Confessions of a Children's Pastor: Leadership Mistakes (Part I)

Leadership is not for the faint in heart.  Leadership is not a gift that everyone has.  Those desiring to lead in ministry must have the calling of God.  Leadership is tough, it's challenging, yet it can be very rewarding.  I've served and continue to serve in a variety of leadership positions, both in the church and in the secular world, at varying levels ever since high school.  I am hoping to pass on the lessons learned.

1.   Not Knowing Your Leadership Style  Knowing your leadership style is CRITICAL.  If you don't understand how you operate as a leader, what your own talents, gifts, and abilities are as a leader, then how are you going to lead?  Take an honest assessment of yourself as a leader.  Write down your talents, gifts, and abilities.  Then take an honest look at your weaknesses as a leader.  How have you addressed these weaknesses?  Do you have personnel, staff, or volunteers who are gifted in your weak areas shoring up the gap?  If not, why not?  If you don't know what your leadership style is, there are a plethera of books and online resources to help you.

2.  Not Saying No  If you are a leader, expect to be bombarded with requests - requests for your time, requests for money, requests for support of a project or plan.  Though many of these requests have good intentions, they are not always good for the whole.  As a leader, you must discern when to say yes and when to say no.  Don't just flippantly say yes - prayerfully consider the cost, seek the Lord's leading on the matter. And don't just say no without consideration either.  And above all, don't say maybe  - your maybe may mean 'no' but for the other person, it can be misconstrued as a 'yes' - and OH the heartache that can cause when they forge ahead anyway and you have to bring it to a stop!   Jesus said, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37)  If you aren't sure, say so - ensuring the person that you'll give it prayerful consideration before making a decision.


3.  Not Following Through  One of the biggest mistakes I've observed leaders make, myself included, is not following through on a promise or project.  If we say that we will do something, then we need to do it.  If, after further evaluation, we see that our original statement or plan is not the best course of action, then we need to fess up and tell all who are involved as to why we are not able to follow through. Leaving people in the dark as to why a project or planned event never happened can come back to bite you later.  A leader who frequently does not follow through on their words or actions will soon loose the trust of those they lead.  Once lost, trust is very difficult to regain.  Lost trust in a leader creates dissatisfaction among the personnel.  Morale goes down, stifling excitement for the vision and halting any forward momentum of the organization or group. 

4.  Making a 180 Degree Turn  I've witnessed leaders make a 180 degree turn - for the bad.  Politicians are well known for this.  A leader who does this often will, again, lose the trust of those who serve under him.    Though there are legitimate times that a leader should change his stance,one who does so often is perceived as wishy washy or untrustworthy.  However, when it is truly necessary to change one's stance, effectively explain to those involved as to why. People will understand when their is a logical explanation.  For example, one year we had to completely call off VBS.  We were still meeting at the school and were anxiously awaiting the completion of our building.  The builder kept moving back the completion date further and further into the summer.  Once it became clear that the building would not be ready until later in the fall, our options were limited.  We did not have use of the school that summer due to school related activities and events.  Once I realized the futile situation we were in, I called off VBS until the next summer.  Everyone was disappointed but completely understood.  The timing was simply not right.  We had such a huge jumpstart on VBS the next year - it was just AWESOME and all in God's timing! 

5.  Lack of Communication/Inadequate Communication  Communication is one of the most important gifts required of leaders.  After all, how can one lead if they don't communicate?  In my own experiences, I often find that great leaders are also great communicators.  They can translate the vision to others in such a way that it takes hold.  The mistake often made by leaders is inadequate or lack of communication - whether deliberate or not.  Communication can make or break your team.  Never assume that people are in the know.  Make sure they know. 

6.  Don't Play Favorites  As a leader it is CRITICAL that we don't play favorites.  Sure, there are people that we will naturally like more than others.  But playing favorites can hurt our leadership - especially in the ministry setting.  Favoritism can make or break our ability to reach out to others in the Name of Christ.   People notice favoritism.  Adults notice.  Teens notice.  Kids notice.  The difference is that kids will call you out on it (which I know from experience) while adults and teens may keep silent, quietly disappearing from the church's radar screen.  Favoritism in the church hurts hearts, stirs up jealousy, and can cause some to turn away from the faith.  James writes, "`My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.....9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." (James 2:1,9)  So do all that is within your power to keep favoritism out!

7.  Lack of Appreciation/Overappreciation  Saying thank you to those who work under your direction is so critically important to the ongoing success of your ministry or organization.  It goes without saying that underappreciating those under your leadership is never a smart thing to do.  Surprisingly, there are leaders who do forget.  But on the other end of the spectrum, overappreciation is also dangerous.  Overappreciation can potentially grow pride in the receiver of such attnetion and may stir up jealousy among team members- thus leading to problems.  And should the leader ever cut back on the attention given to the overappreciated worker, watch out!  They may think the leader has an issue with them and may react negatively.  If so, there will be trouble!  Bottom line, use wisdom.  It doesn't matter how much you prefer some people over others, you are the leader and you must be fair to all.  There is a time and place to recognize greatness among your team, doing so is perfectly valid if it is truly deserved - but do so tastefully and in fairness to all.  Remember, once you put someone on a pedastal, it's hard to take them back down, especially if problems arise. There is a healthy balance to showing appreciation and validating those who are serving along side of you.  So be sure to remember EVERYONE and what they have done.  Success takes everyone on the team - from the person running the copying machine up to the executive in the plush leather chair! 

As you lead others, whether it be in the ministry, in business, in education, or in your own home, keep in mind that you will make mistakes - even great leaders make mistakes. It's bound to happen. So when you do, fess up, get up, knock the dirt off your knees, and try again!

Lead well in Christ, friends!  Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

The Dr. Phil Diet - Take Two (or three or four...)

So Scott and I are going on the Dr. Phil Diet once more.  We tried this diet a few years ago with much success...that is until Scott injured his knee and had surgery.  Since that time, we've tried other diets and alternative but not with consistent success.  

Our main goal is to simply eat healthier foods, replacing the junk foods with healthier choices along with portion control.  Dr. Phil's diet will simply be a guide for us to follow in eating healthier - stocking our kitchen with High response cost, high yield foods - foods that take a great deal of effort to prepare and eat.  So instead of quick fix foods - like frozen pizza or lasagne, canned vegetables, or frozen desserts - we've stocked up with fresh vegetables (green beans, yellow squash, black eye peas...) and fresh fruits (melons, grapes, apples, bananas, watermelon...) from the produce section/fruit stand.  Our new eating plan includes fresh meats, even calling for some red meats, pork, fresh seafood (tuna), as well as chicken. Desserts aren't entirely eliminated - just replaced with healthier choices such as yogurt, frozen yogurt, fruits, etc...You can even have your tea and coffee under our new eating plan:-)  And, we are even treating ourselves on the weekend with foods we enjoy, we're just not going overboard!

Scott has already lost 2 pounds this past week.  Though I've not lost any weight, I am feeling much better because I'm eating healthier.  I'm a sugarholic but I don't feel as though I've missed out on anything.  I find that I am more satisfied with these healthier foods and not struggling with hunger issues.

Whether I lose any  weight or not is unimportant - adapting a healthier diet is.

 
In His Love, Cathy

A Bird's Eye View

This is a bird's eye view of my grandparent's farm in Pike County, Alabama.  "The farm," as we so fondly called it, had been in the family for a few generations.  It is bounded on three sides by the road on the very top, the road on the left, and the main highway on the right.  Just below the top road, there is a dirt road that runs through the property to another highway.

Though my grandparents lived in town, they still farmed several fields, growing enough vegetables and vine fruits (watermelon, canteloupe) to feed a small army through the winter.  My family was that small army:-)  I don't think I ate a canned vegetable until I was in college.  Boy, what a rude awakening!

What's neat about this bird's eye view is that you can see the terrace farmed fields, even though terrace farming had not been done for more than 80 years on the land.  You can also see from this ariel shot the fencing Granddaddy put around the property and through the property that he used to separate his livestock (cows & pigs...He so fondly called his pigs HAWGS), from his hay fields, and his planting fields. 

My Great Grandparent's home and my Grandparent's first home sat on this property until the late 1980's, when, at age 72, Granddaddy tore them down with the help of his big ole' John Deere tractor! One of Granddaddy's best friends tried to help him, but one day was enough for this friend.  His friend told him, "Willis!  I'm to old to be doing this hea' stuff."  His friend was only 67:-)  Granddaddy finished tearing down and removing the rest of the homes with only the help of John Deere!

As a kid, I loved riding in the back of Granddaddy's yellow pickup truck down the dirt road to 'feed the cows' in the pasture.  Granddaddy had a 1970 GMC Pickup truck.  He picked yellow because he was color blind and yellow was one of the few colors he could see.  He called his truck the Yellow Banana!  Grandaddy would load up the hay in the back of that old yellow pickup.  My sister and I loved to help throw the hay out of the back of the truck for the cows.  We were of little help when it came to lifting the bales out of the tail end.  But we thought we were helping by grabbing the handfuls of loose straw and throwing it out for the baby  calves.  Granddaddy's favorite cow was Big Red.  She was BIG and she was RED with big ole horns on her head.  She was named after Granddaddy's favorite chewing gum - yep, you guessed it - Big Red! 

Granddaddy's cows were like pets to him.  He had about 60 head at one point.  He played with them and they'd play with him.  I'd see him playing chase with them...but the problem was, they just sometimes didn't know when to stop.  In one such case, Granddaddy had been 'horsing' around with this young bull.  But it came time that Granddaddy had to pull the hay out of the barn and feed the hungry masses.  So as he bent over to pick up the bail, this young bull came from behind and butted Granddaddy.  Granddaddy regained his footing and quickly turned around just in time to give this young bull a swift kick in the backside.  Granddaddy was laughing the whole time.  He loved his animals...except for those nasty HAWGS!

Granddaddy, like any true Southern Gentleman, kept a shotgun or two on a rack in the Yellow Banana.  You just never knew what you'd run into out at the farm.  There were wild turkeys, deer, and even coyotes - among other critters.  But the one critter Granddaddy hated with a passion was the rattlesnake.  He looked for any opportunity to take one out.  If he were driving down the road and he saw a rattler, he's stop, load his gun, and shoot it.  Didn't matter where he was, if he saw a rattler, it was as good as dead!  I remember, one time, when Granddaddy was plowing one of his fields getting it ready for planting.  My Grandma had come down the steps of the little trailer they had on the farm.  Suddenly, she froze.  I was playing on my Great Grandparent's porch when I saw her - and what was coiled up in front of her.  It was a HUGE rattler!  I began screaming for my Granddaddy, but I was sure he couldn't hear me nor did I think he saw me flailing about to get his attention.  He was so far away and on his big noisy tractor.  I was so scared!  But he had saw me...and he saw the snake.  Without missing a beat, and just as smooth as can be, he turned his tractor Grandma's direction.  And right as he got to that snake, he engaged his plow, plowing the rattler right into the ground. Granddaddy may not have been a knight in shining armor, but he was our hero to the rescue on a John Deere! 

Another fond memory of the farm was the time that I wanted to pet a baby calf.  My grandparents hardly ever let me out of their sight and warned me to never go into the cow pasture.  However, this one day I managed to escape Grandma's careful eye and climbed into the pasture near a little black calf.  I pulled a handful of lush, green grass out of the ground as bait to lure the calf closer to me.  It was alone so I thought things were perfectly safe.  Then suddenly, CRASH!  From the thick brush to my right, Daddy Bull came charging toward me.  He was HUGE!  I dropped that grass in my hand and scurried as fast as my little short legs could take me to the fence.  I don't even remember climbing over the fence.  I think I just jumped over, clearing the 5 foot fence topped with barbed wire.  I went from certain death to life in an instant!!!  Somebody should've signed this girl up for pole vaulting!  I'm telling you, now!  My little heart was pounding so fast!  Unbeknownst to me, Grandma had been watching me the WHOLE time.  All my quiet natured Grandma said afterwards was, "I told you not to go into that pasture.  Now, you learned your lesson, didn't you?"  Yes Ma'am!  I certainly did!  I remained safe in the back of Granddaddy's truck on all future trips into the cow pasture! 

I won't go on with my other misadventures on the farm...my Mom would kill me if she knew! 

I remember spending summers on the farm, picking black eye peas, corn, green beans, tomatoes, okra, squash, eggplant - hearing the crickets singing their summer songs as we worked one row after another.  Granddaddy even grew potatoes and sweet potatoes.  They  had pear trees, crab apple trees, pecan trees, grapevines, and of course, wild blackberries.  When we were done picking, we'd haul it all back to their house in town where the whole family spent the next several days shelling peas, shucking corn, canning and freezing.  Loved the smells that emanated through the house in the summer time!  Now that was some good stuff!  How I wish I'd learned to can and cook like my Grandma.  But for her, it was all rote.  Her recipes weren't written, but handed down to her by her mother.  As a child, I wasn't really interested in learning any of this when she tried to teach me.  Oh how I wish I had listened to her and learned!

Other fond memories of farm life includes exploring the treasures found in a freshly plowed field.  We often found Indian arrowheads, broken pottery, old broken plates, bowls, or medicine bottles.  "The Farm" was rich in coal.  You could just pick lumps of it up on the ground.  It was a really neat place to be as a kid, full of adventures and an ever so entertaining place where my imagination could go wild!

I am so thankful for the wonderful memories of my Grandparents.  They invested a lot in my sister and me.  So much of who I am is due to their influence.  I miss them so terribly.  Finding their farm on Google Earth just brought forth this flood of wonderful memories and emotions.  (That, and the fact that Granddaddy would have just celebrated his 95th birthday two days ago - and Grandmas is coming in a couple of weeks.)

I comforst myself with the knowledge that one day...we'll be together again GUARANTEED...shelling peas and shucking corn as we prepare for a feast like no other!   But until then my desire is to give our children wondeful memories - AND -  in doing so, I think I'll stay out of the bull pen!

In His Love, Cathy

Stones or The Mountain

"'Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys.

You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings.
They, not I, are your inheritance.

Do you think all this makes me happy?

Let's see if your idols can save you

when you cry to them for help.

Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!

If you just breathe on them, they fall over!

But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land

and possess my holy mountain.'"

Isaiah 57:6, 13

Today's passage reminds us of the ridiculousness of worshipping anyone or anything but God.  When we worship money, possessions, people, philosophies, theories, governments, man-made systems, armies or ANYTHING other than God, we are choosing the stones over The Mountain.

Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions, writes, "People will get, in the end, whatever it is they worship—and no more. Worship things, you get things—and no more. No peace or satisfaction. Worship money, you get only money—which is only good for the things of this world. You can't take it with you. But worship God, and you get God and all the blessings he extends. You get eternal life, for he is eternal. What you worship, you will get…."

You see, our priorities in life reveal that which is most important to us - it reveals what we worship and trust in. We may not realize that we are worshipping others things in our lives.  Are your priorities a reflection of worshipping and trusting in God? Or do others things come before Him? We may think we are worshipping God alone, but if we are obsessed with anything of this earth, then perhaps it's time for a spiritual reboot!

Stones shift. Stones can be blown around by the wind. Stones can be picked up and thrown away. Stones are subject to the current.  But a mountain can not be moved. It is unshakeable. It is solid ground. A mighty fortress. A natural defense from invading enemies! God is no mere stone...HE is our Holy MOUNTAIN!

Ask God to examine your heart today and show you anything that you are worshipping and trusting in more than Him.  For what you worship, you will get...

So, what will you choose - small stones or The Mountain?

In His Love, Cathy

Words are the Outflow of Our Heart

"For whatever is in your heart determines what you say."

Matthew 12:34 

There is a saying that our words and actions are out thought life turned inside out.  Jesus tells us that our words are determined by our hearts.  Whatever we say and do, is a direct result of our heart condition.  If we have a healthy heart, one that is spiritually in tune with the Lord, then our outflow of words and deeds will be a reflection of that.  If our heart isn't healthy, then, logically, our words and deeds will quite obviously reveal that as well.

There are some people whose actions and words immediately speak to the true state of their hearts - good and bad.  There are others in which their words may mask the true state of their heart, but eventually, their true state will be revealed.  They can't keep up the masquerade for long without the outflow of their words revealing the who they are on the inside.

Currently, I am dealing with a situation in which someone whom I'd admired for most of life used some very cutting and negative remarks that personally attacked my children and my husband.  Not only did that get my dander up, it also cut me to the core.  This person knew their words were emotional daggers digging ever so deeply into my heart.  In the heat of this discussion, I could have really let loose on this person, but I didn't.  I prayed that I would respond in a godly way, so that I wouldn't later regret anything I said.  In fairness, this person's motivation was intended for good, but their words reflected what they really thought about my husband, our children, my parents, brothers, and sister.  This person's words were like a slap in the face.  They stung and they were unfounded.  Their words were not thought out, they were an overflow from their heart - revealing their true nature.

Sure, we all make mistakes and as believers, we are to forgive.  Thankfully, this situation will see resolution.  This person has expressed a desire to get with me to apologize and reconcile.  They indicated they realize that they have deeply hurt me.  I've already forgiven.  I don't hold a grudge.  And I am thankful that we'll have an opportunity to make this situation right.  However, we are going to have to lovingly confront some of the things this person said as this seems to be a recurrent event.

Here's the moral of the story...there will be those in our lives whose words and actions hurt us.  They are a reflection of the heart.  Sometimes, we may be that person.  However, before we get our dander up, let us realize that how we respond is also a reflection of our hearts.  Ask God to help you consider your words and actions, for them to be a reflection of Him in all circumstances. 

Remember that from a spiritually healthy heart flows healthy words and deeds!  Reflect Him today!

In His Love, Cathy
PS - This person is not anyone most of you know:-)

The Sea and The Pond

"'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the LORD.

'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so my ways are higher than your ways

and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'"

Isaiah 55:8–9

In this morning's devotional passage, I am reminded that God's thoughts and ways are higher and better than anyone could ever imagine.  He is holy, holy, holy!  He is infinite while we are finite!  He is eternally focused while we are immediately focused!

Sometimes, I think we can become so fixated on our own lives that we completely miss the point.  We are like a child at the ocean - so preoccupied with the little pond we've made in the sand that we completely miss the immense beauty and awesome power of the sea right in front of us.

I don't want to miss out on God today because I'm so busy playing in the little pond that I've made!  So I'm going to pause today, quit focusing on my little pond, and gaze up in awesome wonder at the beauty and power of the One who made the seas!  In fact, I think I'm going to dive in, take a swim, immersing myself in Him today.

How about you?

Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

Believe

Jesus replied, "This is the work of God:  that you believe in the One He has sent."  John 6:29

In this passage, the people are asking Jesus how they can perform the works of God.  These people had witnessed the feeding of 5000 only the day before.  They had searched for Him the following morning, only to find Him on the opposite sea shore...knowing that there had been only one boat and the disciples has left without Jesus, they knew He had done something miraculous to get to the other side.  (In fact, this was the morning after Christ had walked on water out to the boat.)  These people wanted in on the miracles they saw.  But the answer Jesus gave was probably not what they expected.  Other religions would've have told them a path to follow, or given them rituals to perform, or told them to travel to Mecca.  Christianity is unique in that the answer isn't in what we do for ourselves, but in what has already been done for us by a great and loving God!  We need only to BELIEVE in the ONE (Jesus Christ) HE (God the Father) has sent!  God has done the work, God is still doing the work, but we need to have pliable hearts, hearts that believe!

God has done a tremendous work in me since my becoming a Christian.  The beauty of it is, that He just didn't stop working once I BELIEVED!  I've changed so much since accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior.  That continual change is His work... a work that began about once I BELIEVED!  The Lord knocked, I merely opened the door.  In no way, could I have effected this change in myself by myself or through myself.  He is the catalyst for change in me.  And as believers, open and pliant to His Will, He will continue to work in and through us! 

Yes, in order to continue to grow in Grace and Good works, we should pray, study the Bible, fellowship one with another, etc...These things are necessary for the believer to thrive and grow in Christ.  However, these are merely the tools through which God works.  In order for these to be effectively working in our lives, we must first believe! 

If we believed like we are to truly believe, THEN we are DOING the WORK of God!

In His Love, Cathy

My Childhood Homes

Since I'm laid up with nothing better to do, I took a little trip down memory lane tonight via Google Earth.  I made virtual visits to Georgia, where I spent my childhood.  I found my childhood homes in Georgia...

I even found the Methodist Church I attended as a child.  Still searching for sweet Miss Penny's house, my beloved piano teacher's home.  She was just the most precious Christian Lady, a little old maid who dedicated her life to children.  Miss Penny was one of the Christian mentors in my young life.  She didn't just teach me the love of music, but introduced me to the love of Christ. 

I just love trips down memory lane!  For when I take one, I see how God has shown His love to me throughout my life!

In His Love, Cathy

The Foot Saga

Okay, so I know you are all probalby sick and tired of hearing about my stupid feet.  Frankly, I'm tired of dealing with issues due to my stupid feet!

So this story is in no way inspirational or uplifting, unless, that is, you are a podiatrist who sees me as a potential customer! LOL!

So, I go to the doctor this afternoon.  I know that I have a bad sprain.  I hobble in on my crutches.  I had no appointment, I was a 'walk in'  - or appropriately - a 'limp in'.  My goal was to just make sure my ankle or foot wasn't broken.  After thoroughly checking my right foot, my doctor informs me that I possibibly had stretched tendons in my foot.  That popping sound I heard accompanied by immediate pain was a ligament tearing in my ankle.  Nice!  Whether sprained or broken, my ankle will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal!  Grrrr!!!!  I had just been able to start back exercising after my last broken foot saga! 

My doctor then whips out her prescription pad, writing me a prescription for Ibuproferin (800mg) for inflammation and Darvocet for pain.  She sends me off to Pensacola to get an Xray to check for fractures.  Total time in doctor's office plus xray and travel from/to Pensacola - less than 1 hour!!!  One thing I've learned from this big ole' mess is that Friday afternoons are the best time to go to the doctor or have an xray done.  Why?  Because NO ONE wants to be hanging out in the doctor's office on a sunny, summer Friday afternoon! 

So, after returning to Pace, I hit the pharmacy to fill my prescription.  After I picked up my prescription, I picked Britt up from school and we got our hair done...we were waaayy overdue.  So as I sit, trying to enjoy my hair appointment, my foot starts swelling, bigger and bigger.  By the time I got home my foot looked like an inflated balloon version of it's former self!  I break out my prescription Ibuproferin and to my surprise...there are FOUR BIG FAT prescription bottles ALL labelled IBUPROFERIN!  I thought, this must be a  MISTAKE!  My doctor had prescribed 90 pills!  Ninety of those jokers!  Say what???

But then I remembered....4 to 6 weeks! 

After all this, all I can think is, "Thank goodness I had a pedicure this week!"

It's all good!

In His Love, Cathy

Just Call Me Lefty!

Just when my left foot has healed up enough for me to start exercising again...I sprain my right foot!!!

And how, pray tell, did I sprain it?  I sprained it as I walked toward the door of my classroom to answer a call from my son who was at the doctor's office.  Nope, I wasn't wearing heels, I was wearing flats.  Nope, I wasn't wearing flip flops, I was wearing sandals securely fastened to my feet.  There were no obstacles that tripped me.  And when I took that fatal step, something popped!  Something snapped so loudly and so painfully it took all I could do to make it back to my desk chair.  It was though I stubbed my toes but 100 times more painful.  If I could've collapsed outside in the hallway I would've.  But for fear of embarrassement, I tried to walk normally back to my desk as though nothing had happened.  After all, I'm supposed to be the adult in the room!  However, my hobbled gait betrayed the consequences of my embarrassing clumsiness!

If I had sprained my ankle while doing something cool and exciting - like surfing, playing tennis, or mountain climbing - it would be okay.  I would have bragging rights, a person worthy of such a sprain - a war wound justifiably earned! But nope, not me!  My ankle sprains occur doing something completely normal and BORING - simply by walking across a room!  I do believe I could sprain my ankle sound asleep in my own bed!

Thankfully, I have wonderful students in my 3rd block class who assisted me.  Thank you, Wade, for coming to the rescue with the ice pack.  Special shout out also goes to Ben, Chris, and Zach...not exactly sure what you guys did, but I know that it took all of you to help Wade get the ice pack:-)   What can I say, I love my 3rd block class!  (Even if I give them what-for every now and then...keeps them honest!)

So, I guess the moral of the story is...ahhh, there's no moral!  I just have two left feet, is all!  Just call me lefty!

In His Love, Cathy

Today

"Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."  Ephesians 5:10, 17

"Paul urges us to find out what pleases God, to understand what God wants us to do (as opposed to what we want to do or what others want us to do). This can be your daily prayer: "Lord, what do you want me to do? What will please you today? Help me to hear your voice above all others and to gladly do what will bring you glory today."
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

I love what Ephesians 5:10,17.  As of this morning it has become one of my favorite verses!  This verse reminds us that our lives are not to be lived out thoughtlessly, but in understanding of what the Lord wants us to do.  Our modern lives can be so busy and hectic.  If you are like me, there are times we live our life as though we on automatic pilot, going through the motions, just coasting along - living our lives like a robot with our daily schedules programmed into our system, trapped in the loop of the same daily activities.  We get up...eat...go to work...take kids to practice...come home...eat...sleep...and repeat.

Today, however, our regularly scheduled program has been interrupted by Ephesians 5:10, 17.  It's the control-alt-delete on our lives...rebooting our systems to start afresh with a deliberate spiritual perspective.  No longer should we be content to live the daily grind on automatic pilot.  Simply going through the motions just to make it through the day is NOT ENOUGH!  To continue doing so would be a failure on our part!  Instead, our thoughts are to be fixed on HIM - living in DELIBERATE UNDERSTANDING of HIS WILL and DOING what HE wants us to DO!  We are not thoughtless zombies nor are we robots programmed to perform limited functions.  We are spiritual beings, intelligent beings, created in His Image.  Those of this world live thoughtlessly - in a fog, blind to truth and without understanding.  We who are in Christ, on the other hand, are not of this world.  Instead, we are the light of this world, a beacon of hope and truth cutting through the fog of this world, reaching others with the hope of salvation.  This light shining through us is meant to be seen within the context of our daily lives - no matter how mundane we think certain aspects of it are. 

So, don't just go through the motions of your life today, live it out in deliberate thought and understanding of what the Lord wants.  You are the light to so many others, shine on them today.  Share the hope of salvation to the lost - bringing glory and honor to the Lord!

Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

What WOULD Jesus Do?

As I was assigning homework in my College Statistics class today, one of my students cried out, "Mrs. Denny, remember tonight is Wednesday night!  A lot of us have church tonight.  Be like Jesus!"  I guess this was their cry for me to be merciful in the assignment.

"Okay," I replied "Tonight's homework are problems 1 through 24 ...ALL!" 

In the midst of their loud protests, one student shot back, "Okay, Mrs. Denny, but don't expect me to do all of this work because of church tonight.  After all, what would Jesus do?"

"His homework!"  I quickly retorted with a grin.

"Awww..." the class moaned!  My students realized that the battle had been lost.  Their combined cleverness was no match for a teacher determined to stick to her guns, so to speak.

“Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”His reply completely amazed them.   Mark 12:17

Christ's divine wisdom cut through the many traps the religious leaders set for Him.  Their combined cleverness was no match for God incarnate.  Jesus wasn't just wise, He was righteous.  His wisdom was followed through with righteous words and righteous actions.  You can be as wise as Solomon, you can know the right thing to do, but if you don't follow through with the right actions, then wisdom is worthless.  Even Solomon, reknowned for his wisdom, fell short on following through in his life. 

 Designed to get young (and some not so young) people to think about their actions, a popular Christian cliche' asks, "What would Jesus do?" The point of this catchy slogan is to help people put on the breaks in situations, think, and respond as Christ would.  But it isn't enough to know how we are to respond or what we are to say - we must actually follow through and DO what we know to be true, righteous, and pleasing to God.  So, what WOULD Jesus do?  Now go and do it!

In His Love, Cathy

A Blessed Mother's Day Indeed

I must say that this Mother's Day was the absolute best Mother's Day I've ever had. 

• It didn't involve presents - I told my family I didn't want any and I really didn't.
• My only request was to spend the day together as a family.
• My husband and I enjoyed a leisurely morning sitting out on our patio swing and talking for a good while...something that our usually hectic schedules affords very little time for us to do.
• Yes, we missed church today.  Something rare in our family unless someone is sick or suffering from a MG (we're not going to say it out loud b/c it might trigger one but my good friends know what it stands for.)
• After our leisurely morning we went to Scott's parents home - spending just about the whole day with them.
• We had wonderful food and fellowship, followed by an afternoon of an intense family competition in a friendly game of badmitton.  
• Mr. & Mrs. Denny joined in the fun.  Mr. Denny had a BLAST and had some SERIOUS Badmitton SKILLS!!!  LOL!  I was so glad he was on Brittany and my team:-)
• This Mother's Day was extra special to me because of the good times we had today.  It's been a long time since we've been able to hang out like that as a family.  Thankful for the good days we have with Scott's Dad and Mom.
• With Matt all grown up, there are not many more years in which all of our babies will be able to come home to share in these special times.  We all cherished this day ...especially Scott's Dad.  He had such a blast!

Yes, today was an awesome Mother's Day like no other.  It was the absolute best!  I am blessed and so thankful to be the Mother of our children.   Hope your Mother's Day was filled with blessings and special memories.  Grace and Peace!


In His Love, Cathy