MY ANSWER

I tried to find the question, but the dang thing disappeared on me, it went something like "If you were accused of being a Christian is there enough evidence to support this accusation?"

My finger hovered over the "Yes" wanting to click it because that is how I see myself, but I hesitated long enough to think about it, which never ends well for you my reader!

First I wondered who is going to be on the jury, what parameters are they going to use to determine what a Christian should be like, what questions will be asked.  I wondered if I was the prosecutor what my strategy would be.

So, I decided to review my life to see what evidence I could find that would prove I was indeed a Christian, but first I had to decide from the prosecutors position what makes a Christian.

 Does my fruit bear out my faith? Yes, I think if you followed me around and asked people about what they had seen and heard that was Christ like you would be given many examples of things, just little things, that they know about me that would show this.

Do I speak of my faith?  Yes, I frequently tell people of my faith.

Do I spread the Word to others?  Yes, I use Bible verses often and refer to the Bible and what it says's often.

Do I follow the commandments?  Yes, not perfectly of course, but who is perfect?

Still I am not satisfied, these are all questions and answers that you could ask about an atheist and get the same answers.  Yes, atheist do speak of their faith, spread the Word and follow the commandments, they just do it for different reasons.

So what makes me a Christian, what distinguishes me from people who could give the same answers and not be Christians?  I got into a discussion this week, that left a woman angry at me, and though I am sorry for her anger that does not change what I said it only bears out that I was right to question what she said.  I cannot give you the long and painful list she posted of rules, but to shorten it what she was saying, and this is my understanding, was that we should follow the rules of the Torah because Jesus did, what disturbed me was that she said if we did follow these "Rules" we would be greatly rewarded.  If we did not follow these rules we would perish.  She spoke of love being the answer, of following these rules basically bringing peace and joy to the world.

This person believes they are a Christian and only God knows their heart, but is this being Christ like?  Yes Jesus did follow the rules and No He did not follow the rules.  Yes, the world would be a perfect utopia if everyone followed the rules, but when has this ever happened, and let's get real here people IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!  Love, well whose love, who do we love?  What about the people who reject our love?

But to me the ultimate question was, in her scenario "Why did Jesus go to the cross?"  If we could be saved by following rules, well He wasted His life didn't He.  If loving one another was enough again why the cross?  Heaven would be empty if we all went along with this teaching, and yes she calls herself a teacher.   My owners manual the Word tells me there is only one way, one truth, one LIGHT, it is only through the cross that we can be saved, only our belief, only our faith, only our knowledge that the cross and the sacrifice there was NOT IN VAIN, that Jesus gave his life so that we could be saved, this is our only salvation, there are no "buts" this is bottom line.  Throw the rules at me if you want, call me names if you will, rebuke me, but do not mess with my Jesus and do not try to tell others that His sacrifice was not needed, for this I know, you will be judged far more harshly for this than I could ever judge you and by the one who matters.

The irony in this is this person accused me of being one of those people who drove others away from the church, this person of rules, rules that drove me away from church when I could not on my own live up to them, rules I was expected to live by, but time after time failed to keep perfectly.  God truly has a sense of humor, I the one teaching only through Jesus can you be saved, being accused of not being Christ like, by someone teaching only through following rules can you be saved.  I who spread my love of Jesus everywhere I go, being accused by one whose idea of love does not bear out in their words or actions.

So, could I be convicted of being a Christian, I already am!

BELIEVE IS VERB

Lately I have heard Preachers on television, family,  friends and others who say that they are praying for a healing, trusting in God, not going to doctors, advocating not taking medicine, that could cure their illness.

I was mulling this around in my brain this morning when the title I used for this came to me.  Jesus often required action of those He healed, telling some to take up their beds and leave, some to roll away a stone, but all believed that He could heal them.

Not sure where you stand on this but as for me I thank God for the cures He has given this world, cures that have saved millions of lives.  So pray for a healing but take the medicine that God has provided.

Parable of the Drowning Man

There’s a man, let’s say his name is Dave. Dave owns a beautiful house on the bank of a river. Over the last few weeks, the town Dave lives in has been hit with one storm after another, and with each storm the river rises.

This morning the Weatherman on the local news forecasted the storm of the century. The river that Dave lives on is expected to crest at 30 feet above its normal level; Dave’s house and life are in danger. The News is encouraging people who live on this river to voluntarily evacuate.

Dave ignored the evacuation suggestion and shouted at the TV, “God will take care of me!”

The river water continued to rise. Local neighbors with boats rode around and offered Dave a ride to safety. Dave said no thank you to the ride and told his neighbors, “God will take care of me!”

Dave was now sitting on his rooftop because the water was up to the second floor of his home and was still rising. The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to Dave’s house to rescue him. Dave refused to leave and told the Coast Guard, “God will take care of me!”

The water continued to rise and Dave drowned.

 As he approached the gates of Heaven he asked St. Peter why. He asked how could God let him die when he had such faith? He said he always believed God would take care of him. How could God forsake him now when he needed him the most? St. Peter said to Dave with a sigh, “Dave, God tried to take care of you but you refused his help. He sent you a warning and suggestion to evacuate in the newscast, he sent you a rescue boat and then he sent you the Coast Guard in a helicopter. But, you refused all the help that God was sending you because you were failing to see that God can only help you, if you let him. Everything was right before your eyes and you refused to pay attention and accept it.”

Are your expectations blocking your blessings?

WHAT IF?AND THE AARDVARK

Dear God,

Just wanted to drop you a line to apologize for all the times I have questioned you about the Aardvark.  I know it was not polite the way I laughed at this poor creature or often questioned what on earth you were thinking when you created it.  I have a better understanding today!

But you got to admit, that is one strange looking creature.

I had a "what if day" today.  Oh, not the bad kind where you second guess the past with no hope of changing it.  Or the self destructive what ifs where all your dreams are based on these past choices and you cannot move forward, because you are stuck in the what ifs of yesterday.

I had the kind of what if day that created the phone, the computer, electricity...etc....  Which brings me to my Aardvark.  It started out well, I am sure that if I had skipped 3 or 4 what ifs, it could have worked well, but alas like the Aardvark my what ifs sort of gotta away from me and took a life of their own. 

So yeah, I kinda get the Aardvark now!

Your Loving Daughter

Karen

PSALMS 144

Psalms chapter 144 King James Version


1 A Psalm of David. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

2 My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.

3 LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!

4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

5 Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;

8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.

11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:

12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:

13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:

14 That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.

15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

On or around November 28th I was snatched from my home by a furry, four legged beast, stolen away from my mate! A kind woman took me from this beast before it could rip and devour me and placed me here so that I would be safe and hopefully if someone came looking I could be found and reunited with my sole mate.

Sadly, she failed to listen to the weather report, so here I sit, alone, cold, wet, with the rain pouring down on me. Bless her heart she tried to explain that this was really a blessing for the beast that stole me was not named Squirt for his size! She wants me to know that I am being washed and will soon be clean.

She claims to understand, how it feels to be alone and tells me of her soul mate Jesus, God who walked among men, who rescued her from being devoured by a beast and how without Him she too would be unclean, that he cleansed her of her sin, and that as with me, alone she has no strength but with her soul mate she too can offer comfort, warmth and love.

So if you recognize me, please take me home, for without my sole mate I too am lost....

MOVE

It's funny I have not thought about this in many years, but today as I was crocheting it was one of the many places my mind wondered to...

It was December 2002, a friend had told me that at The Villages Town Square they were having free rides on horse drawn carriages.  I knew this was something my daughter would enjoy, and something I was never able to afford.  So we went to the square and had been standing in line anticipating this ride, enjoying the sites, sounds and smells.

We were finally getting close just a couple more groups and it would be our turn, when suddenly I became ill, nervous, agitated, I KNEW we had to move, we could not wait we had to move.  I know people thought I was crazy as I struggled through the crowd, I did not care I knew we had to go to the other side of the square.

We got to the other side and I lost my agitation and was feeling silly for not waiting a few minutes to see if I would feel better, when we heard crashing, screams, saw people running in terror.  I was in shock, we rushed back to where we had just come from to see what had occurred, within a few feet of where my daughter and I had stood was a car, the driver had a seizure, crashed through barriers, killing two people and injuring 17 others.

Think what you want, but I KNOW that God touched me that night, my daughter and I may not have been hit by the car where we stood, we may not have been trampled by the crowd of terrified people running for their lives, but who knows what may have been had we stayed and not moved.

How often in your life and your faith walk do you ignore the call to MOVE.  How often has moving saved you or someone else whether it is their life or their soul.  When God tells me to move often I am reluctant and perhaps that is why I remembered this moment today, as a reminder when God says move, I better MOVE......

"I"

I really need to "try" to remember to bring paper and pen with me when I go outside to crochet.  It seems that these are the times God most often fills my mind with thoughts of my day, words spoken, written and read.  Somehow, through God's design I am sure, these thoughts intertwined today to become what follows.  Hope you enjoy my day!

I

WORDS

I

HAD

WRITTEN

THEY HAD

ALL

INTERTWINED

TO BECOME

WHAT

FOLLOWS

FROM

THE

JUMBLE OF

MY MIND

JUST BECAUSE

I

CANNOT SAVE

THE WORLD!

DOES THIS

MEAN

I

SHOULD

 NOT TRY!

JUST BECAUSE

I

MAY NOT

FIT IN!

DOES IT

MEAN

I

CANNOT

 BECOME

A PART

 OF

THE WHOLE

FOR IS

 IT

NOT TRUE,

THAT IF

NOT

FOR THE

ME'S

OF THIS

WORLD

THERE

WOULD BE

NO

" I's "