Under God or Gone Under

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” - 2 Cor. 3:17

During this election year we are bombarded with information we are uncertain whether to believe. Many voters only care to hear about which politician will service their needs the most.
   Our economy is topsy-turvy with our national debt over $15 trillion and our beautiful Midwestern states find themselves fighting to keep their livestock and livelihood while battling the largest drought of over 50 years. California right now is fighting a massive forest fire.
   There is a battle going on all across our beloved country - a battle between Christianity and secularism, between believers and non-believers. “. . . against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)

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Putting your neck on the line

Dear Mr. or Mrs. Turkey,

I apologize in advance for your fate. First of all because you have spent the last three months in my freezer since I chose not to use you during typical turkey devouring season. Secondly, because you like many things became an experiment today. You see, my bachelor’s degree is in chemistry, and I like to experiment, since I no longer have a lab to do so in and stay home with children and teach. So please forgive me for cooking you in my crock pot, for not knowing how to remove the giblets, or where your neck is stored. Believe me, this is much more traumatic for me than it is for you. I am a recovering vegetarian.

Sincerely,

The Chef

P.S. Please excuse my husband when he carves you. If I have left anything by mistake, it may surprise him and cause his knife to slip unexpectedly.

I want to live with reckless abandon, to show the Lord, that I can live a life fully devoted for Him without regards for the worldly consequences for Him. And, in my thirty-first year on this earth, I seem to be going through a midlife crisis (hope it’s my first). I have teased about a nose-ring, pink hair, and packing a bag and leaving for weeks on end to somewhere tropical.

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Remember when?

There was a time in my life when, like Narnia frozen in 100 years of winter, my life felt shrouded in perpetual darkness. We've all been there, that place where life is in crisis mode and our prayers bounce back from the ceiling. We wonder, "Why is this happening to me?" and "When is it going to end?"  
   Perhaps you even waiver in your faith. I did. It took nearly ten years before the darkness melted away. I was tempted many times to turn away from God, but the thought of eternity in hell prodded me to hold on. My faith in God had taken a terrible beating. I often tempered my prayers with "God, help my unbelief" (see Mark 9:24).
   Like King David, when God seems more distant than the stars, we have to encourage ourselves through the dry and difficult times. But how do we do that?

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In control

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry?  Why are you looking so sad? Do what is right. Then you will be accepted. If you don't do what is right,  sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It longs to have you.  But you must rule over it." ~ Genesis 4:6-7 (NIRV)

Two of my grandchildren were visiting me a few years ago and the younger one was pitching a great fuss because I didn’t give her a certain cereal.
   The older one shot her a motherly look and said, “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!” Her sister grudgingly sat down and ate. After breakfast, the girls turned on the cartoons and quickly forgot all about the cereal battle.
   I know my granddaughter won’t come up to me years from now and ask, "Grandma, do you remember when you didn't give me the cereal I wanted?" But it is something I have done. Throughout my life, I have said, "I remember when so and so did such and such to me."
   I have an anger problem.

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Morning by morning

“They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat…” Exodus 16:21 NASB

Each morning the Hebrew children gathered manna, their daily bread, off the ground before it melted. Every morning, I gather God’s manna, His word for the day from the Bible. But sometimes life disrupts those morning meals.
   My husband is not a breakfast eater, so for the first few years of our marriage, my only requirement in the morning was to give my husband a kiss before he walked out the door. However, when we added kids to our household, my morning routine changed.

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It's not 'The Great Suggestion'

The old song may be right. It does seem like all God’s children want to do is stay around His table. No one wants to work in the fields.*

We relish our padded pews and air-conditioned sanctuaries. We actively participate in our small group fellowships and pot lucks, but we rarely see active soul winning or any other form of fulfilling the Great Commission. We call things discipleship, but there’s no spiritual depth being achieved. We call things soul winning, but it’s really just sheep shuffling.

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wake up sunshine!

Working in a nice career, becoming a mother, getting my kids to school...all events that I kept hoping would magically transform me into a morning person. You know, one of those people that actually enjoys waking at the crack of dawn and has never had the need for an alarm clock because they couldn't possibly sleep past 6 a.m., no matter how hard they tried.

Yeah, one of those people.

I admire them so much but after 40 years, I've had to reconcile something within myself - I am a night owl trapped in a morning person's body.

My preference is to stay up late, finish my cleaning chores, catch up on what needs done and wind down with a movie. On the other hand, I am required to get up each morning, care for my zoo animals, get them to their designated educational outlets and fulfill any household responsibilites. For the most part, I'd like to think that I wake up with a nice attitude and cheerful disposition, although, other members of the family could dispute this I'm sure.

My wonderful cup of hot, brown liquid fills the house with the smell of the start of another day. I so desire to mix my cup of coffee with a morning Bible reading, quiet time with God and a peaceful beginning to my day. It's a goal I have to work on...not one I've actually begun working on mind you, but you know, it's out there. Just as the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, I envision that blissful morning time to be the ideal setting in a perfect little world.

Well, as anything in my life that I resist doing, my hand has been forced and a new morning routine is becoming a requirement. I feel so overwhelmed with happenings in my life right now. Friends that are suffering, family members in pain and I'm tired of putting it off until tomorrow. Our pastor told us recently about when he ran cross country in high school. The coach told him that the training happened in the off- season. Train when you don't have to and you'll be ready when it's time to step up. My training began at the crack of dawn this morning. I can't guarantee I'll have the same 'get up and go' as I am used to but I pray that my mind and spirit are calmer, better prayed up and ready for the surprises that come with the unknown hours ahead.

A new routine is not welcomed but eagerly desired and hopefully, starting the day with the Son before I see the sun will bring about a new sense of peace that is overdue. The coffee will be a bit stronger than usual, the house will be a bit darker than normal and hopefully, my monkeys will be shocked when they awake to a refreshed and prayed up zookeeper.

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Alycia Holston lives in Helena, MT with her husband and three children. Her heart has always been in women's ministry and has spent the last ten years loving and supporting her fellow mothers. Now she's reaching out in ministry. Alycia is new on the writing scene as Cross River's first children's author. The combination of her love of children, geography and God's amazing creation is what led to 'While The Giant Is Sleeping,' coming May 2011. To learn more about Alycia, her three beautiful and energetic kids, life in Montana and her growing ministry, check out her blog at alysnewchapter.blogspot.com.

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doing a spiritual bench press

Huff ‘n puff ‘n huff ‘n puff.

I'm not doing my best big, bad wolf impression. I'm just walking up the hill.

My workouts these days are a cinch compared to the grueling physical exercise I had in Marine Corps boot camp.

Without a drill instructor yelling in my ear, it’s hard to motivate myself to get out there and do it. I don’t like to exercise, but I know if I don’t, my muscles will lose their strength and ability to do what God designed them to do.

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a quest for coconut flakes

For several weeks my wife had been plannin' to attend a church function, but our weekly shoppin' trip was interferin'.

Since both activities were scheduled for the same day, I thought I'd help her out and even saw my good deed as layin' a little ground work for an extended fishin' trip. 

Off to the the grocery store I went, armed with her list of necessities, thinkin' all the time,...'this shoppin' thing can't be that hard.' 

Little did I know I was about to find myself walkin' through the "valley of the shadow of death".

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living in bold faith

Last week, I waited in line at a Christian book store and overheard a young woman ask for a job application. 

There was nothing remarkable or noteworthy about her appearance or the request. What was remarkable and noteworthy was the interaction between this young woman and the sales clerk with whom she spoke.

The young woman was told that applications were available online, but the clerk knew for a fact that that store was not currently hiring.

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keeping score

Some sure signs of spring are the warm breezes blowing through the trees, flowers poking through the ground and lawnmowers humming over the greening grass. 

One of my favorites is watching the practice fields begin to fill with kids warming up with their new teams, preparing for a new season of baseball and soccer. After a long winter of rest, they venture back out to stretch their legs and begin a new year of running and scoring.

The coaches brush off their rulebooks, parents mortgage their homes to pay for the uniform and equipment and those youngin's ready themselves for a new season of competition.

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falling prey

This morning was a first — a sharp-shinned hawk perched on a large, low branch of the locust bean tree that grows barely 15 feet from my patio. The weather was cool and cloudy and I found it odd to see such a predator in the middle of the city.

The usual backyard birds were conspicuously absent. Maybe they knew enough to stay away from this ruffian, but one tiny finch fluttered nearby. The hawk showed no apparent interest. Soon the finch came within a few inches of the hawk and in a strike as quick as lightening the hawk captured that poor tiny finch in its claws.

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caught in a trap

I got a speeding ticket the other day.
 Yes me, the one people pass all the time because I won't drive faster than the posted speed limit, unless I am driving on a freeway in some parts of California where it would be life threatening to drive the posted speed...but in general...I don't. 
I was on a road I don't travel often, and I missed the sign that told me the speed went from 55 to 45. 
I was only a few feet into the new speed zone when the Highway Patrolman turned his car around and turned his lights on. I pulled over, unsure of what I had done, and half expecting him to go flying by me. 
He didn't. 

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goin' outside with a growl

My wife and I don't have children in the home anymore, just a dog. A seventy pound English Bulldog, affectionately named BAMA, who eats more groceries than all of our kids and grand kids put together. A critter definitely spoiled by my better half. He slobbers, sheds, snores, barks relentlessly at our neighbors and runs through our tiny house like a Mississippi wild hog on steroids. Worst, of all his traits, is the ability to emit the foulest of odors, when least expected, and usually in the company of others. Often the victims are first time guests; often the crime is committed in confined quarters. Being accustomed to BAMA's unique timing for such a dirty trick, as well as our developing a numbness to it's impact, we seldom notice his accomplishment anymore. However, when others are present,  Linda and I spend many agonizing moments trying to defend ourselves! Yep, he's nasty, but we love him.
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the gift of neighboring

Who are the people in your neighborhood?  These days it seems we're so wrapped up in our own daily lives that we tend to forget those around us. I searched the term 'neighbor' in the NIV on BibleGateway.com and there are 141 verses instructing us on how to treat our neighbors. Over half of them are teaching us how to love them, just as we love ourselves. 

Now, I wasn't born a hundred years ago, so know that when I say, "It wasn't like this when I was a kid", I don't mean it from the 1800s. I grew up in an extremely small town in the 70s and staying indoors just wasn't an option. In fact, most of the time it was considered a form of punishment. 
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