Preacher's wisdom on weight loss....hehe

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

1 Corinthians 9:24

Did you ever hear the story of the 300lb man who went to his preacher and said, "Preacher, I'm so depressed.  I've tried to lose weight and I can't!  I can't even get a date.  I feel like an outcast in society.  Can you help me?"

So the preacher replies, "Well, I think I can. Go home and be ready at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning."

At exactly 8:00 the next morning the doorbell rings and the man opens the door expecting the preacher to be there.  But instead, there stands a beautiful girl dressed in a sleek jogging outfit who says to him, "The preacher says that if you can catch me -- I'm yours."  Then she takes off running.  Well, this guy takes off after her, huffing and puffing, but of course, because of his bulk, he can't catch her.

This goes on every morning for 6 months...she's there at the door, and he chases her, eventually loosing 125 pounds.  Finally, trimmed down and toned up, one day, he almost catches her. So, he eagerly awaits the following morning, filled with anticipation believing he can actually do it!  The next morning he rings the doorbell, the door opens...and there stands a 300 lb woman, who says to him, "The preacher says that if I can catch you, you're mine!"

I first read this joke, and thought to myself -- this is a brilliant pastor!  He's utilizing different people's gifts and motivating them to run the race -- howbeit in a unique way.  LOL!

We have a race to run!  And there may be others struggling to run their own race, so let's find ways of motivating them to press forward -- to run the race, to win the prize!  'Cause... there's so much work to be done!

LIFE AWAITS US....

 

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

There are two kinds of birds that roam the desert: vultures and hummingbirds. The vulture thrives on a diet of rotting meat. He flies overhead searching for traces of leftover carcasses from slow-footed critters eaten by wild animals who’ve already had their fill.

Hummingbirds, on the other hand, will sweep through the desert, passing over all those repulsive, dead animals and seek colorful patches of beautiful wild desert flowers. They will suckle the delicious juices of those sweet desert blossoms and be satisfied.

While vultures look to the dead for their survival, the hummingbird seeks the living! Likewise, some of us unconsciously look to our past with its regrets, failures and sins to keep us alive. We think that somehow by looking back to those dead things, we might find some motivation to keep surviving here and now. But let’s take a lesson from the hummingbird.

Sweep past that which is dead and focus on the sweet new life -- the exciting future that God holds for us as we continue seeking Him and moving forward in our relationship with Him!

One Day at a Time

Whenever I am faced with something unfamiliar or know that the path I am on is fearful I tend to panic deep inside. On the outside I may try to put on a brave face but its courage that I strive for. I think before I can be brave I need courage. God tells us to "take courage" and "be courageous" so it is available! Once I have taken it I think the bravery then comes forth. Either way strong, brave or courageous... I love this little story of a simple truth...this is taken from an email I get. I love the simplicity of their stories...they speak big thoughts to me. 

Psalms 25:4-5 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

A father asked his son to carry a letter from their camp to the village. He pointed out a trail over which the lad had never gone before. “All right Dad, but I don’t see how that path will ever reach the town,” said the boy. “Well son, I'll tell you how. Do you see that big tree down the path?” asked the father. “Oh, yes, I see that far.” “Well, when you get there by the tree, you’ll see the trail a little farther ahead -- and farther down you'll see another big tree -- and when you reach that one you'll be closer and so on until you get within sight of the houses of the village.”

In the same way, I believe God want's to reveal the way for each one of us on our trails toward Him, one tree at a time. Sometimes we're convinced we need to see the end of our path, so that we can be reassured that there's something good down there, or that we're going in the right direction, or that we'll be able to see if it gets dark.

We know first hand how it feels to walk in the darkness here in the Land and not know where the end will be -- and often how we'll have the strength and sustinance to get there. It's not easy to move forward and trust that God will light the path ahead and point us in the way we should go. But the fact is that it is a crucial step toward our growth and maturity in the Lord and we all need to get to there.

Let's give our hesitation and fear to the Lord. He will not fail us. He will be faithful to light our path and lead us in the way everlasting -- one day at a time.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Currently in Baltimore, MD

A MERRY HEART....

Solomon wrote, "a merry heart has a continual feast!" But why does it seem like so many of us are not feasting? How do we maintain a merry heart?

-Kerri-

It's been a year!

I had no idea this site was still here! I figured it had been shut down by now. I think I may just keep it going since it doesnt seem like it wants to go quietly into the night....

SO alot has happened in a year. Some really good and some really not good. So who hasn't had ups and downs in a year's time? But I think it is worth reflecting upon.

My reflection leads to what can happen when people in church hurt one another....I know that this can open up very deep wounds. I don't want this to be about ranting or raving but just sharing what happened in my own personal life and how I got where I am now and still struggling through.  

I did not grow up in the church and did not have a really good understanding or foundation to start out with until I joined a church. There, I made friends and heard great messages and attended bible studies. I  had some amazing times of worship and prayer and healing take place that restored alot of my broken places and I had alot of those. I am indebted to many people that God used along the way to help me see and understand what I went through and even be able to forgive as Jesus did. I am indebted to God for watching over me and loving me and never leaving me even when I was at my worst. He sees in me the person He created me to be and He continues to bring that into being. It didnt take long to see that people in the church were alot like everyone else in that they still struggled. I dont know why or when I thought it should be different. I have met lots of people who are on varying steps along the journey. It is a journey. No mistaking that. We are reborn and have to learn to walk again,eat again, see again and learn again. We have to learn how to talk again and how to live a new life. It is managing a whole new set of established ways of being... merging them with what has already been established. Some of those we need to overcome and establish the new ones that we have long forgotten as a people. I am grateful that we have been given God's Words and that it shows us others who have walked their journeys and how some succeeded and failed. Most importantly it shares who Jesus is why He came and what we can look forward to. The divergent spaces of our thinking from there just completely astounds and disappoints me. We have taken His Words and manipulated them.to suit our desires. I have seen it so much and I know that many people do it without realizing that their motives are less than Godly. Some even perhaps know and dont seem to mind doing it. Perhaps they have justified it enough that they aren't concerned that God is not in it. But those are just some things that I wish were different  I am not saying I dont have motives that would be disappointing to God but I have come to see a little better that we dont check our motives nearly enough.

So onto my personal journey. I helped to establish 2 churches in the last 11 years. I should say we. Our family spent hours cleaning, painting, moving, digging up and tearing out the old and planting new, dumping, and every imaginable thing you do when you are upgrading an old building to take on a new young church. There was lots of meetings, many of them mandatory and many of them full of fun working together side by side and some where it hurt our family. We spent so much time working on this house that we forgot our own needs. We were there many hours everyday as my husband was the administrator and director of the tearing down and clean up. Many days we ate pizza when I should have been home planning and preparing good meals for my family. We were trying to homeschool our kids and finding little time to do much of anything else. We made a decision to do this but as I look back our little band of families did an insurmountable amount of work. What is sad is alot of those people are gone now. Moved onto other places. Some out of hope for a less intense atmosphere. Some for a different type of church altogether. Charisma wore off and real blemishes were beginning to appear. Some stayed some left. It happens to all churches. People get angry at the pastor or elder or deacon (authority) some get disappointed to see that they are just human and make horrible mistakes. Some leave out of consciousness. They don't want to be held accountable. Some want to jsut attend on Sndays and leave without serving. I think there is a huge difference between serving and becoming a volunteer who is expected to give an 8 hour day. I have felt both. There are times when you may get a pat on the back and times when it seems it will never come and so you become sad which can be dangerous because it can become bitterness. If you speak up you may feel like you are ungrateful or worse a prideful person. Our case was we were tired. When we were ready to establish a new plant we felt it was our next season to go and help. Never thinking it would turn out as it did. It never seemed to get up and sail. It folded and went away. Many poeple were surprised some were angry some were happy ( like putting a pet down that is just suffering) some were ready to move on. We were ready to move on. An interesting hobby of mine (photography) became a central point of our family coming back together and working towards finding out who we are as a family. We kind of felt like missionaries of sorts that were coming home at last. Would we have done it any differently, hard to tell. We learn alot from our successes and our seeming failures.

I have made it a point to understand that it was not by any human design to hurt us really It is not by our nature to instantaneously respond well to hurtful things, either. So hand in hand, I have come to the conclusion that just as I am human and make mistakes and hurt others I have to have the same grace for those who intentionally or unintentionally hurt me. Which brings me to where I am today.

Coming out of "Stuck" gear. Or maybe even in between gears. Hurt on all sides from family and church. I won't go into details or names because it just doesn't need to be said. I am just glad there are those out there that are led of God and can bring a nugget of great worth. Something like a smelling salt while you are dozing. We are all so much like Jonah and Moses and David. It is so much easier to spot the stupidity of others than it is of ourselves.

Here is where I am at now...When someone hurts you deeply, bow your head and ask God to help you pass through those rough waters. Otherwise it can be a long journey...I am still working on the next part. You can always say, "but they did this and they did that!" 

Hope I made some sense and if any of you are out there reading this feel free to speak.

Kerri