different lives coming together as a body of Christ.
Gathering together to worship Jesus one to two times a week.
Many churches preach the message of bringing in the lost "as is" and just loving on them.
Being Jesus to them I believe would be the correct "Christianese" terminology for this out reach.






But what does this really mean?
I mean, it's easy to cheer people on from the pulpit or place in leadership to be Jesus to others, but it's harder to actually step out and do the reaching.
Consistently.
Not everyone in the church is like this though.
Some actually don't just ask themselves WWJD, they just live it out.
Consistently.



It's easy to talk about reaching out to the city, to the ones who don't know Jesus, but to actually do it when you're face to face...whole other story.
So what if you were visiting a church that professed this stuff and someone in a leadership role approached you at the coffee center.
And the Jesus they left you with didn't match the Jesus they preached about from the pulpit?


If you have guessed something happened at church this morning to spur me to get on my blog and write from my heart, then you would be correct.




My son had two friends with him at church and after the service the boys went to get what they thought was free hot chocolate. A basket of cocoa packets seemed inviting to them as the snow was falling to the ground outside, so they were helping themselves when approached.




Approached by a woman who has a role of leadership at the church.
A woman known by many for her rudeness.
Consistently.
And that is what she approached my son and his two friends with this morning.
Over hot chocolate.
Telling them that each packet of hot chocolate is 75 cents.
And taking Aaron by his shoulders and telling him how he knew this.
How this time it would be "free", but next time they each need to put 75 cents in the money basket.
Not only approaching them once.
But twice in a matter of minutes.



I was packing up my stuff when my very embarrassed son came to me and told me of how rude she was. Knowing the reputation she has of being rude and witnessing it first hand, it was very easy to believe 3 boys over one rude woman.
So, I wrote out a check for $5.00, enough to cover 5 boxes of hot chocolate at Wal-Mart.
I put Hot Chocolate in the memo and went and handed it to her.
When asked what it was for and I said hot chocolate, without taking her eyes off the check, she waved her hand at me and walked away.
With my payment. And her rudeness.




Now as I share this, please know when my kids have come to me before on things, I am not the type of Mom who just "sides" with them. But taking in the reputation of this woman and after driving back to the church to talk with her, I know that I have 3 teenage boys that are not lying cocoa thieves on my hands. Just 3 boys that wanted some hot chocolate.
But above all of that he said she said garbage, this post is about what kind of Jesus we are to others.




So if you were this person in leadership how should you be to them?
Shoot, even if you're not in leadership, how should you be?

In the few moments you gave yourself permission to enter these kids' lives...what kind of Jesus would you leave them with?






BUT.
Let's say, before you approached them, you knew some inside information about them.
Would you leave them with a different type of Jesus?
A kinder one?
What if you knew....


That the 2 boys that came to church with us come from homes that their parents don't care about them. At all. One kid has spent up to four days with us before his dad has called his cell phone wondering where he is.




That yesterday morning Aaron and I attended their basketball game and I was both kids'"cheering Mom" because one kids' mom is back in jail after already serving 4 years and the other kids' Mom just doesn't care to watch him play or do anything.




That the reality of these 2 boys having a dime in their pocket let alone 3 quarters for a packet of overpriced hot chocolate is probably pretty low, especially when I know for a fact both boys receive free lunches from the government at school.




That both of these boys are really on their own. They both live on the north side of town and both get up early to catch a city bus to attend Southwest high school. A school that probably has the most supportive parents in the city. And that's just by looking at how many parents attend the sporting events wearing booster buttons with their kids' faces on them. But not theirs.




That one of the boys is not saved.
That the other boy became saved when he came to youth group with our son 3 years ago.
At this same church.




That these boys will ask to spend the night on Saturday night so they can go to church.
Any church.




That Aaron has been going through some real struggles himself lately at school. And how he doesn't even want to come to this church. And how Gene and I were just praising God he came this morning without an attitude.




So if you had the opportunity to approach these 3 boys this morning knowing all of the things above, would you approach them differently?
Would you not embarrass them and make them feel like they're stealing packets of hot chocolate?
Would you still take the time to make a sign on a hot pink card that says:

HOT CHOCOLATE

.75

A sign you took the time to place on the cocoa basket because you said "Aaron has done this before", even though he said he didn't know there was a charge for hot chocolate.






Because see, it doesn't matter if we know those things or not.


We're either clearly Jesus to others.
OR.
We're not.
Consistently.
When we have the love of Jesus in our hearts, the joy of Jesus comes oozing out of us.
Consistently.
And when we have pride and a need to control then that is what will come oozing out of us.
Consistently.




My husband grew up in a black southern church in Orlando, Florida.
One I have attended with him a few times when we go visit.
When talking with him this afternoon, I said this...


"You know for a fact Gene that the church you grew up in would've never acted like this.
Not one of those sisters in Christ would've approached these boys like this.
Instead, they would've said, "Baby are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Come with me to the kitchen and let me feed you while you sip on your hot chocolate."
Because bottom line is Jesus wouldn't want their measly 75 cents.
He wants their hearts.
And those women get that."


For years, I've heard my Grandfather tell a story of being embarrassed when he was a kid by a "church person".
He's 84 years old now and hasn't attended church since.
That was the Jesus he was introduced to.
And that's the Jesus he wants nothing to do with.






Not too long ago our pastor spoke about the different rooms in a house and how important the "foyer" is to welcoming new people, hurting people...everyone.

Does the foyer of your church have a hot pink sign up?

Being Jesus to "them"...

"Them" might just be 3 teenagers helping themselves to some hot chocolate in the

house of God's foyer.

What kind of Jesus will you leave them with?

A lost soul costs a whole lot more than 3 quarters.

~Many Blessings~

Time of Refocusing and Renewing

Hello...

For those of you who are reading the book, Becoming More by Lysa TerKeurst and wanted to participate in the study I'm so sorry I have been behind.

Instead of trying to catch up, I am going to take a little break from blogging and really focus on the Lord. I can't share my heart with you here in my blog if He doesn't have my heart completely.


A lot of things have been going on in my life and instead of drawing near to God, I have been stepping away. I feel it best for me to really REALLY fix my eyes on my King. Everything else has to be put aside for now and He has to be given my full attention. I miss Him so much and can't believe how quickly Satan will move into a heart not filled up with Jesus. I'm just really tired sweet friends and feel so defeated which is crazy because I have a King that has already won.


So, my sweet friend Paula, author of the blog, His Ways will be graciously hosting YES to GOD Tuesday's for me until God lets me return. Paula has participated in all but one of the studies since starting them in March '08 and always has wonderful insight to each chapter. Plus she has a love for the Lord that is just so evident.


So, if you are reading the book, please click on the link above and go to Paula's blog each Tuesday, until she lets you know differently. I will be stopping over and reading your thoughts when I can and I know I'll learn much from you. I always do.



Thank you all so much for your love, prayers and support.
You are some incredible women.
Please keep me and my family in your prayers.

Life is so tough and I have lived a life without having Christ #1 in my life and it is a miserable way to spend time on this earth.
So when I see myself slipping back to that type of life, I recognize my need for Him and I just have to put everything down and just run to Him.
I must sprint to Him and know that I will be falling into arms that don't want to let me go. And this tired soul just wants to collapse in His presence and allow Him to lead my life.
This enemy we have is relentless and wants to destroy, so I'm off and running to my Savior, Girls.

This song called Strong Enough by Stacie Orrico is the song running through my heart right now.

Love to you...

YES to GOD study: CH. 5: Devotion Time Blues

So glad you have come by for the

where we are discussing the newest book by Lysa TerKeurst

CHAPTER 5: DEVOTION TIME BLUES

Anything in blue is a quote from the book.

Lysa opened this chapter in typical Lysa fashion, with a funny and true story.

I remember when she first shared on her blog about trying to prepare for her sister's visit and how she had to deal with the the floating in the pond mattress.

So funny!

Lysa just wanted everything to look nice for her sister.

I wanted to prove that I'd long since outgrown those nasty teenager housekeeping habits I was famous for when we both lived at home.

Unfortunately, Lysa's kids had other plans when they took the mattress from their neighbor's trash pile and made it into their very own floating device.

In their pond.

The pond that's in the front of their house.

The pond that welcomes you to the TerKeurst home.

The pond with a mattress in it.

A whole new twist on the saying: one man's trash, another man's treasure.

So Lysa who usually sees the humor in stuff, didn't laugh.

Not when the kids jumped on it.

Not when the frogs jumped on it.

She thought nothing of this situation was funny.

Normally, I would have. But it had been a week in which everything else had crowded out my time with the Lord, and it took quite a toll on my peace of mind. The longer I went without meeting with God, the more desperate, cloudy and starved my soul became.

Ugggh....ever been there before?

Me too.

Running on empty eventually causes things to break down and stall out.

That's quite honestly where I was.

As if my life wasn't already sounding like a bad country song, now I was also singing the devotion time blues.

Lysa goes on to explain the importance of spending quiet time alone with Jesus.

He will give us the exact instruction and comfort we need to handle all He sees coming our way---how to act and, even more challenging, how to react in every situation.

Okay, I cannot even go on and I have so much more from her book that I wanted to share.

BUT I have to confess that I have been going through this very thing. My name is Lelia and I am suffering from

DTB.

Yes, I have Devotional Time Blues as we speak.

I'm not trying to have a pity party instead of a quiet time, but I'm just really overwhelmed with some stuff right now.

My life is nothing like it was 18 months ago, which in many ways I am grateful for.

I never saw how life is today coming our way.

Husband having 3 surgeries in 18 months.

Husband becoming jobless and put on disability.

Two grandbaby-blessings born from our gorgeous teen daughter.

Me working my normal day shift job plus an overnight job.

So many medical bills that if you send me yours, I probably wouldn't stop to think that Gene can't have an annual pap smear....I'd just pay the thing!

Trying to balance not working so much that I rob God the opportunity to provide.

Since Gene can't drive, I find myself in my car a lot running from here to there and back again.

Cooking, cleaning, caring and just trying to not lose my cluttered mind.

So how am I supposed to fit Jesus into all of this?

I mean, c'mon Lord, what time of my busy day should belong to You?

Gene needs me. Aaron and Alivia need me.

Shoot, even the dog Kane is needy.

We adore and love our grandgirls and we want to spend time them and our oldest girl.

And they all want to be fed at supper time for some reason, seven days a week.

Please believe me, I am not trying to whine here.

It all looks so pathetic when it's in writing, but

I'm rather confessing that your hostess of this study is currently have the

Devotion Time Blues and some days I just don't care anymore.

That's not true.

I do care.

I really care, because like Lysa said,

When I take the time to meet with Jesus each morning, I am prepared to face life with much more peace than if I just rush into my day without Him.

Because God is able to stand in my yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

He knows things and sees things for which I need to be prepared.

WHY is it so easy to let go of the Scarred hand that gave His life for me while I search for my tattered Super Woman cape and try to dolife on my own strength?

The kind of strength that crashes midday and needs a can of Red Bull to give her false energy.

What is it that makes me think Jesus isn't enough?

That He's not capable of handling all that is before me and my family?

The good Bible study girl in me just gasped at those last two questions.

Because see, she can confess with the best of them that God is the great I AM.

He is the Rock on which she stands.

God is her Provider and the Lover of her soul.

She knows how to raise and praise.

And she can certainly say all the right things at all the right moments.

But God knows the truth of her.

He sees her when she cries herself to sleep from being overwhelmed.

When she gets angry and ugly all in the same breath.

When she feels like all the many hours she is working isn't enough.

When the caregiver in her gets frustrated because she can't ease her husband's pain.

When she earns the Worlds Worst Wife/Mother/Daughter/Sister/Friend award. Daily.

When she allows Satan to beat the crud out of her and believes his lies.

And while she is limping through life in her own weak strength,

her Creator sees it all,

for nothing about her escapes Him.

He hears her cries and her sighs.

He hears her whispered praises, her attempt at trying to get back into His arms.

And He waits.

Waits for her to return completely as He lovingly looks upon her.

Flaws and all.

I'm in that place friends.

So desperate for Him it makes my breath quicken.

The lump in my throat appear.

And the tears fill my eyes so full that I can't see what I'm typing right now.

I so need Him.

And I feel blessed beyond words that I'm reading an book by an author who has been in the same place I am in right now.
Not someone who has just researched life in a pit, but a woman who has lived life in a pit.

There are many ways I can choose to react when things happen each day.

I can choose the way of "It's my right to be frustrated."

I can choose the way of "Doesn't anyone listen to me around here?"

I can choose the way of "Do you know how this makes me feel?"

Or, I can choose to let God teach me His way.

My way leads to all kinds of runaway feelings that pull me away from the truth and into an absolute pit of yuck.

His way leads to calmly finding a solution without all the anger and frustration.

His way leads to me being able to extend grace----the same grace I so desperately need myself.

And His way leads me to the truth.

I love Him so much.

I love His timing of this book and His faithfulness to such an unfaithful heart.

And so I dive into my quiet time slowly.

Feeling encouraged and not pressured, thanks to Lysa.

Remember, we aren't after accomplishing our quiet time routine.

Mercy, don't we already have too many things pulling at us?

No, I'm talking about seeing our time with God as the most precious and valuable minutes of our day.

One verse she shared on page 68, I wrote down on an index card to help me with memorizing it this week so I can keep it in my heart forever.

Psalm 86:11

"Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name."

An undivided heart.

That hit me so hard.

He wants all of us.

Period.

Wants our undivided attention, love and life.

Nothing half way with Him.

No lukewarm devotion.

All or nothing.

And I want to give it all to Him and become more than just a good Bible study girl.

Because what I've found out over these last 18 months,

is that the good Bible study girl in me just doesn't cut it when the going gets tough.

And on the good days, she can't even connect the bat with the ball on the slow pitches.

There are other things I didn't even mention in this chapter.

Great stuff.

I had planned on sharing them, but surprisingly was taken on a different route.

If you've shared your thoughts on this chapter please leave your link in the comments so we can visit your blog.

Oh, this is tough Ladies, but let's keep moving forward.

Chapter by chapter.

I'll post my thoughts on chapter 6 tomorrow.

I just opened back up my book just to see if there was anything else I wanted to add from the heart of Lysa. This is what caught my eye:

Oh, how we underestimate the power made available to us when we spend time with God.

Our earthly eyes are so limited because they don't allow us to see what is happening in the heavenly realm.

A daily battle is being fought for our attention and our devotion.

Satan would love nothing more than to keep us separated from the power God gives us during our time with Him.

It's time to stop feeling guilty and ill-equipped and start embracing the incredible privilege to meet with Jesus every day.

Wow.

~Many Blessings~