Forgiving and forgetting

"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it." -Confucius

I read this the other day, and it struck a chord with me. How many times do we hold unto our hurt when we are wronged. We say we forgive, but we don't let it go. We often consciously remember and remember.
I once taught a teen class. We talked about temptation. It is not a sin to be tempted, but it can become a sin if you continue to dwell on it. If you continue to think about it being a temptation, and how hard it is that you are tempted, eventually you may give into it and commit sin. A young couple are sitting on a couch making out, and going a little to far. They feel they just cannot control themselves--sexual passions are just too high! ...and then the girl's father walks in!! They immediately make a conscious effort to control themselves!! We can control a lot more things than we think we can. We can make a conscious effort to put things that tempt us out of our mind--refuse to even think about how hard the temptation is and how you must not give into it---REFUSE TO EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. It does work.
The same principle can work with hurts too. First of all, it is Biblical.Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." How does he forgive us? He throws our sins that we have committed against Him in the sea of forgetfulness.(Jeremiah 31:34, "...for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.") That is how he forgave us, and how we are to forgive others. Paul says in Philippians 3:13,14, "I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward." (Amplified Version) Those hurtful things that were done to you that you say you have forgiven, have you made a conscious effort to forget? Yes, things will happen that will make it well up, and trigger your memories, and it can hurt, but it is then time to push it away again--again forgetting the things that are behind. Technically, yes, you remember it, but in a larger sense, you have forgotten it, because you made a choice too. This is true forgiveness, and in this brand of forgiveness, the wrong can become nothing!

Lessons from Jonah!

The storm raged, the ship pitched, and then voices intruded on Jonah's troubled dreams. "Sir! Sir! Wake up--we are all going to die!! How can you sleep?" Sleep fled as Jonah sat up and looked into the rough, unshaven faces above him. Dark rings encircled bloodshot eyes, and instantly he knew these men had been hard at work for sometime to save this wildly dipping ship that he was traveling on. How had he slept through this? He knew it had to be sheer emotional exhaustion. "What- what is it that I can do to help?" He asked hesitantly. " Pray to your God that He will save us. This storm has come out of nowhere!! There were no warning signs in the sky, and we have fought several hours to save this ship, man", they shouted above the noise of the tumult of the sky overhead, " We have all been praying, and our gods have not seen fit to save us. We must try your god too, for now the ship is creaking dangerously. If your god does not answer either, we must cast lots to see who it is that has sinned against his god, and why this evil has come against us!" Jonah ran a hand through his tousled hair, and then rubbed his long, Jewish nose as worry lines creased his forehead. He did indeed know why this evil had caused these men to be in danger. God had asked him to go to Nineveh and preach repentance of sin to the Assyrians there, and he, Jonah, known prophet of God, was fleeing from God. What a joke! A glimmer of a smile just barely tipped the corners of his lips--as if he could run from God!! Yet nearly as soon as the smile appeared, anger replaced it. Why would God ask him to go help these cruel enemies of his people! In the past there had been people God had just destroyed--why couldn't he do this now? Instead, He wanted Jonah to be untrue to his people, and go and preach repentance to these ungodly people who could very well put Jonah to death for preaching against their sins. At the very least, they would laugh at him-a well-respected man in his own nation. Then also, if by chance they repented under his preaching, he knew Jehovah God would show mercy on them. Jonah could not be an accessory to helping the Assyrians. Yet now God was punishing those around him for his disobedience. In that moment, Jonah knew in his heart of hearts he could not let these sailors be punished for his sins, and he knew at this point death was certain, so he made a decision. "Alas, my fellows, I must tell you a truth," he began, " I am the cause of this storm. I serve the one true and living God, Jehovah. He has called me to go on a mission that I do not want to go and do, so I have tried to flee. Yet He has found me here." Jonah swallowed a lump in his throat, and went on bravely. " You must get me off your ship and the storm will stop. Throw me overboard that you might not suffer because of my sin." Good men they were, and though they believed him, they could not bring themselves at first to throw this honest man over into the rampage of the storm's fury. However, when all else failed, there was naught one thing to do--toss Jonah, prophet of God, into the waves.

Jonah had thought when he was telling the men his story, he would rather die than go to Nineveh, but as the salty water splashed into his nostrils, and filled his throat, he was filled with fear. He wanted to live, yet was helpless. Yes, indeed the storm stopped immediately, but Jonah had not the slightest idea of how to swim, and he began to sink. In what he thought to be his last moments on this earth, as he was choking and feeling his life ebbing away, he felt a tremendous suction, as if he was being drawn into something. He could not get his eyes open in the water, so thought indeed it must be death! He felt himself swished unto a rough surface, very warm, and then felt the water ebbing away under his feet. The surface under him flexed, and suddenly he was another slippery journey, sliding down, down to a place that was unknown to Jonah. When the flexing motion stopped, and Jonah came to the end of his journey, he found himself in a hot, slimy place. The smell was atrocious. It smelled of perhaps decaying fish, and other unidentifiable substances. It took awhile for Jonah to come to his senses, and realize he was not dead. He was not even in hell. He opened his eyes and strained to see, but all he could see was pitch-black darkness . There was not a glimmer of light in sight. Noises were plentiful in this place--sort of like gurgling, swishing noises. He finally realized he must have been swallowed by a fish of some sort. Jonah felt death was even yet certain.

Three days he sat in the belly of that fish. The fish was alive and swam into the depths of the sea, yet Jonah, also alive, sat in utter darkness knowing death was eminent. There was no one to talk to, and it was horribly uncomfortable. The heat was almost unbearable, and the stench permeated every pore of his body. Bits broken down seaweed and fish clung to him, and every so often stomach acid would spray through the stomach chamber. It burnt Jonah's skin. Jonah felt, oh so alone. There was no-one that knew Jonah was even alive in the depths of the earth, so noone would try to help him. There was no chance noone could see him or even hear him. How could he have been reduced to such a sorry state?

Yet in his very aloneness, and the very depths of his despair, he realized he could be heard. He began to cry out to God. He began to repent and ask forgiveness. He began to worship God in that rank and desolate place. I quote Jonah's words, "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple." The same God that he could not run from, also found him here!! He was not alone!
The Bible says, "And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land."
Jonah had to have been quite a sight--his skin probably discolored, clothing in tatters(if indeed any were left), and his odor had to have been quite atrocious. I am sure it would have probably taken time for the smell to wear off, and his skin probably never recovered. But his soul was rejuvenated! He had been heard! He had come out of the most dire circumstances alive, and he was ready to make some changes in his life--he was ready to be obedient!
Of course, we do see in the life of Jonah that in the midst of his triumphants, he still had things to learn. Yet, we also a patient God who saw worth in Jonah, and kept working with him. Does this remind you of anyone?
We can learn so much from Jonah. We also get things set in our head, and get bull-headed. God continues to call us and work with us. And when we are in the lowest, darkest areas of our life, he still finds us, and he HEARS us. We each time might come out with some battle-scars, but we can also be more effective for God. Remember, He knows where you are, and he HEARS you!

Old methods of church growth outdated???

I have heard alot lately about how the times are changing, and if we are going to get people into the church, we must change too. It has been said how we must not let church traditions get in the way of growth. To an extent, I do agree with this, and it certainly sounds good on the surface.

Those who know me, know that I am a conservative Christian with dress standards. Let me make this plain right now, my salvation is not in my dress standards. You will not make it to Heaven by dressing different, or just changing the way you live. I believe in a heart religon--between God and you. You will make it to Heaven by asking Him for forgiveness for the things you have done wrong, and obeying him from there on--obeying what He tells you to do. Obedience to God is the key to the secret of Heaven's entrance.

In holiness churches, we also do somethings perhaps in someways different from more liberal churches. Somethings we begin to feel like somethings have to be or God cannot be there. In this context, I would agree with my first paragraph that we shouldnt let church tradition get in the way of growth. If God is in certain types of change, I am totally for it. So in our churches too, obedience to God is the key to growth.

Someone said we remember the great movings of God in the yesteryear, and we hear of them, and try to use the same methods as they used to make our churches grow today, and it doesnt work. It was said that we live in a new age, and must use new methods that appeal to people of today. Here is where I have my problem: the major reason for the great movings of God in the past, the major source of the great revivals, and major cause of church growth was PRAYER. I am sorry, friends, it is not outdated, and it STILL WORKS!! Your church may grow without it, but it will not grow spiritually. You can get people in with entertaining singing, extra fellowships and parties, maybe some video, etc..., but these things do not build spirituality. Prayer and obedience make powerful tools for the growth of a spiritual church.

If only people would learn to spend more time in prayer, our people would be more spiritual. As you grow more spiritual, you become more like God, and will "love everybody". People respond to love. The presence of God would reign in our services, and the true presence of God will never drive anyone away!! Love and His presence will bring the lost in.

What happened to the extra prayer meetings where people just prayed? What happened to those sweet times of prayer right in service where we were not in a hurry to get up?

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

Thy wings shall my petition bear

To Him whose truth and faithfulness

Engage the waiting soul to bless.

And since He bids me seek His face,

Believe His Word and trust His grace,

I’ll cast on Him my every care,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Prayer will NEVER BE OUTDATED. It fits perfectly with the times.

Hey everyone!! Long time, no write!! Been so busy....

The kids are working hard to finish school. That takes alot of time. We have been spending alot of time working on sign language too as there is a lady in nursing home we visit who is deaf. The kids have fell in love with her, and want to be able to talk to her more. Education is a busy business!!
In March, Daniel was in the hospital with pneumonia for a few days.

Rebekah went to a Gaither Vocal Band concert last night. She got a ticket for her birthday, and was totally thrilled with it. She throughly enjoyed herself, and here is few pictures of her with singers she likes.

Here is Rebekah and Michael English--the one that she was the most excited about seeing.

Here is Rebekah and my brother, Matthew with David Phelps.

....and with Wes Hampton.

Well am not in the mood to digress at this moment--just letting all know we are in the land of the living, and sharing the pics! Guess I will catch up on everyone else's blogs at this moment!! Adios!!

Making Pancakes

I got this in an email today and thought it was so good I would share it!


Making Pancakes
Six year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.
He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.
Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad.
He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn't know how the stove worked!. Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor.
Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.
And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon 's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him..
Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process!
That's how God deals with us.. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour.
Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.
But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes" for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried...

Last night

We had a nice evening last night. First of all, I have to admit--I didnt go to church, but that is not what made the evening nice!! I have arthritis in my joints. My elbows were hurting, and told hubby that I was dreading going out in the rainy weather, because I knew I would hurt all over then. He suggested I stay home. Well we had my brother and his wife, and a new friend we have over. I had calzones to eat, and had made pie the day before too. My brother who said he would only stay til 9, ended up staying til 10, and Mark was here til 12 something. It was very enjoyable for Shawn and I.
To be honest, we hardly ever have anyone over anymore except for family. When I went to the church I went to for 17 or 18 years, I used to have people over at least 2 or 3 times a week. Then we left, and have went from church to church, and have not been comfortable having alot of people over. The one pastor we had at the one church we attended became a good friend, and came over alot. We missed him alot when he moved away. This is so cool having a friend our age again. We can talk about anything, and can even have comfortable moments of silence! (And my kids like this guy even, and arent like "oh no" when he is coming over.)
We hit on some different topics that I would like to explore in this blog some more sometime. Well that is it for now. Later folks!!

Head Lice!!! AAAAA!!!

We were exposed to head lice, and Rebekah got them--and what a battle it has been!! What is sad is that the poor child was itching, and probably had them for a week before I found them. I didnt know what I was looking for, and she has always had a problem with dandruff....but I finally seen them on a Saturday night about 11:30 , so off Shawn went to Walmart! That night we were up til 4:00 treating them, and treating my head as a safety precaution (however, we have never found any on my head, and my mom searched me good!), and then on Sunday, I worked the most I ever had on a Sunday in my life washing bedding and chair covers, etc.... I even completely kept her home for a week so she wouldnt drop a egg I missed on someone else!--and then she treated her head again. We went about a week or so, and guess what??? I found a few nits on her head Friday night again!! Same rigamarole again except I did let her go to church this time as there wasnt many, and as I understand it several people in the church have been getting the nasty things!! Hopefully we got it all this time, as there wasnt many this time, and I found no visible lice.
Any problem I have, I usually research good so I know what I am dealing with. I did the same with head lice, so I want to impart a few facts. Head lice do not like oily, dirty heads--they like clean heads--it easier for them to hang on to the hair. I think where the rumour must have started is when alot of time poor people had them, and the problem was not having the money to treat them, or ignorance. Sorry--lice do not look at your pocketbook before they make a home in your hair!! Viable nits are usually brown, and the white or clear ones are empty shells where the louse has hatched and left. Lice do not jump from head to head, they crawl at the speed of about 9 inches a minute. The major thing you can do to get rid of lice is to comb and comb and comb to get the nits out. The expensive shampoos you buy kill lice but not the eggs! The eggs live for about 2-3 weeks, and that is why anywhere that your head is going to be near needs to be put under heat for about 20-30 minutes. Heat kills lice--water does not. That is why we run coats, bedding, hair things, etc... through the dryer. (I think that maybe where I went wrong--I forgot to do the coats and hats last time!!) It is possible that the mayonaise treatment and kerosene(which can be dangerous) might kill lice, but if you dont get the eggs out you will get them again!! I have heard so many things my whole life about lice and alot was not true, so I thought I would impart my knowledge to you!! lol!!
Wishing you good luck in your life that you will not get them!!