Women in the Word

I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional

2009-11-19T11:09:00.003-05:00

"Dysfunctional" seems to be quite a catch word in our modern society. From marriages, to families, to churches...everybody and everything seems to be, to one degree or another, "dysfunctional." In light of this, I wanted to share with you a devotional by Elisabeth Elliot taken from her book "All That Was Ever Ours." It was eyeopening to me. I hope it is to you.

"P. T. Barnum knew what he was talking about when he said there's a sucker born every minute. He made money on it and so have thousands before and since. It isn't difficult to convince insecure people (who isn't insecure?) that they've been shabbily treated and deserved better. In fact they've been horribly treated and mistreated, misunderstood, misused, abused. Their families were dysfunctional (whose wasn't? whose parents did a perfect job?). No wonder they can't feel good about themselves. But here, folks, I can make you see that you're wonderful, really WONDERFUL. It's bad to feel bad about yourself, and it's the fault of all those awful people who wounded you. You can just walk away from them.

As always, we must hold up whatever the world is saying to the straightedge of Scripture in order to see if it's crooked. The "gospel" according to the self-gurus, by which many will testify to having been helped, is very simple and, I believe, very crooked. The pathway to fulfillment is straight and narrow, and it begins at the cross where (as in Pilgrim's Progress) Christian drops his burden: the burden of sin, deep-rooted, infectious, malignant, death-dealing sin, the terrible root of all those "bad feelings." "Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said, with a merry heart, 'He hath given me rest by His sorrow and life by His death.' Then he stood still a while to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that the sight of the Cross should thus ease him of his burden."

Surprising it will always be to those who come to that Cross, and foolishness it will always be to those who don't. Rest comes by His sorrow, life by His death? Yes. "His purpose in dying for all was that men, while still in life, should cease to live for themselves and should live for him who for their sakes died and was raised to life. With us therefore worldly standards have ceased to count in our estimate of any man.... When anyone is united to Christ, there is a new world (or a new act of creation); the old order has gone, and a new order has already begun" (2 Corinthians 5:15-17, NEB).

That new order is a far cry from the notion of self-acceptance which has taken hold of the minds of many Christians. Any message which makes the Cross redundant is anti-Christian. The original sin, pride, is behind my "poor self-image," for I felt that I deserved better than I got, which is exactly what Eve felt! So it was pride, not poor self-image, that had to go. If I'm so beautiful and lovable, what was Jesus doing up there, nailed to the cross and crowned with thorns? Why all that hideous suffering for the pure Son of God? Here's why: There was no other way to deliver us from the hell of our own proud self-loving selves, no other way out of the bondage of self-pity and self-congratulation. How shall we take our stand beneath the cross of Jesus and continue to love the selves that put Him there? How can we survey the wondrous cross and at the same time feed our pride? No. It won't work. Jesus put it simply: If you want to be My disciple, you must leave self behind, take up the cross, and follow Me. George MacDonald writes, "Right gladly would He free them from their misery, but He knows only one way: He will teach them to be like Himself, meek and lowly, bearing with gladness the yoke of His Father's will. This is the one, the only right, the only possible way of freeing them from their sin, the cause of their unrest."

~by Elisabeth Elliot

Just the Right Size

2009-10-14T09:19:00.001-04:00

Picture this: you are a small boy who is standing in front of the biggest, tallest, strongest, meanest man you have ever seen with only a sling and a few stones. The giant is taunting you, telling you that you are nothing but a dog to him and thousands of people are watching you. Most of them are on the giant’s side and the ones that are supposed to be on your side, think you are crazy because of what you think you can do. Now I think by now you can figure out who I am talking about. David and Goliath. We have all heard that story, we know it by heart and we tell it to our kids. I was struck by something this morning though (ha – no pun intended). I was listening to the radio on the way to work and Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns came on the radio. Now I LOVE this song. I have always been able to picture exactly what they were talking about when they mentioned Peter climbing out of the boat or David standing in front of Goliath. But toward the end of the song, in a portion that many probably don’t pay attention to or a part that the radio may cut off so they can get more songs in, is a line that says “but the stone was just the right size to put the giant on the ground”. Hmmm…that made me think. If the stones had been bigger, David might have felt better about what he was about to do because it would have felt heavy and solid in his hand. But it might have been too big to fit the sling, it might not have flown as far and so it might have just landed on the giant’s toe. If the stones had been smaller, it might have fallen out of the sling, it might not have even left the sling or it might have flown over Goliath’s head. But the stone was just right to do the job. People tell us not to worry because God equips us with what we need. But so many times we look at our lives and what we have or don’t have and we begin to doubt. Because we aren’t looking at our target, we are looking at those small stones. So let’s ignore those people who laugh at us reminding us ‘of all the times we’ve tried before and failed’. And listen to and believe the Voice of Truth, who tells us ‘a different story’. The Voice that says ‘Do not be afraid!’, that ‘This is for My glory.’

1 Chronicles 28:20 (ESV) - Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished

Psalm 79:9 (ESV) - Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!

~Avie DeMorat

Don't Call Me the Crocodile Hunter!

2009-06-12T14:15:00.003-04:00

It started out as any other weekday morning. I showered, dressed, ate breakfast and prepared to leave for work. As I stood at the dining room table gathering my belongings to head out the door, I caught a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see a huge iguana...ok, maybe it was a lizard...posed on top of a box that leaned against the wall. One thing you have to understand about me is that, even though I have six grandsons who could all pass for the Crocodile Hunter, they did not inherit that trait from their grandmother. I hate lizards!! They remind me too much of snakes, which I hate even worse than lizards. In the past my first instinct would have been to call Sarah to bring the boys over to catch this dumb lizard. But, alas, Beford, MA, is a little too far away for them to come and rescue Nina. And the other four "Crocodile Hunters" live six hours away. Still no help! So I knew that I had two choices. I could leave and go to work and hope the lizard would miraculously find his way out of the house while I was gone. One problem...how would I know for sure that the lizard was gone and not just hiding, awaiting the opportunity to attack his unwilling host...ME? So I chose the second option...try to coax the lizard back out the door from whence he came. So I opened the door leading into the back yard and began trying to "shoo" the lizard in that direction. Not a good idea. Did you know that lizards can jump?? And guess who was standing between where the lizard was and where he wanted to jump?? I found out quickly that I CAN JUMP TOO!! It didn't take long for me to figure out that this was not going to work. I realized that the only way I was going to get this lizard out of my house was to try to smack him with the fly swatter. I really didn't want to kill him for fear that my grandsons would disown me. But I didn't see any other way. So after chasing him around the living room I finally was able to sneak up on him and...SMACK! I got him. Fortunately, I just knocked him silly, but it was enough to allow me to pick him up (with the fly swatter, of course) and toss him out the door into the back yard. I'm happy (I think) to tell you that he survived and is probably now plotting his revenge. Why am I sharing my lizard story with you?? Because God used it to teach me a spiritual lesson. How many times has that Old Serpent, the devil sneaked into my house without being noticed? When I've caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye, my first reaction is to chase him out on my own. That doesn't work any better than it did with the lizard! The enemy jumps at me and sometimes scares the pants off me. I've found that the only way to deal with the devil is with Help...the kind that comes from our Father. I need to deal with the devil in the same way that Jesus did...with the Word. I just need to smack him with the Word and knock him silly. Then I can kick him out of my house. I know he'll come back...but I'll be waiting for him!
Remember Eph. 6:10-17..."Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..."
Happy Hunting!!

Visions of...Dirty Windows!

2009-05-05T09:20:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday, in our Women in the Word Life Connections class, one of verses that we talked about was 1 Corinthians 13:12, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." We talked about this verse and what it really means for us. Then this morning, God once again gave me a very visual illustration (since He made me a visual learner!) of how this verse applies to ME. As I've talked about in previous blogs, we have a bird feeder in our back yard. And might I say that it is Grand Central Station for the birds of St. Marys most of the time. In fact, we have to fill the feeder EVERY DAY. I'm thinking that pretty soon we'll have to make a decision...do the birds eat or do WE eat. Anyway...I love to watch the birds. I sometimes sit in our swing in the back yard for hours just watching the birds come and go. They are beautiful and very unique...in their appearance, in their choice of seeds, in their chirping, in their tolerance for being watched. While I'm sitting outside in the swing, there's nothing to obstruct my view of the birds. But this morning as I was looking at the birds (and squirrels) out my dining room window I made a terrible discovery...my windows are very dirty! As I looked through my dirty window I realized that the beautiful birds, each with their unique qualities, looked blurred and distorted. They were no longer clear and distinct in their appearance. Oh, I could still see them...sort of. But I could no longer make out the subtle little differences that singled out each beautiful bird. Suddenly God reminded me of 1 Cor. 13:12..."we see through a glass darkly..." In our fleshly bodies, we're looking through "dirty windows." We can't clearly see the plan and purpose of God for our lives. We can't clearly understand why God allows some things to happen. We can't fully understand why someone we love is taken from us....or why we're suddenly faced with a terminal illness. Why can't God see things the way I see it!! Dear friend...God DOES see it the way you see it...but He sees SO MUCH MORE. He sees the beginning AND the end. He alone knows the plan and purpose He has for your life and the lives of those you love. And He is directing the steps of every believer and leading us on the path of that plan and purpose. Right now we see through "dirty windows." But, thank God, 1 Cor. 13:12 doesn't stop there! The rest of the verse says "...but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." In that day...the great "then"...when I see my Lord and Savior face to face, I SHALL KNOW. Then...I will understand. Then...I will see clearly. Then...my windows will be all sparkling clean!

I don't think it can be said any more clearly than from The Message:
We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

What a day that will be! But till then...I think I need to wash my windows!

I Know How I Designed It

2009-04-06T09:38:00.002-04:00

This morning a dear friend sent me an Encouragement for Today devotional from the Proverbs 31 Ministry. In light of the events of last week, this devotional spoke volumes to my exhausted heart and mind so I want to share it with you all. Please take time to read it and I pray it speaks to you as much as it did to me.

I Know How I Designed It
by Van Walton

"...we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus..." Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

My amazing husband can do anything. He's a fix-it man. There isn't anything he can't repair or create. He rebuilds damaged computers for family and friends, repairs weed eaters and garage door openers for neighbors, and rescues broken furniture from trash heaps. Recently he brought a chair home from a dinner party. It wasn't a gift and we didn't steal it. Someone sat in it and broke it!

After two days of taking the chair apart - performing what looked like orthopedic surgery to me, you know when pins and screws are inserted to keep bones and joints from further damage -- followed by a little gluing, sanding, and staining, the chair looked brand new.

"Wow!" I said, impressed.

"Sit in it and rock back," he encouraged.

"Rock back? I don't think so! What if I break it?"

"Oh, believe me. You won't."

"How do you know?" I asked, not convinced.

"I know how I designed it. I know the pressure points and how much stress it can take" he responded with a smile of confidence. "Go on. Sit in it and rock back."

I sat down and rocked back.

The chair was solid. I don't care who sits in it, or how they land in it now, it will not break.

I think about the times we don't believe we can handle any more stress. The pressure seems overwhelming and we cry, "Time out! I can't take any more!"

God responds, "Trust me. You will not be destroyed. I know your pressure points. I know how much stress you can take. I know how I designed you."

I cannot describe the peace I felt when I related the work of my husband's hands to the work of God's hand.

Of course He knows how much I can take. After all He is my Creator, the one who bent down by the river and fashioned me with His hands. He's the one who knit me together in the depths of my mother's womb, the one who is called the Potter.

He knows the exact temperature needed in the kiln to create the perfect clay vessel. He knows how hot the fire must be to separate the dross from the silver and gold. He knows how much pressure a diamond or emerald must withstand in order for it to come forth solid and brilliant. He knows how long the irritant must sit in an oyster before it becomes a pearl.

My Father knows exactly how much I can take. He knows because He designed me. With that realization I am able to trust Him and smile at the future, no matter how hard life is today.

Reminders

2009-04-01T15:36:00.003-04:00

This has been a trying week for our church family at VBC. But once again God has used what we consider to be tragic circumstances to remind me of some very important truths.

Life is short and uncertain. We don't have any promise of tomorrow...or even the next minute.
I need to cherish every second that I have with those I love.
I need to be sure that I never take my loved ones or my friends for granted.
Every day I need to tell my family that I love them.
Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life...and our ONLY source of comfort in times that try the soul.

I don't want to miss this opportunity to tell my friends who may be reading this...I love you all dearly!

Little Adjustments

2009-03-03T14:48:00.001-05:00

I have worn glasses or contact lenses since 2nd grade. I have tried all the styles. The ones I like best are the ones that actually fit on your face! My current pair is a bit more flexible than I’d like and I don’t think I wear them the same way twice. I’m constantly adjusting them. Their latest problem is loosening screws. Today, I was adjusting them when I decided to tighten the screws. Just a few little tweaks and they fit so much better on my face – like they were designed to do. The Holy Spirit whispered in my ear, “Just a little adjustment is what the Lord wants from you, too!” I’ve been concentrating so much on making big adjustments that little ones don’t seem worthy. He made His point and I’ll be making those small adjustments, too!
~by Sheila More

I Want To Be A Whale!

2009-03-03T08:50:00.001-05:00

I want to be a whale. Not literally, that’s for sure. We all know the story of Jonah and the whale. Jonah was a regular guy, like you and me, when God gave him specific instructions. And he did it…eventually. It took a horrible storm and getting swallowed then spit back up by a whale for him to do it, but he did, finally, do it. What about the whale? Sometimes, when you are trying to teach your 4 year old about obeying, you need to look at things a little differently. Imagine, here is this whale, swimming around, minding his own business, when God says “Bart,” (because God has a plan that only you can do, no matter who or what you are) “Do you see that man floating in the water over there? I want you to go swallow him up.” Now, did the whale question or tell God something he already knew? “Are you sure God? I don’t usually eat men.” Did he worry? “What if he gets stuck in my throat?” No. He swam out on faith and did what God told him to do, because he knew that God had a plan and would take care of him. If that wasn’t enough, a while later, God said “Bart, I want you to swim to shore and spit that man back out.” Again, did he question? “What? I just swallowed him. Now I am supposed to spit him back out again?” Or Worry? “If I get that close to shore, I’ll get stuck. What if I don’t’ make it back?” Or doubt? “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to swallow him in the first place...I thought that was what God had said, but maybe not…” What did the whale do? He swam to shore and spit the man back out. No questions, just obedience. So my last question to Ashton this morning as he was getting out of the car to go to school was, “Ashton, are you going to be Jonah today? Or are you going to be a whale?” And his answer was a smiling, loud and proud “WHALE!” So I got to thinking as I got back in the car, listening to Ashton as he walked away singing “I’m gonna be a whale today. I’m gonna be a whale today.” I think I want to be a whale today too.
~by Avie DeMorat

Ask and You Shall Receive??

2009-02-20T15:19:00.004-05:00

Last week I learned a couple of very important spiritual lessons from my little 3 year old granddaughter, Kiana (who just happens to be the most beautiful, the most intelligent, and the sweetest granddaughter in the whole wide world...and I am completely impartial). Anyway, last Tuesday, my daughter, Rachel, was driving home from work. Her husband had met her in Niceville to "hand off" Kiana to her so that he could continue to his second job. Rachel didn't know it at the time, but Kiana had asked her daddy for french fries before the "hand off" and he had told her to "ask mama." After Rachel picked up Kiana and started for home (Niceville is about 30-45 minutes away from Crestview where Rachel lives) Kiana did just what daddy told her to do and asked mama for french fries. Rachel said "No, we're going home and I'll fix you some supper." Now to say that Kiana was less than happy with her mama's response would be an understatement! She began to cry, as most children would. But after 30 minutes of crying...not throwing a fit, just crying...Rachel began to think that something other than withdrawal from french fries might be wrong with her, especially since she had seemed to not really feel well that morning. When they reached home, Kiana was still distraught. Rachel took her inside and held her and loved on her, all to no avail. Finally, in a desperate, last ditch effort, Rachel said "Do you want to talk to Nina?" (In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm Nina!!) Rachel had barely gotten the words out of her mouth before Kiana immediately stopped crying and said "I talk Nina!" It didn't take my daughter long to figure out little Miss Kiana. She knew that if she could just talk to Nina...she'd get her french fries!! Unfortunately, Nina wasn't at home to receive her phone call; and even if she had been there's no way Kiana could have gotten her french fries from me...even though I would have tried to figure out a way! The lesson for me was a two-fold one. First of all, Kiana knew just who to go to with her need. She knew that Nina was the answer to her lack of french fries. Do we know Who to go to when we have a need? Or do we try to get our need fulfilled on our own? That doesn't always works well, does it?! Our Heavenly Father knows our needs before we even have them...and He has promised to supply ALL our needs. And there's where the second part of my lesson comes into play...sometimes what we THINK we NEED is not good for us at all. Kiana really wanted french fries. But mama knew that what she really needed was good vegetables...not greasy french fries. How many times do we ask God for something because we REALLY NEED IT, GOD!!?? But God, Who knows our hearts, lovingly says "I don't think so! That's not good for you!" God wants to give us the things we really want...but there's a stipulation. Ps. 37:4 says "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Before the "desires" comes the "delight." When we delight ourselves in the Lord...when we seek our happiness in the Lord, in Who He is, in His being, and in His love...He WILL give us the desires of our hearts. The Amplified Bible adds even more...He'll give you not only the desires of your heart but "the secret petitions" of your heart also. The secret is that when we're delighting in the Lord, OUR desires are HIS desires. It's no longer I WANT, but HE WANTS. And we are always assured that what HE WANTS is GOOD!! So my lessons??? Go to the right place for my needs but always go delighting in the One Who loves me and knows what I REALLY need!

The M.O.B.

2009-02-03T13:08:00.002-05:00

This Saturday, February 7, 2009, will be a milestone for the Women in the Word Life Connections class...the first get-together of the M.O.B.!! Lest you read this and think we've become a part of organized crime, M.O.B. simply stands for Members Of the Body...the Body of Christ universally, the Body of Believers at Victory Baptist Church in St. Marys, Georgia, locally, and the Body of Women in the WIW Life Connections class specifically. God's Word has quite a bit to say about how this M.O.B. should function. I think one of the best descriptions is found in First Corinthians 12. This chapter give us a very clear and vivid picture of what our job is in the Body of Believers, universally, locally, and specifically.

God gives each believer at least one spiritual gift with a specific purpose in mind...as a special way of serving others. (1 Cor. 12:7)
Each member of the Body is equally important...whether a "foot," a "hand," an "eye," or an "ear," the Body can't function properly without YOU! (1 Cor. 12:14-17)
God has placed exactly the right people in the Body of Believers at Victory Baptist Church, and specifically in the WIW Life Connections class...and He did it to make all the "parts" of this Body work together smoothly, with each "part" caring about the others. (1 Cor. 12:25)
If one "part" of our Body hurts, we hurt all over. If one "part" of our body is praised, we all share in the happiness. (1 Cor. 12:26)
Together we are the Body of Christ...we are each one a "part" of His Body. (1 Cor. 12:27)

To sum it all up, the job of the M.O.B. is to SERVE EACH OTHER, TO VALUE EACH OTHER, TO CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER, TO SHARE GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES WITH EACH OTHER...Why? Because, as believers, we are all part of THE BODY...the very BODY OF CHRIST!!

So...welcome to the M.O.B.!! Together we'll serve, value, care, and share with one another. And as we do, not only will we grow closer to each other, we'll also show the world what it means to be called a Member Of the Body and we'll bring glory and honor to our awesome God!

Squirrels, Bird Seed and God's Word

2009-01-09T16:25:00.002-05:00

In our backyard, we have several very large oak trees...and along with the oak trees we have quite a large population of squirrels. I love to watch the squirrels running through the tree tops, jumping from limb to limb, chasing each other and frequently jumping from a limb to the roof of my house...with quite a thud! I remember several years ago in the spring and summer watching the squirrels diligently gather acorns from the oak trees and then bury them in various parts of our yard. They were busy little squirrels, in almost constant motion, storing up food for the winter. When winter came and all the acorns were gone from the oak trees, the squirrels knew exactly where to go to find the "treasures" they had worked so hard to put away. I was amazed to see them over and over again dig up acorns, never once missing the mark but every time finding the food they had buried months before. It occured to me when I first began to watch the squirrels work to put away food for winter that I could learn a lesson from them. Taking a cue from my friendly, furry friends, I, too, need to hide God's Word deep in my heart so that when "winter" comes...when the cold wind of trials blows or the icy fingers of discouragement squeeze my heart...I can "dig up" those "acorns" of God's Word that I buried long before they were needed...and I'll know just where to find exactly the "acorn" I need for that moment. But I've begun to notice something about our squirrels lately. A few years ago we put up a bird feeder in the backyard. Believe me when I tell you it was no small task keeping the squirrels out of that bird feeder. My brilliant husband finally devised a way to keep them out and it has worked for quite a while now. But the squirrels are very resourceful. They've learned that all they have to do is wait for the birds to come to the feeder and shovel out handfuls of birdseed onto the ground...where the squirrels are patiently waiting to enjoy a feast of food they didn't have to work for at all. Now our squirrels seem quite content to just sit and let someone else feed them. I'm sure that they still store away a few acorns here and there, but for the most part they just wait for the falling birdseed. But they've encountered a small problem. Eventually, the bird feeder runs out of birdseed. There's one thing the squirrels didn't bargain for...their free meal depends completely on me! If I fill the feeder with birdseed, they have a feast. If I forget to fill it, they have a famine. And that's exactly what happens to me if I depend on somebody else to provide my spiritual food for me...to spoon feed me, if you will. As long as I'm getting my "birdseed" provided for me, I don't have to put out any effort and can just sit back and enjoy being fed. But sooner or later the birdseed is going to run out. I cannot depend solely on someone else to feed me what I need spiritually any more than our squirrels need to depend on me to fill the bird feeder so that they can feast on birdseed. It's a great thing to listen to preachers and teachers of the Word and be built up in the faith because of them. But we must do our own "digging" and bury our own "acorns" too. When the preachers and the teachers are gone and you're alone facing the "winter," it's those buried acorns of God's Word that will feed you and sustain you, no matter how hard or how long the "winter." I think Job said it best ..."I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12b)

A New Year's Commitment

2009-01-01T13:15:00.005-05:00

2009!!! Wow, it's hard to believe that all the Y2K worries were nine years ago! My mama used to tell me that the older you get, the faster time flies. Boy, is that true! I pray that all of you have enjoyed the Christmas and New Year holidays and have been able to spend some time (even if it was just by phone) with your family. It seems that all I've heard on TV for the last week is about "New Year's Resolutions" and how hardly anyone keeps their resolutions. Why make them if you're not going to keep them?!? It's never made sense to me. But then I began to think about all the times I've "resolved" to do something for the Lord...like be a better witness to those I come in contact with, or be more committed to Bible study, or reach out to someone who has a real need...but have not "kept my resolution." What about all the times I've "resolved" to do something for the church...like be a part of a particular ministry, or working in the nursery, or teaching a class, or even cleaning out a flower bed...and then, after a short spurt of "resolve," I've faded into the background with my "resolution" in tow. So I've decided not to make any more resolutions! This year I've decided to make COMMITMENTS. Wikipedia defines "commitment" as "A promise or agreement to do something in the future; Being bound emotionally/intellectually to a course of action or to another person/other persons." When you're committed to someone or something, you are bound to that person or action with all of your being. When you're committed to someone or something, you'll follow through with your commitment...no matter how you feel, no matter how tired you are, no matter how inconvenient if may be...because you've made a promise and you are bound to fulfill that promise. So this year I think I'll make commitments instead of resolutions...to the Lord, to our church, and to each of you in the WIW Life Connections class. I hope that you will do the same!

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 (The Message)
When you make a vow to God, your God, don't put off keeping it; God, your God, expects you to keep it and if you don't you're guilty. But if you don't make a vow in the first place, there's no sin. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Keep the vow you willingly vowed to God, your God. You promised it, so do it.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-20T14:30:00.002-05:00

I passed a church yesterday that had a unique message on its sign by the road. It read "God gave His gift ON a tree, not UNDER a tree." During this time of year when the focus is on gifts, gifts, gifts, it would benefit us as believers greatly if we spent a little time contemplating God's gift ON a tree. Of course, Jesus had to come as that little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. But that little baby had to grow up. It was the man, Jesus, who gave His life on that TREE, the cross of Calvary, so that you and I could be set free from the curse and the penalty of sin. So this year, as you look at your beautiful tree and the wrapped gifts underneath, take some time to thank God for HIS gift ON a tree, the Lord Jesus Christ! Have a very Merry Christmas and, at the risk of sounding "old fashioned," don't forget the Reason for the Season!

A Job Well "Un"done

2008-12-16T12:43:00.002-05:00

As I journey though this life with God, I find that He sometimes speaks to me through the most unusual circumstances. I had one of those unusual circumstances this past Sunday afternoon. As some of you know, Pat has been working a lot of overtime lately...at least two Saturdays out of each month for several months now. That, combined with the fact that he leaves the house at 6:30 am every weekday morning and doesn't get home until 6:30 or 7:00 pm, has left many jobs undone around the Dill household. One of the "undone" things has been the job of cleaning up all the leaves that have blanketed our yard. We have quite a lot of large oak and maple trees in our yard and they have done their job of "leaf dropping" quite well. So since we didn't have an evening service this past Sunday, I decided that I would help Pat out and take care of all those leaves so he didn't have to worry about them. So I got out my "rake"...which happens to be a lawn tractor complete with grass catcher attached. I cleaned up the front yard without incident and moved on to the back yard. The majority of our trees are in the back yard so my task there was much more daunting than it was in the front yard. After I'd dumped the grass catcher at least 1,000 times, I had just a small section left to finish the back yard when disaster struck! Being the meticulous person that I am, I wanted to get as many of those leaves sucked into the grass catcher as close to the house as I could get. So I was inching (with this huge lawn tractor) closer and closer to the house...I was determined to not let any of those nasty leaves get away from me. I was, of course, in complete control of things. I would surely stop before coming in contact with the side of my house. And stop I did...without running into the house. However, protruding from the side of the house in the exact spot where I decided to stop is...a water faucet. Or perhaps I should say "was" a water faucet. Suddenly there was a fountain of water spraying over the top of the lawn tractor and onto me! I had hit the faucet and broken the water pipe! What had begun as a good deed to help my husband turned into a major problem for him...a dash to turn off the water at the meter, pulling off some of the vinyl siding, cutting a hole in the side of the house to expose the broken pipe, making a trip to Lowe's for repair parts, and then, in the dark, repairing the broken water pipe. As you can imagine, I felt horrible that I had caused all this trouble and extra work for my sweet husband who already works so hard. All he wanted was an afternoon of rest...but I fixed that! As I was trying to be a helpful wife and hold the flashlight, get any tool he needed, and just generally do penance for causing this disaster, the Lord taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes trying to do even good things can be a disaster, if not done in God's way and in God's time. Sometimes we rush ahead of God and try to "fix" things or make things better for someone. We try to be sure that every single "leaf" of pain or discouragement or material need is taken care of. But when things are not done in the right way...in God's way and in God's time...it may only cause us, and many times those around us, more problems. And it may keep someone (maybe even us) from experiencing God's best. Or we may "fix" something that God didn't want fixed at that moment. That's why it's so important that we pray before we jump in to try to do what we women do best...be a "fixer." We need to be very sure how many "leaves" God wants us to clean up and just how close He wants us to get to the house...or we might create an even bigger problem...one that might not be as easy to fix as a broken water pipe!

God is Still God!

2008-12-15T16:13:00.002-05:00

On November 9, 2008, the Sunday following the 2008 Presidential Election, I shared with our class some thoughts. In case you missed them, I thought I'd repeat them here for you.

On Wednesday morning [Nov. 5, 2008], as I was pondering this new "season" for our country, God reminded me of a couple of verses that I'd like to share with you today.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peacable life in all godliness and honesty."

It would have been much easier for me to pray for and give thanks for John McCain and Sarah Palin than for Barrack Obama and Joe Biden BUT when the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write this verse to Timothy, HE KNEW EXACTLY WHO WOULD BE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN 2008. God's Word is eternal and it never changes. It's God's will that we not only pray for our new president but also give thanks for him. The question for us is...are we going to be obedient?

One very important thing I discovered Wednesday morning...when I woke up, I found that GOD IS STILL GOD and HE'S STILL IN CONTROL...and I'm so glad He is!!

A New Season for VBC

2008-12-14T21:07:00.001-05:00

You may remember our lesson back in October on Ephesians 5:15-18 when we talked about making the most of every "season" of our life. You may also remember that I shared with you that I had received an email from a lady in our class who was concerned about our recent drop in attendance. I read a portion of my reply to you in class on November 2, 2008. Since there were some of you who may not have been in class on that day, I'd like to share with you that portion of my reply to the email. I pray that God will use it to speak to your heart and that it will cause you to pray even more for each other and for our church.

"I think last Sunday's Life Connections lesson was so timely for what's going on in our church right now. While the application was to us as individuals, I think it can apply to the church also. Victory is in a new season...Victory has an opportunity to fulfill God's purpose in this season. But Satan also has a plan...he wants to cause disunity, discouragement, and dissatisfaction. Remember Satan is an opportunist. He's seizing the opportunity, so we've got to seize OUR opportunity...we've got to "buy up" every ounce of opportunity that God is giving VBC in this season. We've got to find out what it is God wants us as members of VBC to do, AND THEN DO IT!! It may cost us something as a church to fulfill God's plan. It may cost us some members who aren't on board with the plan God has for us. It may be that we have to mourn for friends who might no longer be a part of our fellowship. Yes, it's been a long grieving process for many of us. We hadn't finished grieving for T.J. and Cindy when we lost Jenny and all the others who left with Mike. And there are others that we've lost along the way since then. But either God's Word is true or it isn't. It says that He is working and moving in our midst. Either that's true or it isn't. I choose to believe that it's true and I can take heart in a wonderful promise from God..."Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." [Ps. 30:5] Some nights when I can't sleep and I toss and turn much of the night, it seems like morning will never come. BUT IT ALWAYS DOES!! I'm waiting anxiously for the joy of the morning!! And when it comes, it's going to be awesome!!"

What's new for WIW????

2008-12-13T15:28:00.005-05:00

There's something new in the air for 2009 in the Women in the Word Life Connections class!! We've got our very own blog! We'll use this blog to encourage and build one another up in the Lord throughout the year. Frequently we all have thoughts that we'd like to share...thoughts on Scriptures we've read, thoughts on something that God has taught us, thoughts on how great our God is. Now you'll be able to share them with our WIW family. This blog can be a wonderful tool that can be used to help us fulfill Eph 4:29 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Happy blogging!!