Following the Master

   Imagine waking up for the first time. You have just started your life, but you don't know why you are alive. You look around and see you have yellow arms and legs. Then you look next to you and see someone else. That person also has yellow arms and legs.
   You start to speak to the other person but when you speak it is a strange language. Both of you look around and see more and more people like yourselves.
   Then you see a large creature. The creature has large teeth, sharp claws, and hard scales. The creature sees another creature just like it and begins to fight it. The first creature beats the other creature and suddenly you realize what your purpose is: to follow and help the best master. Your first master is this creature.
   Thus, this is your life jumping from one master to another. You keep searching for the best master but you cannot find the perfect boss.
   If you haven't guessed by now this is based on the movie Minions. The Minions keep jumping from master to master because their old master dies, but the Minions only ever have 1 master at a time.
Matthew 6:24 says "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." The Minions got this part right. They knew that they could only serve one master faithfully, even if they did end up hurting their master. Do we have that kind of faith, or do we try to serve more than one master, or idol?
   The part that the Minions got wrong was the masters that they served. They served temporary masters. Am I saying it is wrong for us to obey those in charge of us? No, but the Minions chose who they followed and they followed evil masters.
   We decide who we want to follow. If we don't choose to follow Jesus then we are following the devil. There is no in between master. There is only one master who is perfect, who cares about you, and loves you enough to die for you. That master is Jesus Christ. He is the greatest boss we could ever have, yet he gives us freewill. We can choose to follow him or not.
   So, do you try to serve 2 masters? Are you serving the wrong master? Will you choose to follow Christ even though it may get difficult?

   Roman 10:9, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Matthew 16:24
   Image found here.

From "Lucky" to "Unlucky"

   Pause for a second. Think about the luckiest person in the Bible. Now, think about the unluckiest person in the Bible. You have your answers? I know I do… in fact my answer is the same person: Job.

   Job was probably the richest man on earth during his life. “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job.1.1-3). Job thanked God for what he had every day.

   Then, all of the sudden, everything he had was taken away. We are not just talking about his animals. We are not talking about his home. We are talking about his family. In his family only his wife was left. Then, after he refused to curse God, he lost his health. His friends came over to weep with him but later say it is Job’s fault he lost everything (Job.2-5). When Job needs encouragement, and needs someone to just listen to him, his friends blame him.

   Job went from the most blessed man on earth to what seemed to be the most cursed man on earth. His wife even told him to curse God and die (Job.2.9). In all aspects of life it seemed like he had every right to be upset with God, especially since this went on for months. Job did question God but he never cursed Him. He knew that God had a plan and could bring about blessing even though it felt horrible to go through that (Job.1.21).

   Because Job obeyed God, and did not curse Him, God blessed him even more than before. If Job was alive today and received that today his wealth would be around 5 million dollars (Patrick Morley).

   What lessons can we learn from Job?

1.       The Lord giveth and taketh away (Job.1.21). We tell God that he is good. We say we believe he has a plan. But when the going gets tough what do we do? We turn and ask God, “what are you doing?” You ever think that God knows what he’s doing? You should think that because he does. Think about all the people from the Bible. They went through some difficult times but they stuck with God. If they did not, their stories would not be remembered today. We need to remember, like Job, that sometimes God’s blessings come in the storms of life.

2.       Encourage the hurting (Job.2-5). Do not, I repeat, DO NOT be like Job’s friends. If Job’s friends actually knew him they would know that Job did nothing wrong. Most of the time, when someone is truly hurting, he does not need to hear “it must have been something wrong you did.” He does not need to hear “everything happens for a reason.” What he needs to hear is “I am here for you,” “do not give up on yourself,” and most importantly “God is still with you.” Job just needed someone to cry with. He needed someone to listen. We must take a lesson from Job’s friends. If someone is hurting just be with them, pray from them, hug them, and do what you can for them. Never assume you know what that person is going through.

3.       Trust in God (Job.42.1-2). When all else fails, and you cannot go on, lean on God. Remember that God has great plans for you. You just need to be willing to walk through the valleys and climb some big mountains.

   So, will you choose to trust that God knows what he is doing? Will you encourage others during their times of need?

   Image from here.

A Tale of Change: Lessons from Beauty and the Beast

   “One winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within” (Beauty and the Beast).

   The opening lines in Beauty and the Beast are probably some of the most powerful lines in the whole movie. It sets up the rest of the movie and reveals what the moral of the story will be. The whole movie is about not judging a book by its cover, and if you know Belle you know she loves books. What a coincidence right?

   Anyhow, there are other lessons we can learn from each of the characters in the movie; but let’s just stick to the main characters, shall we?

   From the very beginning of the movie we find out that Belle is considered odd. People do not like her new ways of reading and thinking. During the rest of the musical Belle learns to stand up for what she believes in. She chooses to be happy for how unique she is. God made us all unique and special. We should be thankful for how we are made and stand up for what we believe in (Psalm 139:14).

   Another lesson we learn from Belle is forgiveness. Imagine being Belle when she offers herself in exchange for her father, talk about self-sacrifice! She could have chosen to hold on to her anger toward the Beast. He took her away from her home and family. Doesn’t she have a right to be angry? Not according to God. He has forgiven us for our sins before we committed them. Thus, why we are called to forgive others (Ephesians 4:32).

   Next we have the Beast. He is a grumpy, selfish, angry man from the beginning of the movie. He is stubborn and set in his ways. If Belle is considered the kind, retriever like, push over then Beast is the opposite of that. You can only guess how the rest of the musical goes, opposites attract ;) Beast did not care for anyone but himself. He threw a pity party every day and refused to let go of his anger. He directed his anger at others but he was truly angry at himself. The lesson here is to let go of the anger we have from the past. It is the only way we can look forward to the future (Philippians 3:13-14).

   Beast did not stay that way. He chose to turn from his old ways of being selfish and angry. Beast in essence repented. He turned away from his old life and found a new life. The only way he did that was by loving others. We can also turn away from the old and show love to others (Acts 3:19).

   Finally, a lesson we can learn from the whole movie is change. Change is not easy. It means we need to let go of what we are used to. That means we need to let go of our old lives, old places, or people. But, without change there can be no growth. God gives us opportunities to change and grow in him, we just have to be willing to change for the better (Philippians 4:6-7).

   So, will you choose to be uniquely you and not care what others think? Will you forgive those who wrong you? Will you turn away from sins? Will you change and grow in God?

   P.S. Donegal High School is putting on the musical Beauty and the Beast this weekend. If you have time, I encourage you to check it out. It is a really amazing show!

Do You Care?

   When I was in my first semester of college I stayed on campus. While there I hung out with new friends, completed school work, and grew in God.
   One day my friends and I were walking up to our dorm. I was talking with them about different things. One of the girls was on the soccer team, and I was not. I mentioned something about playing soccer in high school and the girl said she didn't know I played soccer. I said "I've said I have played soccer before." She said "I don't know your life." This was a common saying of the girls in the dorm because it was in a movie. I finally said to her, "do you care?"
   Many times we walk through life thinking about what we need to do next. We also think about our needs, or the needs of our family members. I'm not saying that's not important, what I am saying is that I feel we have gotten away from what God called us to do.
   Your life is not about you, it is about what God can do through you. The order of precedence in your life should spell JOY: Jesus, Others, and You. Your relationship with God should come first then your relationship with others. It is only through this order in life that we will make an impact on others and reflect God's glory.
   I'm not saying that we need to drop everything and go to another country to help others. You can make choices every day to show others that you care about them. Rather than saying, "I don't know your life." You can take the time to get to know others. You can simply ask someone how her day is going, and actually listen intently to the answer. You could give someone a gift like chocolate or their favorite food. It does not have to be big and extravagant, just do something to make a difference and reflect God's glory. Then others will look at you and see something different. This will make them wonder what is different and you could have a chance to share your faith.
   So, have you been choosing to say: "I don't know your life" instead of getting to know people? Is your list of priorities in the order of JOY? How can you make a difference and reflect God's glory today?

   Philippians 2:4 and Matthew 6:33 

Who has Kissed Your Hand?

   One day I was at school teaching. I brought my kids up to the car pick up area. My kids sit right behind the preschool kids and I get to interact with the preschool children. I sat with my kids and the preschool kids turned around. They started to tell me about their day how they played outside, why they were wearing what they were wearing, and what color they got on to show how they behaved that day.

   Suddenly one child looked at me and asked me for my hand. Now, if you have ever worked with children you know that even though most of the time they act innocent they can be sneaky. I refused to give him my hand for a while until most of the other children said that it was a good thing.

   Slowly I gave him my hand. He took my hand and kissed the palm of my hand. Then he said, “there, now whenever you are alone you will not feel lonely. You can take your hand and put my kiss on your face and know that I am with you.” My mouth dropped and then I laughed because I knew that he was alluding to the book called The Kissing Hand. Because I laughed, other children proceeded to kiss my hand as well until parents came to pick them up.

   The funny thing about that story is it is true, we are never alone. But we are not ever alone because we have kisses from those close to us, though it is nice to know we have people who care. We are not alone because Jesus is with us.

   Whenever we feel alone, Jesus is there. When we feel we cannot take another blow, Jesus is there. When we feel like giving up, Jesus is there. Sometimes we forget that Jesus is always with us. But, that’s the great thing about our God: he cares enough about all of us to be there for us. He wants to have a relationship with us. We just need to lean on him and trust him. It also does not hurt to remember that when we feel really alone, Jesus has already given us a kiss in our hands. All we have to do is put our hand to our cheek and remember what he did for us.

   So, do you remember that you are never alone? Do you have a relationship with God? What can you do to make your relationship with God stronger?

   Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:38-39

Leading by Example: A tribute to Deloris Carlson

   My family and I have been going to Family Camp at Camp YoliJwa for the last 9 years. We have met many friends by going there. One family we have met is the Carlson family. Del was the nurse at Family Camp for all of those years.

   If you know me, you know I can be stubborn when it comes to my health. I do not like to go to the doctor unless I have to. I did not have to go to Nurse Del that often but one year I did. I play soccer and before camp I was doing my fitness workout. While I was running, I twisted my ankle. That was about a month before camp. I had nursed my ankle for a while and stopped running, because ankles can be finicky. While at camp I was playing and my ankle started to swell up again. I decided I should probably go to the nurse.

   I found Nurse Del sitting on the rocking chair in the lobby with one of her grandchildren. I told her about my ankle and I said I probably just need an ice pack. Nurse Del did not argue she just showed me where the ice packs were at. I appreciated that she did not try to baby me. She was able to read people and she could tell I knew what I needed.

   But, Del was so much more than the camp nurse. She loved others in the way that they needed to be loved. She knew I was not touchy feely but she was able to give a kind word and sometimes a hug when you needed it. She impacted so many lives not just as a nurse but also through teaching middle schoolers at camp but she did not preach at them. She led by example, which is not easy to do.

   Nurse Del will truly be missed by her family, coworkers, church family, and those of us at family camp. She was able to impact so many people because she cared and loved others like Jesus did.

   What about you: do you follow Jesus’ example? Would people say that you loved others no matter what? 

   Philippians 2:3-4 and Philippians 4:13

   Thoughts and prayers to the Carlson family.

My Secret Valentine

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I have a secret Valentine

How about you?

I hate to admit it

But I have betrayed my love before

Even though I did that

He still loves me all the more

He gave me the greatest gift

Even though it is much more than I deserve

He paid the ultimate price

And is a great example of how to serve (others)

My secret Valentine doesn’t just love me

He loves everyone in the world too

The only question is

Do you know that he also loves you?

   For twenty three years now I have been on this earth. I still have a lot to learn but I have learned quite a few things during my time here. One thing I have learned is that if you are talking with other girls one specific topic is bound to come up: boys/men. This topic especially comes up when you are in middle school, go to a Bible college, or if you are a 20 some year old who has never had a boyfriend.

   I’ve heard countless sermons, read blogs, and had conversations with people about relationships. Everyone seems to have different ideas about love and relationships. And, most people are so focused on love and relationships that they forget the most important relationship. They forget who our first Valentine is: Jesus.

   Jesus gave all of us the greatest Valentine, Christmas, or Easter gift we could ever receive. Without this gift our lives would have no meaning. But, most people seem to forget the fact that Jesus should be our first love. And, in order to show our love to him our relationship needs to grow with him. This means we need to want to learn about him, spend time with him, and pray. Just like with any other relationship, we need to spend time with our loved one.

   So, are you focusing too much on the relationship you have/don’t have with a significant other? If you are, what can you do to remember the true Valentine you have? What can you do to show your love to Jesus?

   Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5, 1 John 4:19