DATE: 01/07/2009 02:08:43 / MOOD: happy

The God we serve has incredible timing...wouldn't you say?

Of course we, as believers, know He does, and this is because His ways are perfect and righteous. His ways are not our ways. We stumble along, try new things, fall flat on our face, and wonder what happened. But then, out of the blue it seems, God does something amazing.

You may not consider HeavensSpace closing an act of stumbling along or falling flat on your face, but many of us were left feeling a bit bereft. I'm one of those people who belong to a lot of different online social sites, and just recently I've begun to feel a bit cluttered. The feeling was simular to how one feels when their house is a mess. There is so much stuff scattered about, it's hard to know how to even begin to get some control over the situation. This example may be over the top. Really, I'm not going crazy, but I have been feeling guilty for not spending quality time in each of the sites I belong to. That sounds pathetic, doesn't it? Bottom line is, I've been seriously considering taking a hard look at ALL these sites I'm a member of, and taking steps to downsize. My goal was to start this process after the first of the year. I mentioned some of this to a friend who is not only a member of this site, but a few others that I belong to as well. We just spoke about this over the last two days, and what happens? HeavensSpace suddenly reappears. We both consider it very much a God thing. Yes, our Lord has very good timing. He knows our needs, and He's had a plan set in place for each and everyone of us from the very beginning. His plan includes every aspect of our lives, from the big things like who we are to marry right down to the simple things such as what online sites we should become involved with. He has already laid it upon my heart which ones I need to purge. Hopefully I can gather some of the friends I've met, and bring them over here. Maybe some of those friends will join up and find themselves asking, "The God we serve has incredible timing, wouldn't you say?"

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DATE: 08/15/2008 01:33:43 / MOOD: happy

I know it's technically still summer, but as of next week when school starts, it'll be officially over for us. Our little school here in Manton starts August 20th, and since I'm part of the school staff, I report back to school on the 18th. I am looking forward to this new school year, as I have the previous two years. It's always exciting to see how much the kids have changed over the past few months. In Manton, our school serves Kindergarten through 8th grade, so seeing the kids is quite a joy. Even the "big" kids change a lot in just 10 weeks or so. My role at the school is Computer Tech. Basically I oversee the computer lab, help the kids use the software, and keep track of their progress. We've been using some pretty old computers and software which means plenty of problems with the system. I just found out a few weeks ago that this year there will be no computer lab. Instead, the students will access the learning program inside the classroom. Fortunately I still have a job. I'll work the first two hours in the school office, and the other two hours splitting my time to help the two teachers with their clerical needs. This way I'll still be available to help with the computer program. During the school year, our new superintendant will be writing grants in hopes of getting all new computers and other needed equipment to outfit a brand new computer lab. How exciting this will be for not only the staff, but for all the kids as well.

Isn't this just like everyday life? We often get in a rut, but when we allow God to intervene, He will reveal new and exciting possibilities in our lives. Last year, we had so many problems with our out-dated computer system. It effected the children's progress and disrupted the routine. By the middle of the school year, the students were bored. Sound familiar? It's so easy to get bored when we're afraid to step out of the box even if that box is out-dated and has out-lived its usefullness. When we get complacent, or just plain afraid to try new things, we become unmotivated and unhappy. Even though change can be uncomfortable, once we get over the first hurdle or two, then we're able to see the potential for growth and renewed joy in our lives.

This is how I see the change in my job at the school. I've growth comfortable overseeing the computer lab despite all its problems, but when I heard about these new plans and how it will effect me, I embraced it. To be honest, I like change and the privilege to learn some new things. This is what makes life exciting.

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DATE: 07/16/2008 15:43:21 / MOOD: happy

Last weekend my husband and I attended a Healdsburg High school class reunion. What made this reunion special is that all graduating classes from the seventies were combined. We couldn’t miss this one. It had been 12 years since I’ve been to a reunion, and since not everyone chooses to go to one, I haven’t seen many of my classmates since we graduated 32 years ago.

When we heard about this event,  we got excited about the prospect of seeing a decades worth of HHS alumni. I expected a particularly great turnout, but there ended up being only 7 of us from my class. Robert’s class, however, had a good turnout even if it was still a fraction of the original class. I find that the more time passes, the smaller the turnout. People move away, pass away, or simply loose interest. This is why many reunion committees make the decision to combine classes. We had a wonderful time despite the low numbers.

What impacted me the most were the changes in personalities. Our high school, like most, was comprised of an assortment of personalities. This is expected anytime you assemble several hundred teenagers together who are desperately trying to establish their position in life. Unfortunately, someone has to assume their place at the bottom while getting stepped on along the way. High school classes, freshmen on up to seniors, render a great illustration to how our sinful world is today. Most individuals are so concerned with their ranking among their peers, they don’t notice who they’re hurting. It’s easy to lump the jocks and cheerleaders in this category, but this is the same mistake many of us make when we judge others and place them in categories. Are all smart kids nerds? Are all cheerleaders easy? Are the low-income students destined to be poor like their parents? How often have we made this mistake of defining the present and futures of our classmates, and even now as adults? Do we assume the fates of our co-workers, neighbors, or the scruffy looking person hanging out at local bar?

After we had the chance to talk with many of the people at the reunion, I was pleasantly surprised how polite, kind, and genuinely interested everyone was. What a difference thirty plus years can make! That’s plenty of time for the clicks, immature thinking, and “I’m better than you attitudes” to dissipate. Isn’t this how God transforms us when we finally surrender our lives over to Him? When Jesus died on the cross, taking our sins upon His shoulders and erasing OUR debt, He made it possible for us to be free from immature thinking and “I’m better than you” attitudes. The sacrifice He made for us was an eternity in the making, yet what might seem like three decades to us, is a blink of an eye for Him. Aren’t you glad that God can transform us in an instant and we don’t have to wait 30 years or more?

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DATE: 05/10/2008 15:38:19 / MOOD: happy

Baby Christians aren’t the only ones who need to take those baby steps.  Does every possible trial come our way right after we’re saved? While it is true that Satan gathers reinforcements and throws everything he’s got at you when you become a new Christian in order to win you back, he’s not done messing with you by a long shot. Throughout your life, trials come and go. We all know this, but some of us forget to resort back to the baby steps we had to take when we were new in the faith. Trials can include things such as learning to trust in God. This continues to be a challenge for me each time a crisis happens in my life, big or small.
I’m going to offer up some examples of obstacles and how taking baby steps can help us over come them.

Financial: I believe everyone has been impacted by the economy to some point. Tight budgets affects our ability to be faithful in paying tithes.  Tithing is a touchy and often controversial subject among believers. It shouldn’t be, but when you can’t even afford to pay your bills, giving to the church falls by the wayside. It takes an incredible amount of faith to give what you don’t have. So, what to do? Take baby steps. Tithing is giving ten percent of your first fruits back to God. If your paycheck is $1500, then the tithe is $150 - a huge chunk of change when your bank account only has twenty bucks in it. Must we give ten percent? Is there a law that says we absolutely have to? Will God inflict us with some terrible disease if we don’t? God is merciful. He wants us to take baby steps in order to build our faith. So, instead of paying ten percent, try one percent. In this example, this comes to $15.00. We can trust God with that much, can’t we? After we find that $15.00 didn’t break the bank, next time we pay $20.00. Wow, somehow we ended up with an extra fifty dollars at the end of the month. Where did that come from? God! He is blessing our faithfulness and increased it at the same time. Now that our faith is stronger, we’re upping our tithe to $50.00. Keep this up, and we’ll meet our goal of ten percent in no time. We took baby steps and God blessed us.  

Listening to God: God’s still, small voice is difficult to decipher among our feelings and emotions. I drive a ’93 GMC Jimmy. My husband would love for me to get a new car, and to be honest, so would I. However, the thought of making car payments and paying hundreds of dollars to the DMV every year doesn’t appeal to me. So, here we are hypothetically driving by a car dealership and seeing all those new SUVs glistening in the sun.  Hey, they’re having a sale, let’s go check it out. The car of my dreams just caught my eye and I see there’s zero percent financing and manufacturer rebates to boot.  I suddenly agree with my husband: I need a new car. But Lord, do YOU want me to have a new car? I wait and listen for His still, small voice. I hear YES, YES, YES! Wait, is that really God talking, or is it me? This is when I need to stop and ask a few questions. Is having this car a necessity? Is going into debt in order to buy this car Biblical? Are we required to make a hasty decision TODAY in order to buy this vehicle at the sale price at zero percent financing? Beware of any offer that prevents you from going home and praying about it! At this point I am confused about whose voice I am really hearing – a sure queue to get out of there NOW.
How can I learn to recognize God’s voice from my own? Baby steps. It can start with something very simple like passing someone you know who is walking along side the road. She may be going for a leisurely walk, or her car could’ve have broken down.  You don’t know. Do you stop? You’re on your way to pick up your daughter from school and already running a few minutes late. Hmmm. What’s the worse thing that can happen if you pick this gal up? Would your decision to stop and help her be Biblical? Would it please God? Would it make her day? You pull over, roll down your window, and offer her a lift. Turns out that her car won’t start and she is on her way to work, which happens to be on the way to school. Your daughter is safe where she’s at, so no worries there. Was giving this woman a ride worth it? Yes, the look of joy on her face and expressions of gratitude are priceless. You heeded the Holy Spirit and obeyed. Your faith is boosted and you’re more familiar with the sound of His still, small voice. Next time you’ll know what to listen for.

Baby steps are what you take when you tackle things like loosing weight. You don’t focus on the thirty pounds you want to loose over the long haul; you focus on the ten pounds to loose in a month. If that is hard to do, then focus on the two pounds in a week’s time. After the first few pounds come off, your motivation increases and so does your faith.
 
How about organizing your office or craft room? The task is overwhelming, but not if you commit to working on it for just fifteen minutes a day. After a few days of diligently working those 15 minutes, you start to see progress. Your motivation increases, you no longer feel so overwhelmed, and your faith got stronger. Hmmm, let’s do twenty minutes tomorrow and this weekend we’ll commit half a day to the task. Wow, this is fun!

What mountain are you facing? Are you focused on the summit, or asking God to help you to that first ledge? Take baby steps and allow God to build your faith every time He picks up your foot and you place it down. By the time you reach the ledge, the summit is closer and more attainable.

Philippians 3:13-15 (New International Version)
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

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DATE: 04/22/2008 23:22:56 / MOOD: other

In this day and age, many of us are making friends with people over the internet. A good number of these friendships are being fostered right here in community sites like this one. We share our interests, our talents, our beliefs, and exchange pictures. After awhile, we find ourselves growing close to our online friends, especially those who share our beliefs and interests. Without hearing our comrade’s voice or feeling their hand in ours, we have formed opinions about this person merely by what they’ve shared in the confines of cyber-space. To our delight, almost everyone is willing to upload a few select pictures of themselves and their loved ones, but what about those special few who have never posted a picture? When we visit their profiles, chat on Internet Messenger, or email back and forth, all we see are those funny icons or avatars provided by the site. Is text enough? Do we long for more?

I recently experienced an interesting conversation with on of my online buddies whom I have grown quite fond of over the months. Although we have a lot in common, our cultures are as different as night is from day. As friends, we have shared enough common ground, including our faith in Christ, that many of our differences have only made our bond as friends grow stronger. I’ve only seen pictures of this person dressed according to his culture, his face hidden behind black paint. I appreciate the fact that he’d share these special pictures with me; however, my curiosity drove me to cross the line. I begged my friend for a picture of just him, without the paint. Of course, he wanted to know why and my reason of simple curiosity didn’t suffice as a good enough reason to want a picture. He continued to question me, and I continued to fail in convincing him that wanting a picture was no big deal. I got frustrated, and so did he. Our friendship was on the line. After apologizing for pressing the matter, I explained that, in my white culture, pictures are exchanged all the time, and assured him that I never meant any harm by asking him for one.

In his culture, looks aren’t important, and they shouldn’t be in mine, either. He felt I was being superficial, and after getting over my hurt feelings, it hit me that I am. I didn’t want to make excuses for my behavior, but I had to admit that I just didn’t know any better. In this world, we are bombarded with messages that tell us that we need to look a certain way in order to be happy, successful, and even healthy. It’s hard to ignore this constant stream of information that forms a certain attitude within us, but that doesn’t give us an excuse to ignore what the Word says. Two examples: 

            Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who   fears the LORD is to be praised.

            1Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as   braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

God designed us, looks and all, but how we look on the outside means nothing if the inside of us in full of the ugliness of sin. Therefore, we need to focus on the inner beauty of not only ourselves, but those around us. If my online friend never sends me a picture, I would not have missed out. The important thing is he knows and loves the Lord, and he considers me his friend. Maybe a picture doesn’t mean all that much after all!

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DATE: 03/24/2008 14:04:05 / MOOD: happy

I took an oil painting class several years ago and the one thing that stuck in my mind was color. Not paint color, although what is available today is mind boggling, but the colors of nature and how much one color can vary. Have you ever noticed that the hills ten miles away are not the same color as the hills fifteen miles away? They may have the same grass and trees but the humidity in the air can vary the intensity of the color. It is as if a light wash of diluted white paint was brushed over them. Because of humidity and other factors, five more miles can really make a difference. 

          Mountains have a color scheme of their own. On a nice day, they can be a grey-blue or even a muted purple. At dawn, just before sunrise, mountainous peaks are often tinted orange or pink. This happens at dusk as well, depending on where they are in relation to the sun. Even at night the colors can be spectacular. While driving on Interstate Highway 5, I have seen Mt. Shasta’s snow covered slopes glow an ominous bright ice-blue in the moon light.

          One of the most beautiful spectacles occurs during a wild land fire when the sun appears as an orange-red ball in the smoky sky. It’s a reminder that there’s always beauty in the ugliest of things.

          I could go on and on about the unending beauty of the color that God has painted the earth with. Just look around and see how many hues you can spot on a single flower petal, a blade of grass, or the bark of a tree and prepare to be inspired!

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