A Few of My Favorite Fall Things

I couldn't let the last day of September go by without sharing a few of my favorite fall items:

You probably think my favorite color is orange, don't you?

And, of course, I ALWAYS enjoy a LOT of this:

So what are your favorite fall things?!? What do you like best about Fall?

Sorry to cut this so short, but I'm waiting for Alise's teacher to call me back. We had an "episode" today at school. It involves teeth. More about it later.

Wisdom

One of the first verses I ever memorized was James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach." God knows that I need lots of wisdom. Sometimes I remember this verse when I have a decision to make or struggling in some area of my life. Sometimes I do my own thing. Sometimes I simply forget to ask.

This reminder tonight goes right along with my preparation for Bible study about having other gods in my life. I felt God gently encouraging me that I needed to pray for wisdom to know my gods, wisdom to shut them off, wisdom to know my weak moments, and wisdom to know when to simply say "no".

Oh, God! My gods!

I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted here. It seems like July 31st was just yesterday!! Forgive me, Father, but my priorities have not nearly been as focused on You as they should be lately. I could blame all the things that have been going on in my life since July 31st, but You already know what those were/are. Absolutely nothing escapes You.

I've been preparing for our Bible Study this Thursday. We will begin the study, "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. I have been so convicted just preparing for it! Oh, God, my gods!! I can understand why those crazy Israelites had Aaron build that golden calf at the foot of the mountain! They didn't have television, a three year old, a computer, novels, a favorite football team, and a job to steal their focus and control their lives.

I have a confession.

When Wayne and I were at the Bama v. Tulane game earlier this month, God decided to bless me with a "teachable moment." The game was just beginning! The band was playing, the players were running out on the field and the whole stadium was in an uproar. Wayne and I were climbing all over each other - and those sitting around us - with excitment...jumping up and down and hollering for our favorite college football team.

As the team ran onto the field, I heard God whisper, "If only you could get this excited about me."

For just a few seconds, I paused.

I thought, "Wow!"

I thought, "I am doing so much wrong."

I whispered back, "Yes, Lord, if only I had the same passion for you!"

I've lost my First Love. I've lost the passion and I have replaced it with the "joys" of this world. It's like the song the choir sung this morning in church, "We're just playing games/at the foot of the cross/not realizing the cost."

My heart has been heavy for a lost friend. With all the media hype about the economy and gas prices and with all that she-bang, I was reminded this week that we are so close to the end. God promised there would be days like this. The news of the economy are only the labor pains. My brain says, "God, come quickly! Take us away from this mess!" But my heart says, "Lord, give me the chance to talk to him one more time. Father, lift the veil from his eyes before it is too late."

Oh, God. Be my God.

15 Minutes of Fame

A few years ago VH1 had a series entitled, "15 Minutes of Fame: Where are they now?". It documented the lives of star celebrities, singers, actors, politicians, etc. that had all reached that pivital moment in their lives and simply asked the question, "What happened to them?" I thought about this show the other night when my daily Bible reading had me in the book of 2 Chronicles.

I read the story about King Uzziah who came to rule Judah when he was only 16 years old! Can you imagine?! The Bible says that "as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success." Uzziah went out and built this huge army and was successful against defeating the Philistines and as a result of this, word began to spread throughout the land and he became famous. With his fame came power. And with unleashed power came pride.

King Uzziah walked into the temple one day and decided that he would burn incense on the alter. This special task was given only to the priests; not the King. The priests confronted him about his actions and Uzziah became angry. He ranted and raved and then suddenly, the Priests began to notice that the King was breaking out with leprosy on his forehead. He had to live the rest of his life in seclusion...away from his palace and the temple of God. Verse 23 of 2 Chronicles 26 says, "Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said, "He had leprosy.""

For all the good and mighty things that King Uzziah did, his moment of fame was that people remembered him more for having leprosy than they did the battles he won, the skillmanship that he exhibited, or his commandeering. What a shame that Uzziah took his eyes off God and began to see the things that he thought he had done. And I think, "How arrogant to walk into the temple and play Priest!" But I do that everyday when I choose to put my thoughts, desires, and actions before God and what His plans are for me.

Father, I pray for the grace to keep my eyes on You.

I Chronicles 29:11-13

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."

How many times do I see the words, "you" and "yours." It's called praise: taking my eyes off myself and my circumstances and turning them up toward Him.

I Could Choke Somebody

How do you feel when you know someone is not living in God's will or is deliberately doing his or her own thing? What if you know that thing is morally, spiritually, and physically wrong and those circumstances have wrecked and laid havoc on so many peoples' lives?

I want to grab that person by the shoulders and say, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?!"

{Sigh.} {Big Sigh.}

Tonight I read about Paul's testimony in King Agrippa's court. Paul told the king how he had persecuted the Jews and about his conversion on the road to Damascus. He reminded the king about the things that Moses had taught and then asked, "King Agrippa? Do you believe the prophets? I know you do." And King Agrippa replied, "Paul, surely you do not plan to make me a Christian so soon." Discouragement. Sheer discouragment. And the ironic thing was that Paul was already in chains.

My friend ticks me off! I want to yell and scream at her. But when I prayed about it tonight, I heard God say, "Pray. Pray without ceasing." And, so. I continue to pray. I pray inspite of my friend's actions. I pray inspite of my own disappointment and lack of faith (somewhat) that anything good could actually become of these prayers. It's hard to imagine a changed life....a new road and a fresh start for her. But then again, that's exactly what God did for me.

It just hit me just now that I am limiting God. Limiting Him by the way I want things "fixed" and how I want so-and so's life cleaned up. I want to witness a "miracle story" and yet God is capable of so abundantly more. My new prayer will be for God to do so abundantly more than I could ever hope He could in my friend's life.

John Saw the Sign

When Wayne and I were dating, we liked the rock band, Ace of Base. A of B had a song out titled, The Sign. Part of the chorus went something like this: "I saw the sign/and it opened up my eyes/I saw the sign." This afternoon, I was reading in the book of John (the disciple) and his portrayal of John the Baptist (John 1:29-34). John the Baptist saw the sign and it opened up his eyes.

The Baptist was actually Jesus' cousin, born to Zechariah and Elizabeth. He was six months older than Jesus and was the preamble to Jesus' own ministry. The Baptist was not the Messiah, Elijah, or the end time prophet (John 1:25), but he must have been a pretty special person for God to have shared the Sign with him.

Descend and rest. That was the sign! God told The Baptist, "The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit"(John 1:33). In other words, "He is my son!" The Baptist testifies that he did not know Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the Sign.

Two things:

1)The Sign is "the foretold coming of Jesus" to the Baptist and then it is also Jesus himself. I like to imagine The Bapitist in water up to his waist in the Jordan River. He has his hand raised high, about to baptize a new Jewish believer when a face in the crowd catches his eye. As John baptizes, The Face moves forward and comes to stand at the edge of the bank. John looks up and his eyes lock with the caring and compassionate eyes of The Face. The crowd begins to quiet down because they finally notice the stranger in their midst. Ever so slowly, The Face leaves the bank and wades up to The Baptist. "Baptize me in the name of the Father and Holy Spirit," The Face says and it is done. The heavenly dove descends and rests and John the Baptist's eyes are open. He has seen The Sign.

2)Descend and rest. Quite frankly, the resting part was something I never noticed until today. I knew that in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was only given to individuals as God deemed. It was sometimes given and taken away. However, for the first time in the Bible, the Spirit remained. The Spirit rested. As believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit remains in us also. It is up to us as to whether or not we heed it. Does the Spirit find rest in us?