Trouble At The Inn

Merry Christmas!

I heard this story at a Christmas concert a few weeks ago, and thought it illustrated the meaning of Christmas really well.  Some of you may have already heard me tell this story since I used it in a devotion I gave last week, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

For years now, whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling.

Wally's performance in one annual production of the Nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty keeping up. He was big and awkward, slow in movement and mind.

Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wally would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important.

They'd find a way to keep him out, but Wally would hang around anyway—not sulking, just hoping. He was a helpful boy, always willing and smiling, and the protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. If the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would be Wally who'd say, "Can't they stay? They're no bother."

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the Christmas pageant, but the play's director, Miss Lumbard, assigned him a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally's size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town's yearly extravaganza of crooks and creches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stageful of squeaky voices.

No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn't wander onstage before his cue.

Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the innkeeper was there, waiting.

"What do you want?" Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

"We seek lodging."

"Seek it elsewhere." Wally spoke vigorously. "The inn is filled."

"Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary."

"There is no room in this inn for you." Wally looked properly stern.

"Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired."

Now, for the first time, the innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

"No! Begone!" the prompter whispered.

"No!" Wally repeated automatically. "Begone!"

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband's shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all others.

"Don't go, Joseph," Wally called out. "Bring Mary back." And Wallace Purling's face grew into a bright smile. "You can have my room."

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others—many, many others—who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

Wally had room in his heart for Jesus, the King of Kings.  Do you?

Published originally in Guideposts.  http://www.guideposts.org/hope-and-faith/true-meaning-christmas-pageant

Captured By Giant Despair Part 2 of 2

A few days ago we left Christian and his friend Hopeful in the dungeon of Doubting Castle.  They had been tempted to commit suicide but decided to continue to live the life that they had been given.  Let's pick up the story where we left off.

Toward evening the giant came down again to see if they had submitted to his counsel.  He found them alive, but only barely alive, for they were perishing for food and water, and suffering miserably from their wounds.  Seeing them still alive, the giant flew into a terrific rage, storming out at them:  "You have disobeyed my counsel!  Now it shall be worse with you than if you had never been born."

At his terrible words, they shook with fear, and Christian went into a swoon.  When he had come to himself again, they remembered their discussion about taking their own lives.  Christian was now inclined to favor the idea.  But Hopeful made a second plea:  "My brother, remember how valiant you were with Apollyon [Satan].  He could not defeat you, nor were you defeated by all you saw and heard in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  What hardships, terror, and amazement you have already come through!  And, you see, I'm in the dungeon too, a far weaker person by nature and experience than you, receiving the same punishment and suffering the same agony.  This giant has wounded me and has also cut off bread and water from my mouth.  And along with you, I mourn without the light.  But let us exercise a little more patience.  Remember how brave and strong you were at Vanity Fair.  You did not shrink from chains, or iron cage, or bloody death.  Then, let us (at least to avoid the shame of conduct unbecoming to Christians) bear up with patience as best we can.  Deliverance will come by and by."

That night the giant's wife asked him about the prisoners.  She wanted to know if they had taken his counsel.  "No," he said, "they are sturdy rogues.  They choose to bear all hardships rather than do away with themselves."

She replied:  "Tomorrow, take them into the castle yard and show them the bones and skulls of those you have disposed of and make them believe that before the week ends you will tear them in pieces, as you have done with all others."

So when morning came, he took them into the castle yard and showed them the skeletons of those he had murdered.  "Those," he said, "were once pilgrims like you.  They trespassed on my property, and when I saw fit I tore them to pieces, just as I will do to you within ten days if you remain alive on my premises.  Now go down to your dungeon and think it over."  With that he beat them all the way into the dungeon.  There they lay all day Saturday in a deplorable condition.

That night the giant remarked to his wife that he could not understand how his prisoners remained alive.  He had not been able by blows or threats or counseling to bring them to their end.

Then Gloom said, "I am afraid that they live in hopes that someone will come to their rescue; or they may have tools for picking a lock, thus hoping to get out."

"That is true," he said.  "In the morning I will search them."

About midnight Saturday night, Christian and Hopeful began to pray and continued until almost break of day.  Then Christian suddenly broke out in amazement, "What a fool!  What a fool I am to lie here in this stinking dungeon when I might walk free on the highway to glory!  I have a key in my bosom called Promise which I am sure will open any door in Doubting Castle."

Hopeful:  That is certainly good news, my brother.  Get out your key and try it.

Then Christian took the key of Promise and pushed it into the lock of the dungeon door.  The bolt fell back and the door came open.  They walked out into the castle.  Then they went to the door leading to the castle yard.  The key opened that door also.  Now they came to the great iron gate leading outside.  The lock to the gate was exceedingly difficult, yet they unlocked it and pushed the gate open to make their escape.  But the gate made such a creaking sound that it woke the giant, who jumped out of bed to pursue his prisoners.  Then he was seized by one of his fits and lost the use of his limbs.  The prisoners ran to the King's highway, where they were safely beyond Despair's jurisdiction.

From:  Pilgrim's Progress In Today's English
By John Bunyan
Retold by Jamesh. Thomas

Captured By Giant Despair Part 1 of 2

I was reading a fairly popular Christian book the other day called Pilgrim's Progress.  You have probably heard of it or even read it.  But, if you haven't read it, let me give you some background information.  The book is an allegory of the Christian walk.  It tells the story of a man named Christian and his many adventures and trials as he travels to the "Celestial City."  Below is an excerpt from the story that I thought might ring true with some of you.  Enjoy!

Not far from where they [Christian and his companion Hopeful]lay there was an old castle called Doubting Castle, owned by one Giant Despair; and it was on his grounds they were sleeping.  And, as his habit was, the giant rose early and was inspecting his grounds and fences after the rain when he came upon Christian and Hopeful sleeping on his premises.  With a gruff voice he told them to wake up, and commanded them to tell where they were from and what they were doing on his grounds.  They told him that they were pilgrims and had lost their way.

Then said the giant, "You have trespassed on my property this night; therefore, you must come along with me."  They were compelled to go, because he was much stronger than they.  They had but little to say in their defense, for they knew they were at fault.  The giant drove them before him into his castle and put them in a very dark dungeon--a nasty, stinking place.  There they lay from Wednesday until Saturday night without food or water and without a ray of light or anyone to console them.  They were in a pitiful plight, far from friends and acquaintances.  Now Christian had double sorrow, because it was his ill-advised hasty decision that had brought them into all this trouble.

Giant Despair had a wife whose name was Gloom.  So when he had gone to bed, he told his wife he had taken two prisoners and locked them in the dungeon for trespassing on his property, and asked her what he ought to do with them.  After he had told her what they were, where they were from and where they were going, she advised that when he arose next morning he should beat them unmercifully.  When he got up next day he took his knotted, crabtree club and went down to the dungeon.  First, he berated them shamefully as if they had been sheep-killing dogs (they never returned an unkind word), then he fell upon them and beat them severely  They were helpless to resist or to ward off his blows.  Then he left them in the dark to pity themselves and mourn in agony.  They spent the whole day sighing and groaning.

The next night Gloom advised her husband to induce the men to do away with themselves.  So when morning came, he went down in a very ugly mood and said to the pilgrims:  "Since you will never get out of here alive (I will never give you anything to eat or drink, and the only possible way of escape from your miseries is to end your own life--either with knife, or rope, or poison), then would it not be smart to take the quick way out of your suffering?  For why should you choose to live, seeing life holds nothing for you now but extreme bitterness?"  Yet they pleaded with him to let them go.

At that he rushed upon them and would have beaten them to death, but he had one of his fits and lost the use of his arm for the moment.  So he withdrew and left them to consider what he had told them.  Then the prisoners consulted each other as to whether it was best to take his advice or not.

Christian:  Brother Hopeful, what shall we do?  The life we now have is extremely wretched.  For my part I know not whether it is best to live like this far a time, then starve to death, or be beaten to death by this brutal man, or to die now and get out of it.  Surely the grave is desired rather than this dungeon.

Hopeful:  Well, of course, our present condition is intolerable, and death would be far better to me than to spend the rest of my days in this place--whether they be many or few.  But let us consider that the Lord of the country to which we are going has said, "Thou shalt do no murder."  Not only are we forbidden to kill another person; much more are we forbidden to kill ourselves.  For he that kills another kills only bis body, but he who kills himself kills body and soul.  And you talk of ease in the grave, but have you forgotten the Hell to which all murderers go?  For you know that "no murderer hat eternal life."  And let us consider again that all the law is not in the hands of Giant Despair.  Others, I understand have escaped out of his hands.  Who knows but that God, who made the world, may cause the Giant to die, or that at some time or other the Giant may forget to lock us in, or in a short time he may have another of his fits and lose the use of his limbs?  And if that should ever happen again, I am determined to act the part of a man and do my utmost to break loose from him.  I was a coward when I did not do it before.  However, my brother, let us be patient, and endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ [2 Timothy 2:3], at least for a while.  The time may come when we will receive a happy release.  Anyway, let us not be our own murderers.

With those words, Hopeful succeeded in stabilizing the mind of his friend.  So they waited in the darkness another day in their pitiful state.

And so we leave Christian and Hopeful in the dungeon of Giant Despair.  Don't miss the end of their story coming this weekend!

A Calling From God

Some of you know that in the summers I work at a day camp at a church near me called Camp Agape.  I love working there, and every summer God uses my experiences there to grow and stretch my faith.  As the summer came to an end, I realized that I would have to go back to "real life."  Being in such close fellowship with so many other Christians and working together with them almost every day for ten weeks not only builds close relationships, but it is such an encouragement when you are constantly surrounded by other teens who are seeking to be Christlike.  As you can probably imagine, it is very hard to leave this atmosphere and go back to the "real world" where not everyone is a Christian and not everyone is trying to live a life that is pleasing to God.

As I was anticipating this transition, I began to look for ways that I could become more actively involved in ministry during the year.  I quickly came to realize that in order for me to take on any type of regular ministry commitment during the year I would have to cut my youth orchestra program out of my schedule.  I love music and I love being able to make music every Saturday with other teenagers, so I really didn't want to give it up!  As I was thinking about this, I talked it over with my sister.  In her logical, left-brained way, she explained to me that God had given me the ability to make beautiful music.  She said to me, "If God gave you the gift of music, you should use it!  He didn't give it to you without a reason."

Eventually, I came to realize that God had given me a huge mission field at my youth orchestra program!  The percentage of Christians there is very low, and being a pretty extroverted person I know a lot of people and have many opportunities to share the Gospel with people.  I am still in youth orchestra, and I have been able to have some really neat conversations about God with people!  It isn't always easy to stand up for what I believe in, but saying Romans 1:16 to myself reminds me that I do not need to be "ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."  I have begun to view my orchestra program as a wonderful way for me to shine the light of Christ.  It has become my mission field.  Even though I am too young to become a full-time missionary at this point, I can still share Christ with those around me.

Where is your mission field?

You might be thinking, "Oh please, I am not the missionary type.  Being a missionary isn't my calling!  I don't have a mission field."  I hate to break it to you, but there is no such thing as a "missionary type."  Also, we are all called to preach the Gospel "to all creation."  (Mark 16:15)  Now you are probably thinking, "Okay.  Fine.  Whatever.  I am too young to be a missionary anyways."  1 Timothy 4:12 says "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."  You aren't too young!

Did you know that you don't have to go to a faraway country to be a missionary?  You can share the Gospel with the people next door if that is where God has called you right now.  Right now, God has placed me in my youth orchestra program to share the Gospel with those around you.  He may have you in a certain place or situation so that those around you can hear the Gospel.  God can use anyone in any situation!

I challenge you to spend some time praying and asking God to show you where He would like you to "be a missionary,"  and then find your mission field and get to work!  God is calling you.  How will you answer Him?  

A New Look at Thankfulness

As I was attending my church's Thanksgiving service last night, we sang a song that really made me reflect on some of the ways that God works in our lives.  A few lines of the chorus  were a great reminder to me of the choice we have in our reactions to various circumstances in our lives.

He gives and takes away
He gives and takes away
My heart will choose to say
Lord blessed be your name

1 Chronicles 29:11 says, "Yours, Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours."  So often we feel entitled to the things we have on earth.  As this verse says, everything is God's, He has given us the use of all of the things we have here on the earth.  We should be thankful for the many ways that God has blessed us!  Sometimes, God chooses to take away some of those earthly possessions that He has "loaned" to us and we react with anger at God because we felt entitled to those possessions.  If we know that God has temporarily blessed us with those possessions, why do we feel entitled to them?  Why aren't we thankful for the blessing that those things were while the were "on loan" to us?

Did you know you have a choice about how you react to things?  There is not a prescribed griping formula to follow when things don't go as planned.  You don't have to be angry!  You can still choose to praise the Lord even when not everything seems to be going well.

Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."  So often we think that God only gives us good things and and that anytime something bad happens to us, He is probably punishing us.  What if we changed our thinking and were thankful for the bad things that happen to us?  A lot of times, God is trying to teach us a lesson when something bad happens.  Sometimes having something bad happen is the only way that we will pay attention and turn to Him.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you."  God will never do anything to harm you--only to teach you and to show you His love for you!

God gives and takes away.  I challenge you this Thanksgiving to take time to not only be thankful for the many ways that God has blessed you, but also for the hard times and the things that you have learned (or will learn) through them.    

23 Years...

Tomorrow is my parent's twenty-third wedding anniversary!  It isn't a super special number anniversary like 25 or 50, but it represents so much.  Well, the obvious one is that 23 years ago my parents were married.  They made a lifelong covenant before God and witnesses to love and to serve one another for the rest of their lives.  Their anniversary also marks a half-way point in both of their lives.  My parents have been married to each other for half of their lives (give or take a few months).  Not only that, but they have raised three kids and been teachers and examples to countless other people through the years they have been married and the years before they were married.

Why does their marriage mean so much to me?

First of all, if they hadn't gotten married, I wouldn't be here.  I also wouldn't have had my two siblings who have taught me so much.  (They have taught me things ranging from how to hold my violin to how to get a hair clip out of the toilet without getting your hands wet!)  I am so thankful that God chose to put me into this family!  He has blessed me in so many ways because of my parents!

Secondly, they have taught me so much about life, music, and what it means to be a follower of Christ.  By their words and their example, they have taught me practical skills such as how to load a dishwasher or how to pound a nail into a board.  But, most importantly, they have taught me what it means to be a Christian--not just in name, but in life!

In today's culture, divorce is a common part of life.  Probably all of us know someone who has been through a divorce or we may have even been involved in one ourselves.  I have been blessed to be a part of a marriage where my parent's commitment and love for each other is so evident.  If any of you have met my parents, you have probably seen this for yourself!  My parents are such an incredible of what a healthy and Godly marriage looks like and I am so blessed to have their example in my life!

I thank God for my parents and all they have done for me!  I love you Mom and Dad!

He Knows My Name

We can all use some reminders of the love that God has for us, so as I was thinking about the next blog post I should write this song came to mind.  This song is a great reminder of God's never ending love for each of us.  Nothing that we have done or ever will do will make Him love us any less.  That doesn't mean that He approves of our sin just because He loves us.  But, because He loves us, He is willing to forgive our sins.  As you read through the lyrics of this song, don't do it mindlessly!  Let it be a reminder of God's presence in your own life and reflect on the many ways that He has changed you.  

I have a Maker
He Formed My Heart
before even time began
my life was in his hands

He knows my name
he knows my every thought
he sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

I have a father
he calls me his own
he'll never leave me
no matter where I go

He knows my name
he knows my every thought
he sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

He knows my name
he knows my every thought
he sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

Don't ever forget how much God cares for you!  Even before you were created or knew Him, He loved you and had a plan for your life.  While you may not always be able to understand His plans for you, you can trust that He knows what is best and would never do anything to harm you.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.  "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you."  It is easy to lose your focus on God--especially when all of the earthly worries that we all carry seem to get so great that God gets blocked out.  When God feels far away, take some time to call on His name.  Psalm 55:16-17 says, "As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.  Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice."  He hears you when you call!  Do you need to spend some time calling on the name of your maker?

Maranatha Singers - He Knows My Name
http://www.metrolyrics.com/he-knows-my-name-lyrics-israel.html 

Spiritual Gifts

Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking/reading/talking about spiritual gifts.  I had never spent much time thinking about them until I had a question in my AWANA book that made me begin to ask some more questions about spiritual gifts and try to dig deeper into their use.  After some interesting discussions with some friends of mine and my parents along with some of my own research, I decided it was time to write a blog post about some of the conclusions that I came to.

What is a spiritual gift?
A spiritual gift is a special talent that God gives to believers.  It is something that they are good at doing.  The Bible lists several different spiritual gifts which can be classified into three different categories.  1.  Prophetic Gifts  (Anything that involves teaching, encouraging, exhorting, or rebuking others.)  2.  Priestly Gifts  (Include anything that involves showing mercy and caring for those in need or interceding before God.)  3.  Kingly Gifts  (Involve anything having to do with administration or government or order in the church.) A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church.

Who gets spiritual gifts?
When a person believes in the Lord Jesus as their savior, they are given a spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit.  Each person is given at least one gift that they are supposed to use in the ministry of the church.  Someone asked me about non-believers who exhibit some of the same spiritual gift-like abilities such as prophecy.  I believe that someone who is prophesying without the power of the Holy Spirit is doing so through the power of Satan.  I would consider these people to be false prophets.  Matthew 7:15 says, "Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."

What are we supposed to do with spiritual gifts?
Spiritual gifts are given to equip the church to carry out its ministry until Christ returns.  The gifts that God has given are designed to be used for the edification of the church members.  1 Corinthians 12:18-20 says, "But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body."  This chapter of 1 Corinthians uses the human body as an analogy for spiritual gifts and the church.  If everyone had the same gift, we would be lacking some essential parts of a healthy church.  If everyone had the gift of teaching, everyone would teach and there would be no one to listen.  If everyone had the gift of leadership, no one would follow and there would be a lot of resulting dissension in the church.  Each of us is called to use and to develop the gift that God has given us within the church for the glory of God.

This is by no means a complete discussion of spiritual gifts and their uses, but hopefully you will have a better idea of what a spiritual gift is and how we are supposed to use them.  If you have questions about spiritual gifts (or anything else) please don't hesitate to contact me at sistersinchrist.girlz@gmail.com  If you are interested in finding out what spiritual gifts you might have, click on this link!  http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/tests

Some excerpts taken from Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
Thanks to my friends Cody and Olivia for discussing this topic with me.

Reaching Out

The phrase "reaching out to people" is kind of a "church word."  We use the phrase all the time, but how often do we actually reach out to people?  What does that even mean?  Who is supposed to do the reaching?

I have recently discovered that it is not my job to wait around and wait for people to reach out to me.  For years, I went to my church every Sunday and waited for people to reach out to me.  I did my share of trying to start conversations here and there, but I never tried very hard to befriend anyone because I was a new-comer and figured that it was their job to befriend me.

After waiting for the past several years for people to try to get to know me, it was time for me to start trying to get to know them.  I don't have any really close friends at church, but I am getting to know some of the younger girls.  I have had the privilege of becoming (unofficially) a "table leader" in my Sunday school class.  What this means is that I am able to be a part of these girls lives every Sunday morning.  I love teaching and pouring into younger kids, and I am able to do both of those things by being a table leader.

I remember very clearly the first girl that ever talked to me at church.  I was in the third grade and had been going to my new church for at least a month before any of the girls approached me.  It made a huge impression on me for this girl to talk to me because I had been so lonely before.  Remembering the way I felt so many times when I had no one to talk to on Sunday mornings, I have begun to seek out those with no one to talk to.  It is amazing the effect you can have on someone with such a small effort.  I love making people's days by just a few simple words and a smile.  I hope that I can make an impression on someone by taking the time to talk with them for a few minutes.

I have been amazed at the way my outlook has changed because of the way that my actions and attitudes have changed!  My eyes have been opened to some of the work that God has been doing in my life, and guess what!  I have started to get to know some young people at my church!  I hope that God will use me in the lives of others around me because of the new attitudes that He has given me.

So, what does it mean to reach out to people?
Do what it takes to get them involved!  Don't let people sit there on the sidelines and be too cool to talk to them.  You never know when a few simple words can make someones day.  It might even make your day if you take the time to show some of Christ's love to someone!

Who should reach out to people?
You should!  If everyone sits around waiting for someone else to reach out to them, then no one will reach out to anyone.  Take that step and reach out to someone around you.  Ask them about their day.  Give them a hug.  It can even be as simple as giving someone a smile.  It isn't hard!  Sometimes, it really doesn't take much to show someone the love of God.

I challenge you to ask God how He wants you to reach out to the people around you.  Not only will it encourage that person, but you never know, you may learn something from the experience!

Hard Lessons

For those of you that don't know, I play the violin.  I have played for the past six years and have become very involved with my youth orchestra program as well as occasionally playing at my church and special events.  I started playing because I saw my sister (who is an incredible musician) playing the violin.  I used to like to copy everything she did because I looked up to her so much.  (It has taken me years to admit that I copied her in everything, so if she is reading this she is probably doing a happy dance...)  Coming from a musical family where music education is a priority, I have been playing music in various forms for the past ten years of my life.  Naturally, I loved playing the violin even though I sometimes hated to practice.  Even so, I practiced every single day for the next 4 1/2 years.  

Last fall, I finally decided that I was ready to "be serious" and practice a lot so that I could actually become a decent violinist.  I began to double my practice time in order to achieve this goal.  And then one day shortly after Thanksgiving last year, I suddenly got a shooting pain in my hand as I was playing.  At first, I didn't think much of it.  I took a break from my playing and then went back to it later that day, but my hand still hurt.  I had never had much pain when I was playing, so this was a new experience for me.  Over the next two days, the pain seemed to move up my arm.  I began to get scared because it didn't seem to be going away.  I Googled tendonitis and "internet diagnosed" myself with tendonitis.  (Tendonitis is caused by the tendons in your arm/hand/etc becoming inflamed.)  

I knew from other contacts that had had tendonitis that it can affect your playing abilities for the rest of your life and in some cases prevent you from being able to continue playing your instrument.  At this point, I began to freak out a little.  I couldn't give up playing my violin!  I loved it, and besides, I had a lot of performances coming up that I couldn't miss!  The next step was to go to the doctor to have my hand looked at.  Unfortunately, the doctor wasn't helpful at all!  All he could do was compare it to sports injuries.  He told me to take a few days off from playing and then I would be fine.  I was pretty frustrated.  I knew from many sources that if I kept playing, the pain would only get worse and eventually I would permanently injure myself.

I could give you all of the other details and tell you about all of the physical pain that my hand caused me, but that would take too long and you probably don't want to hear any more boring details of my injury.  So, what is the point of this blog post then?  Well, I wanted to share a really importance lesson with you that I learned because of my tendonitis--a lesson that I am still learning day after day.

As I struggled with the physical pain of my tendonitis, I also struggled with a lot the of questions and emotional pain that it caused me.  I knew that God had given me the gift of music.  I am not an incredible violinist, but I love music!  God gifted me with the ability to to glorify him with my violin playing.  All this I knew, but what I didn't understand was why He would take that away from me?  Why would God allow me to get an injury that would hinder my violin playing?  I thought God wanted good things for me?  I didn't have answers to these questions.  I couldn't figure out the "Why," and so for days I swirled them around in my brain.

At some point, I came to a point of grudging acceptance of my injury.  It wasn't going away, and I was doing the best I could to take care of it.  I had never realized what an outlet for my emotions my violin was until I had it taken away from me. I struggled with not being able to play as much as I wanted to and having to drop out of some performances because of my hand.  

But, God wasn't looking for grudging acceptance of the situation.  He was looking for total and complete trust in Him whether or not I liked the situation that He had put me in.

After a period of just shoving the emotions away so I wouldn't have to deal with them, I started to view them from a new perspective--the God perspective.  Slowly, I began to realize that I had been viewing my music from the wrong perspective.  I had been thinking of my music as my ability, my gift, my talent, my hobby.  But, it wasn't my music or my ability or my gift--it was all a gift that God had given to me and I needed to start treating it like that.  Once I began to view music as my gift from God, it was easier to let it go and allow Him to work things out.  He had given it to me, and if He thought it necessary, He could take it away.

Once I had my perspective on that issue worked out, I had an answer to my question, "I thought God wanted good things for me?"  He does want good things for me because He loves me very much.  But, sometimes those good things come in the form of lessons that He has to teach us.  Those lessons are sometimes hard or painful to learn, but they are important and God always knows what is best for us.  (Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you a future and a hope.")  

Eventually, I came to terms with my injury because I trusted in God's sovereignty (His authority over everything).  Some days were still really hard, but I always came back to God's sovereignty and love for me.  He would never do anything to hurt me, only to teach me.

You might be thinking, well that's great, she learned about God's sovereignty, but can she still play her violin?

Yes!  I can play, and through God's provision and guidance I have begun a slow (but sure) healing process for my hand.  I am having to retrain a lot of my playing habits--which is a pain--but my hand doesn't hurt like it did before and I know I am on the road to a full recovery.  At times it is still frustrating, but I still see God's hand at work in my life.  I trust that God has the best plan for my life.  He can see it all when I can only see my immediate concerns.  I trust in His love and sovereignty and I am eternally grateful for all of the things He has been teaching me!

Even A Child...

Proverbs 20:11 says, "Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright."

When I was younger, this verse was quoted a lot in my house.  It was a reminder to my parents that their children would be known by their actions, but it was also a reminder to my siblings and I that people would come to know us by the way we acted.  This is kind of a scary thought!

Have you ever noticed a kid who misbehaves and wondered what kind of parents he/she has?  Maybe you have "passed judgement" on that kid's parents and labeled them "bad parents."  I know I have.  When someone mentioned that kid, did you think of all of his/her misdeeds?  I have been in that situation many times, and sometimes I wonder if people ever labeled my parents "bad parents" because of the way I acted.

I want to caution you about this verse.  Don't read the verse and think that is okay to judge kids and their parents by their actions because the Bible says we will know them by their acts.  Yes, you will know them by their acts, but you can still love them like Christ would.

Guess what!  Teenagers and adults are also known by their actions!  Your actions at home and in public will be associated with your name.  Be careful what you do because even when you think no one is watching, you can be sure that God sees everything.

This post is not meant to scare you!  On the contrary, it is meant to encourage you to act in a Christ-like way all of the time--not just when you think someone is watching.  Here is my question for you.  What are you known for?

Beneath the Cross

I came across this song while playing the piano today and I began to reflect on the words of the song and the impact that they have had on my life.  I hope that these words will be a reminder to you today of the incredible gift that we have been given.

               Beneath the cross of Jesus

               I find a place to stand,

               And wonder at such mercy

               That calls me as I am;

               For hands that should discard me

               Hold wounds which tell me, "Come."

               Beneath the cross of Jesus

               My unworthy soul is won.

"Beneath the Cross of Jesus I find a place to stand..."  

Jesus is my rock and my salvation.  He gives me the strength to stand tall even when I think I can't keep standing.

"And wonder at such mercy that calls me as I am..."

In God's wondrous mercy, He called me to himself just as I am.  A sinner.  But, because of His grace, I have been forgiven and have new life in Christ!

"For hands that should discard me hold wounds which tell me, 'Come...'"

The hands of Jesus should have discarded me along with the rest of sinful humanity, but He chose to die for me.  Now His wounded hands give testimony to the fact that He loved me so much He chose to die in my place.

"Beneath the cross of Jesus my unworthy soul is won."

I am so unworthy of His perfect love, but He has won my soul.  I have given my whole life over to Jesus, and now I daily strive to live for Him.

"I'm so unworthy, but still You love me."  (Phil Wickham - Cannons)

Take some time to reflect on what Jesus did on the cross for you.  Even though we are not worthy of His love, He chose to love us anyway.

Beneath the Cross

by: Keith and Kristyn Getty

With All Your Heart

Right at the beginning of the summer, the little sister of a friend of mine was killed in a horrific accident while camping with some of her family members.  While I had not known the young girl, I struggled with some of the typical "Why" questions after the accident.  Being a very empathetic person, I also felt much grief for my friend's family.  

This summer, I spent a lot of time working at a day camp at a church near me.  I love working there, and it is one of the highlights of my year!  One of the things I love most about that camp is the people that I work with--they never fail to encourage me and show God's love to me.

During the course of the summer, a good friend of mine who was working at the camp with me gave me a note with the verse Proverbs 3:5 written on it.  The verse says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."  Little did I know how much that verse would encourage and challenge me during the course of summer.

This all happened shortly before my friend had encouraged me with Proverbs 3:5.  In looking back, I began to realize that I wasn't always going to understand some things in life.  I would have learn to go through life sometimes with trust in my Lord as my only companion.  It was time for me to learn to lean on God instead of my own fallible human wisdom.

Throughout the course of the summer, God tested my resolution to trust in Him and lean on His understanding.  I was struggling to understand why God had placed me in certain situations and why things seemed to not work as I was hoping.  It was a painful and emotional time for me.  But, each time I began to struggle inwardly with my emotions, I returned to the verse that my friend had given me.  I was always reminded to trust and lean on Him who gives me strength.

While it was a trying time for me, I came through it with renewed strength and trust in my Lord.  He taught me to quit leaning on my own human understanding and to trust in the Lord.  Little did my friend know, but he had helped to teach me a very important lesson with that one verse.

When you get discouraged and you go through rough times, look back at Proverbs 3:5 and be reminded that we are leaning on God's strength and not our own.  Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart!

    

You've Been Remade

As I was laying in bed one night, a few lines of a song by Tenth Avenue North came into my head.
                
                You are more than the choices that you make.
                You are more than the sum of your past mistakes.
                You are more than the problems that you create.
                You've been remade.

As I lay there, I began to contemplate what those words mean for you and I.  Do the choices that we make determine who we are?  Do our past mistakes ever get to be so great in number that we can no longer be forgiven for them?

So many of us know the verse, Romans 3:23, that says, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  This is often interpreted to mean that there is nothing we can do about our sin and we will be forever separated from God.  Yes, that is true; our sin separates us from God.  But, God offers us forgiveness through His son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save us from our sins.

While we all probably memorized Romans 3:23 as little kids, not as many of us are familiar with the next verse.  It says, "and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ."  Those two verses (3:23-24) acknowledge that we have all sinned, but they also point out that we can be redeemed from our sin by Jesus Christ.

No matter how big or terrible you think your sin is, God is bigger, better, and more powerful.  All you need to do is call on the name of the Lord, and He will save you from your sin.  "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  (Romans 10:13)

Don't delay forgiveness another moment!  God is waiting and ready to forgive you if you ask.  He will make you into a new person.  Then you can say, "I've been remade!"

Based on the song:  "You Are More," by Tenth Avenue North
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtcwQwgdsA

Transformation

There’s a high possibility that you looked at the title and thought,

“What in the world is this post going to be all about?!”

I am talking about when we fully become the person God created us to be.

Take for example a butterfly. When the beautiful butterfly hatched did it look the same as it does now? No, it was a small larva, and after a while it transformed into that beautiful butterfly.

Just like a butterfly, we all have a time when we grow and prepare to become the women God created us to be!

During out time as a “larva” we need to stay focused on the plan God has for us and continue to grow, so that one day we will no longer be that “larva” but we will become a beautiful butterfly.

There will be a time of waiting, we will not be a “larva or a butterfly. During that time God will slowly be changing us. Just like the cocoon stage of a butterfly’s life, we have that transformation stage.

Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t transformed yet. “Don’t worry, God’s timing for you is different.” In your own time you will become the person God the creator of the universe created YOU to be.

Quote by Jan Karon; in her book, “The Trellis and the Seed.”

By: Guest Writer, Maria Louise
romans15v13.blogspot.com

Being Unashamed of the Gospel

Sorry that I haven't gotten around to posting on here in a while.  It was a crazy summer for me, but God did a lot of work in my heart.  I will hopefully get around to posting some of that stuff on here soon.  For now, I wanted to share with you an article by Leslie Ludy that I read recently.  I hope you enjoy it!

BEING UNASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

I will never forget the moment when, as a young married couple, my husband and I were faced with an extremely socially awkward situation.  We were visiting friends we hadn’t seen in several years, and someone suggested that we all watch their family’s favorite movie.  But as soon as the opening scene began, Eric and I knew it wasn’t the kind of movie we should be watching.  Within the first five minutes, we were totally uncomfortable, stealing sideways glances at each other and silently trying to figure out what we should do.  We knew that to suddenly get up and walk out of the room (or ask our hosts to turn the movie off) would likely cause our friends to be offended.  But to stay and subject ourselves to an hour and a half of profanity and perversion would be dishonoring to God.  And yet, we just couldn’t seem to bring ourselves to take the uncomfortable step of getting up and walking out of that living room, so we stayed put.

Later that night, we reflected together about the situation, feeling slimed and frustrated.  Why hadn’t we taken a stronger stand?  Why hadn’t we been willing to risk our reputation for the sake of God’s glory and the protection of our own consciences?

After prayer and reflection, we realized that it really all came down to fear.  Fear of what they would think of us if we lived out our convictions in front of them.  Fear that our friends would mock or criticize our “unreasonable” Christian standards.  We had placed our “fear of man” above our fear of God. 

Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”   We had allowed the fear of man to bring a snare into our souls.  We had approached the entire situation with an attitude of fear instead of faith, and as a result we missed a valuable opportunity to demonstrate God’s nature to our friends, and to protect the purity of our hearts and minds in the process.

When you spend time around people who don’t understand or support your personal convictions, it can be tempting to believe that you must look for subtle ways to compromise your standards or conceal your true beliefs in order to avoid being mocked or criticized.  But as a set-apart young woman, you must ask God for the courage to be different, even when it’s uncomfortable.  As Leonard Ravenhill wrote, “He [or she] who fears God, fears no man.”

The most important principle for living set-apart among ungodly friends is putting your relationship with Christ first—always.  When we try to protect our popularity by dishonoring Jesus, we accomplish nothing other than to impede our own soul and hinder our intimacy with Christ.  Not to mention that when we compromise, we can’t truly point others to Jesus Christ.  Our participation in their ungodly activities only helps justify the ungodly choices they are making, instead of bringing them to a place of conviction and grief over their sin.  But when we consistently live out uncompromising Truth with gentleness, humility, and respect, we can set the stage for God to do a mighty work of grace in our friends’ lives.

Show by your life and example that you are unashamed of the Gospel of Christ.  Your friends may not always appreciate it, but God will honor you as you choose to honor Him (see 1 Samuel 2:30).  And your uncompromising stand for Truth may be the very tool that God uses to eventually draw their hearts to Him.

http://setapartgirl.com/leslie-ludy/blog/09-17-14/being-unashamed-gospel