The Man in My Life

“Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 3:8-13 ESV

I don’t think I could be more proud of the man my husband has become. Not only has he been and continues to be a wonderful husband, he has proven to be an awesome Daddy. He strives to do what is best for our family and makes every effort to ensure we are all happy. He loves his job and goes above and beyond as he feels necessary at work. I am thankful he has learned to balance his work like and home life, for the most part (everyone can have a one-off day, right?). Most importantly, he keeps his eyes on God. He prays for his family and keeps his heart, mind, and soul in tune to what God wants for his life as well as our lives.

All of that being said; he received a call yesterday afternoon from the Chairman of Deacons at our church. He actually didn’t answer the call because his phone was on silent and didn’t hear it, but he was called, by the deacon, to let him know that the church voted to add him to the Deacon Nomination Ballot for final voting later this year. While I am very excited for him, I only want him to make the decision that he feels God is leading him to do. He is just not sure yet. This is definitely not a decision that he wants to take lightly. I pray that he understands that I will support him in either decision he makes. If he does decide to be added to the ballot and he is voted upon to become a deacon, I know he will handle the job well.

I am excited for him and this opportunity. I am so proud to call him mine and thank the Lord everyday for giving him to me. I will continue to pray that the Lord will provide a clear leading in the decision that he has to make. I am sure that he would covet your prayers as well.

The Hard Questions

I know that technically Good Friday has passed, but I am still up (way later than I should be) so it is still Friday to me. I have taken some time to ponder the events of today and reflect on some not-so-easy-to-answer questions from J-Man. The questions may be easier to answer for an eight year old, but a four year old - a bit challenging.

Our church celebrated Good Friday today with a noon-time service and bag lunch. It was actually a joint service with two other churches in our area and I believe this is the third year we have done this. We celebrate with song, prayer, and a short challenge from a preacher from one of the three churches. A wonderful reflection of what price Jesus Christ paid for us. A time to remember and ponder the foundation of our faith.

On the way to the service, with the Easter cantata music playing, we drove by another church and J-Man pointed out the purple "robe" hanging on the cross. "Jesus' robe is on the cross, Mommy."

Further down the road and a bit closer to our church, there are blue ribbons on light poles, signs, and any other posts imaginable. There was a fallen officer's funeral around 6-9 months ago and the ribbons tracked the route taken from another church (where the funeral was) to the burial site. J-Man asked what the ribbons were for. Before I could really answer, he remembered that we had this conversation before and proceeded to tell me that he knew what they were for. They were for the police man. I told him he was correct. They were hung because the police man died.

"Is he in Heaven with Jesus?"

Ooooh. I don't know. After having conversations with my own dad about the officer (as he knew him personally), I am not sure that he is in heaven.

How do I tell this to a four year old?

How do I explain that not everyone makes the choice to go to heaven?

Do I avoid it all the way?

I don't want to lie to him.

I also don't want to judge or make a false statement about the man's faith.

I went with the "be honest" answer. "J-Man, I am really not sure if he is in heaven with Jesus or not. Remember, Mommy and Daddy have told you that Jesus is a gift to us?" He had a positive response. "There are some people who choose to accept Him as their gift and ask Him into their hearts. There are some that do not. When they do accept Him, they have the wonderful opportunity to go to heaven with Jesus when they die." "Those people who choose not to accept that gift, do not get to go to heaven."

Silence.

Was this silence good or bad? Even at this point, I am not sure. I am confident that he was just taking it all in. If he wanted to know more, he would have asked. Sometimes it is just good to answer the question and stop. I have learned to not add an extra two cents - it may be too much. 

When we sat down for service, a black cloth draped the cross in the church. J-Man noticed that it wasn't purple as the one down the road was and asked why. "The black 'robe' is in memory of Jesus dying on the cross for us. Today we celebrate His death." I know Sunday will present the question of why there is a white "robe", but I am so glad that I am able to let him know that our Christ arose from the dead.

We serve a living God. The ONLY living God!

"But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:5-6

Yes, these questions may be hard for me to totally answer for a four year old, but I am glad that there is a glorious outcome after my flesh passes away. I am glad God's promises were fulfilled through Jesus' death on the cross and through his resurrection. I am glad my God is living and breathing and with me every step of my day.

Thank you for the cross, Lord.
Thank you for the price You paid.
Bearing all my sin and shame,
In love You came,
And gave amazing grace.

Thank you for this love, Lord.
Thank you for the nail pierced hands.
Washed me in Your cleansing flow,
Now all I know,
Your forgiveness and embrace.

Worthy is the Lamb!
Seated on the throne.
Crown You now with many crowns,
You reign victorious!
High and lifted up,
Jesus Son of God,
The Darling of Heaven crucified,
Worthy is the Lamb.
Worthy is the Lamb.

Hillsong United

"Worthy is the Lamb"

Wake Up!

Happy Sunday! Happy day of the Lord!

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Today is a wonderful day. We had an awesome and thought-provoking service at church with the start of our revival services. Our speaker will be speaking on prayer all week and I am looking forward to what God has laid on his heart to present to our church as well as myself. This morning was a message from Revelation 3 where Jesus is speaking of the church at Saridis. The pastor's message centered around complacency and how our church and Christianity itself will perish if we don't do something about it... Quickly.

"... I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God." Revelation 3:1b-2 (ESV)

I will say that I have been battling complacency for some time now. It is easy to show a facade when you are at church but just going through the motions is never a good thing. It is my earnest prayer that I can get out of this, um... funk and get back to the things of the Lord - personally. There are so many things that I could do better at, and one of those specifically is prayer. That is where it all begins. I know having the best relationship with my Lord must involve prayer.

As you can tell, I am very excited about what this week holds. My prayer for you is that if you are feeling like you are in the same boat with me on complacency, please take a look at Revelation 3:1-6 and wake up! Take the time to pray for the people of your church. We all need to stand up and know that the end is very near if we don't do something soon.

Don't let yourself continue to be dry in your faith!

Be excited about what God can do in your life.

Pray and let God use you in ways that only He can. Don't be scared -- He will be with you every step of the way. However, you have to let Him in; you have to allow Him to work.

Happy Sunday and have a wonderful day of rest!