ZOMBIES

By Alice Jensen

August 19, 2014 

            “Zombie Survival Summer Camp” is being offered in Canada. It teaches you how to survive a zombie attack. You will learn how to use many common items to fight off a zombie. Items such as pitchforks, rakes, bats, kitchen knives. Honest, I just heard about this camp this morning as I was listening to the news. At first I thought this was a stupid idea and couldn’t believe that people would pay good money to go to such a strange summer camp. Why would someone really need to learn about how to survive a zombie attack?

            While I listened to the newscast, I began to think about the current fascination with zombies. And I have to admit, one of my favorite computer games is “Plants vs Zombies”. It is fun to strategize and plan how to best kill the most zombies possible. The animated zombies are “cute”, but I do not care at all for the “real” zombies. You can pretty much find something related to zombies any day of the week. So, how would you survive a zombie attack and would you ever really need too?

            That question stuck in my brain (get it? brain!) and I remembered something in the book of Revelation that might be like a zombie attack. The Holy Spirit answered my question about would a person ever need to survive zombies. The answer is “YES”, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and if you are still alive when the Great Tribulation takes place (rest assured, you will definitely know when it occurs. All the horrible things that you think are going on right now??? They don’t compare to how horrible it is going to be during the Great Tribulation!).

            Take a look at Revelation 9:1-12 (I dare you!). I don’t know about you, but if no one is able to die for five months (that’s what it says in verses 5-6), it looks like there will be “zombies” for real. Zombie = the undead. Verse six says very clearly that there will be people who shall seek death and shall not find it. No, they won’t be looking for actual brains to eat, but they may come looking for someone to help put them out of their torment and it might seem like they are after your brain. Just imagine how gross it will be…someone will try to kill themselves and just won’t be able to do so. I would not want to be around for that!

            It is a fact that someday there will be real “zombies” here on planet earth. Thus, you may need to survive an attack by them. So, what is the best way to fight them off? Well, for now, the best way to prepare yourself is to just believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour (take a look at Romans 10:9.) That way, you won’t even be here on earth when the zombie invasion takes place. But if you are dumb enough to not accept the gift of eternal life from the Lord Jesus Christ, and you wind up getting left behind when all of us believers are taken to Heaven before the Great Tribulation takes place here on earth, the best way to fight off the zombies is to still receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour, do not ever take any kind of identification mark in your body, and obey the Word of God. (Sorry, but you would have to be “brainless” to not just pray and ask Jesus to be your Saviour right here and right now!)

            Oh, and for those of you, who are really empty-headed, and refuse to believe that Jesus is God the Son and that He shed His blood and died for you, well….the Bible says that when you die (if you happen to die before the “zombie invasion”), you get to go to hell where you will be tormented forever by not only “zombies”, but also by Satan and his wicked forces (Take a look at Revelation 15:9-11 and 20:10-15), and in the very end, you get tossed into the Lake Fire. So, don’t you think that it would just be a great idea to pray right now and receive Jesus as your Saviour?!

            If you do have a brain in that head of yours and you know how to use it and would like to pray to be saved, why don’t you pray something like this: Jesus, the Bible says that you love me. It also says that you are God the Son. I am choosing to believe. The Bible says that I am a sinner and that I can never be good enough to go to Heaven, but that you shed your blood and gave up your earthly life when you died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all humanity. I am also choosing to believe that you are the Saviour and right now I am praying to receive you into my life. Thank you Jesus for taking away all of my sins and for setting me free from all evil. Thank you for saving me and making the way so that I can go to Heaven when I die. Thank you that I no longer have to fear any zombies because I will always be with you and you will always be with me (Hebrews 13:6). In Jesus name, Amen.

THE SIN OF GETTING OFFENDED                                                    July 26, 2014

                                                                                                              By Alice Jensen 

(The name of my best friend has been changed…and you don’t need to try to figure out who she is. What you need to do is to read the whole post and pray.)     

She knew that my daughter’s fifth birthday was coming in just a couple of weeks. After all, CeeCee was one of my best friends. Every week she and her girls went with us to a parenting class, we went to church together three times a week, and we were often at her house. So, how could she not expect that I would want her to bring her video-camera and record my daughter’s birthday? She had to know that I would want her and her girls to be there and that I would want her to record the whole party. She was the one who owned a video camera. She knew that my daughter would probably be the only child that I would ever have and that her fifth birthday would be a really big deal to me. I thought that best friends just knew to do those kinds of things for each other. How could she even suggest that she might not come? I needed her to help me with the party as well as bring her video camera. I was expecting a bunch of little kids and knew that I couldn’t handle them on my own. Sure, my husband would be there. But he wouldn’t be much help. It would be better if he just did the video recording and we two moms would handle the games, the food, the children, and the presents. But no, she told me, she didn’t think that she was going to come to the party.

We were together in the nursery at our church when she informed me that wouldn’t be coming to my daughter’s party. I looked at her dumb founded. I started to cry and to accuse her of being selfish. She told me that I shouldn’t have put expectations on her without asking first. My anger began to boil, and I had to get it under control, or I knew I would not be able to put her on a guilt trip. After begging CeeCee, she finally agreed to be there with her girls and the video camera.

 For the next two weeks, I internally fumed over this whole situation. CeeCee had greatly offended me, and I reasoned that I had a right to be angry because best friends just don’t do mean things to each other. Of course, I didn’t think that I had done anything offensive towards CeeCee. Nor did I believe that it was my responsibility to make things right between us or even between myself and God. I felt like I was the one who had been wronged and deserved to be angry and hurt.

CeeCee did bring her girls and came to the birthday party, but forever after that our friendship was never the same. No longer was she one of my best friends. There was a block of ice between us that never thawed. We didn’t drop in on them like we used to, our girls didn’t play together, and the parenting class was over. I thought it was all CeeCee’s fault for not being the good friend that I expected her to be. She was the one who had hurt me to the very core of my being when she said that she didn’t want to go to my daughter’s party. And I allowed that pain to turn to anger, and that anger to bitterness.       

Yes, CeeCee had hurt me, but I was the one to blame for how I responded to that pain. Yes, I may have had a “right” to get angry. But did that make it right in the eyes of God? No! God says, “Be ye angry and sin not…” Ephesians 4:26. Had I sinned when I got angry? You bet I did. I allowed myself to become bitter and wasn’t willing to forgive my friend. Colossians 3:13, “Forbearing one another (to put up with their weaknesses), and forgiving one another (oh me!), if any man (or woman) have a quarrel against any (we almost had a full-blown quarrel): even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

It wasn’t until many years later that I realized my own sin and the damage that I had caused. By that time CeeCee had moved away and we were friends no longer. To this day, I haven’t had any more contact with her. I wish that I could because I would like to be able to apologize and to ask for her forgiveness. The Lord convicted me of my sin when I began to pray for Him to show me all of the sins in my life. I no longer wanted to live with bitterness and anger and pain and deep depression. God showed me Psalms 37 and told me to study it and memorize it verse by verse. Over and over the Lord convicted me of my own sinfulness and that I had absolutely no rights, but that instead, I had responsibilities. I was responsible to obey His Word and when I got to verse eight of Psalms 37, I realized my responsibility for my sin of anger. “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” I don’t think that God could have made it any clearer to me. I was guilty of the sin of anger, wrath, evil thinking, wanting to get restitution, and just plain old self-centeredness. I was guilty of even thinking that I had a right to get offended. II Corinthians 6:3, “Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:” Not only had I gotten offended, but I wound up offending CeeCee and driving her away from our friendship.

So, what is the truth and blessing of this story? My hope and prayer is that God uses this to speak to all of our hearts and to allow the Holy Spirit to show us if we have sinned either in getting offended at someone or of offending another person. I also hope that we will stop claiming our “rights” to feel a certain way like angry or bitter when someone does or doesn’t do what we expect them to do. And I hope that we will pray and open up ourselves honestly to the Lord so that He can show us our own sins, leave the sins of others with God, and allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and to be honest about them. I John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

Oh, what a better person, what a stronger church, what a shining example we can be if we would only yield ourselves fully to the One who bought us with His precious blood. The truth is: I would still be a bitter, angry, and wretched woman if I hadn’t been honest and confessed my sins one by one as the Holy Spirit convicted me of them. The blessing is: you too can be set free from the bondage of the sin of bitterness, anger, and of being easily offended (yes, I know there are many of you out there, and I pray for you often), if you too will be honest and confess your sins when the Holy Ghost convicts you of them. 

Will you pray this prayer with me? It is one that I had to pray for many, many weeks before I truly meant what I was saying. I hope that you will pray this prayer honestly and truly to the Lord right now, “Father God, my Lord Jesus Christ, will you please fill me with the Holy Spirit who will search my heart and know my thoughts and convict me of any sin that I have committed against you or against another? Forgive me as I confess this sin (name whatever sin it is that the Holy Spirit has brought to your mind). I claim the promise of your Holy Word that states that you have forgiven me and cleansed me of all unrighteousness. Thank you Jesus for shedding Your blood to pay for my every sin. I yield full control over (whatever that sin was) and pray that You will empower me to do Your will instead. I thank You and Praise You in the name of my Saviour Jesus Christ.” If you have prayed that prayer and need to make things right with someone else, you need to do so as soon as God allows and enables you to do so. Don’t wait until you feel like it! You may not get the chance if you do wait…just like I never got the opportunity to apologize to CeeCee.

(Next time I blog, I will write about how to make appropriate restitution.)

My Mama

 

My Mama                                                        May 26, 2014

            This is my mama, Patricia (Pat) Voss. She died on Saturday, April 12, 2014. I have wanted to blog about that day ever since it happened, but it is just so emotionally hard for me to do. However, I am going to try and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will get it done.

            It was around 3:30 in the afternoon when I went back over to the home to sit with my mama. My sister (Mary) was still there, and my papa left soon after I arrived. I didn’t think my sister would stay as she had already been at the Home for a couple of hours and had been in town all day. She had her cats to feed, and I figured she would be leaving. I am so glad that she didn’t.

            We sat and talked. After an hour, we decided to play a game of cribbage. It was a game that our mama had taught us when we were young teenagers and it had been one of her favorite games. Mary jokingly said that we would go to hell for playing a card game while our mother lay dying. I responded that mom would be glad that we were together doing something that she had once enjoyed.

            As we played the game we continued to listen to the staggered breathing and death gurgle that came from our mom. Mary mentioned that she had a song running through her brain that she knew mama liked and that would be appropriate for this time. Mary said that it was the old spiritual, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” I began to sing the chorus and Mary joined in.

            Reader, you need to realize that Mary was brought up in good churches and knows Jesus is her Saviour but has not attended church since she became an independent adult. So, it was a great surprise to me that she wanted to sing spiritual song. A surprise and an even greater blessing!

            When we finished singing the chorus, Mary mentioned another song chorus that would be good to sing. She couldn’t remember the name of it, just a few words. It was, “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks.” I sang the first verse and when I got to the chorus, Mary sang soprano and I alto. Mama opened her eyes which had been shut all day and looked at something above her. Mary asked her if she saw the angels coming for her that we had been singing about. Again, we sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and we finished our game of cribbage.

            Mary was drawing a line down her scoresheet, when I looked at mama. I don’t know what I saw or heard that caused me to realize that this was the end, but I said to Mary, “I think this is it.” Mary thought I meant that we couldn’t play another hand of cribbage and stated that she thought we had enough time. I began to rise from my seat and said, “No, I think This is It!” She looked over at mama just as I got to the bedside. Mama took one last breath and slowly let it out. We timed it and forty-five seconds passed before she took the last exhale as her soul departed for Heaven. I instantly called my husband Jerry.

            Mary and I hugged each other and cried. I went to get the Home’s C.N.A., and Mary felt for any pulse on mom’s wrist and neck. The nurse and my sister used the stethoscope and heard no heartbeat. We called the rest of the family and the nurse called for the Hospice RN to come and make the official “call” of death.

            I don’t know how many deaths have been as peaceful and blessed as this one. I was present for the death of my mother-in-law which was very peaceful. But I was so blessed to be a part of the “homecoming” for my mama. It was filled with so much love, sweet music, peace, and joy. Mama was finally free from all her pain, and I know that when I see her again, she will be in her perfectly glorified body.

II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man (human) be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

God is so good!

God is So Good

January 10, 2014

            Last year at this time I was feeling really depressed and discouraged. We were getting ready to return home from Arizona and I truly did not want to leave. Going home would mean that I had to return to the cold, rainy, and gray weather in western Washington. It took me a long time to get over the blue funk and to feel like God even cared one iota about me. I just felt like I had been left alone to wallow in my self-pity. But, I wasn’t alone because when I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior I also received the Holy Spirit and my body became His temple. Ever faithful, the Holy Spirit began to remind me of the truth of God’s Word.

            Well, for those of you who have been following my blog, you already know how the Lord is making His blessing very abundant and visible in my life recently. He did it again yesterday and I just have to give Him all the praise and share this testimony with you.

            My daughter, Rebekah, has been longing to be on the special Olympics’ ice-skating team ever since she found out that they started a team in Bremerton last January. She thought that they only practiced for the winter games which meant they would start practicing this month. Rebekah contacted the coach by email a couple of times to find out when practices would begin, but she never heard anything. So, I gave her the phone number for the ice center, and she gave them a call. The instructor informed Bekah that she thought they would start on Tuesday. We were at the rink last Tuesday, but no one ever showed up. We talked to the instructor/owner and decided to try again on Thursday (yesterday). My daughter was very upset when no one showed up and it took a lot of prayer and talking to get her over the mental issues.

            A little background on Rebekah. Most of you know that she is autistic and also deals with mental illness in the form of mood disorder. She takes medication for it, but it doesn’t make her a brain-dead zombie. So, she still has to deal with emotions that can overwhelm her. And now back to the blessed story.

            On Thursday we left early for Bremerton because I needed to get gas and wanted to look around for birthday gifts for Jerry. For that reason, I wasn’t home to answer the phone when two ladies called. At least they left messages. Jerry came home for a minute to get his work computer and to do a load of laundry. He was the one that listened to the answering machine. I was at SVDP when he called my cellphone and gave me some really bad news about ice skating. I had to pause a minute to pray and get myself prepared for how Rebekah would react to the news. Jerry was kind enough to tell Bekah the sad news that the team roster was full and that she could not be on the team. She took the news well and asked if we could still go to the practice. I figured it was worth going just to talk to the coach.

            Rebekah had a nice time talking to her friends while we waited for the coach to arrive. I was dreading the talk with the coach because I don’t like any type of confrontation. So, while we waited, I prayed. When I finally had the opportunity to talk to the coach, she explained fully about the program being different from the other sports offered by special Olympics due to the fact that the team was also a part of the federation of skaters and that the team practiced off and on all year long and competed in more events than just those sponsored by special Olympics. She was truly kind and encouraged Rebekah to learn and practice ice skating and try to join the team again in April.

            Once I got home, I listened to the messages on the answering myself. One was from the coach and the other was from a good friend. My friend said she would call back later, and she did. She wondered if I was okay and what was going on. That morning, before she even got out of bed, the Holy Spirit has impressed upon her heart to pray for me. I couldn’t figure out why the Lord had done that. We chatted for several minutes, and I couldn’t think of any reason for why God did what He did. When I finished the phone call, I asked the Lord, “Why did you place me on my friend’s heart, Lord?” And immediately He replied, “Do you remember how well things went this morning? Remember how well Bekah did with the bad news and how nice the coach was when she didn’t have to be? I DID THAT!”

            WOW, all praise to God for He is great and His mercy is amazing.

My notes for the EPIC talk I gave on January 8, 2014

            Once upon a time, not that long ago, and in a kingdom called poor torchard, there was a beautiful, teenage princess. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t a real princess, but she sure wished that she was one, and sometimes she really acted like a diva.

          The beautiful, teenage princess could not wait for her prince charming to come along and rescue her from the haunted non-castle where she lived with her bratty, warty, and smelly younger brother who made life miserable for everyone. She hoped so fervently that prince charming would come along soon and would save her from the ogre, also known as her dad, and from her mother, who she considered to be the wicked witch of the west. Even though she wasn’t being held captive by a fire-breathing dragon, it sure felt that way to her.

When she was only seventeen, the princess couldn’t wait any longer for prince charming to come riding up in a white mustang (preferably a 1969 model convertible), so she went out looking for him by herself. The princess went out with Larry, but he was just too old and started to remind her of her dad, the ogre. She had one date with Terry just to give him a try. She actually fell in love with Barry, but he didn’t love her. She also Fell in love with Kevin and was actually engaged to Keith. She went out with so many guys that she stopped counting after ten, but either they turned into toads or they figured out that she was more of a commoner than a princess.

Oh, uh, wait a minute…I’m supposed to be talking to you guys about real life, not some fairy tale.

One of my favorite movies of all time is this one right here, "The Princess Bride." I love the part where the Princess Buttercup and the horrible Prince Humperdink are in the chapel about to be married. The priest turns around and says, “Marwidge is the weason we are gatherahd here today.” And later he says, “wuv two wuv…” The whole thing is a fairy tale. We have all heard them, we have all seen them, and probably all dreamed about them coming true in our life. I know that’s how I thought when I was a teenager.

Actually, the story I began to tell you was not a fairy tale, it was a part of my life. I wanted to be married and taken far away from my home. Family life was very hard for me and I believed that I needed some man, a Christian man, to marry me and save me from all of the stress in my house and with my parents. Little did I realize that I  could not escape from my problems by just changing my location. (But that’s another story for another day.) Today, I am here to talk to you about dating and marriage relationships

By the time I was nineteen, I had dated so many guys that I can’t even remember how many there were. I was so hungry for someone to love me, to just love me. For my 19^th birthday, my younger brother decorated my birthday cake with these little plastic items that represented all of the guys I had dated over the last two years. It was really, really funny, but also really, really sad. I had just broken my engagement with Keith, and I was getting a bit more cautious about giving my heart to anyone else. A month after my birthday, right about this time of year, the Lord began to teach me to be much more selective about the next guy I dated. I knew that I was not to marry someone who wasn’t a Christian according to II Corinthians 6:14-18. God also showed me those verse meant that I also needed to find a man who loved and served the Lord as much, if not more than I did. So, in my mind I created “the list” of Godly qualifications I needed to know that the man possessed before I would even consider going out with him. He had to attend church faithfully. He had to read his Bible every single day. He had to be serving the Lord at the church. He had to be a soul-winner. He had to be respected by other Christians. He had to have a job that could support us, and more good things that I won’t go into right now. Then, I waited for Mr. Right to show up.

Well, the church I was attending when I was nineteen was getting ready for their annual Sweetheart Banquet. I was so full of stinking pride that I thought I would just wait for all the guys to ask me and then I would make my decision as to who I would go to the banquet with. Yep, you guessed it, no one, absolutely no one, asked me to the banquet. God was trying to teach me another lesson: to not be so full of pride and to wait on the Lord. The next morning, I dreamt that I was crying from a broken heart from being all alone with no one to love me. In my dream I was living alone in an apartment in Florida and was so lonely. When I woke up, I was crying my eyes out, and the Holy Spirit said to me remember Hebrews 13:5b, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God let me know that He was right there with me, comforting me. He reminded me of Proverbs 3:5&6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge him, and shall direct thy paths.” The Lord gently told me to stop worrying about a husband, that He already had one chosen just for me, and to just wait on Him. I stopped crying and began thanking and praising my Lord Jesus Christ

That night was Wednesday evening church and my good friend asked Jerry if he had invited anyone to the banquet. At the same time I came up to talk to my friend, he suggested to Jerry that he ask me. Sweet, shy Jerry worked up the strength to ask, and I immediately said yes. Jerry and I had known each other for a few months, but I would have never considered him dating material because he had red hair. God, on the other hand, considered him perfect for me, not only as a date to the Sweetheart banquet, but as my future husband. And the rest, is history. Did we ride off into the horizon in a white mustang? No, but Jerry did have a white Chevy van! Did Jerry rescue me from the Ogre and the Wicked Witch? Not for a while, because life has a way of turning out so different from the Fairy Tales. Did we end up living happily ever after? Yes, but it took a long, long time.

So, how can this help you, right here, right now? I have prayed and prayed for this time that I have with you, that whatever I say would be just what you need. There is so much that I could tell you. There is so much that I can teach you. There is so much that God wants you to learn about dating and love and marriage. But I only have a few minutes to talk to you and try to encourage you to do the right things.

This is what I want to get across to you more than anything else: Make a commitment to the Lord that you will keep yourself pure in body and in mind and that you will trust in the Lord and wait on Him to bring you the man or woman that He has chosen especially for you. Once you have given yourself to sin, especially the sin of fornication which is having sex before you are married, you have lost the only thing that you can give to your spouse…your virginity. I know that hormones and emotions can become overwhelming. You know what? God knows that also. He’s the one who created you, saved you, knows all about you, and loves you more than you can imagine. I wish that I could give you all of the answers to all of your questions and concerns. You know what? I can, they are found in your Bible. Get into it every day, pray about what God wants you to learn, and then obey as He shows you.

In the meantime, what I can give you is an outline that you can study, as well as some hugs, kisses, and hearts. Enjoy!

DATING, LOVE, AND MARRIAGE

I. Different types of love:

            A. Phileo means brotherly love. I Thes. 4:9, Titus 2:4, I Peter 3:8, I John 4:20

                        1. It is the love between family members.          

                                    a. It goes deeper than conscience.

                                    b. It is long-lasting.

                        2. It is the love between friends.

                                    a. It can last long.

                                    b. It is a conscious desire.

            B. Eros means sexual. II Samuel 13:1

                        1. It is an overwhelming desire to satisfy urges.

                        2. It is usually temporary.

                        3. It is fleeting and can be quenched.

            C. Thelo means desire. Mark 12:38

                        1. It is self-centered.

                        2. It is a desire for others to adore what you do.

II. What love is not:

            A. Lust: selfish, self-centered desire to satisfy one’s longings.

                        1. II Samuel 13:1-20, the true story of Amnon

                                    a. selfish desires to have relations with his half-sister.

                                    b. once fulfilled his lust became hate.

                                    c. his consequence was an early death.

B. Infatuation: a feeling of foolish admiration for another.

                        1. I Samuel 18:20, 28, Michal thought she loved David

                                    a. actually she was infatuated with him.

                                    b. I Samuel 19:11-17, she lies for him.

                                    c. she gets married to another.

                                    d. she winds up despising David.

                                    e. her consequence was no children.

III. What love is:

            Love is the constant commitment to always seek that which is the best for the other person no matter what it costs you.

            A. I Corinthians 13, love is described as charity:

                        1. It is long-suffering. It puts up with the other person.

                        2. It is kind.

                        3. It does not envy.

                        4. It does not brag about itself.

                        5. It is not prideful.

                        6. It behaves with respect.

                        7. It is not selfish.

                        8. It doesn’t get angry quickly.

                        9. It doesn’t think evil thoughts.

                        10. It does not rejoice in sin.

                        11. It rejoices in the truth (the Word of truth, Jn.17:17)

                        12. It bears all things, it carries the burdens.

                        13. It believes and gives the person the benefit of the doubt.

                        14. It hopes all things, especially for the other person.

                        15. It endures all things, even if they hurt really bad.

                        16. It never fails.

                        17. It is the greatest.

            B. Agape: The love of God in action through you to another person.

                        1. I John 3:18, love in deed and in truth.

                        2. I John 3:7-8, love is of God.

                        3. I John 4:10, we love God because he first loved us.

                        4. I John 4:11, God loves us and we are to love others.

IV. How to keep from sinning in love:

            A. Remember that your body is the temple of God. I Cor. 3:16-17

                        1. And of the Holy Ghost. I Cor. 16:19-20

                                    a. Jesus bought and paid for your spirit, soul, and body.

                                    b. God owns you once you accept Jesus as Savior.

                        2. Present your body as a living sacrifice to God. Rom. 12:1-2

                                    a. Don’t be like the world.

                                    b. Be transformed.

                                    c. Renew your mind, prove what is good, and do what God says.

            B. Wait to date until you are ready to get married. I Cor. 7:1-4

                        1. Keep yourself pure for your future spouse.

                        2. Don’t get married just to have “legitimate sex”.

                                    a. marriage is so much more than just sex.

                        3. Make a commitment and trust in the Lord.

                                    a. you may need to wait a long time.

                        4. Only date someone who would be pleasing to the Lord.

                                    a. It will make the rest of your life so much better.

V. Realize how much God loves you.

            A. It is an everlasting love. Jer. 31:6

                        1. It draws us to Him.

            B. It is a worldwide love. John 3:16

                        1. It is a giving love. Everlasting life.

                        2. It is sacrificial. It cost Jesus his life.

            C. It is a great love. Eph. 2:4

                        1. His love for you.

            D. It is inseparable. Rom. 8:35-39

                        1. absolutely nothing can take away God’s love for you.

            E. It is amazing. John 17:23, 26

                        1. the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus.

                        2. that same love is within you.

a. when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.

The Christmas Solo

The Christmas Blessing of 2013

I hadn’t sang a solo in almost twenty years. There had been a time when I sang in front of our church at least once a month. But when I could no longer deal with the mental stress of my stupid pride, I decided that I would never sing alone again. Singing in a choir or with at least one other person was fine with me. That way my voice could just blend with the other voices and no one would be able to figure out which voice was mine. God has blessed me with a beautiful singing voice, but I was plagued by my self-talk and just couldn’t handle what my brain was saying to me whenever I sang a solo. I either got so puffed up when I did really well or crushed like a crumb when even the littlest thing went wrong.

I love to sing, always have. One of my favorite things to do is to sing praises to the Lord, especially when I am alone in my house or when driving alone in my van. That’s when I am able to let loose and belt out the feelings in my heart. There are also times when I am able to do this at church when the choir is singing or on a congregational song when there is no-one in the row directly in front of me.

This ability to sing and the love for music was passed down from my mom. She was the first one to teach me about music and to lead the children’s choir at our church. She had a lovely voice, and I can remember her singing from the time I was tiny. I remember when I was three years old and was at the daycare house. The “mom” had me lie down to take a nap, however, I did not want to take a nap, nor did I want to stay in bed. So, she put on a record of lullabies to help me lie still. The woman singing on the record sounded just like my mom and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. It wasn’t my mom, but I pretended it was and it greatly comforted my little heart.

So, this last October while I was listening to the CD of the cantata our choir would be performing for Christmas, I heard the most beautiful solo and the Holy Spirit said to me, “You are going to sing that solo.” The Lord was so clear in what He wanted me to do, that I never even questioned it. I made an agreement with God that if no one else volunteered to do the solo, then I would know that it was truly the will of the Lord. The song was perfect for me. The range is right smack in the middle of my vocal range and “comfort zone”. And the words conveyed exactly what I wished I could say to so many people…to come back home to Jesus.

As the choir practices began in earnest for the cantata, I did not say anything to the director about wanting to do the solo. I did tell my husband and asked him to just keep it quiet. The Holy Spirit continued to speak to my heart and confirm to me that I was to do the solo and that I was to invite my family to come. It would most likely be the last time on earth that my mom would be able to hear me sing a solo. For years she had been encouraging me to use my voice for the Lord. I figured I was by singing in the choir and in the congregation. But I knew deep down that God wanted me to do more. So, in January of this year, I gave control of my singing to the Lord Jesus. Within a couple of days of doing so, I was asked by a friend to do a duet with her. I agreed and we sang at the piano while she played. Another friend also asked me to sing with her, but it hasn’t happened yet.

I was getting more and more excited and scared about doing this particular solo. When the director finally asked if anyone wanted to volunteer to sing the solo, the only hand that was raised was my own. Such peace and confirmation flooded my soul, that I was able to sing it right then with the choir. After practice, several ladies came to me with tears in their eyes and complimented me on my beautiful voice and for volunteering to do the song. We had a time of crying and of prayer that my mom would be able to come to the performance and so would the rest of my family and that the song would touch the hearts of many people.

A week and a half before the big day, I knew it was time to email my relatives and invite them to come and to make it a priority because of our mom. That same evening, I got the stomach flu so bad, I thought I would end up in the hospital. It lasted for almost a week, but mercifully, the Lord healed me and gave me the strength to make it to dress rehearsal. The week before the cantata was so strange. Not only was I sick, but my sister had a tooth crack that had to be completely removed, my niece’s boyfriend had a heart-attack and had surgery, and my mom had cancer removed from her arm and had mental deterioration.

Back in September, the new oncologist for my mom informed my parents that they would not be able to do chemotherapy again. They gave my mom three to six months before she went to be with our Savior and Lord. We have watched mom decline both physically and mentally over the last three months, but she has endured gracefully. More than anything, I wanted to be able to give her a tremendous blessing for Christmas. One that I knew would reach to the very core of her being. As a high-school senior, she had been offered a full-ride scholarship for music. She had turned it down, because she had really wanted to become a nurse. All her life she has been singing in choirs and doing solos and using her lovely voice to be a blessing to others. And now, I wanted to do the same for her.

A couple days before the “big day”, I again emailed my family and told them that I would have seats reserved for everyone near the back of the church building. When I talked with my dad, he wasn’t sure that they could be there, because mom was doing so poorly. I almost cried right then and there but was able to save my tears for when I got home. I poured out my heart to the Lord and gave the whole situation to Him. I dedicated my singing and this song in particular to His glory. I had peace that no matter who came, I could still be a blessing to those who listened.

The morning of dress rehearsal, my nerves got the better of me and I was so sick again. I cried out to God and He delivered me and brought calmness to my soul. Practice was not so great, but my trust was in the director and even more in the Lord. It was the first time that the whole choir was able to practice my song together as I hadn’t been at practice for two weeks due to illness. The whole song could have been a disaster because there are sections where the choir sang with me or were in the background. The first time through, it sounded really bad. But by the third time, it was getting better. There was much prayer that evening for the performance the next day.

On the morning of the cantata, I was so excited I could hardly sit still. We went to Bible study, but I left early because I wanted to be in the auditorium when my family arrived. It gave me time to once again pray with a friend for God to bless the whole worship service and for my voice to not shake or squeak. My sister Mary got there first and I gave her a hug (something we haven’t done in a long time). I showed her where I had reserved seats and where the restrooms were located. Within a few minutes, I saw my parents. Dad was showing my mom that I was there and that I was her daughter and that I would be singing for her soon. I gave them both hugs and my dad told me that he had to “force” my mom out of the house. I brought them over to our seats and Mary took over. Then, my brother Dan and his wife Pam came in the church. I also gave them hugs and was glad that they could be there. They were already familiar with several of the folks in our church because my brother used to work at the lumber store that our church uses. It was so nice of those folks to come over and say hi.

The morning service began with a congregational singing of a Christmas hymn. That song reached my mom, and I could see from the choir loft that she was beginning to relax. Then, the children’s church came in and did a great job reciting a Christmas poem. My family loved it. And finally, it was time for the choir to perform. What an amazing blessing God gave. The whole choir was singing the best I have ever heard. Every now and then, I took a look at my family and could tell that they loved it. As the time got closer for my solo, my hands became more and more shaky. I prayed that it wouldn’t affect my voice and it didn’t. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined. As I sang, I mostly looked at the director, but also tried to look at the crowd of people that filled the auditorium. I was singing to the Lord, but also to them. So many folks were emotionally touched. And then I looked at my family. All of them had tears in their eyes, Pam was hugging my mom’s shoulders, Mary was holding mom’s hand, and mom was trying so hard to keep it under control. The Lord had kept His promise and had used me to be a blessing to my family and to so many others. It was so wonderful!

Once I was finally able to get to my family, there were lots of hugs for my parents and tears with my mom. They left soon after as mom was so overwhelmed. She wanted to do a duet with me right then and there. It was so sweet. The rest of my family went out to lunch afterwards and I couldn’t believe how the cantata and my song had touched them. They said it was the best Christmas gift ever and loved it so much. All I can do is give all praise to God and thank Him.

Bleh

So, this picture pretty much describes how I felt this year for my birthday. Sick of my life and of my family and fellow Christians. Not very Christian that's for sure.

Someone recently mentioned that as Christians we tend to blaspheme the name of Christ every time, we do things we shouldn't. We are not worthy to bear that precious name. I know I sure don't. I was especially guilty of shaming the name of Christ on my birthday.

However, a couple days later, the Lord gently convicted me of my own sins and that I didn't need to focus so much on the misdeeds of others. That if I expected others to have self discipline, then I needed to have it myself. Right then and there, I confessed my sin and thanked the Lord for His cleansing and forgiveness, and once again gave control and lordship of my mind back to the Lord of my life.

The sinful deeds of other Christians had been bothering me for so long and they greatly grieved my heart. It got to the point that I was beginning to be angry with those sinful Christians, and just plain angry in general. I had lost the joy of the Lord. I wasn't focused on Jesus. Instead, I was focused on sin. How dumb!

God has said in His Word so many times that He will take of the wicked and that He will discipline His own. I don't need to worry about it. Pray for them, yes. Love them, yes. Obey the Lord, yes.