"We See You Here We Feel Your Hand, Vast and Mysterious is Your Plan."

   For those of you who live in Lancaster County you probably have heard of Sight and Sound. If you have never heard of it, it is a place that creates and puts on these awesome musicals based off of Bible stories. Right now they are putting on Moses, which is an amazing show by the way. But soon, they will be putting Joseph on again. Joseph has been, and still is, one of my favorite Bible stories. There are plenty of lessons in this story; and I just love listening and learning new lessons from the story over and over again.

   One lesson that really hit me hard was when they began talking about loneliness. Joseph probably felt so alone many times. I mean he was sold into slavery in Egypt: the land that believed in many gods. Meanwhile, Joseph believed in only one God. It probably would have been easier for Joseph to give in and believe in many gods, especially since it seemed like God betrayed him. Another aspect of loneliness in this was the fact that Joseph was lonely. Lady Potiphar offered him some company. She offered him the world. Joseph could have easily given in and gained many earthly things. But, he would have lost so much more. He kept his respected name and his relationship with God.

   Another lesson is obviously forgiveness. Before I saw the production at Sight and Sound I always thought that Joseph forgave his brothers right away. I never thought about how difficult it must have been for Joseph to forgive his brothers. I mean they sold him into slavery thinking that he would die. Obviously Joseph figured out that it was part of God’s plan. But still Joseph’s wife, Azenath, has one of the most profound quotes in the whole show. She says “Who would really be in chains your brothers or you?” When we do not forgive others we are the ones in chains, not the person who wronged us. Forgiveness sets us free. Forgiveness is the reason why we are alive in Christ.

   Speaking of Christ the final lesson is that none will perish. Egypt was going to have seven years of famine. Joseph was put in charge of everything in Egypt and he saved everyone from famine. But, people had to choose to go to Egypt to get the food. They had to choose to get food to survive. Sounds like a pretty stupid thing to say considering everyone knows that we need food to survive. However, there are many who know they need to believe in Jesus to survive. He came so that none may perish. We just have to choose to believe in him.

   So it just goes to show you that sometimes we forget the important lessons we learn from Bible stories. If you ever get the chance to go to a show at Sight and Sound I highly recommend it. It brings the stories to life, it helps us remember the lessons that God wants us to learn, and reminds us that we are a part of His story.

Isaiah 41:10, Ephesians 41:2, John 3:16

Let's Get Serious About Something... My Hair

   So by the title you probably are wondering what I am thinking. For anyone who knows me I do not like to mess with my hair. I just throw it up in a ponytail. It’s not that I don’t care about how I look. I do; it’s just easier to put my hair up. See my hair has this annoying tendency to be curly. It’s great; if the curls don’t go different ways so then I look uneven as I go throughout my day.

   Anyhow, I have begun to try different things with my hair like straightening it, using frizz control, and basically doing anything I can to get rid of the curls. As I was doing this the other day I began to think about how many people complain about their hair and how they look. If only I could be skinnier, if only my hair would curl, if only I could get rid of these break outs. We complain about everything we don’t have. We complain about the things we want.

   Now, I’m not saying it’s not okay to vent every once in a while. I mean if we didn’t we would probably explode and have a lot of anger issues. What I am saying is so many times we focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. God has given us so much and I think it is time we be thankful for what we do have. So how can we do this?

   Well, let’s go back to my hair. I still have problems with it. But now, I embrace the curl. I find ways to work with what I have rather than what I don’t have. It is the same way with other problems. God lets things happen to us to teach us; and to bring us closer to Him. He doesn’t just let it happen and say “there you go, figure it out yourself.” No, God gives us all the tools we need to get through our problems. And, He is there as our counselor and supportive father all the way.

   So the next time you are thinking “this would be so much easier if…” or “I just wish I had or it would be…” Remember that God gives us exactly what we need.

   P.S. I’m also not saying that we shouldn’t try and straighten our hair if we have curly hair. I’m just saying we shouldn’t complain about our hair. I mean, it's the hair God gave us. 
Psalm 139:14 
2 Peter 1:3

These are a few of "My Favorite Things"

   “The hills are alive with the sound of music With songs they have sung for a thousand years.” So this week I went to see The Sound of Music at Donegal High School. It’s a classic musical, and has always been one of my family’s favorite. By the way, one of the best songs in my opinion is "My Favorite Things." I mean who hasn't felt down and then tried to think of something that would cheer them up? Anyhow, seeing the musical last night reminded me how important the lessons are in it.

   One lesson in the musical is to stand up for what you believe in. Maria goes to the Captain’s home to care for his children. The Captain tells her the rules. Now, for those who have not seen the show, these rules are outrageous. She need to call for the children by using a whistle, she is called for with a whistle, the children are to do lessons all the time, and when they are not doing lessons they need to march. Maria believes that the children need to be children. She tells the Captain

this when he returns from a trip. He promptly fires her, and yet he sees a change in the children. So Maria stays. Later the Captain is offered a job in the German army. He does not like what the Germans are doing and tells those who ask what he believes.

   Christians need to learn to stand up for what we believe in. Now, I’m not saying go out and be rude to people. I am saying that there are certain times we need to let people know what we believe in a respectful way. You never know, something good may come out of it. And, if it doesn’t, we need to remember what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” We need to stand up for what we believe, what the bible says, and for our friend Jesus.

   Another lesson is that we need to love others even when it’s hard. Maria was telling the Captain things he did not want to hear about how he runs his household; and how he treats his children. She was not telling him because she thought she was better. She was telling him because she cared about him and his children. That is what good friends do. They tell the other person things they may not want to hear. Maria also loved the children, even when they didn’t seem to love her at first. Who knows? The love you show someone may just rub off on someone else. I mean, just look at the Captain. 

   So for those of you who have not seen the show it’s a great one. Hope you enjoy it, or have enjoyed it if you’ve seen it before. Shout out to all those in the Donegal High School performance. You are all doing great!

It's Raining... Meatballs?

   So lately I’ve been thinking about stuff that falls from the sky, with all the snow that fell from the sky this week who can blame me? Yes, when we think of things that fall from the sky we typically think about rain, sleet, hail, snow and so on. Also we can think of the occasional cat and dog, as the metaphor goes. But the other day I was sitting at home, since I could not go out because of the weather, watching tv. A movie came on that I haven’t seen in a while: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

   For those of you who haven’t seen the movie first I would recommend it. Though some critics would disagree, I think it is a good movie for multiple reasons. The main reason is because of the lesson behind the story. In the movie Flint Lockwood is a man who has failed many times. He is an inventor whose inventions have ruined the town. His dad has never understood him either so that does not help his confidence. Flint wants to make up for all his failures and be popular. He comes up with an invention that makes food out of water. Through some accidents, Flint ends up getting the machine up in the sky. Now, since the machine is up in the atmosphere where it can get water from the clouds, Flint can make whatever food he wants and it will rain from the sky. The people of the town begin to see Flint as a hero who will save the town. They also ask him to make it rain many different types of food. Flint takes so many requests that the machine begins to overload. This makes the food grow bigger so it crushes homes. But that’s not the worst part, the food also comes to life eventually. Flint feels like a failure again and almost gives up. But, his father encourages him to keep going. I won’t ruin the ending for you but basically Flint needs to go up and destroy the machine.

   There are so many lessons in this movie. The first is that there will be people who do not understand you. We are all unique and think differently. God made us that way and it is great. We may not think that it is at times, but think about it. If we didn’t have people who thought differently we may not have the art, movies, governments, inventions, and many other things. Romans 12:6 discusses the different spiritual gifts that God gives us. He gave us those for a reason, we just need to try to use them to the best of our ability.

   Next is peer pressure and relationship with family. Flint wanted the approval of his dad. He did everything because he wanted his dad to say he was proud of him. He also wanted to get approval from others. People will want you to conform to this world. Romans 12:2 says: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” It doesn’t matter what others think about us; it only matters what God thinks about us. I know that can seem hard at times to only care about what God thinks. But, He is all we need.

   Finally, and this may be the most important lesson, God answers prayer in his own way. Flint took all the requests from the people because he did not want anyone to be unhappy. This ended up in mass chaos. God knows everything that has happened and will happen. There is a reason behind everything he does. Sometimes he says no to what we pray for, for our own good. Other times he says wait. Or, he may say yes, but our prayer may not be answered in the way we expected. Luke 18:1 says: “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” We may not expect God to answer prayers the way he does, but one way or another God will answer prayers.

   

So the next time you question the way God made you remember that he gave you gifts and abilities for a reason. When you feel down because you don’t have the approval of others remember God’s opinion is the only one that matters. And, finally, remember that God has a plan for you and cares for you.