Freed from Legalism

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law."  Galatians 5:1


One of the biggest stumbling blocks of my faith has been legalistic ideas and doctrine.  In some cases, this legalism was imposed by a particular church I was attending or a group of believers which I was in Sunday School with.  I will never forget my experience at one church we attended a long time ago.  In my ladies only Sunday School class, I read a passage from my NIV Bible.  An awkward silence followed my reading of the passage.  It seemed like forever before anyone said a word.  To my shock, one lady very nastily pointed out that to read anything but King James Version was blaspheme and that I should never read from the NIV again.  I was crushed and hurt.  I never volunteered to read ANYTHING again.  Nor did I say anything again.  In fact, I eventually quit attending this Sunday School class.  I didn't really fit in, anyway.  I was also the only wife and mother in the group who had a job outside the family.  I felt like such an outcast because I didn't fit this church's ideas of what a godly woman should be.  Though no where in the church doctrine did they condemn other versions of the Bible nor did their doctrine specifically define the role of women, the legalistic undertones were still very much a part of this church.  I even had one older lady tell me that my health issues were judgements from God because I worked outside the home.  (Funny thing is, she had 4 children and worked at the church but I guess she didn't think that was the same as me working outside the home.)  Feeling like a failure of a Christian wife and mother, I eventually quit attending.  Scott continued to attend until we moved because he was employed by the private school ran by this church.  This church REQUIRED all of their school staff to attend and serve in THIS church. So he honored his contract until the end of the school year.    After this experience, I had such a difficult time committing myself wholly to our next church.  I'd been spiritually bullied by this legalistic church and thought deep down that all churches were like this.

Yet I am also guilty of imposing legalistic ideals upong myself - rules of how I thought all good little Christians should behave and act.  These standards of Christianity that I had set up in my own mind were so high that they would be impossible for anyone to ever consistently achieve.  Yet, I thought others did so I tried as well - and I failed.  So I'd beat myself up and chastise myself for my shortcomings.  Eventually, I gave up.  I was left, yet again, feeling as though I was a failure of a Christian.  Now here's the kicker, just this past week I found that I had imposed yet another 'legalistic' standard upon myself.  Upon this realization, I immediately gave it to the Lord, asking for His forgiveness and help.  As soon as I released this to the LORD, my soul was flooded with such RELIEF and PEACE!    I had FINALLY experienced FREEDOM from this binding chain in my life! And, oh, what a difference it has made in my spiritual walk!  The burden has been lifted!

Thankfully, as I have matured as a believer (not saying I'm mature - just growing more mature), God has opened my heart and my eyes.  I realize now that God doesn't expect me to be perfect.  The man-made standards that I thought defined Christianity were nothing more than legalistic hogwash.  Legalism can enslave and mislead believers, frustrating their faith and leading them down a path of unfruitfulness - playing right into the hands of the enemy.  Please understand, I'm not knocking Biblical doctrine or standards here.  I am talking purely man-made legalism. What we fail to realize is that Jesus Christ freed us from legalistic bondage.  So if Christ has set us free, why do we put the chains of legalism right back on?  A little counter-productive, don't you think?  Yet, we do.  We are like the Israelites who complained when Moses led them out of Egypt.  Once free, they balked at their freedom. They begged  to return to Egypt and put the chains of slavery back on.  Why?  I think it's because they just didn't know any better.  It was what they were most familiar with - most comfortable with.  That life was predictable and didn't require them to completely rely upon God.  Maybe our reasons for returning to the bondage of legalism are simliar. 

Paul writes that we who are in Christ no longer live under the law, but under the FREEDOM of GOD's GRACE!  (Romans 6:14)  He also writes,

"Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, really —who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations." Galatians 2:4

To live in freedom means that we have responded to the grace of God in our lives.  That we yield to His Holy Spirit, who lives within us, guiding us.  With Christ's imprint upon our hearts, our natural response should be one of whole-hearted love and obedience.  It is this loving obedience that helps us live a life pleasing to God.  Because of what Christ did on the cross, we are no longer held to legalistic standards that are humanly impossible to achieve.  His BLOOD was the purchase price of our freedom - freedom from sin and death- freedom from the Law that binds.  Christ fulfilled the Law.  We in no way can ever perfectly fulfill the Law because not a single one of us is perfect.  This is the flaw with legalistic doctrine and ideals - they rely on man's ability versus Christ's.  But where legalism fails, Christ prevails!

If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, don't allow anyone to place the chains of legalism upon your faith.  Instead, live in spiritual freedom!  For where the Spirit of the Lord is, THERE IS FREEDOM!

"But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."  2 Corinthians 3:16-18

 Live in His freedom, friends!
  
In His Love, Cathy

Are You Contagious?

He told him, "Go back home to your own people, and

report to them how much the Lord has done for you

and how He has had mercy on you."  Mark 5:19 (HCSB)

Are you contagious?  Let me rephrase that question.  Is your faith contagious?  Are you infecting others with your faith in Jesus Christ?  If not, why not?

This year has been a very strange year for our family healthwise.  It seems that we just keep passing the same cold and flu symptoms back and forth to each other.  Though we have given our best efforts to minimize the spreading of germs and disease in our home, it still happens.  Once one person becomes sick, it's only a matter of time before the rest of us come down with it.  We've taken vitamins to ward off colds, we've sterilized our home time and time again.  I've tried various herbal remedies that are supposed to speed up recovery or prevent catching a cold altogether.  In fact, I  believe we've bought so much Clorox and Lysol that we own a small share of these companies!  Though we try not to infect each other, we still do.  I had such a virulent cold that it developed into pneumonia and bronchitis back in the fall.  So Scott quarantined me in our oldest son's room, who was away at college, in order to minimize contaminating others in the family.  In fact, at the present, we are all just getting over yet another bad cold.  We now have a NEW family motto as a result of this season of sickness - "The family that cares - shares!"

Although being a Christian is not a disease, our faith should be be highly contagious to others!  My morning devotion challenged me on this very issue.  Bottom line, has your faith in Christ spread to anyone else lately?  In other words, has anyone been saved as a result of being infected by your testimony for Jesus Christ?  You may have only planted seeds or you may have actually led someone to Christ, but the question remains the same.  Or, have you quarantined yourself, restricting contact with others on matters of faith?

Our faith is not really just 'ours.'  Our faith is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit within us.  Once we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, our faith is to spread to others like wildfire!  It is not ours to keep to ourselves.  C.S. Lewis puts it this way, "Nothing is really ours until we share."  Once we are saved, we are members of the family of God.  Our motto should then be, "The family that cares - shares!"  And this sharing shouldn't be restricted to just those in the family - we need to share our faith with believers and nonbelievers alike.  Believers can encourage one another by the sharing of their faith.  Nonbelievers can be led to the cross when we share our faith.

Our Christian faith is an active relationship with a loving and saving God.  A part of that active relationship is being so 'in love' with our Lord and Savior that we tell others.  When I first fell in love with my husband, Scott, I wanted everyone to know of this wonderful man and the love we had for each other.  So, I spread the word.  Whoever was kind enough to listen to me had to endure my profession of love for Scott.  I wanted the world to know that I had found love!  In the same way, the natural outflow of our love for Jesus Christ should be to tell others!  And in doing so, others might also experience salvation!

We are not to live our faith out conceptually, but contagiously! 

I've been challenged today, to live a contagious life for Jesus Christ!  Have you?

In His Love, Cathy

Fear

Then He said to them, "Why are you fearful?

Do you still have no faith?"  Mark 4:40

What are you fearful of?  What is your greatest fear?  Is it fear of the future, fear of growing old?  Is it fear of failure?  Is it a fear of what others think of you?  Is it a fear of heights?  Is it a fear of the unknown?

 

Why are you fearful?  Did you know, from a psychological standpoint, it is believed that most fears are learned traits and NOT inherited traits?  We are taught what to fear.  We grow our own fears inside our heads.

 

Fear of some things can be a good thing, such as fear of the Lord.  But that kind of fear is a healthy fear, a sense of respect, love, and awe for a God who is holy and to be honored.  Fear for the Lord is like a child who respects, loves, and honors his parents.  The child doesn't want to do anything to disappoint his loving parents and so lives in such a way that brings a right relationship between he and them.

 

The man-made fears, on the other hand, are not healthy.  These fears cause unneccessary worry and obsession.  They take our focus and mind off of that which truly counts - the Lord, our loved ones, and the blessings in our life. They can paralyze our faith, making us ineffective in our Christian walk.

 

In the midst of the storm recorded in Mark 4, Jesus and His disciples were on a boat.  As Jesus slept, a severe storm arose.  The crashing waves tossled their boat.  The diciples, seasoned fisherman, became very alarmed and afraid.  In their fear, they awoke Jesus and apprised Him of the situation.  Jesus' response, "Why are you afraid?  Do you not have any faith?"   Jesus was saying, "Hey!  Don't you know that I got this?  Where's your faith, dudes!"
 

So, I ask you. 

What are you afraid of? 

Why are you afraid? 

Do you not have any faith? 

Don't you know that Jesus has got this? 

Let go of your fear and worries-trust Christ with them.  By hanging on to your fears, your lack of faith in Christ is showing!  

 

Trust God today with every fear and worry that you have.  He is your safe place, your shelter, your fortress.

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation -

whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life -

of whom should I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1       

 

GOD is your LIGHT when you are SCARED of the DARK!   

 

GOD is your eternal SALVATION so there is no need to FEAR the FUTURE! He is always with you!

 

GOD is your STRONGHOLD so there is no need to FEAR the ATTACKS and TRIALS of this life!

 

Whom should you be afraid of? 

No one... JESUS had GOT THIS!

In His Love, Cathy

Math Teacher Stops Gunman

Don't know if you have heard this news story yet, but for once, the good guys WIN!  Read how Dr. David Benke, a math teacher at a Deer Creek Middle School in Jefferson County, Colorado STOPPED a gunman.  Though two students were injured, fortunately, no one was killed because of Dr. Benke's quick response.  Dr. Benke's story can be read at http://www.baltimoresun.com/kdvr-benke-shooting-022310,0,1339293.story

Dr. Benke, thank you for setting aside your personal safety to save the lives of students and teachers at your school.

Dr. Benke has my vote as math teacher of the year!

In His Love, Cathy

Absolute Holiness!

This year, I've decided to read through my Bible slowly, prayerfully, taking the time to let God's Word absorb into my heart, meditating and pondering each passage. Tonight I read from the Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 39 through 40.  Chapter 40 begins a three chapter long description of the New Temple.  Ezekiel describes every measurement for every aspect of the New Temple in painstaking detail.  As I read the long, entailing description of the Temple, I asked God why was there a need to record so many of these details.  I asked Him to reveal to me the meaning of what I reading, what relevance did it have.  I mean, I know that Ezekiel is writing prophecies and visions concerning the future.  Knowing these details is important in that way.  But I wanted to know if there were anything more to these passages beyond that of the description of the future Temple.  Quite frankly, these passages are difficult for me to read - it's simply a verbal description of a blueprint. 

But as I pressed on through these chapters,  the answer to my question appeared quite subtly at first.

 "Then the man told me, 'These rooms that overlook the Temple from the north and south are holy.  Here the priests who offer sacrifices to the Lord will eat the most holy offerings.  And because these rooms are holy, they will be used to store the sacred offerings - the grain offrings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. When the priests leave the santuary, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard.  They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering, because these clothes are holy.  They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building that are open to the public."  (Ezekiel 42:13-14) 

As this passage marinated in my heart and mind, I realized it was a testimony to God's holiness.  It encapsulated how we are to approach our most holy God - in reverence and awe.  We are not to take Him for granted. God is holy.  Approaching Him is not to be taken lightly.  The great care the priests took in remaining holy may symbolize the holy hearts we are to have when we approach our most holy God.  I pondered if this was a part of the answer to my question concerning why the details of the New Temple were so carefully recorded.

Excited about this finding, I continued to read on into Chapter 43.  And Bam!  There it was, the complete answer to why Ezekiel recorded such a detailed decription of the Temple.  You know what his reason was?  Because God told him to do so!

"Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins.  Let them study its plan, and they will be ashamed of what they have done.  Describe to them all of the specifications of the Temple - including its entrances and exits - and everything else about it.  Tell them about its decrees and laws.  Write down all of these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them.  And this is the basic law of the Temple:  absolute holiness!  The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy.  Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple."  Ezekiel 43: 10-12

So, there it is.  Not only did Ezekiel record these details because God told Him to,  but the reasons why were also explained.

• So the people would be ashamed of what they had done ( remember, Israel had turned against God at this point in time and were facing judgement and exile.)
• To tell God's people these specifications, decrees, and laws and write them down.
• So the people would remember and follow these specifications and decrees.
• So all will know GOD is ABSOLUTELY HOLY and is to be approched with a heart of holiness!

So, how do we have a heart of holiness?  First, by admitting that we are a sinner and asking God to forgive us of our sin. By believing Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to pay for our sins, and that He rose on the third day defeating sin and death!  By confessing Him as Lord and Savior over your life.

Remember, God is not to be taken for granted nor taken lightly.  Approach Him with a heart of holiness, a heart of worship, a heart full of desire and love for Him!
Grace and peace, friends! 

In His Love, Cathy

Sufferings

"I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!"

But what could I say?

For he himself sent this sickness.

Now I will walk humbly throughout my years

because of this anguish I have felt.

Lord, your discipline is good,

for it leads to life and health.

You restore my health

and allow me to live!

Think of it—the LORD is ready to heal me!

I will sing his praises with instruments

every day of my life

in the Temple of the LORD."

Isaiah 38:14c–16, 20

"Our suffering can, if we let it, become a catalyst for knowing God more intimately and becoming a godlier person. In Hezekiah's case, it caused him to cry out to God. Suffering led to greater humility, gratitude, joy, and praise to God in witness to God's goodness and grace. Don't waste your suffering. God means it for good, for healing. "Think of it—the Lord is ready to heal me!" He allows suffering so that you can seek him fully, and he can heal you."
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

In His Love, Cathy

The Empty Space on the Refrigerator

I never noticed it before  today.  I guess I had been so busy over the last several years that it slipped by me.  But as I walked by the refrigerator just now, I remarked to myself how clean and tidy the outside of it looked.  I thought, "Hmmm...that's strange."  No pictures, report cards, and other artwork competing for space on it's front.  Sometimes there would be so many that several would overlap, held by only a few pitiful magnets which would then slide down the front of the door due to the weight of the papers.  But at some point during the not so recent past the daily, steady stream of our children's works of art slowed down to a small trickle.  One by one, their drawings, achievements, and pictures came down without my noticing.  But now, there are no more reinforcements - no more hand turkeys, pictures of "Mommy and Me," no more magnets made by little hands- nothing to replace those that came down. 

Life just snuck up on me and "Bam!"  my babies are just about grown.  Wow! I never knew it would come so fast!  Sure, we still have two at home, one of which is still in elementary school - but in a matter of months our youngest will be a teen and thinking he's "all that!" - already too big for Mommy to hold; too 'cool' to draw pictures of "Mommy and Me" anymore.  No replacements.  No one following behind him.  It is a exciting new phase we are about to enter, but so sad to know there are no more little ones to follow.  And though I don't miss the dirty diapers, bottles, and failed exercises in potty training, I do miss the two little boys and little girl who would run to our room and jump on our bed early on Saturday mornings.  I miss their giggles, their blonde  little curls, and their sweet tiny hugs.  They have always been and will always be our joy.

Yes, the refrigerator is bare now.  But not for long.  I think I'll stick Michael's Science Fair award, Brittany's report card, and Mathew's College Grade Report on it for old times sake.

In His Love, Cathy

In Preparation

"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.

Learn from their ways and become wise!

7 Though they have no prince

or governor or ruler to make them work,

8 they labor hard all summer,

gathering food for the winter."

Proverbs 6:6-8

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:

25 Ants—they aren’t strong,

but they store up food all summer.

Proverbs 3:24-25

What are you doing to prepare yourself for the future?  What kind of goals and plans are you making?  Or have you even considered the future?  To some extent we all make plans for the future.  Where we often fall short is the self discipline to see them through.  First, we simply may not have made our plans that are within the will of God.  If so, then we should not expect to successfully achieve our goals.  Second, we simply may not have a step-by-step strategy in place to achive our goals. Poor planning and preparation never achieves anything good.  Third, we don't consider the unexpected.  When we set our plans, we often choose to ignore the unknowns, expecting our plans to go just as we desire them to go.  So when the unexpected does happen, we are quickly thrown off course and sometimes spiral so out of control we never get back on track.

In the selected passages above, we see the hard working ant.  He works all summer to store up food for the winter.  He has no idea if winter will be long or short.  He has no idea how harsh and cold winter will be.  He simply goes about preparing for the future, storing up enough food to last the WHOLE winter - however long that will be - however harsh it will be.  There's no time for being lazy.  He has a plan and he works to achieve it.

Like the ant, we must prepare and be ready to carry out the work necessary for the future - spiritually, physically, educationally, financially, professionally.  If your plan is to grow closer to the Lord, then spend time in the Word, in prayer, and in worship.  You can't predict what the enemy will throw your way, but if your footing is on solid ground, you will prevail with God's help.  If your plan is to achieve good financial stewardship, then take the steps necessary to pay off debt and live within your means.  You can't predict what future financial pitfalls may come your way, but if you have saved up for the future, you will be prepared.  If your plan is to get a good education to help you land a good job, then spend time in study to prepare for your future.  You may not know what your future career will hold, but if you don't have a high school diploma/GED or some kind of specialized training, it will be difficult to achieve a decent career or job.  If your plan is for strong family relationships, then make time for your family a priority!  We can't control the choices our children make, especially once they are adults, but if we build strong family bonds and raise them up in Christ, chances are they will make godly choices.  If we plan to live long, healthy lives, then we must prepare now by eating right and exercising.

The lure of laziness keeps us from maximizing our opportunities to prepare for the future. So, turn off the T.V..  Log off facebook.  Keep the time you spend in idle, unproductive activities in check.  Though these activities help us to relax, let's minimize the time we spend in the virtual world so we can maximize the time we spend in the real world preparing for the future - for the future will be here tomorrow.


In His Love, Cathy

Work Ethic

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free."  Ephesians 6:5-8

23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ."  Colossians 3:23-24

I know a lot of Christians who are hard workers.  They serve God in ministry, whether it be as a lay leader or volunteer in the church.  But not only that, they work hard in their profession earning the respect of others.  Most Christian men and women I know who have secular jobs build a good reputation as a professional in their field.  They know that part of their personal testimony and witness for Christ is tied into their work ethic.  Their strong work ethic and reputation as a professional gives them credibility among their peers and coworkers.  This credibility leads to respect.  People will listen to those they respect, therefore, those who do their best in their secular jobs will have greater influence and opportunity in leading coworkers, peers, and others in the community to Jesus Christ.

Sadly, however, I know a few Christians who don't pull their weight in their jobs.  They don't do their best, thinking that all that matters is what they do OUTSIDE of their job - the extracurricular or church.  They value only the time spent in the extracurricular rather than the secular.  They don't give their secular jobs their best, as they are commanded to do, because they think it matters little in the great scheme of things.  Thus, they let things on the job slide.  Their professional reputation and their credibility goes down the tube.  Coworkers know these people are Christians.  Coworkers also know when someone isn't doing their job...because when one person doesn't do their job, it's falls on the coworkers to do.  When someone is a professional slacker, EVERYONE knows and EVERYONE has to pay.  So the Christian who doesn't do his job to the best of his ability - is in DISOBEDIENCE to the will of God.  Look, if we Christians are no different from other people in the world, then how can we win others to Christ?  Your professional reputation is a part of your personal testimony for Jesus Christ among men.  "Then you will find favor with both God and people,and you will earn a good reputation."  (Proverbs 3:4)

Here's the bottom line.  Do your best at whatever you do - as though you are working for God.  If you are so overly scheduled or overwhelmed by life that you let your work ethics slide in your secular job, then maybe it's time for you to approach God about what needs to be cut out of your life.  God didn't create us to be overly scheduled, overwhelmed, and over and done with.  He created us to love Him, glorify Him, and live for Him.  If your work ethic on the job doesn't speak to others of His glory then what you are doing (or not doing) is damaging HIS REPUTATION as well as yours!    It's not all about you...it's ultimately about HIM!

Now, I know that we all have days or seasons in our lives where it just takes our best to make it through our work day.  Sickness and seasons of personal struggles will intefere with our ability to give our best at work.  God understands that.  However, what I am talking about is believers who REGULARLY look for any excuse to keep from doing their day jobs.  Bottom line, those who do this on a regular basis are just plain LAZY when it comes to their secular jobs.  They look for any and every (ridiculous) excuse to keep from doing the job they were hired to do. I love what is written in Proverbs 22:13 about the lazy person:

The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there!  If I go outside, I might be killed!” (Proverbs 22:13)

Sounds ridiculous, right?

Friends, most all of us desire to do our best in our profession or whatever else we do.  We are concientious of how our reputation among others is a testimony for Jesus Christ.  The bottom line is that we need to remember that whatever we do, we need to do as though God is the one we are working for - because really and truly, we are.  If we do that, then we can't go wrong.  He isn't looking for perfection, only our best.

Grace and peace!
In His Love, Cathy

In Quiet Strength

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

Just recently, I received a heart felt compliment from a friend, "Cathy, you have a quiet strength about you."  Now, I have a difficult time receiving compliments.  Why?  Because I struggle with insecurity - I sometimes succumb to the lies the Enemy flings at me to tear me down.  Therefore, when I receive a compliment, I tend to 'shoo' it away or down play it.  So when this dear friend paid me this compliment, I looked around to make sure I was the only one there she was talking to, then pointed to myself as if to say, "Who, me?"  I never would have even thought this of myself.  In fact, I don't think this of myself at all.  I thanked her for the compliment but what I really wanted to say was, "Lady, you have no idea!"  But due to the circumstances and the setting, I didn't have much time to respond. Then, just days later, I had another dear friend make a similar compliment in her blog.  "Whoa!"  I thought.  "This isn't me! I'm not really this person they are talking about, am I?"

But in my quiet time this morning, God brought this issue back up.  Each time I tried to push it out of my mind, it would bubble right back up to the surface of my thoughts.  It took a little while, but I finally figured out that God wanted to deal with me on this.  So, as these compliments replayed through my mind, I felt a familiar tug at my heart - His Spirit - showing me that there was truth in these words.  Then it hit me.  The quiet strength my friend saw in me was not my own, but Christ in me!  Oh, it all made sense now!  God was reminding me that I am strong - not because of me but because of Him!

And when I down play such compliments, I am minimizing the importance of a work HE was doing INSIDE of me!  With this, I realized I missed an opportunity to boldly witness to this friend simply because I was so 'humble' that I barely could utter a simple 'Thank you.'  I was so self-absorbed in my own insecurities that I missed out on testifying to someone the changing power of Jesus Christ - how HE took a weak, insecure little girl and gave her strength - growing her up in His image!

This quiet strength that my friend spoke of is not my own.  It is an answer to a prayer that I've prayed for years, "I can do all things through Christ who strenthens me." (Philippians 4:13).  Throughout our lives -  college, graduate school with a newborn, health crisis & cancer, career changes, and ministry - Christ has been the source of my strength.  I've relied heavily upon Him through the years.  He had ALWAYS been faithful.   For you see, on my own, I can do nothing because I am weak.  But with Christ in me, I CAN do EVERYTHING! 

So, to my dear friends who complimented me, thank you on behalf of my Lord and Savior.  It is His strength you see in me, not my own.  The good news is that we all can have access to this strength if we simply surrender all that we are to Him.  For we are strongest when we are on our knees before Him!

Grace and peace, friends!

In His Love, Cathy

What Your Life is Worth

I couldn't help but notice the headline as it flashed across my screen..."Web Note Warning Before Crash:  Officials say the pilot behind the Austin, Texas, building crash was furious with the IRS."  Next to this headline was a picture of a scene eerily similar to one I had seen before - on September 11, 2001.

Apparently a man who was furious with the IRS over his taxes crashed his small, private plane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas.  The plane exploded.  Though the building suffered damage, fortunately, all in the building survived.  The pilot perished in the crash.  Just prior to his flying his plane into the IRS building, the man also set his home on fire.  The sad thing is he is left behind his wife and teenage daughter to deal with the sordid mess he made.  Did he even think of them when he planned all of this? 

This man definitely had some deep issues.  I don't know anything about him, his life, nor if he had reached out for help.  But he definitely didn't handle his problems like any sane, rational person would.  His behavior was self-destructive.  But he wanted to do more than hurt just himself.  He wanted to hurt others - he wanted to kill others.  And though he didn't harm his family, he hurt them far deeper than he probably ever realized - or even worse, he just didn't even care. 

We may never react to our problems to the extreme that this man did.  However, we each have our own forms of self-destructive behaviors that when left unchecked, can harm not only us but others as well - overeating, anger issues, perfectionism, impulsive spending, gambling, alcohol, drugs, unhealthy obsessions, self-pity, lack of self-control, relationship issues - and the list goes on and on and on.  Some of us become so self-defeated by our problems or habits that we give up.  We take on a victim mentality.  We quit fighting our sinful urges.  We mess up anyway so what's the point of trying?  We accept our circumstances and continue to make the same self-destructive choices.  We beat ourselves up because we can't seem to break free.  We may even come to the point where we feel our lives are not worth much at all.  Don't buy into this lie!

"Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.  For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God."  1 John 5:3-5

We were not created to live a defeated life, but a VICTORIOUS LIFE in JESUS CHRIST!  Your LIFE is WORTH something.  In fact, YOUR LIFE was worth so much to GOD that HE sent HIS ONE and ONLY SON to DIE for Y-O-U!!!  And not only did HE DIE for you - HE was BEATEN for YOU - HE was MOCKED for YOU - HE BLED for YOU!  Sure Jesus was God's Son, God Incarnate - but HE FULLY FELT EVERY SINGLE BLOW.  HE fully felt the NAILS as they were HAMMERED into HIS HANDS and FEET.  And He DIED to pay for YOUR SINS - because YOU were worth it all to HIM!  HE loves YOU just that much!

So DON'T YOU DARE allow yourself to give into any self destructive, self-depreciating urges EVER!  That's NOT why Jesus Christ DIED for you!  YOUR LIFE WAS WORTH THE CROSS!!!  Now LIVE IT for HIM! 

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17


And, if you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, it's time you should.  Click on the Jesus 2020 link for help coming to know Jesus Christ.  Find a church and go.  Find friends or family who are Christians and tell them of your decision.  Christ is waiting, knocking on the door to your heart.  Are you going to let the ONE who values your life so much that He DIED for you just stand there? Are you really going to keep Him waiting?  Seriously?

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

Hidden Costs

One of my new year's resolutions was to simplify.  Sounds easy until you actually have the time to analyze and dissect all areas of your life.  Then you realize just how complicated and intertwined some things are.  When you cut back or eliminate one thing you suddenly discover its ripple effect on other areas.  Some of these effects are positive, some are negative.  Suddenly, just the process of simplifying isn't quite so, well - simple.

For example, one of the areas of our life that had become quite complicated was our finances.  To be transparent, over the last many years, with my being bivocational and Scott coaching, we did not pay close of attention to expenses/bills as we should have.  We paid our bills, trusting that they were accurate and that we paying for services, for the most part, that we thought we actually used.  But we didn't have the time nor the energy to really look at our statements to see what we were really being charged and why.  So at the beginning of the year, I began to really look at the details of each bill and expense we had.  Boy, was I surprised!

As I began analyzing the details of the charges, I discovered fees for services I don't ever recall ordering.  I also discovered fees for things we had ordered in the past had doubled, even tripled from the original time we ordered the services (cable, phone, etc...)  Others were fees for services we never ordered but apparently had been automatically added to our account for 'free' but with the contigency we had to call them after a certain number of months to cancel or we'd be charged.  To receive the service required no action on our part!  How nice of them! 

As I began adding up all of these 'hidden costs' I discovered that we had almost $200 in services we didn't use or need.  I knew we had a few things out there that we needed to cancel, but I certainly didn't realize just how much all of these added up!  Our inattention to these details over the last year especially had cost us - A LOT!     

Next, Scott and I analyzed every charge and fee.  If we discovered we were paying for a service we either didn't want or no longer needed, we called and canceled it.  Once we eliminated the obsolete, we turned our attention to other expenses.  For example, we noted that our introductory price for our cable/phone/internet had run out - the charge had almost doubled from the introductory price.  So I called our cable company and spoke to a representative on how we, loyal customers since 1993, could cut the costs of our services with them.  (I was really hoping they would cut a deal with me to keep the current service levels we had since we had been customers for so long, but they didn't.  Hey, it was worth a shot to ask!)  Although the customer service representative did not offer us a special deal, she did  present to me some cost cutting suggestions.  We tweaked a few things with our service and ended up with basically the same services (just minus a few email addresses and some premiere movie channels which we never watched). Our new monthly charges will fall pretty close to the introductory price we had been paying all along.   

Another strategy that helped us to simplify our finances was to get our financial data in some kind of money management program.  For years, we had used a budget spreadsheet that I created for our personal finances. But over the years, with the changing expenses of a growing family, our HSA, retirement, taxes,  and now a child in college, the limited functionality of my simple budget database was just not enough.  For us, the perfect solution to organizing our finances electronically was Quicken.  We use it to track ALL of our financial transactions - checking, savings, mortgage, loans, medical, credit cards, bills, tax information, Mathew's college expenses, HSA, charitable contributions, assets, and retirement. It was a huge task in getting everything set up in Quicken, but OH, how NICE to have everything at the click of a button instead of having to pull it out of a file cabinet! In addition, it had so many built in features that I had done by hand because Excel just didn't have the functionality needed.  We had actually set up our finances in Quicken last summer, so having everything already set up really helped us at the beginning of this year as we began to analyze our finances.

From this experience I learned quite a few things.  Here's some of the lessons I learned:
1.  Always check the details of your billing.  If there is a charge you don't understand, call and ask for an explanation.
2.  If you have signed up for a service under special introductory pricing, know when the introductory price ends.  Once it ends, call the service provider to see if they can offer you a similar deal to keep your business.  If not, see if there are other options for the services that will keep the cost in check.  Once the introductory deal runs out, the price may skyrocket.
3.  If you no longer use a service, don't let it linger.  Cancel it immediately.  Even $10 a month adds up over time.
4.  Being tired or too busy is understandable. However, for your family's financial sake, keep track of the details of all bills and expenses.  If you don't, it's like throwing money away!
5.  Be careful on services offered for 'free' for x number of months.  You usually have to call to cancel that service.  Company's count on the fact that you will forget so they will begin charging once the free time period runs out. 
6.  Get your financial data organized - whether is just on paper or in a money management program.  Being organized will help you stay on top of your finances.
7.  READ all of the messages on your bill, especially those in the detail section.  This is usually where information about changes in fees or other changes affecting your future charges are located.

And last but not least,

Sometimes it just pays to do a little financial house cleaning!

In His Love, Cathy

Writer's Block

Okay, so I've been having a bit of a writer's block lately.  Could be due to the cold I've had and the Robitussin I've been on (I don't do well on cold meds - they make me feel like I'm in a distant dreamland).  So instead of trying to force the issue and just slapping something together and giving readers 'junk' to read, I've opted to wait patiently for the Lord to reveal exactly what I'm to write about - and for my head to clear out.  I also tend to have negative tendancies when I'm sick and I don't want that to affect my writings, either! 

But then, this brings up a good point.  So often we try to force issues in our lives, jumping the gun, attempting to make things happen according to our will and our plans.  So often, in doing so, we miss the mark BIG TIME.  When we force something to happen according to our will, we are, in essence, asserting ourselves into God's position.  I'm not talking about carrying out difficult tasks or facing issues that God has placed in our paths.  We do have godly responsibilities in which we will have to take the iniative instead of sitting back and waiting for God to do all of the work.  What I'm speaking of is trying to make something happen that is contrary to the will of God - prematurely acting on something instead of waiting on God's perfect timing.  Our impatience causes us to often jump the gun.  We simply assume that what we are doing is the will of God instead of waiting on Him and seeking His will in the matter, squarely placing us at odds with God's will.

So, instead of writing something that is contrary to the will of God and getting it all WRONG,  I think I'll just sit back and wait to see where the Spirit leads.  It's going to take work on my part, though.  Time in prayer, time in the Word, time in worship, time with other Believers, and time in quiet contemplation before the Lord.  I'd rather my words be few and be RIGHT than many and WRONG.  So I'll just wait upon the Lord - and for the Robitussin Cold and Flu to wear off!

Be still in the presence of the Lord,

and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper

or fret about their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:7 

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

Expect the Unexpected

The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”


6 The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!  Luke 17:5-6

When you pray, do you expect the unexpected?  When you pray, do you believe that God will come through on your behalf?  When you pray, do you foster doubt in your heart?

Let me confess this to you.  There are times in my prayer life where I pray for something but yet I doubt that God will pull through for me.  Though I know He promises to faithfully answer our prayers, I find myself doubting.

Now doubt is not unbelief.  The definition of doubt is being double-minded about something.  Doubt can be our stumbling block in our prayer life.  We may pray for the impossible, we have faith in God and believe He can answer our prayers, but we doubt whether He really will answer our prayers in our favor. 

Recently, Scott and I were facing an impossible situation.  It was a heavy financial burden that we just didn't know how in the world we could pay.   I'd prayed over this situation, yet I doubted.  Being a math person and a natural worrier, I played with the numbers, analyzing our budget, cutting out the unecessary, trying to find a way to meet our obligation.  To be even more transparent, I was concerned we'd have to cut way back in our budget on some of our necessities and possibly our charitable contributions.  I just didn't know how we'd make it.  My heart was especially burdened about having to cut back on the charitable contributions.  So I prayed, knowing there was absolutely NO WAY we could make this financial obligation.  I found myself doubting God's provision and blessings. 

However, after much prayer, we made a commitment to God to trust Him week by week with our finances.  This is an easy thing to do when things are going right financially.  However, when faced with a financial crisis, it becomes extremely difficult.  Now you must know that Scott and I are not extravagent people.  We are both modest people and we live a modest lifestyle.  Despite our modest living, this burden threatened the financial peace and freedom we had been blessed with. It has hung over our heads for several months. 

So we prayed.  Each week that I trusted God more with our finances, I began to see His wonderful plan unfold.  And as we committed ourselves to honoring Him and trusting Him each week, we saw more and more of this huge financial burden chip away.  It finally culminated this week when we discovered that this huge financial burden we had feared was totally incorrect.  The original bill was WRONG...we only owed a small fraction of what we thought we owed!  I sincerely believe this error was no coincidence.  I know that this burden was a journey orchestrated by God.  God brought us through these past several months to teach us an important lesson of relying on Him.  Somehow, somewhere, we'd become self-reliant without even realizing it.  He had to bring us back to the point that we relied on Him with all that we are. 

And as His perfect plan in this matter unfolded, I felt like the widow whose oil never ran out.  With her one bottle of oil, she filled every single container until there were no empty containers left.  By selling these bottles of oil, God richly provided for her and her son.         

We can expect the unexpected from God.  Though He does not always give us exactly what we ask for in prayer, He is faithful to give what is far better for us.  His goal isn't to spoil, but to grow us in His image. 

Expect the unexpected. 


In His Love, Cathy

Hope for Haiti

KLOVE and Food for the Hungry are sponsoring a 'text' drive to raise funds to help the people of Haiti.  To make a one-time contribution of  $10, text KLOVE at 20222.  This $10 donation will appear on your next cell phone bill.  Now here's the cool part, 100% of your donation will go straight to feeding the hungry in Haiti - no administrative fees or overhead costs are taken out of this special donation.  To check it out or to give online, go to  http://www.klove.com/promodetails.aspx?i=5530


The people of Haiti aren't the only ones who need our help.  We have people right here in our very own community who are hungry, homeless, and suffering.  Prayerfully ask God how you can help others here in our community.  Let's be Christ to those who are in need!

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'


37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'  Mathew 25:34-40




In His Love, Cathy