A PIECE OF MY HEART ... potatoes can be heavy!

Have you ever noticed how heavy a big bag of potatoes can be? This week as I picked up a bag, I was reminded of a experiment that I read about that a jr high teacher attempted...

The teacher asked her students to bring a clear plastic bag along with a sack of potatoes with them to class. Then, for every person that each student refused to forgive in life, they were to choose a potato and write their name and the date on the potato and place it in the clear plastic bag.

As you can imagine, some of the students bags became quite heavy. The teacher asked the students to carry their bag around with them everywhere they went for a week. They took it with them on the school bus, they placed the bags on their nightstands at night, the bags even went with them when they went to the mall.

It didn't take long before these bags of "potatoes" became a hassle to carry around. And it didn't take too much longer for some of the potatoes to begin to rot and become a nasty, smelly slime.

This teacher taught an awesome lesson here on what unforgiveness can do to someone. Not only does unforgiveness weigh us down (like the sack of potatoes), but before long, having unforgiveness in our heart towards others can begin to give out a bad odor, and become soft and funky looking much like a fungus.

MATTHEW 6:14 "If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Sometimes, we are like this story .... needlessly lugging around a sack of potatoes! This Thanksgiving week, I wonder if there is someone that you need to forgive? Why not extend the gift of forgiveness to someone and remember that carrying around potatoes can begin to get really heavy!

and that's a piece of my heart today;

How much do I trust Him?

TRUSTING GOD? The answer to that question is something that I have been searching for. Like many of you, I WANT to trust Him, but the question is HOW MUCH do I trust Him?

Did I trust Him recently when I had to rush my child to the hospital?
Did I trust Him when I had to take a cut in pay?

Will I trust Him when it looks like I won't have healthcare anymore?

Sometimes things around us just look bad. We wonder how in the world are we going to make it this year? this month? How are we going to make it thru this day! But I assure you ... God has a plan for our world and He has a plan for our lives!

He does not do things by accident, He is willful and intentional. Sometimes we cannot understand His purposes but that is because we are human and have limited understanding. But God ... He has unlimited power and in Him is where I place my trust!

"When we get to a place where it can't be done unless God does it, God WILL do it!" - Vance Havner

Are you worrying about something today?

Are you fearful of what is to come?

Trust God ... He is in control!

JOB 11:7-9 "Can you understand the secrets of God? His limits are higher than the heavens; you cannot reach them! They are deeper than the grave; you cannot understand them! His limits are longer than the earth and wider than the sea."

Part-time labor?

I am so fortunate to be self employed. One of the greatest perks of being my own boss is setting my own hours and working part-time while pulling a full-time paycheck. As much as I enjoy working part-time, following God is NOT a part-time lifestyle!

The Bible clearly teaches that we are to be cautious AT ALL TIMES because the devil looks for opportunities to devour us. (1 Peter 5:8) God gives us grace though to withstand the devil. He empowers us to be rooted, stay strong, be immovable and remain determined to face whatever may come our way. It is in His strength that we can become strong.

Part-time labor can be desirable but not in building the kingdom of God! May we not become weary of laboring for Him!

THANKFUL THURSDAY ... God's Word

I made a visit to our local Christian Bookstore this week and looked at Bibles. The shelves are full of all kinds of different versions of the Bible. King James, New King James, Standard, The Message, etc, etc. Being in the ministry, my husband and I are asked often what kind of Bible a new convert should purchase.

This isn't always an easy question to answer, especially since my husband comes from a strong family view that King James is the authorized Word of God. King James is what my husband likes to use but he also uses other versions when he is studying. I personally like to use the New King James, as it is written in a language that is much easier for me to understand than the old english.

We could argue all day which version is the best...but shouldn't the fact that the Word of God is being meditated upon and hidden in our hearts be the factor in this argument? When one prays the Romans Road to Salvation (3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9; 5:1), the version is not as important as the message contained in these verses. When these scriptures are believed, confessed and prayed ... you will be saved, not because of the kind of Bible you read but because God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He loves, He forgives, He is compassionate, He is everlasting, He is our Redeemer, He is our Comfort, He is the I am!

ISAIAH 55:11 "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (NKJV)

God's Word ... this is what I am thankful for today. It directs me, it leads me, it instructs me, it disciplines me, it molds me, it inspires me. Aren't you thankful that the message of the Gospel never changes?

Please visit Iris over at GRACE ALONE for todays THANKFUL THURSDAY.

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD ... the real deal!

That old saying is true..."to have a friend, you have to be one!" I have told my kids that a million times while they were going thru that tough "making friends" stage. Have you ever thought about this saying and what the idea behind it is?

I believe it is suggesting exactly what Jesus said in the book of Matthew: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it." (Matthew 16:25)

Growing up I had an imaginary friend. Don't laugh, I know some of you did too! Imaginary friends are great because they are exactly what you need a friend to be. They do what you want them to do. They are kind to you. They never leave you. They always protect you. As great as imaginary friends are, they are not real.

In last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question: "Which superhero did you most admire and want to be like when you were a child?" The top 3 answers were...

1. 25%  of those polled said that they admired Nancy Drew.
2. 25% of those voting said that they wanted to be like Superwoman!
3. 8% of the votes said that they admired Superman.

No matter what superhero we admired when we were growing up, they were not real. They may have been fast, powerful and invincible but they were not the real deal! The truest form of friendship that I have found, that has proven to not be fake or unreal is the friendship Jesus offers me. The popular christian song says ... "I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God ... He calls me friend!" What does a real friendship look like to you?

1. Does it reveal your thoughts and feelings?
Jesus did not hide anything from His followers. When He was angry with His followers, He let them know. I have found that if you cannot share your feelings with each other, it is difficult to be real friends.

2. Does it hide information?
Jesus did not hide information from His disciple friends. In Matthew 16:21, He warned them on 3 different occasions that He would face suffering and death in Jerasulem. I guess some people would have avoided sharing such unpleasant information, but Jesus wanted the disciples to prepare themselves.

3. Is it sacrificial?
John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, the he lay down his life for his friends." Isn't this exactly what Jesus did for you and for me? As Christ laid His life down for us, we too should be willing to lay our life down for our brothers. We may not literally die for them, but we may be required to give something up for them.

4. Does it lift up and encourage?
John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last." Are we just doing things to do things or are we contributing towards lasting contributions into this world? A real friend will encourage you in developing your talents and using them for Gods glory.

Today's society wants us to believe real friendships are like the ones on television, where "everyone knows your name". But truly the most important role model to follow when it comes to friendship is Jesus Christ, He IS the real deal!

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD is a blog post designated once a week to a personal study of mine. This week I have been challenged to seek out true friendships, the kind that are based on God's design and more importantly, to strive to be the kind of friend that God would be proud for me to be. I want to be the real deal to someone today. How about you?

A PIECE OF MY HEART...Say what you mean and mean what you say!

"Say what you mean and mean what you say!" - says Horton the Elephant.

When my son Jordan was very young, one of the things that he enjoyed was mommy reading to him. His all-time favorite book was a book about Horton the Elephant and a bird named Maizie. (Dr. Seuss "Horton hatches the egg") In fact, he would want me to read it so much that I finally tape recorded myself reading the book so when I was busy doing other things around the house, he could pop in the cassette tape and follow along with the book on his own.

Jordan is grown up now and in college. But he remembers that book very well, in fact when he graduated from high school, I found that book for him and we laughed and laughed about it. I am glad that Jordan still remembers those great times that we spent together reading that book, but I often wonder if he remembers the line in the book that Horton says over and over ... "Say what you mean and mean what you say!"

And more importantly, I wonder if Jordan ever considers what that means for christians today?

"Say what you mean and mean what you say?" God intends for His children to be men and women of their word. Integrity...this is what Horton the elephant was suggesting. And it is also what God expects.

JAMES 5:12 "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your 'Yes' be "Yes' and your 'No' be 'No', lest you fall into judgement."

There is nothing more that will hurt our testimony than if we are children of God who cannot keep our word. It doesn't take too many times before our integrity and our trust will be broken when we do not keep our word or fullfill promises that we make to others.

It is my prayer that when I say I will do something ... I will do it! And when I make a promise...I will do my best to fullfill it! And when I say yes ... I mean yes and when I say no...I mean no!

God is looking for some "Horton-like" Christians!

and that is a piece of my heart today;

Look before you leap!

Have you ever climbed a rockwall before? Every year, our church has a huge kids outreach and one of the things that we have is a rockwall for the pleasure of climbing. The goal is to start at the bottom and climb all the way to the top and ring the buzzer. It actually looks easier than it is. You have to be sure your footing is just so. And before you take each step, you must look ahead to see where you need to place your hands and your feet next.

Maybe you have heard the old saying, " Look before you leap". It may be an old saying, but a very fitting saying that applies to our lives. Before we jump into something, it is good to look ahead and plan. If we don't do this, many times we find ourselves sorry that we jumped.

Thinking ahead will lead us to making better choices. Especially in those important decisions of our life, impulsive behaviour is like dynamite to our future.

"There comes a time when we simply have to face the challenges in our lives and stop backing down." -JOHN ELDREDGE

Having wisdom is much like taking careful steps on that rockwall ... with each step we must carefully examine if the risk is worth taking or not. Committing each step to the Lord will bring us courage to put our future in His hands.

Are you ready to look before you leap?