I Am Not Underwear

Some days I feel like all I hear from my boys is, "I want, I want, I want".  I hear myself sounding like my mom saying "your wants won't hurt you".  She always said that to my sister and me when we were growing up and we were constantly wanting things. 
 There is a big difference between a want and a need- we all know that.  Remember when you were young and you were so excited about getting a present and you opened it up and it was socks or underwear?  As children, we open those gifts and shoot a forced fake smile to the one whose name is written next to "From:" on the gift tag and say "thank you". Then we ever so politiely say "next", hoping the next gift is a toy or at least something shiny.  We think of those things (clothes, underwear) as needs and we would rather move on to one of those wrapped up wants. 
As adults, we open up new socks or underwear and we are so excited that we can throw an old holy pair away and still have 2 pair! I can remember never wanting to get something as a gift to use to work until I discovered power tools!!!   Yes, as we get older we learn to appreciate that we have the things we need.  But, admit it- It's still nice to get those things we want.  When I think about this, I can't help but think about the fact that God doesn't need me.  Sometimes we think we have to serve because God needs us.  The truth is, God has everything He needs to do anything He wants, and He does not need us.  But the amazing thing is, He wants us!  It makes me feel special to know that the maker of the universe wants me!  He wants to have a relationship with me!  There is a difference between a want and a need.  We all especially enjoy getting things we want. I have to believe that God enjoys us coming to Him because He desires to be with us.  He WANTS us!
Everyone likes to feel needed.  But, to feel wanted is a whole different experience. 
My friend, I hate to burst your bubble, but you and I are not needed by our creator.  GOD DOES NOT NEED YOU!  The good news is, He wants you!!!  In God's eyes, you and I are not underwear!!!  We are His prize that He wanted!!!  Another reason to praise Him with our lives!!!

Spiritual Wisdom from Madea

There are 2 kinds of people reading this right now.  Some of you are already judging me because I put the words “Madea” and “Spiritual” in the same title.  The rest of you are only reading this because the name “Madea” is in the title.  No matter the group into which you fall, I hope you’ll allow me to explain myself!  There are several things Madea says that I think are worth repeating (and then there are several things I think you should get your mouth washed out with soap for repeating). 

One thing she says, and it took me many years to figure this out and I am still learning, is “Ain’t you a Christian?  That means you redeemed, right? Well, the Bible says let the redeemed of the Lord say so.  So when somebody is talking about you and trying to make you look like you less than you are, you say “so”!” Okay, so it’s not word for word (sorry, loyal Madea fans), but you get the point.  And yes, I know it’s totally taken out of context, but it actually makes a lot of sense! Sometimes I let things bother me so much that  I allow negativity to steal my joy.  I allow things that are not worth worrying about bring me down.  I have had to learn to decide whether or not the situation is really gonna make a difference when I get to heaven.  If it’s not, then I just have to say “so”!  If I let every little thing eat away at my joy, then there will be none left.  And Jesus did not give me this joy to let trivial things take it away.  Satan didn’t put it here, and I am not gonna let him take it away.  There are just some things that aren’t worth arguing about!  If it has no eternal significance, as Madea would say, “you just got to Let-it-go”. 

Another piece of wisdom we can gain from Madea is when she says, “It ain’t about what people call you.  It’s about what you answer to.”  Wow!  This is so true.  People are going to talk.  They just are. And being a minister’s wife, I know this all too well.  And I actually do pretty well when people talk about me. I guess being a school teacher, I sort of get used to it and I can ignore it!  However, I kinda go Madea when somebody talks about my husband or my children, especially when I know that what they are saying is completely inaccurate.  But I’m working on it!  I know God will reveal truth in His time, and He doesn’t need my assistance.

As long as I know the truth, and I know who I am in Christ, then let people talk.  I will answer to what God has called me to be.  He calls me His.  And that, my friend, is what I will answer to. So, my question for all of us is this, what do we answer to?  May we find our identity in Christ and answer to that name.  May we always remember whose child we are and who we represent with our words, our actions, and our lives.  May we one day hear those precious words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”.

In the End

Dear Friends,
Do not worry, Do not fear!  I have read the Book and I know what happens in the end.  Ten thousand years and then forevermore!

Taught by a Turkey

God has used my boys to teach me many things through the years.  We started our "Thanksgiving Tree" on the first day of November.  I painted a tree on a piece of wood, and each day of the month, the boys write what they are thankful for on a little leaf and we hang it on the tree.  I am not sure what I expected, but so far, every day Luke has said he is thankful for someONE, not someTHING  (Rhett said Jesus the first day, but then said he didn't want to do it anymore- I guess it's not that cool for a 13 year old to write what he's thankful for on a leaf and hang it on a tree).  I think I expected Luke to say his tractor or microphone or the Ipad, but each day he has said he is thankful for a person.  It blesses my heart to know that the things he appreciates most are relationships with real people.  Children can be little turkeys at times, but I understand why Jesus was so tender towards children and loved them so much.  They are genuine.
At what point in our lives do priorities change?  When do we decide that it's more important to spend every minute "working on" or "doing" something?  I am speaking to myself when I ask this question.  How many times have I been so busy "doing" that I failed to take time for someone?
I think back to the season of my life when I had the privilege of being a hospice nurse.  The precious people I had the opportunity to serve were aware that doctors had projected their course of time on this earth to be nearing an end.  As I think about the conversations I had with my patients, there are two things that always dominated the conversations.  First, they talked about their relationship with God.  They knew that this was the most important thing in their lives, and He is the only reason we have hope and can look forward to what lies ahead for us.  Second, without fail, they talked about their families and friends.  Whether or not they had always had their priorities in order, when their time was drawing to an end, they were able to determine what the important things in life are- God and people.
We can learn some valuable lessons from our little "turkeys", and I learned a lot from my patients who  weren't caught up in the distractions that tend to capture our focus.  The two most important things in life are #1- what have we done with Jesus?, and #2- Other people.
I need to get my priorities straight!  First, I want to love Jesus more every day and get closer to him with every step I take.  Next, I want to love people more. The next time I am working on shirt orders or clinical schedules and a student comes up needing to talk, I hope I will put away the paperwork and focus on that student.  The next time I am at church and I see someone who looks like things are difficult, I hope I will ask him or her "How are You?" and take time to listen to the answer.  The next time someone asks me to pray for him or her, I hope I will stop what I am doing and pray with that person right then, rather than just saying "sure I will".  There are so many opportunities I have missed to help others because I have been too busy or distracted, and I am determined to work on changing that. I want to make a difference with the time God has given me and stop spending so much time on things that really have no real significance.

As we think about the things we are thankful for this month, let us not forget to give thanks for our only Hope and the people He has given us the opportunity to love.  I am thankful for all of you who are reading this blog.  Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement.  I love you!!!

My Parents Are Not Stupid!

You could look the world over, and I highly doubt you would find two more unselfish people than my parents.  As hard as I may try, I cannot think of a time when they ever put their needs above the needs of someone else.  You know how you go through those stages where you think your parents know nothing?  Yes, I went through those stages, and unfortunately, I am afraid I ignored alot of wisdom they tried to share.  Most of the struggles I have found myself in are due to my stubbornness and lack of appreciation for wisdom.  Although I ignored true wisdom many times, there are still some valuable lessons that I did learn from my parents.  One of those gems is this: 1. I am not better than anyone else.  2. I am just as good as everyone else.  The longer God allows me to work with people, the more I understand the importance of this lesson. 
I believe that our view of God determines how we see ourselves.  I believe our view of ourselves determines our view of others.  Therefore, our view of God determines how we see everything.  You see, we must first recognize and appreciate who God is.  We must understand His greatness, His goodness, His power, and His sacrificial love. 
We need to realize that God is God, and we are NOT.  He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Lord of All.  Compared to Him, we are nothing.  But, because of who He is and what He has done, we are joint heirs with Christ.  We are His children (1John 3:1).  If He is in us, and we are in Him, we can do all things through Christ.  We must understand that He loves us so much that He sent His only son to pay the price so that we could have a relationship with Him.  That's how much He loves us, and that makes us pretty stinking special.  And because of our position as children of the King, there are none better than us. 
We must also consider that he loves others, no matter their race, their address, their past, or their present, just as much as He loves us.  Therefore, we are better than none. 
We should walk in confidence because we are who we are because of Christ.  If God be for us, who can be against us.  Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world.  However, we should also walk in humility because we are who we are because of Christ.  You see, Christ died for us when we were powerless (Romans 5:6).  When we were still sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8).
Understanding these truths is imperative to living a victorious life in Christ. 
When we fail to grasp these truths, it greatly hinders our service for Christ.  Let me explain. 
      1.  If someone believes that she is better than others, she may feel like it is beneath her to socialize with certain groups of people.  Or perhaps she would never stoop to the level to go somewhere that she might get dirty.  Therefore, she misses out on opportunities to serve the Lord because she sees herself as too good for others or other circumstances. 
      2.  If someone believes that she is not good enough, she may be unwilling to step out and take risks or use her talents to serve.  She may feel that she is not smart enough or pretty enough or strong enough. Instead of believing what God says about her, she chooses to allow satan to take advantage of her insecurities. 
Both of these issues lead to the same result- NOTHING.  That's right, a distorted view of ourselves, either placing ourselves too high or too low, will keep us from being effective children of God.  This may sound crazy, but our insecurities can actually become idols.  My friend, God is more powerful than any of our faults and insecurities.  We don't have to be secure in ourselves, we need to be secure in Christ.  We need to give him our insecurities and watch Him show up and show out.  He can do all things.  He doesn't need our strengths.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness. 
You may be wondering how I am the expert in all of this.  Well, it's because I am one of the most insecure people you will ever meet.  I have always dealt with insecurities, and I used to allow my insecurities to be bigger than the power of Christ in my life.  But, I have chosen freedom.  I have chosen to allow God to free me from the bondage of my poor self-image.  I choose to see myself as a child of the King who can do amazing things through Christ.  Nothing about me is good, but the Jesus in me is AMAZING!  Let me encourage you today to believe that God is who He says He is, you are who God says you are, and He wants to do huge things through you!! You are His!!! It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free! 
I am thankful for parents who raised me to believe that I am important and that others are important.  I am thankful that they not only told me about Jesus, but they showed me and continue to show me who Jesus is through their lives.  I pray that God will use me to pass this along to my children so that they may be effective ministers in the mission field called life.

Coke or Pepsi??

Does anyone  reading this have someone in your home who cannot seem to pour a glass of coke without it "fizzing" out over the top of the glass and getting on everything that happens to be on the countertop?  Well, I certainly don't either.  But, let's just say that hypothetically I did.  Let's say he is, oh, 13 years old, and his name, hypothetically of course, is uuummmm, a random name like Rhett.  He knows that if it is not flat, it is going to fizz or spew, or whatever you like to call it, and unless he stops pouring before he gets to the top of the glass, it is going to overflow and get everything sticky and turn nearby papers brown and get in the little grooves on the edge of the countertop and be almost impossible to get clean.  Again, this is all hypothetical. 
I mentioned in one of my previous entries that I know that I am not the typical preacher's wife material and my kids aren't perfect (but they certainly wouldn't let a coke spill onto everything in the kitchen) , but I am going to do my best to love Jesus and love people. And here's the deal:  I have found that if I will love Jesus with all of my heart and all of my mind and all of my soul, my love for others will just come automatically.   I think that's what Jesus meant when he answered the Pharisee's question about which commandment is most important.  He said, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important:'Love your neighbor as yourself."  If you think about it, if we follow the first commandent, the others will take care of themselves.  If we love the Lord with our everything, we won't kill, steal, commit adultery, or any of the other things we are commanded not to do.  We will love others.  And we will follow these commandments, not because we are supposed to, but it will just come naturally because we are so full of Him.  He is love (1 John 4:8).  When we are full of Him, we are full of love!  And here's the even cooler thing (as if there could be something even cooler than that)- when we are so full of Him that we begin to overflow, everything around us gets saturated!  That's right, it flows onto others, like it or not, because it is just "fizzing" out!!  And just like that paper on the countertop that gets drenched  by coke is ruined, when someone is saturated by Jesus, he or she is radically changed.  That's what He's about - changing things- for the better!   It makes me think of Isaiah, when he said, "Woe to me, for I am ruined.  I am a sinful man,yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!" (Isaiah 65)  When he saw himself, a sinful man, next to a Holy God, he saw himself as ruined.  When we see ourselves for who we really are and God for who He really is, we realize our need for His Saving Grace, and He changes us.  He becomes our righteousness (1Cor 5:21)!!  Isn't that exciting???? We can be so full of love for Christ that it overflows to others and they are ruined- for the better!
The other night on the way to church, Luke, my 4 year old, said to me, "I love God, but I don't love you".  I said, well if you love God then you love me, because God is love and He tells us to love others.  I could see the wheels turning.  He answered, "Well, I love you and I love God, but I don't love the Holy Spirik" (not a typo- he says spirik!).  I laughed until I cried.  The reality of it is, if we can't love others, we need to reevaluate ourselves and our relationship with God.  We love because He first loved us, and loving others is not a suggestion- it's a commandment. 
As you are praying for me in my new role as a pastor's wife, I do not ask you to pray that I will wear the right thing or say the right thing or avoid saying the wrong thing.  Instead, I ask you to pray that I will love the Lord with all of my heart and all of my mind and all of my soul, and that His love would overflow from me and touch those with whom I come in contact.  His love is never flat- it always fizzes- and I pray that He will fill me with a love that I can't get over!  I don't need coke or pepsi, I need more of Jesus!!!
Until next time,
The FlipFlop Pastor's Wife

What's Max Got to do With It??

First of all, I want to thank you for all the encouraging words about this new blog.  I am overwhelmed by the love and support from my friends and family.  I wrote the first entry late last night and after reading it today, I can't believe my high school English teacher pressed the "like" button after seeing all the grammatical errors!!  Thank you anyway, Mrs. ___________. I won't say her name because I don't want to ruin her reputation.  She was one of my favorite teachers, and she did teach me better than this!

Last Wednesday night, I shared what I am writing about today with my church family.  I have thought about it all day today, and I thought I would just share it in my blog.  

As I told them, I have many areas in my life that need improvement, but one of the most obvious ones is my need to feel like I have control of everything.  I like to have a plan, and then I like to have a Plan B just in case Plan A doesn't work out.  I wish I could say that I live most days with complete trust in the Father and I surrender everything to Him.  Unfortunately, I can't say that.  Well, I could say that but I would be lying.  I know that He is God and He is in control, but for some reason I feel like He needs my assistance.  

About six and half years ago, my sister gave birth 12 weeks early to a 1 lb 15 oz baby boy.  I'm sure there is no need for me to tell you how critical things were.  The doctors told us that the first 48 hours were important and would be a huge indicator of his chances for survival.  Needless to say, my family, my brother-in-law's family, our friends, and people we didn't even know came together seeking God like never before.  Plan A was out of our hands, and there was no Plan B.  If this little baby was going to survive, God was going to have to show up and show out.  There was no other way.  

It kinda (in a weird sorta way, I know) makes me think about our new journey.  When I think about God calling us to 16th (our new church), I believe with all my heart that if anything good is going to happen, if any lives are going to be changed, if the church is going to survive, God is going to have to show up and show out.  We really have no idea how to do this, and frankly, if we tried on our own, we would just mess things up.  God's power is Plan A, and there is no Plan B.  

Knowing about my insecurities and my lack of faith, I bet you are thinking "I bet she is scared to death", and looking from the outside it does look like we should be very afraid. But, believe it or not, we are not afraid.  And here's why:  You see, I have a 6 and 1/2 year old nephew named Max who is bringing joy to the lives of many people every day. I can't imagine what life would be like without him.  And I know that the same God that brought life to this tiny little baby who had no hope without the power of a mighty God is going to bring life to 16th Ave Baptist Church.  I know that He has the power to do it, and even when I have little faith, He is faithful.  We do not have to be afraid because He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or even imagine.  

We have only been here a couple of weeks now, and I have already seen His power working.  I am seeing lives changed and healed.  I am watching and listening to my husband share the Word with such love and boldness that I sometimes I look at him and wonder where this guy came from!  I have no doubt that God's precious Holy Spirit is working in him and in me and in our church.  I can't wait to see what He does among our people and then in the people He allows us to reach.  He has big plans, I just know it!  I am so excited about what He is going to do and I can't believe He is going to honor us by letting us be a part of it!