Connect The Dots

One of the many things I love about Jesus is when He connects the dots. You know when you see a story come together and you know only God could have done it.
I want to share three of my most current stories.
First Story:
I have shared with you before how our church does a community outreach called 2nd Saturday. I was asked to lead a group of volunteers for The Children’s Home annual picnic. We supplied food and games and helped families who are raising other family member’s children for various reasons to just have a fun relaxing day that didn’t cost them any money. While I was there I noticed a young woman with 2 small children, they looked about 2 and 3 years old and she was very pregnant. I could see by her demeanor she was really stressed out and I wondered how she would cope with another baby.
Later while in the ladies room another guest from the picnic and I started a conversation about her situation and how she was raising her nieces 3 children and how difficult it was. I encouraged her as much as possible and allowed her to vent. Before I left for the day that same woman came back to me and said there was a woman at the picnic who was pregnant and didn’t want her baby. I knew in my heart exactly who it was. I asked her to ask the woman if it would be OK for me to have her name and number and I would have someone contact her that could help. I then prayed she would be willing to give a stranger her information. She did and I took the number to a friend who helps with adoptions.
A few months later that friend sent me an email that a beautiful healthy baby was born and going home with a loving couple who have been praying for a baby.
I had to laugh because once again God does things His own way. I’m sure no one planned that God would connect the dots of these 2 families from a picnic.
2nd Story:
I needed to go to my church and pick up a book a friend left for me at the welcome center. I was taking my grandsons to a vacation Bible school at a friend’s church so I figured I would swing by and pick up the book after I dropped the boys off.
Before leaving I went to grab my phone and realized it didn’t charge “for some reason.” I thought I knew where I was going so I left without it. When I got to the church there was no one there, I obviously missed something in the plan. I had no phone… so I had to drive back home to call my friend and figure out where I went wrong.
I thought about stopping at my church and getting the book but I was afraid I would run into someone and start blabbing and the boys would be really late so I passed by and decided to go by after I dropped them off at the right church.
I tell you all these details because I thought I was making the decision of when I would go get the book but unknown to me the Lord was doing the dot connecting for His perfect timing.
I dropped the boys off, went to the store then to the bank and then to my church to get the book. As I’m walking through the lobby a man sitting on a couch starts talking to me as if we were already in conversation. He’s telling me what he needs and who he spoke to last. It caught me off guard and I actually looked behind me thinking someone else must be in the lobby. I told him I didn’t work there and was just picking up a book and then realized it was an opportunity to help a person. I sat down next to him and asked what he needed. He said he was staying with friends and in his car and needed some gas money to get to a job he was starting in the next hour. I told him I had no cash but would follow him to a gas station and put some gas in his car. I asked if I could pray with him and he made a comment to the effect, that’s what everyone I talk to says, to which I replied was the best thing we could do. As we were walking out of the building we ran into one of the pastors this young man recognized so we stopped to talk to him. As we are talking to him 2 more men walk up that just happen to have a men’s ministry! They totally hooked this guy up with food, gas AND a place to live!
Once again God’s timing connecting the dots.
3rd Story: I may not have all the facts in order but it happened none the less.
A little more intense. Our Pastor was doing a message on Hell. We have services on Saturday night and Sunday. A drama was done using Facebook where a young man dies and goes to hell and reaches his best friends via facebook to warn them about hell and how terrible it is. He tells his friends how he had many chances to hear about Jesus and blew them off. He wants to warn them so they don’t end up there. (Go to gracefamilychurch.org to see the message, it’s worth it)
A man was at the Saturday night service and heard the message. This man’s daughter’s boyfriend, stay with me, had just died from a drug overdose the night before.
The man’s family sent an invitation to the friends of this young man who just passed away inviting them to church the next day. Sunday morning about 30 young people showed up thinking they were there for a memorial service for their friend.
They heard the message and saw the drama that really hit home for them. At the end of the service ALL of these young people went forward for prayer!!!!
They were then brought into a large prayer room to be given time to grieve and comfort one another. Many people from the church were also available to comfort and talk to them. Is God amazing or what!
These are just three of billions of times that God is connecting the dots in our lives.
Gems, don’t get discouraged the next time you’re not doing something on your timing. You never know when you’re being used for one of these dot connecting moments.

Safe In The Lord

I was reading in 1 Chronicles 21 today.1 Chronicles 21:1-3 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.” And Joab answered, “May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should we be a cause of guilt in Israel?”
Basically King David tells Joab to get a count of all the troops and Joab responds with WHAT!!! Why would you want to bring guilt on Israel?
You may be asking yourself as I did, why is this a bad thing? Why would it be wrong for the Commander of an army who is constantly in battle to know how many fighting men he has. In the worlds system it makes perfect sense. But if your a Christian you are not part of the worlds system.
Let's look closer at the scenario.
David and Joab knew God's word that was spoken back in Deuteronomy 1:11 May the Lord, the God our your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised.
God had already promised Israel He would increase their numbers and bless them.
In Joab's eyes it was a slap in God's face to count how many fighting men the army had. It didn't matter if they had 100 fighting men or 100,000,000 fighting men God's word was spoken. David should have felt the same way when satan gave him the idea. Gems the devil can do more harm to us by tempting us to sin against our God than he does by accusing us before our God.
David was having a pride issue here not a promise issue. The Bible never says David didn't believe the promise God spoke in Deuteronomy. David was taking matters into his own hands believing he was the reason for the victories the people of Israel had been winning.
Sometimes it's the leaders who knows the scriptures the best that are the ones who are the worst at the application of those scriptures.
We some how allow pride to seep in and we think we are above temptation.
For example.
A few weeks ago I sent out a prayer by David Jeremiah on the spiritual armor and how to apply it. (If you didn't get it let me know and I will be happy to resend it to you) I printed out the prayer and was diligent in praying it over myself daily. The odd thing is the more I prayed it the more warning dreams I seem to be having that I was in for a spiritual attack. I assumed the attack was from outside my personal camp and pride led me to believe I could handle whatever it was because I know scripture and believe God's promises.
Well Gems it came from within my camp and it about took me out. I was definitely wounded and had to lay low for several days resting in the arms of my sweet Jesus for healing.
The “what” isn't important the how and why are.
When I, like King David in the above scripture took matters into my own hands and started relying on my own strength I opened the door for the enemy. You see I was putting on my spiritual armor but forgetting the power was in the one who made it not my power to put it on.
I was counting on me to handle my upcoming battle and not relying on the promise of God that what ever was coming He could handle it for me. Needless to say when the attack came I was blind sided and laid out. The good news is the promises of God were and are still true. I could land in my Savior's arms and He did tend to my wounds and is still carrying me, armor and all, through this season. You see I fell into pride and started asking God to reveal things to me in the spirit realm that I didn't know about because I thought I could handle it. It wasn't wrong to ask, and it wasn't wrong for God to tell me I just forgot the promise of provision was from God, not me. My prayer should have been Lord show me things in the spirit that I am ready to receive. Protect me from what I'm not ready for and fill me with your power to handle whatever truths are revealed.
I'm not saying what was revealed would not have still hurt, trust me it would have but I wouldn't have been so shocked when it came from within my camp.
Daniel 2:21-22 And He changes the times and the seasons;He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.
We can handle the dark as long as we remember where the light to rescue us comes from. Like any army general you need to know what is in the darkness so you know how to prepare for battle but you must remember it is GOD who will resucue you not your amazing ability to lead or awesome knowledge of warfare.
My dear friend Betty sent me Psalm 4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer How long, O you sons of men,Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;The LORD will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
What powerful words. My safety wasn't in me any more than David's was in the number of men in his army. Jesus is the ultimate King and warrior. He begins and ends the battle. He will protect us no matter how many are in our army. Gems all our safety is in the Lord!

Smashing Tablets

I want to talk to you about Moses again today. Most of you know the story of Moses and the 10 Commandments. Moses went to the top of the mountain and spent time with God and God gave him the 10 commandments, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18 When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tables of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
If you don't know the story as always I will tell you to read it for yourself in Exodus.
Now I want you to take that in for a minute, Moses once again was having conversation with God and this time God gave him something tangible to take home with him. Moses just spent 40 days and 40 nights on this mountain. That's what I call a mountain top experience.
I'm going to give you the Gena translation of what happened next.
After God gives Moses the 2 tablets He tells him those people of yours are out of control. They have made a calf out of gold and their worshiping it as we speak. God tells Moses He's over it and He's going to annihilate the whole lot of them and start over. God is sick of these people not listening, being ungrateful and having a total disrespect for God. He tells Moses He'll give him a new nation of people to work with. Moses begs God not to do that, he totally goes to bat for the people and then taking the two tablets he heads back down the mountain.
Now there are a few facts I want you wrap your mind around here.
1.Moses just had a mountain top experience with God.
2. God told him exactly what the people were doing.
3.Moses begs God not to kill the people.
4.Moses knows exactly what to expect when he gets back down the mountain, God told him. He has had lots of time climbing back down a 7497 foot mountain to think about the situation and how he should react.
How he should react and how he does are not the same. When Moses get's to the bottom of the mountain and sees what's going on he gets so ticked off he throws the 2 tablets with the 10 Commandments on them, that God made him, to the ground and smashes them.
Exodus 32:15-16 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
After I read this God asked me “what do you do with your mountain top experiences when you get to the foot of your mountain?”
What do I mean? Glad you asked.
I had an incident with my son the other day. I had asked him to do a favor for a friend of mine that would mean a lot to my friend and to me. I asked him this a few times on a few different occasions. Long story short I had one of those amazing days with God, a mountain top experience if you will and at the end of the day I called my son (again) to follow up on this favor. I spoke slowly and emphasized each word to my son telling him ALL the reasons I wanted and needed him to follow through with this favor. I told, not asked, him to call this friend that night as soon as we hung up and made him promise he would do it.
The next night I'm at a friends house and my son calls me. As soon as I answer I interrupt him and ask “did you call my friend?” to which he replied NO.
This is where it gets ugly, you may want to remove any small children from the room. I went ballistic! I started screaming at this kid that I am beyond pissed. Sorry I told you it was gonna get ugly. I used some questionable adjectives regarding how I felt about him and some four letter words may have escaped my mouth. I hate being hung up on so I then informed my son I was hanging up and for him not to call back and I then hung up on him.
There it is, I smashed my tablets at the foot of the mountain.
The thing is Gems I knew from past experience what I could expect from this conversation. God even warned me as soon as I saw my son's number on the caller ID. I knew how I should behave but I didn't. I had had a mountain top experience hours before but didn't apply one thing when I got to the foot of the mountain.
My son and I made up the next day and I apologized that psycho woman had emerged again and we worked it all out. The truth is had I given him a chance to speak he was going to tell me he met with my friend that morning and everything was all set.
OH.......
A few days later my son said “mom remember the other night when I called you and we had the “incident”? I of course responded no and we both started laughing. He went on to tell me the reason he called was he wanted me to meet his friend. She was home from college and he told her all about me and was calling to see if it was a good time to bring her over. Did I mention this friend is one of the Pastor's daughters at my church. He said she could hear me yelling through the phone and she asked him “who is that” to which he replied “my mother.” After I hung up on him he said to her “I don't think this is a good night for you to meet her.”
Well didn't I feel like a jerk....
I was so embarrassed that Sunday when I did finally meet her and apologized that she had been subject to psycho woman.
One of the many things I love about God is even though Moses messed up and had to deal with his actions God still allowed him to lead the people of Israel to the promise land. Moses had to go back up the mountain this time carrying 2 new tablets up and not just down the mountain to get the 10 Commandments again and I had to face the pastors daughter and eat crow. We both had to deal with our outburst, I got off way easier than Moses.
Gems how many circumstances do you walk into knowing the outcome and STILL mess up.
You know your kid probably didn't do his chores and you still freak out. You know your boss is probably not going to give you a raise and you still have a fit. You know your spouse probably isn't going to do what he or she says and you still blow up.
We have these opportunities to have teaching moments of what God has taught us but we blow it because we smash our tablets.
Gems I want to encourage you that when you get to the foot of your mountain remember what God taught you when you were at the top. But even if you mess up He will still love you, forgive you and allow you to continue on in your position. You may have to do things the hard way but He will still give you another mountain top and bottom experience. Even if we smash our tablets He will make new ones, written on our hearts by the very finger of God. And that my friend will be a mountain top experience!

This is a Chruch?

As you may or may not know helping the homeless is one of my many passions. I am a volunteer for a soup kitchen on Tuesday nights and many of our guest have become very close friends. The one I want to tell you about today is Bonnie (not her real name).
Bonnie is sassy, smart and witty. We became friends right away but it has been 2 years of building a relationship. Bonnie told me one night that she looks forward to Tuesday's so she can come to soup kitchen and see her friend, me. I told her I felt the same way.
Last Tuesday night Bonnie and I did our usual catching up and then the Lord told me to set a time with her when we could sit longer and talk. Because we use a company parking lot we are only allowed to be there for an hour so by the time we set up, give a short message and get everyone fed there's not always a lot of talk time and you know how I love to talk :)
I asked Bonnie if she would want to get together later in the week and she said yes. We decided to meet at a near by Burger King on Thursday. That morning I spent time in prayer for my friend and asked the Lord to do whatever He wanted with our day.
On my way to the Burger King it started to rain pretty hard and I felt bad that I hadn't offered to pick Bonnie up instead of having her meet me. I pulled into a parking space and there she was inside the building looking out the window. When she saw me she had the biggest smile on her face. Gems I'm talking bout a huge smile, I realized at that moment she probably thought I wasn't going to show up. I wondered how long she had been standing there wondering if I was going to come through. I ran inside and gave her a big hug.
The Lord told me to take her somewhere else where we could sit and be waited on. I took her to my favorite Italian place and we talked for hours. It's funny you can feel so close to someone and not even know their last name.
Gems I want to share one thing that really hit me while we were in the restaurant, it was how appreciative Bonnie was to our waiter. His name was Adam and each time he came to the table she smiled that big beautiful smile of her's and thanked him using his name, I mean really thanked him, looked him in the eye and totally acknowledged each thing he did. It was so sincere. I can only imagine how many times people avoided eye contact with Bonnie.
I shared a lot of things about my life and my past so Bonnie would see we had more in common than she may have thought. After we ate the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to show Bonnie where I go to church and give her a visual of what happens before we show up at the parking lot to feed our guest on Tuesday nights. We pulled up to our church which is really big!
I felt bad at first that I go to such a big church and here Bonnie sleeps in the woods. I pushed the thought out of my mind and brought her into the first building showing her the kitchen and where we make an assembly line when we have to go meals because of bad weather. I showed her the sinks where all the huge containers have to be cleaned and talked about how many volunteers it takes to make the whole thing happen. She was really interested and said she never thought about where all the food came from. She just kept saying “this is a church?” It wasn't the small white church with a steeple she was expecting.
We passed by the gym which is also pretty big and I felt like I had to once again explain why we had one. I told her that on Wednesday nights it's filled with High School kids, Thursday nights college and Friday nights middle school kids. I told her Tuesday nights a mens group also meets and how the place was filled with men being ministered to. I felt like I had to justify why we had this big facility.
We stopped in the ladies room before going into the sanctuary and she was blown away by that. I got a little nervous about entering the sanctuary and again she was wide eyed and kept saying this is a church!
We have a movie theme going on right now so there are marquee's and popcorn signs and it looks like your going into a movie theater. Bonnie asked what that was all about, why did we have all that kind of stuff if it was a church. Again I had this twinge in me and felt like I had to explain apologetically about the size of the church and the reason for the theme. I told her we reach out to people who either don't know Jesus at all or heard about Him but don't really have a relationship with Him yet. We try to make an environment where everyone would feel welcome. She seem to be taking it all in and continued to marvel at the facility.
We ended up in the prayer room and now it was Bonnie's turn to share her life with me. I listened carefully to her past and how she ended up where she was today. She told me how much it meant to her that I cared about her and how much the day had meant to her. She confessed she really didn't think I was going to show up and how grateful she was that I did. We talked a while longer and then I asked Bonnie if she wanted to begin a relationship with Jesus and she said yes. We prayed together and it was truly the best way to end an awesome day!
As we walked to my car Bonnie again started talking about our church and how it was nothing like the churches she had been to or seen in the past. There it was again the twinge in me like I had to apologize for the church and the themes and the size and before I said a word Bonnie looked at me and this is what she said.
“This isn't like a regular church, this seems like a place you can come and actually digest what's being said here.”
Gems here I was thinking Bonnie was thinking negative thoughts each time she made a comment about how it wasn't a regular church and I was the one with the negative thoughts. Bonnie was amazed that people would build big buildings just to minister to people in need. Seeing the things of comfort like a big clean bathroom and overstuffed couches in a prayer room reminded her of the good things in life. Things she deserved and was some how made to believe she didn't. I thought I was bringing Bonnie to the church so the Holy Spirit could teach her something but He brought me there to remind me of some things.
You see sometimes I feel bad that we have all this stuff at our church and I worry we spend too much money on our comfort. I didn't want Bonnie to feel bad about all the stuff and God wanted her to not only see it but enjoy those comforts first hand.
Bonnie saw it as a place where you could be real and not just sit in a pew and have a priest or pastor talk at you then send you on your way. She saw a place where people got a message, theme and all, and you were able to digest what the preacher said. A place you felt safe to let your guard down. That was such a great summary of what I believe our church is all about, applying God's word to our lives in love.
It was a great experience for me seeing my church through Bonnie's eyes and a great reminder to not assume what someone else is thinking. I mean really this is nothing compared to what we will have in Heaven. The streets alone will be made of gold!
I told God I was sorry for being a ninny head and thanked Him for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing day. Bonnie may be temporarily homeless in the world's eyes but she became owner of a mansion in Heaven that day. Now that's what I call church!