MISTAKEN IDENTITY...a piece of my heart

A PIECE OF MY HEART
I picked up a book the other day at a local bookstore to take with me to the beach in a couple of weeks. I am not much of a reader for pleasure as I am for books for studying. However, I knew I needed to have something to carry down to the beach with me on vacation.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

As I was sitting out on the patio the other day, I thought I would pick this pleasure book up and get a head start on reading it. If you have not read this book and looking for a good cry....YOU HAVE TO GET THIS BOOK!

Picture this...I am sitting out on the patio, as I turn to page 2 and all the way to the fifth chapter...I am sitting, I am reading, I am crying. As I turn each page, I wipe my face that is wet with tears. (this would not have been a good scene at the beach!!) AMAZING STORY.

You may remember the story. It involved 5 lives that were lost in a tragic accident involving students and faculty from Taylor University a few years ago. Of the five lives that were lost, one pronounced dead was Whitney Cerak. There was one survivor from the crash, who was taken to the hospital with very critical injuries. Laura Van Ryn, laid in ICU for the next five weeks. Her family at her side, encouraging her and praying that Laura would come back to them.

Whitney's family

...held her funeral

...grieved and mourned

Laura's family

...kept a bedside vigil, praying for her recovery

...expressed joy that she was spared from the accident

-TWO FAMILIES

-TWO LIVES

-ONE GOD

JAMES 4:9 " Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom."

This book reveals the unwavering faith and hope that two families possess. Their lives are intertwined with mourning and joy. The mourning of Whitney's family soon turned to joy while the joy of Laura's family turned to mourning.

So much can happen in 5 weeks. After weeks of her parents praying, Laura began to respond....only to find out that the young girl whom they have held a bedside vigil for was not their daughter...IT WAS WHITNEY!

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

written by Don & Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen and Whitney Cerak with Mark Tabb

And here is a piece of my heart....No matter what circumstance you find yourself in. No matter how dark or bleak. Stand on the Word that says your God will never leave you nor forsake you. He is still in the miracle business and your miracle is just waiting around the corner. It may take 5 weeks or 5 years, but God has a plan and desires us to walk by faith not by sight!

Blessings, Laurie

THE BEST SEAT...weekly devotion

thank you for joining us this week for the weekly devotional. It is my prayer that your heart will be challenged by the Word this week!

THE BEST SEATS

There used to be a popular sitcom on television, FRASIER. (blogging has replaced tv watching for me...so maybe it is still on ...I don't know!) This show depicted a pompous, self-focused radio psychiatrist named Frasier Crane. (also known as Frasier on the ever popular CHEERS tv show). Frasier was an uppity character who never thought he got the respect due him. He always wanted the best seats at the best places. Unfortunately, on this adventure of getting this recognition he felt he so deserved...he often would find that people did not think as highly of him as he thought of himself.

We are very well warned by Jesus about this very thing that Frasier was expecting out of life.

LUKE 14:7-14

He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noticed how they would choose the best places for themselves: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don't recline at the best place, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host. (9) The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.

(10) But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' You will then be honored in the presence of the other guests. (11) For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

WHY DID JESUS FEEL IT IMPORTANT TO TELL THIS STORY?

Prestige is not something you can give yourself. It is what others give you when you are not really looking for prestige. The question Jesus was putting before His disciples was this: "Can a person really understand what life is about if their main concern in life is only about the most prestigious seat?" Life IS NOT about exalting us! IT IS about exalting God!

To fully understand what was happening here in the scripture, you need to read what is recorded earlier in verses 1-6:

- It was sabbath day.

- Jesus had been invited to the home of a prominent Pharisee for dinner.

- Since Jesus had been healing people on the Sabbath...He was being watched very carefully to see if He would do it again on this occasion. (and HE DID!)

- This angered some of the guests, causing a need for Jesus to respond to justify what He had done.

- However, Pharisees were campaigning for social position. They were looking for seats of honor at the dinner table.

- The Pharisees were called to honor the Sabbath, but instead shifted the focus of honor on themselves.

The Pharisees were doing exactly what they were accusing Jesus of doing! However, Jesus WAS honoring the Sabbath by healing people. The main purpose of honoring the Sabbath was to honor God, and the main purpose of life is to honor God. When we surrender our quest for personal status to serve God, we learn what life is about:

"ANYONE FINDING HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT,

AND ANYONE LOSING HIS LIFE BECAUSE OF ME WILL FIND IT."

The BEST SEAT at the banquet is not important, especially if you lose sight of the reason you are at the banquet. My children are PK's and every one of them know the ADAMS rule at a church dinner or banquet.... to be LAST in the food line! I can remember one of my boys stating to me one time, "But what if there is NO food left?" Not to worry dear...there is a McDonalds on the way home! We have tried to teach our children that part of serving God is serving others, and there is no better way to show that than allow others to go first!

This is probably a very difficult thing for young ones (and some seasoned Christians also!) to grasp. I am reminded of family dinner parties, especially Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmothers house. The dining table in the dining room, set with the fine china was designated as the ADULT TABLE, and the kids had TV trays set up in the living room with paper plates!

That always seemed unfair to me as a young child. I see some of you also experienced that from last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL....

" When you were a child and your parent(s) had a dinner party, where did you end up sitting?"

The top 3 results:

53% voted that they sat at the same table with the grown ups. (lucky!)

23% polled said they sat at a "child's table" in the same room.

23% voted (and joined me) at a "child's table" in some other room, away from the grown ups.

When Jesus spoke of who would inherit the kingdom, He didn't speak of the beneficiaries being those who had spent the most hours studying Scripture or those who most heartily defended the faith. The receipients were to be those who served others! Remember the story of the sheep and goats? (Matthew 25:31-46) This story reminds us that it is the one who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick and imprisoned - they will be honored!

THIS WILL BE AN HONOR WORTH

SURRENDERING HUMAN STATUS FOR!

WHICH SEAT ARE YOU SERVING FROM?

Thank you for joining me for the devotion this week! Please check the PRAYER BLOG for prayer needs this week.

Blessings, Laurie

THIS WEEKS "YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL"

Please vote in this week's poll located on the side bar of the blog. This week I want to know "In what area of your life do you tend to envy others?"

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY...korean worship dance

Here is another one of my favorite blog meme's to participate in. Every Saturday we have an opportunity to share a song or music video with others. I always enjoy looking at what everyone posts on these videos, the wide range of music is so varied but the awesome thing about THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY is that all of the music brings us back to one familiar factor....WORSHIP TO OUR LORD!

With the upcoming departure to Korea that my son will be embarking on later this summer, I find myself acquainting myself with facts and information about the new culture he will be a part of. I came across this video of some Korean youth sharing their worship in dance and song. I continue to be amazed at the fact that cultures can change and the language can change BUT Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today and forever.

(BE SURE TO MUTE MY BLOG MUSIC ON THE SIDE BAR SO YOU CAN HEAR THE VIDEO!!)

To view other THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY videos, visit AMY over HERE!


Keep a heart of worship....



Blessings, Laurie

THANKFUL THURSDAY....His outstretched arms

This past week my daughter has had some hard stuff to embrace. First, her Mamaw passed away (not her real mamaw, but a lady in our church that treated my daughter as one of her own since my daughter was born); then later in the week her oldest brother moved to another state and thirdly, one of her favorite people in the world (her youth pastor) announced a change in direction for ministry and is moving away.

For a twelve year old, this might seem like alot in one week. Face it fellow bloggers, that would be alot for you and me to face in a weeks time. The best thing that I could do for my daughter this past week, is open my arms and offer her a big hug when she felt sad. Sometimes, life causes us so much pain and sorrow that all we want to do is crawl up in God's lap and feel His embrace! Just like a child who looks to a parent for comfort and peace...that is what God's outstretched arms offer us! My daughter wrote a poem that helped her this week, and with her permission I want to share it with you:

LIFE.... by A. Adams

PAIN is alot to handle

SORROW is alot to handle

GRIEF is alot of weight

ALL of these in one is a big burden

ONE ANSWER

PRAY and trust God

NO ONE understands why God takes our loved ones

BUT it's part of life

ONE wise person once told me

that God puts us through trials to test our faith

PAIN, SORROW, and GRIEF

is part of life

Thank you Sissy! So, after a exhausting and emotional week...I am THANKFUL today for God's outstretched arms! It is there that I find:

- PEACE -

- SECURITY -

- JOY -

- STRENGTH -

- LOVE -

- COMFORT -

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU CRAWLED UP INTO YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER'S LAP AND FELT HIS LOVING ARMS?

Thank you Iris for hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY'S, visit her site to view other thankful hearts!

Blessings, Laurie

RUNAWAY CAR...a piece of my heart

A PIECE OF MY HEART

The other day I was driving down a main avenue in our city. I have traveled this familiar road many times as it is on my way to my house. On this particular day, I noticed a car backing out of the driveway at an accelerating speed. It caught my attention because it appeared the "driver" was out of control. The car pulled out, right in front of me, without even slowing down. I slowed down until I could figure out what this driver's problem was!! It didn't take me long to figure out what the problem was. A woman came running after the car. Chasing it. Stopping the car just as it rolled up a curb and barely missing a big oak tree. The woman was chasing a runaway car!

The woman was clearly shook up. I rolled my window down to see if she was alright. It was not until then that I saw why she was chasing that car so frantically...there was a small child in the front seat! The fear and the adrenaline was all over that ladies face. She was not hurt, (shaken up), but relieved she was able to stop the car with no injuries!

The woman and her RUNAWAY CAR reminded me of how often we find ourselves out of control in our spiritual walk with the Lord.

HOW MANY TIMES DO WE TAKE GOD OUT OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND WE TRY TO MAKE THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF LIFE WITHOUT HIM?

Watching that woman chase that runaway car to save her child is EXACTLY what God does for us.

- He is running after us -

He will never leave us nor forsake us!

- He is Chasing us -

No matter how far we run - God will chase us until we are safe in His arms!

- He is Protecting us -

From the snares and traps set by the enemy - God will protect and fight for His children like a warrior !

JOB 16:14b "He runs at me like a warrior"

Does it feel like God has left you?

HE IS ALWAYS RUNNING AFTER YOU!

Does it seem like God has left the driver's seat?

HE IS STILL THERE...THE ONLY ONE WHO SWITCHED SEATS WAS YOU!

It is my prayer that today you will accept God's love, protection and security. Your safety lies within His arms!

and that's a piece of my heart today!

Blessings, Laurie

WHERE DID I COME FROM? weekly devotion

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS WEEKS DEVOTION. IT IS MY PRAYER THAT YOUR HEART WILL BE CHALLENGED AND CHANGED AS YOU MEDITATE UPON THE WORD OF GOD!

I heard a story of a young girl who went up to her mother and asked, "Where did I come from?" The Mother feared this question for some time now, but had been preparing for it. She got out all the books she had been collecting for this "talk" and for the next hour she poured her heart out to her daughter of God's plan for marriage and children. When she finished, she looked at her daughter and said, "Now, does that answer your question?" The young daughter shrugged her shoulders and said, "Not exactly. Billy's mother said he came from Boston and I just wanted to know where I came from?

Sometimes a question has several answers! Last week in the YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the blog readers the following question..."Which Nationalities are included in your ancestry?" The following were the top 3 answers:

1. 68% of the readers polled said they were ENGLISH, IRISH OR SCOTTISH

2. 43% voted that they were EUROPEAN-FRENCH, GERMAN OR SWISS

3. 37% polled said they were NATIVE AMERICAN

For many of us, we can not narrow down who we are to one nationality. If you have done any kind of family tree investigation, you might have a good idea, but, do you really know who are you?

Jesus knew the ULTIMATE answers to some important questions about who He was.

JOHN 13:2-5

"Now by the time of supper, the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot's son, to betray Him. (3) Jesus knew the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. (4) So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel and tied it around Himself. (5) Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet and dry them with the towel tied around Him.

This scripture tells us...

- Jesus knew where He had come from (FROM GOD)

- Jesus knew where He was going (BACK TO GOD)

- Jesus knew what God had given Him (THE FATHER HAD GIVEN EVERYTHING INTO HIS HANDS)

Because Jesus knew the answers to these 3 important questions about Himself, He had a self-assurance that many of us do not have as His followers. Many times when we, as Christians, do not have this self-assurance, we feel we have to expend a lot of energy proving ourselves and our worth. Jesus did not need to do that; and because He didn't need to that, He was free to serve!

Considering this task of Jesus washing His disciples feet, I am reminded that normally it was the task of the servant of the household to lay aside his robe or outer garment, and take a towel and wash the dirty, smelly feet of visitors who had come in from their long travels. This was not a pleasant task, and without having self assurance a person considering performing this task might think, "People will think I am just a worthless slave! They will never again be able to feel like I am equal!"

NONE OF THAT SEEMED TO CONCERN CHRIST, BECAUSE HE KNEW WHO HE WAS!

The bookstores are loaded with self help books that are suppose to help us learn to live with more self assurance. But for Christians, a simplier and more reliable approach is to look at the example of Jesus Christ. Christ's servant leadership started with knowing who He was and that is a great place for you and me to start...

1. KNOW WHO YOU ARE
Self-assurance comes from knowing who we are. The most important key to knowing who we are is knowing WHOSE we are! Jesus knew. He knew He had come from God and was going back to God. He didn’t say He had come from Joseph and Mary or their home in Nazareth; or that He was going to Jerusalem to die. Those were His earthly perimeters. The most important thing He knew was that He had His origin and destination in God. That is true for us as well. In Christ we can know and understand that we do indeed have a Father who loves us and believes in us.

1 JOHN 3:1-2 “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (2) Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

2. KNOW WHAT GOD HAS PUT INTO YOUR HANDS

Part of the self-assurance that God can give us is recognizing that He has called us into ministry and we have all been given gifts through the Holy Spirit.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:7

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”

The Holy Spirit has given each of us gifts or talents to be used to minister to others. Some of us have more self-assurance than others. This does not mean that those with less self-assurance do not have a ministry or mission to accomplish.

Paul refers to this in verses 15 and 16 of 1 Corinthians:
“If the foot should say. ‘because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,’ in spite of this it still belongs to the body. And if the ear should say, ‘because I am not an eye, I don’t belong to the body.’ In spite of this it still belongs to the body.”

Paul was equating church members to body parts; to those that questioned their importance to the body Paul said that every part and every member has a role and a gifting from the Holy Spirit. So, true self assurance is knowing God has called us to a purpose or knowing what He has put into our hands!

3. DARE TO SERVE
The example that Jesus sets is first of all; we are called to serve God and secondly; we have a call to serve our brothers and sisters. Jesus humbled Himself to wash the feet of His disciples. To allow the Son of God to wash Peter’s dirty smelly feet must have brought a feeling of unworthiness to Peter. But the essence of the servant love that Jesus was showing was the WILLINGNESS to do the most humbling of tasks in order to serve and love people.

What task of servanthood have you been willing to do this week?

Do you have the self-assurance of whose you are?

It is my prayer that you will have a humble spirit as you strive to love and serve others this week!

Blessings, Laurie

*Please take time to vote in this weeks poll "as a young child, when your parent(s) had dinner guests, where did you have to sit?" Cast your vote on the sidebar of this blog. THANK YOU.

MEMORIAL DAY...thank you for the sacrifice!

TODAY IS MEMORIAL DAY...

thank you to all who have served our country and who have given their lives for our freedom.

A remarkable story about a marine who gave so sacrificially while serving our country was recently told on MSNBC. Sgt. Merlin German was burned over 97% of his body while serving over in Iraq. We hear about stories like this and stand in awe, but we don't realize that there are many stories like this one that we DO NOT hear about. To get a better understanding of the number of those who have given their lives recently, view this list of FALLEN. CLICK HERE

A SOLDIER IS WHAT HE WAS....

A SACRIFICE IS WHAT HE GAVE!

read Sgt. Merlin German's story

AND THEN PAUSE A MOMENT TODAY TO GIVE THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES AND THEN TAKE TIME TO SAY A SPECIAL PRAYER OF PROTECTION OVER THOSE WHO ARE CURRENTLY SERVING OUR COUNTRY.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Blessings, Laurie

*the weekly devotion will be posted on tuesday this week. Please check back tomorrow for it.