Month: June 2017

Overwhelmed

/ leslie1966 / 2 Comments

11001826_10203464982367122_6936621571295453289_nGeeze Louise do I feel the weight of all that needs to be done pressing in on me today! It’s been a whirlwind since Memorial Day and it doesn’t appear it will stop any time soon. Part of it’s my own fault I kinda sorta started some of the swirling and I know I need to own that, but instead I want to be a four year old stomp my foot and say, “NO!”

Last year for our church’s VBS I helped with costumes (not much help as I can’t sew a stitch, but I am great at fetch and carry). They were short a person for a very small part, so I was voluntold (yes that is a word, ok my word, but a word none-the-less), hence my small partS (yes notice the large S I meant to do that) this year in addition to working on props. This normally wouldn’t have me in distress, but add the fact that I went casually looking for the possibility of a new home and now we are cleaning like fiends, about to put our house on the market and looking for a new home. Why didn’t someone stop me? I was hoping God would step in here and slam a door in our faces, but so far, nada! Even doors that seem to be closing, other ones are opening. GREAT (she says with extreme sarcasm in her voice)!

I have been trying to stay focused on the Word and reading scriptures to ease feeling so overwhelmed and I will be honest with you they aren’t helping much. I know it’s me. I will make a confession, one of my quiet times is when I am in the shower. I seem to be able to work things out in my mind and pray more fervently while in there. It could have something to do with the fact that it is the only place in a house full of men that I can find a bit of peace. When the boys were growing up they knew that I did not take long showers and whatever it was except for fire, flood or blood could wait till I was done. Lately though my shower prayers have been, “Oh Lord am I tired!” Nope, not much of  a prayer and more of a confirmation of being pooped.

I was looking all over for something to help with this feeling of stress and pressure, so I went to my go to place which is a website called Got Questions. Our pastor once recommended it when he did not have time enough to give us a full answer to what my husband and I thought was an easy question. It has helped me a lot even if at times I don’t exactly agree with everything. This time however, it didn’t have an answer for me that helped, except in one little sentence that brought up a portion of scripture, 1 Corinthians 14:33 (in part), “for God is not a God of confusion but of peace…” I think I forgot that somewhere along the way. Then it was a bit easier to remember Psalm 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.”

I am not sure that the pressure and stress will vanish, nor the feelings of being overwhelmed, but I have to remember that He has got this and I just have to trust that. Pray for me.

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Is It A Disease

/ leslie1966

AddictionI have shied away from this topic simply because it is very volatile, but lately it keeps coming up and I keep having to clarify my thinking to myself and others. If you are easily offended by straight talking and a firm opinion that is seated in the Word of God then this is probably not the post from me you want to read. Here we go.

Addiction-“the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.” Nowhere in that definition does it state that an addiction is a disease. I will capitulate that when someone is wrapped up in addiction there is a dis-ease in their very being, but there is no disease. Addiction is a choice each and every time a person ingests their drug of choice they have made a decision. 

For addiction to be a disease there would have to be several things that are true about it. First it would have to be involuntary or a result of a lifestyle habit. Secondly anyone could come down with the disease; two year olds would all of a sudden become alcoholics and 6 year olds would without warning be heroin addicts. Thirdly no matter how deeply buried it is there would be absolutely no ability within the person to change their circumstances by their actions. I know the argument can be made for things like an obese person can correct diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol by losing weight, but it’s a correction not an eradication.

Trust me this declaration does not come easy. It’s only after years of watching a person that I love most in this world struggle to get themselves clean and sober, seeing it happen and many many discussions about it all along with agreement with this person that no matter how we try to pretty it up addiction is a choice.

The world has worked to cover up sin, make it pretty or acceptable and this area is one good example of that. Calling addiction disease is another excuse for the addict to continue in their behavior, and an easy out for the rest of the world to not address the elephant in the room.

We have been spinning our wheels for decades thinking that the processes we have in place are working to arrest the issue of addiction, but if that were true why is there a rise in heroin addiction and death? We as the families pay thousands of dollars for rehab as it stands right now, for which the recidivism rate is 60% and then are surprised that the addict goes back to their old ways. So we try rehab again and it is a repeat of before. Sometimes it works and the addict does stay clean and sober, but relying on sometimes is a dangerous game for us all.

Addicts are chasing the “feel good” because they don’t feel good. There is a hole so big inside them that filling it up becomes an absolute obsession. However, we don’t point them toward God, we point them toward rehab. We all know as believers (at lest I hope we do) that the Word of God never returns void, since that is true then it would make sense that it is the perfect thing along with the love of Jesus to fill up the void in a person’s heart.

In the book of Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The addict needs to know that there is someone else that will carry the burden that they are trying to avoid.  They need to be taught as in the book of Ephesians 4:21-24, “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” And they need to be made aware from 1 Corinthians 10:13 that there is a way out, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

None of this is a perfect solution because we live in meat suits and are tempted each day, but it is better than all the rest and it has a pretty impressive success rate. It’s worth a try.

Modesty

/ leslie1966 / 4 Comments

Friendship Together Bonding Unity Youth Culture ConceptLately there has been a lot written about modesty, especially in relation to Christians and about accountability and responsibility. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to be accountable for our own actions and thoughts. In fact personal responsibility is in short supply now a days. Having said that, I think that we take it a bit too far when it is said that it is not our (collectively) responsibility how others react to us if we dress in what we feel is comfortable for the season, most recently the onset of warmer weather.

The argument seems to be that most especially as women we are not responsible for a male’s reaction to our apparel. A man should be able to control himself and not be “turned on” by a woman dressed in what some might consider less than modest clothing. In essence that would be great all things being perfect including all of us, but that is not the case. Both women and men need to be aware of how they look and what they are showing off when considering what the outfit of the day is going to be.

Most assuredly we are to learn to control our thought life as well as our outward life and quite honestly married men should not be looking at other women to see how they are dressed or carry themselves (respectively to wives also). However, A) the whole world is not married and B) according to the book of Romans 14:13, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.” Yes I know that in this particular section of Romans Paul is speaking of food and holding one day in higher esteem than others, however he is speaking about the issues that are arising in the church at that time. Well, guess what modesty is an issue in the church at this time.

I am sure that many fathers and even some mothers have said to their daughters who are wearing clothes that either come up to “here” or down to “there”, “You are not going out in that!” As a mother of two sons there have been times that I have said to my boys, “You are not wearing that!” (ok, well most of the time it’s because it didn’t match or it was dirty, but you get the picture). The point is why was it said? It was said because even in the world we know that we shouldn’t be stumbling blocks for our brothers and sisters. Yes, they need to take responsibility for their own actions and reactions, but we as their brothers and sisters in Christ, or the showing them the love of Christ to unbelievers, should not put temptation directly in front of them and dare them to not succumb.

It’s not exclusive to women or girls because their are some inappropriate outfits out there lately for men and boys. I also know that the weather can be excruciatingly hot at times. Trust me, I can sweat standing still sometimes and that’s in the winter cold. The whole point of modesty is to not show others what God intended for private moments in a marriage, and we are not to deliberately tempt one another. In the book of Matthew 18:5-7 it states, “ 5 And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.7 Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!” 

Ladies AND Gents, keep all the bits covered and modesty won’t have to be an issue in the church, and there shall be no woe to those from whom it comes.

Moving

/ leslie1966 / 1 Comment

IMG_9367I been having a difficult time lately getting much done. I am not sure why as humans we decide to take on life changing events when we are most busy.

It was in the back of our heads to move for a year or so. We no longer really like where we live, the house we are in was never meant to be our forever (yeah we have been here over 17 years), and the concept is closed off and a bit choppy. I came across some homes accidentally that my husband really liked and the next thing I know we are cleaning out our house speaking to mortgage reps and have a realtor for our house. What happened? I am not sure.

I grew up with a mother who was one who threw things away if it was not used that year and a father who kept copies of scientific magazines from before I was born (you know they landed on the moon dad, right?),  so I have a bot of both of them in me. Mom was also a clean freak, of which I really am not. So to have  realtor come into your house and in her capacity as the person who will sell your home tell you it’s not that clean and that you need to get rid of every bit of evidence that you are still living here is a bit maddening, but also discouraging too.

When we moved in here our boys were young (picture before kindergarten) and now they are adults and there has been more junk brought in here and even thrown away than I care to mention and we still seem to be swimming in it. Our basement looks like the dump threw up in it, but I will say that I have managed to box up most of our lives and put them in my father in laws garage. My big issue has been how do you erase the fact that you are living here while you are trying to sell the home?

When I look at all the stuff we have accumulated I keep going back to the book of 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I am having a bit of trouble letting go of the treasures that we have stored here in our house, but need to focus on the treasures that we will store in a new abode much like we will in heaven.

I have also been reminded of another piece of scripture, Ephesians 4:22-24 “22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” While our old stuff does not necessarily contain corrupt and deceitful desires when we purge ourselves of the things of old we are taking off the old man and putting on a new man because we will be operating from a different place or season in our lives.

I hope that I can, with God’s help, keep all the balls in the air. I know He can, but I am not too sure of my ability to do that right now. I will let you know how things work out.

 

 

Muddled Brain

/ leslie1966

We are in the process of cleaning the house up so that we can move. I can’t seem to get myself motivated to do anything else that is required of me including post here. My focus has narrowed to such a small area that my brain cannot engage in too many other activities. Therefore I ask your forbearance whilst I get my behind in gear and require more of my brain than menial tasks.

I hope this doesn’t take too long….I keep wanting to ask, “Are we there yet?”

Vacation Lessons

/ leslie1966

Hello world….ok well at least the few of you who do read the blog, yes I am back. My husband and I were on a short vacation and I felt that it was more important to focus on our time together, since this was the first real vacation we have had now that our children are grown, than on making sure I had a blog post ready to go. I have to say that we learned or were reminded of several lessons and of God’s greatness while on our vacation.

Our trip took us about 4 1/2 hours away from home so we drove to save money. We left late on Tuesday and stopped when we got tired. The first lesson I learned is that when I am tired I do not exactly exhibit the fruits of the spirit. I use a popular app to book our hotel rooms, so I was utilizing it after midnight to see where we could find a place to lay our heads and get the sleep our bodies were beginning to seriously crave. I booked the room, but was having a hard time because it would not allow me to book for the exact night since it was after midnight. Anyway, we get to the hotel and walk in. It had gotten a descent review from travelers, but it did not look or smell the cleanest. The gentleman at the desk was less than accommodating (did you see what I did there?) and indeed was rude and nasty. Instead of calmly explaining the workings of the app that I had used, having me cancel the present reservation and taking us as a walk in, he decided that it was his duty to tell me how ignorant and stupid I was for not understanding that the app had made the reservation for the following night. My husband and I decided that it was our time to leave. I was angry and had increasingly lost the ability to “love my neighbor as myself”. We traveled a little further down the road to the next city, found a hotel that was in the same chain and a nice older gentleman displayed, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control all while finding us a room. He helped me regain my ability to have patience when dealing with other humans.

We arrived at our destination on Wednesday, after a few stops along the way just because we could. We settled in to a very nice room that had a little kitchenette that aided in our ability to save more money by purchasing food at a local grocery store. We were then able to either return to the room for all our meals or pack a lunch and snack for our adventures further out. We had decided to visit West Virginia. We reside in Pennsylvania and I love to explore the United States rather than traveling abroad. I had been through West Virginia and stayed overnight, but never explored any part of it. We stayed in Morgantown which is the home of West Virginia University and some of the hilliest roads I have ever seen! Even the university is built around this hillock filled hamlet. The first two days we explored all around where we were staying. We fed giraffes at Hovatter’s Zoo, we saw glass that had been created and fired many years ago there and went to the West Virginia Botanic Garden where we walked around the reservoir and were warned about sightings of bears and then checked out some of the buildings of the university.

On the third day we drove to Seneca Rocks which left us in awe and wonder and pondering how anyone could deny the majesty of God when looking at this beauty as is stated in Psalm 65:6-8, “6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; 7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.” We also visited and toured a cavern in a resort called Smokehole which can be found in the depths of the mountains surrounding Seneca Rocks, and then to Blackwater Falls where we walked up and down over 400 stairs.

If you needed to disappear this would be the place to do it; no cell service, wide open spaces and a depressed economy, but beauty that takes your breath away. While the rock formations and the mountain air were wonderful and a complete demonstration of God’s ability to create something out of nothing the lesson that came on this day was while we were in the car, not admiring the grandeur. Traveling out to Pendleton County we found ourselves on windy mountain roads that had us hoping the brakes would not overheat or we would meet our demise rolling down the mountain. We also were amazed that there were no highways as we know them to be, and there are very few straight roads and if they are straight it’s only because they are going up or downhill. We stopped at a very nice park and had a lovely picnic lunch before coming upon Seneca Rocks, maybe that is why we hadn’t paid much attention to the time we spent traveling there. On the way home was another story; we were tired, and in need of rest, so we started back “home”. It felt like we had been traveling for days, the GPS never seemed to move and the roads all began to look the same. I looked down at my phone which we were using for directions and we had only 33 miles to go yet it was going to take us an hour to drive that distance; twice the time it would take us if we were at home!FullSizeRender

THAT is when I was stupefied by the thought that no matter how fast I would like the time to go to be able to get to the hotel, take a nice hot shower and rest while watching “Fixer Upper” we were not going to get there until we had completed the drive necessary in the place that we were. In other words; all in God’s timing.  I am not good at waiting for God’s timing to come about, but in the car 33 miles away from our destination and no faster way to get there I was forced to comply. It was quite eye opening to realize that if I could be patient enough (ok not really patient, but close) to not start crying over the distance and time required to meet our goal while trapped in a car, then I could do it when I was not at the mercy of West Virginia roads. Quite a revelation for me.

Who knew that God could teach even the simplest of lessons to understand, but hardest to comply to on a windy road in West Virginia, on vacation with the love of my life.

Pet Peeve Of Worship

/ leslie1966 / 2 Comments

In May I posted the blog Whom Am I To Stumble Another and in it I mentioned praise and worship at church. I had said, “There are some beautiful Christian songs by some very talented artists, that doesn’t mean they are meant to be praise and worship songs in church.” I said it and I meant it.

The word praise in the dictionary when taken in this context means, “the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship” and worship means, “adoring reverence or regard”, but something is lost when the song choice is more for those on stage than those in the congregation. For instance when the bridge of the song is simply the word, “woah”, no not woe as the Bible used it, but woah kind of like what you want a horse to do. It tends to take the wind out of the worship sails when you can no longer participate in the act of praise and worship because it’s more about the harmonies of the band or how well the leader can imitate a well known singer. I can’t imagine the 80-year-old grandma singing, “woah” or the tone-deaf father either for that matter. 

Praise and worship should be musical prayers to God, not an attempt to become the next Hillsong United, Jesus Culture or even Chris Tomlin (who is great in concert by the way). Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of worship leaders that are extremely talented, but it’s the ones who sing devotion to Jesus instead of singing for accolades for themselves are the ones who are using the gifts that God gave them to bring glory to His kingdom and bring joy to the congregation.

I love singing songs to Jesus because, for me, prayer comes hard. I stumble over words and I don’t seem to be able to fit what needs to come out my mouth with the needs of my heart. Yet worship songs seem to be able to accomplish that. Then in church, what I can’t always articulate in public or private, a good praise and worship leader can help me do before I settle in to hear the Word of God.

So if you are a praise and worship leader maybe thinking about the 80-year-old grandma or the tone-deaf dad when planning your worship set would be a good idea, because I don’t know anyone except a horse person who wants to sing the word woah over and over again.

 

 

 

Woebegone

/ leslie1966 / 1 Comment

I began thinking yesterday after I wrote the blog, and then a friend mentioned something to me that made me really delve a little deeper into it. Even though for some in the Christian faith depression can be a taboo subject there are examples of many in the Bible who suffered great despair and I would venture to say even depression.

David a man after God’s heart showed his despair in many  of the Psalms. Crying out to God in Psalm 13:1-2

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

David asks a question that I have been known to ask myself, “How long?” How long is this feeling of __________________(insert feeling here) going to last and why am I feeling it? God never left David, but David felt like He had.

Moses grieved of his people when he came down from the mountain top and the Israelites had lost their minds (really who thought a golden calf would be a good idea?). Moses had come down after speaking with the Lord to find his people in complete chaos and sin, who wouldn’t be depressed?

Jeremiah who was known as the weeping prophet was constantly rejected by his people and left alone to his own devices which could most assuredly leave a person feeling defeated and despondent.

Paul when speaking in 2 Corinthians 1:8 said, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; ”

Jesus even showed his anguish in Mark 14:34-38

34 And He said to them, My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch. 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will. 37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Job whom we know to have suffered great things even asked in Job 3:11

11 Why did I not die at birth,

Come forth from the womb and expire?

Now if anyone had a right to despair, other than Jesus, it was Job…geeze the dude never caught a break. He suffered more affliction than I ever want to see in 10 lifetimes. In Job 3 verses 20-26 his misery is evident, “20 Why is light given to him who suffers, and life to the bitter of soul, 21 Who long for death, but there is none, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, 22 Who rejoice greatly, and exult when they find the grave? 23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? 24 For my groaning comes at the sight of my food, and my cries pour out like water. 25 For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. 26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, and I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.

These were not people to be scorned, they weren’t people God stopped loving in their distress, nor did He leave them by the wayside because they could not see, for those moments, that life had a meaning or a purpose or even that there was a life to be lived. God does not leave us in our affliction so why should those in our home churches or brothers and sisters in the faith? That does not mean that we cannot, as brothers and sisters in Christ, help point to the worth in life, that we cannot emphasize that this too shall pass, or that things will get better. That the depression that some experience is situational and will change as the pressure lifts and the realization that we are not  forsaken sinks in.

Paul in 2 Corinthians when he despaired of life continued on and said in verses 9 & 10, “9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us.” He knew that even unto death God was not going to leave him, even though you can imagine the anguish that had brought him to despair of life. We can hear the emotion in Job. He couldn’t keep the “stiff upper lip” amid his pain and to expect that kind of emotionless Christian life is not a biblical ideal.

We as Christians need to stop stigmatizing the word depression and be available for others who need to cry out in anguish so that they can move on from the hard place that they are in. G. Campbell Morgan said in his book, Searchlights From The Word, “Yet, such outpouring is a far more healthy thing for the soul than dark and silent brooding.” In Psalm 34:17-19 we are told,

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

 

 

 

Buzz Word

/ leslie1966 / 4 Comments

Yesterday I was grumpy, today I am feeling discouraged. I know we all have our own talents that God has bestowed on us by manipulating our genetics and I am grateful that I have even a little bit of anything, but some days it seems that my talent is to be a jack of trades master of none. I see in my head how things should go or what to create, but to be able to make it travel from head to hand is a more difficult task. I can’t even draw it out so that someone else can execute it and that makes me more melancholy than I would like.

Uh oh now I have gone and done it, I have opened the door to the word “depressed”. In the Christian faith that is like pulling the pin on a grenade and telling someone else to hold it, you don’t know quite what to do with it, but you know if you throw the grenade the whole place could go up. Depression and stating that you feel depressed seems to be a buzz word in the church. I haven’t quite figured why that is. Some say it’s because depression comes form a state of not believing that God can work all things for His good. Ok well that seems reasonable, but then some call it sin and that just doesn’t sit well with me. I am not talking about those who have a clinical brain imbalance that need medication to sometimes even be able to get out of bed, I am talking about thoughts of sadness, or melancholy.

The argument could be, and has been, made that those kinds of feelings are a sin because we aren’t trusting God with all that we have. Ok those of you who leave ALL things to God at ALL times raise your hand. If you even thought about raising your hand you just sinned…because you lied. I am not condemning you, but I am bringing to light the simple fact that because we live in a meat suit we have to, at times deliberately bring our thoughts to Him and ask Him to take them captive. For many of us it doesn’t come naturally and we struggle against the flesh. We live in a fallen world and therefore we are going to have feelings of being inadequate, depressed (uh oh there’s that word again), helpless and even hopeless. What differentiates us from the world is that we do have a way out of those feelings or at least a comfort from and during those feelings. It doesn’t mean we will do it perfectly each time, but it does mean that we can “Do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” Philippians 4:13.

 

Curmudgeon Christian

/ leslie1966 / 1 Comment

I think it just might be my day to be grumpy. I haven’t been getting enough sleep and people are beginning to bother me. Ok who am I kidding people bother me regularly I just don’t always voice it. Yes, I know that is the time I need to pray for patience and understanding and on most days I do, but on other days I am more like Jesus overturning tables and being angry that the money changers are defiling MY temple.

One thing that is a constant bother to me, and this is strictly my opinion, are the comments (and those like it), “They just need Jesus” and “Instead, we should be praying for them.” First of all yes, those who are lost DO just need Jesus, but there are times that someone else is needed to help guide them to the love and comfort of Jesus. For instance an addict/alcoholic….this person may have even known Jesus, but slipped away from Him. This person is lost and right now couldn’t find their way to the bathroom let alone back to Jesus. This is when another saint is required to come alongside of them and gently guide them back home all the while giving them tools to help them on their journey. Secondly, I pray for many many people, from those that I know personally, to those that I don’t know, but can see their actions and they do need prayer. However, there are times that even Jesus made a person(s) painfully aware of their behavior. As I mentioned before, the money changers, and even the woman at the well was made aware of her previous behavior. Heck even Peter in Matthew 16:23 was told, “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Jesus didn’t mince words. I will grudgingly admit His words were probably much better than some of the words I come up with, however it still does not mean that Jesus gave people a free pass on bad behavior. I think at times that this is some of what is wrong with this world and why as Christians we are seen as judgmental. We are not consistent with how we handle situations. Too many times we give some things a pass and then others we go in Bible verses blazing, because we are more confident on the rock which we stand.

Who knows maybe I just need another cup of coffee and some time on the shelf to get my act together…..nah it can’t be just me.