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