HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is the time that we all make our regular annual good resolutions. For day after tomorrow everybody will have smoked their last cigarette, took their last drink, said their last cuss word and will have sworn another broken oath. For many, a New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. An optimist will stay up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist will stay up to make sure the old year leaves. Many look forward to the new year for a new start to old habits.

But along with Benjamin Franklin, I say: Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better person. Happy New Year everyone! May the coming of 2012 bring you closer to Christ, more committed to your family, more compassionate and tolerant of others, and provide you opportunity to succeed in all your endeavors, as we all seek to get our priorities in order.

Love you,

Bren

CALL IT RESOLUTION OR ANOTHER CHANCE

The New Year is just about here. We are all looking back thinking and wondering how we spent our last year and trying to decide if we are going to do better in some areas or simply have wishful thinking, and hope we do better. Often times we struggle in making changes, because we never really set our minds to do them or maybe because we have failed in the past in trying to change so we simply say, “I hope to do better this year!”, and leave it at that.
Maybe you've failed at something in life, and you think that your dream is lost or you will never get the victory over a bad habit or situation. May I tell you that through my own experience, if you are a child of God that you serve the God of another chance. He doesn't keep score on how many times you have failed Him either. Whether its marriage, a job, a relationship, or your finances or simply your walk in Him, He hasn't given up on you. He wants to help you, make you better, and guide you into the purpose He has for your life. In your obedience to Him, God will give you every tool and circumstance that you will need to accomplish those goals. 

So very often we tend to expect too little from God. We tend to imagine that He's too angry with us from our past failures or that He does not bother with us, if we do not bother with Him. That's not the God of the Bible, and that's certainly not how Jesus works in our lives. Jesus continually reaches out to people, people who need another chance. When ask how many times we should forgive other, Jesus replied seven times seven……and that is how He forgives us! You must start seeing God realistically. I mean by seeing Him mending your hurts and disappointment. Seeing Him running out to meet you, to give you another chance, just like the father of the prodigal son did. The more we view Him as He really is, the more we can trust Him with what we give Him. Your pain, hurts and disappointments aren’t wrecked for good. Because the most loving, powerful Creator of the universe wants to heal them; and if He can create a world and place it the arms of a universe, don’t you think that He has the power and creativity to meet your needs and minister love and compassion in your life where it is needed?. His word tells us that He holds us in the palms of His hands…..what better place to be?There is no sin that God cannot forgive. He does demand that we repent and turn away from all our sin, and if we truly love Him, His word says that we will and as we love Him more, we will strive to live according to His Word and what He ask of us.

There are many accounts in the Bible where God gave people other chances to do better. Moses, found in the book of Exodus, killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was abusing Hebrew slaves. God wouldn't listen to any excuses Moses gave upon his unworthiness to sever Him. God simply forgave Moses for those failures. He didn't care about Moses' low self-esteem or his speech disability because God had a job for Moses to do, and he was going to give him as many chances as he needed to get it done. And God will do the same thing for us today. The woman in John 8 got a second chance upon being charged with a wrong that she had committed. The devil not only wants to break the one who seeks forgiveness, he also wants to hurt God’s Son by using our wrongdoing to accuse us before the Father. Just like those teachers of the law trying to use the women’s sin as a trap to accuse Jesus in John 8. satan hates that God can forgive sin. He hates the fact that God even wants to forgive sin. You see satan loves sin and sin is what separates God from man. That is why God went to all the trouble He did, to reconcile those that could not reconcile themselves to Him. For He knows that we are but dust and wants to help us!

Satan is unrelenting in his attempts to shame you, strip and dishonor you in order to challenge God's work in your lives. He wants you to believe that because of the life you have been living, you aren’t worthy for the Kingdom of God. He wants you to give up. He wants you to think that God can’t use you anymore. But sweet friend, when you are feeling down and unworthy, remember all those God used in the past. Moses was a murderer; David slept with another man’s wife and had him killed so he could be with her. Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife, Peter betrayed his good friend, the Son of God, and the list could go on, yet as they became broken before God, they became mighty instruments for His Kingdom. Even the story of Jonah wasn’t about a fish. It was about the God of the second chance.

You might think it this way….Life is like a football game….and until it is over you have many opportunities to get into the game and make a difference. For many of us, the game is only half over. Not only do we get a new year to start over, but every day we wake up we are given a new opportunity to do it again; to choose that day…. Whom we will serve and how we will go about it.

I Cor. 9:24-27 say’s, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Let us learn to beat our bodies and make them do what our heart wants them to do, and not what our flesh hungers for. This year let us, feed the spirit so that we are stronger and put to death the flesh in us by denying it what it wants…

God Bless your New Year, may it be the best one yet!
Loving you always,
Bren

HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR YOUR CHILDREN

December is the time of year that we give and receive gifts to one another more than any other month of the year. Some will be given in the spirit of friendly exchange, while most will be given in love, by family and friends who really care and want to express that love by their giving. When you love someone, really love them, there is no gift too great that you would not give them. I like to think that the reason we give gifts at all during the Christmas season, is because of the example that God gave us, by giving His greatest gift to the world in the birth of His Only Son; and while we celebrate God’s greatest gift ever, during this time of year, I am reminded that God gives many more gifts that are to be acknowledge and appreciated as well. Gifts that are worthy to be passed on to our children. Gifts that if utilized, will bring a greater since of peace and joy into our holiday season, reducing the stress and havoc that the holidays seem to sometimes bring.

Years ago when my daughters were young, I decided one Christmas to use the holidays to teach some very important spiritual and moral truths to them. Instead of hanging the normal favorite Christmas ornaments on the tree that year, we hand-made new ones. Each one was created with some type of spiritual lesson or moral value attached to it. As we designed our new  ornaments, I talked with them about the kind of gifts that God gives us. We discussed what the scriptures teach us are spiritual gifts and how we could utilize them during the Holidays, by loving on people and ministering to them using those spiritual gifts that God has placed inside us as His children. As for the gifts, we wrapped empty boxes and labeled them with words like, Joy, Peace, Long Suffering, Kindness, Helpfulness, Forgiveness, Gratitude and other words that were befitting to the character of God. I tried to use every moment that I could that year as a teachable opportunity to teach charity to my daughters.

Christmas does not have to be full of strife and hectic schedules. Often times, we ourselves are responsible for creating the havoc in our homes by not slowing down and saying “NO” to things that we may should have said “NO” to. Taking the time to create lessons that will have a positive and lasting effect on our children will be so worth the effort, if we will simple choose our Holiday activities and battles wisely. While there is nothing wrong with giving toys, clothes and candy to our children as gifts, be sure to make the effort in teaching them charity….the gift that last forever!

Praying peace and joy for your family during this Holiday season!

Hold Fast,

Bren

THE CHRISTMAS BLUES

Trying to keep up with everything that will be taking place during the holiday season rush of shopping, cooking, plans and parties can often times, lead to much stress and even Christmas depression. The gift buying alone can cause the greater amount of stress than any other factor. One of the primary reasons for holiday stress, depression and blues is because of our unrealistic expectations of what we believe, moreover of what we want our holiday to be.

From the time we are children, we start building up our expectations of what we believe or perceive Christmas to be. Often times when we do not meet those expectations, we are left with the feeling of failure and disappointment. These feelings can be brought on by ourselves or even by family and friends. You may not be able to change your family’s dynamics, but you can at least be more aware of how they affect you. For example, are you particularly sad after shopping with a particular person? Do you dread the family Christmas dinners? To survive Christmas depression, find ways to shorten or eliminate the experiences that make you feel bad and fight to stay focused on what’s important.

Often times this wonderful and spiritual Holiday is a period of frenetic activity, a time when people are trying to juggle their work schedules, stay committed to social and church obligations, get their shopping done, do all the decorating, wrap all the gifts, and still find the time to enjoy all the fellow shipping with friends and family while staying on that dreaded budget. All this can lead to a rise in both physical and emotional stress for the entire family.

For many of us, the festive season around Christmas brings out our worst over-indulgent habits that we may normally have. We will eat more, spend more, go more than we would normally do, and regret it; come the first of the New Year as when we step on those scales, and the credit card bill comes in the mail. Trying to avoid some of the excesses that we desire and feel we must have can perhaps help us to have a more peaceful and Merry Christmas. This year, make a real effort to keep it simple. One way in keeping things simple is by giving only what you can afford, and doing what only needs to be done, not what you feel others expect from you. If you can no afford to buy that extra gift, then don’t buy it! If you are expected to show up at a party but need the rest from having been attending so many others, then don’t go. Stay in and rest. That way, you can really enjoy the holidays without feeling the rush and stress of it. They truly will be “what you allow or make of your holidays”!

Also, try to keep in mind that things will occasionally go wrong. The kids may spill things, break new toys, get dirty and make noise and at times even embarrass you. Your husband will forget to buy batteries, even though you reminded him several times. You will most likely forget to do something important, like thaw or cook the turkey on time, invite a particular person or forget to buy that someone a gift, or simply forget to take the cookies out of the oven before they have burnt to a crisp. You may possibly have plans that will get delayed, from someone being to slow, or a relative will get tied up with other responsibilities and will not be able to make your function and cancel or not even show up at the last minute. Some dog will undoubtedly jump on your new clothes and their un-clipped toenails will rip up your stuff or scratch your skin, or get under your feet and hang around you begging for a morsel during your entire visit at someone’s home. Things do happen! But, if you can learn to face these little setbacks with yes, a forced smile and some Christmas grace, then I promise you that you'll find yourself having a better holiday, because now you're more relaxed and are accepting the setbacks that want to steal your Christmas joy.

While the holiday season brings sentiments of joy and celebration for some, for others it is a time of isolation and an increase in feelings of depression and negative thoughts. Those feelings of negative thoughts and depression can become so extreme for some that they can even lead to thoughts of suicide. Especially at risk are people who are socially isolated and have no friends or family. If you are feeling depressed, please make all the effort that you can to surround yourself with positive people who make you feel hopeful and give you encouragement. If people do not know that you are down and blue, then you must make them aware of it. If not you may well miss an opportunity for an invite for some holiday cheer. So, be sure… if you are alone or far away from family and friends this holiday season, to join a local volunteer group that brings holiday cheers to others or join in with a group of folks at church and strike up new relationships. This way, you will help yourself and others.

For those who enjoy the excitement and energy of the holidays, be aware of those around you at work or in your church or family who may be alone and in the true spirit of the season, invite them to celebrate with you, reminding them that there is hope. That way you truly are spreading the joy of Christmas and sharing the true spirit of God’s love for each other as we celebrate His Son’s birthday together, so remember; Christmas should not be about our unrealistic expectations of what we wish it would be but about what it really is…and that is…Jesus, He is the reason for the season!

Happiness is a choice....loving you always, Bren

THE GOD OF A SECOND CHANCE

Two of my all-time favorite movies growing up were about the life of Thomas Edison. The name of the first movie that came out about him was called, “Young Tom Edison” in which Mickey Rooney played Tom as a young boy and the movie chronicled his early inventions and scientific experiments that usually ended up with all types of disastrous results. While most of the people in his small hometown thought Tom a slight bit crazy, he always took solace in his understanding mother who saw the great potential in Tom and believed that he had it in him to do great things. In the second movie, “Edison The Man”, Spencer Tracy played Tom as a young twenty-two year old man who moved to New York city to begin a lifetime of experimenting, in failures along with all his successes. It is in that movie during the process of creating the first light bulb, that a young boy was given a second chance by Thomas to carry a brand new invention of the light bulb upstairs from one lab to the other. As he did, the boy tripped and broke the precious invention that took 24 hours to create and would take another 24 hours to create another one. As the team worked tirelessly to redo what had been destroyed, tired and in need of sleep and rest, Thomas gave the second newly created bulb once again to the young boy and told him, to try again. He simply gave him a second chance. That was my favorite part of the whole movie.

A second chance! Oh how we all want and need those second, third and even sometimes a fourth chance at something. I am reminded of a scripture in the book of Luke chapter 13:6-9 that tells the story of a man that had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. One day the owner went to inspect the tree’s fruit, yet it had none. The owner then went to the caretaker that look after the vineyard and told him that for three years he had inspected that tree and found that it had not produced any fruit, so to cut it down. He said that there was no reason for  the vine to simply use up the nutrients in the soil if it was not going to produce any fruit. The care taker replied to the owner to leave it one more year, and during that time, he would dig around it and fertilize it….and with his added help, maybe the vine would produce fruit the following year. Then, he said, if it does not, then cut it down.  

Jesus was wanting us to see the real message in that parable….the message is, that God expects us to produce His fruit if we claim to be His children. He has every right to remove us if we are simply basking in the benefits of the soil that we are planted in Christ Jesus. On our behalf, Jesus, as our mediator to the Father and through His shed blood on the cross which gives Him the right to tend us, as the caretaker tends the vineyard for His Master, pleads to the Father for us to have another chance! He even goes as far as digging in and around as the caretaker did in Luke to break up the fallow ground around our hearts and in our lives, so that His word being planted in us works effectively, to accomplish what He is trying to help us see and do. Like Thomas Edison’s kind and understanding mother, we too can take solace in the fact that Jesus sees in us the potential that we do not see ourselves and longs to help us reach it.

What really matters in us having those extra chances is, “What will we do about it?”, or should I say, “What will we do with our second chance?” God’s word teaches us that we are held accountable for them. Romans 6:6-12 tells us,  “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.” While we are free to try again and again, we are reminded that we are to strive to get it right and we can because we are no longer enslaved to our wrong choices, because they no longer have dominion over us, but we are set free, to do the right thing!

Live for Jesus, that's what matters my friend!

Loving you today,

Bren

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I don’t have any problems saying “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Holidays”, “Seasons Greetings”. Nor do I have any problems with the giving of gifts or eating with family and friends that I love as we celebrate the most joyous of all occasions. For Christmas truly is a “Happy Holiday” that makes a “Merry Christmas” as it brings the “Season’s Greetings” from God, who gave the greatest gift Himself in the form of His only Son; and we are encouraged to celebrate it as such in fellowship with one another! He purchased His gift for the world at great cost. If celebrating Christmas is symbolic of the love of God towards men, then we should seek to celebrate it! God tells us to seek peace and pursue it. While many may seek after it, most will fall short in pursuing it. Peace is a commodity that the world seeks and for those that find it, treasure it. Our world leaders work steadfast to bring peace to the world. Yet God tells us that He has already given the world peace, but the world has rejected it as a whole. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world gives…John 14:27. He means, that He gives inner peace. Peace with himself, peace with ourselves, peace with each other, peace with our past, peace with our future, peace with our finances, peace in the midst of tribulations, peace in relationships, peace in our jobs. The peace that Jesus offers is a peace that means completion, wholeness, satisfaction and rest; but it must be pursued after.  Praying that God’s peace finds its way into your heart and home this Holiday Season!

Psalm 34:14 “Seek peace and pursue it”… “Pursue Him”!

God’s Blessings on your Holidays and the New Year coming!

We love you!

Charles & Brenda Parsons

WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME IN THE SUMMER

I have always loved to tell stories of my childhood experiences and one of my favorite stories to tell, is of the time that my Daddy got the Christmas Spirit, in the summertime. It was a very hot and dry summer afternoon one Friday when Daddy got home from work. Often times on Fridays after he got paid and cashed his check, he would give us kids a nickel or dime and we would walk barefoot down the gravel road that we lived on to the old country store that our family patronized. I can recall many a time where I would struggle, trying to make up my mind as to what I wanted to buy with my nickel or dime. Sometimes it would be a pack of three white snowball gumballs, or an RC or double cola sometimes it was a moon pie or some gingersnaps, but more often than not, it ended up being one of those huge lemon cookie from the old glass cookie jar that sat by the cash register. Whatever I did end up with, I am sure that it had taken a lot of thinking over before the decision was made because it was not that often that my parents had the money to spare, during those days; so the times we did get some change, believe me, we all put much thought into how we would spend it.

However, on this particular Friday afternoon, it was different. I remember on this day as Daddy got home, he was in somewhat of a hurry to leave and go somewhere else. He did not have the time to hand out our weekly allotted spending money, but was in a hurry to leave again to go some other place. How some of us kids ended up going with him, I cannot recall. But I do remember going down that old gravel road with sacks of groceries in the back of our Station Wagon. For that was something that I can assure you seldom ever happened; our car having sacks of groceries in the back of it. I especially remember a ham the size of a tire sticking out of one of the sacks. I can still hear the gravel as the rocks went through the tread on the tires throwing them to the side of the road as they fell to the ground; as my Dad hurried down that old gravel road. If you grew up in the country on gravel roads you know exactly what that sound was like.

There was some discussion going on in the car, but I don’t remember it involving me. I was so intrigued with the groceries in the back, that I couldn't recall at the time how my Daddy came to the decision, to give someone else groceries better than what we usually got ourselves. Even though we were poor and did not have much at all, it all seemed very much, as we topped that hill and Daddy pointed to the house in which we would be stopping at. I don’t know why I was so surprised to see this family, for neither of my parents were ever prejudice towards anyone, especially the poor. For how could anyone be prejudice against their own kind.

Growing up poor gave me a great appreciation for having plenty and taught me many things that have added to who I am today. When I was very small I use to think; that people who had lots of material stuff, must be good people. But that day, I came to understand what made people great. I had so much pride in my heart for my Daddy as I saw him reaching out in a tender way, to someone who needed a helping hand. By his goodness, he not only made me feel great, but he made those that we were to visit, feel his love, worth and value as well. He gave to them what I thought we did not have to give; yet, it was not that we had it in excess ourselves, but, it was in the spirit of “forfeiture of self” to meet the needs of someone else that my Daddy gave.

As we pulled up closer to the house, there sat a big black man on the porch, in an old cane chair that once had a back. The man did not have his shirt on and across his chest was a big white bandage. I remember being a little scared at that point. But my Daddy’s reassuring voice soon gave explanation to the man’s dreaded condition. He told us that the man had a hole in his heart. One can only image how that engraved a vivid picture in my mind, as a child. I cannot describe the pity in my heart upon finding out that terrible news. For I had never heard of anything like that. I could not imagine what a hole in his heart looked like except to picture a big hole in his chest behind that big white bandage that covered it. I remember praying and hoping that he would not remove the bandage while we were there and expose that huge hole in his heart. Daddy had told us while turning in their driveway that he was a co-worker and had to have surgery and was unable to work and because he could not work, he was unable to feed his family that week; and that was why we were taking our groceries to them, so that they would have plenty to eat. For they like us, had a large family with many mouths to feed.

The only joy in my lifetime that I can compare to what I experienced and felt that day as I saw the faces of that family, was the joy that I felt when the church brought us food boxes at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I cannot tell you in full everything that I learned from the benevolence of my Daddy that day, but I can say this: I know for sure that Christmas does not only come in December!

Happy Holidays!
Bren

IN MEMORY OF A GREAT MAN

It has been said that a man’s character is like a tree, his reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it, and the tree is the real thing. One cannot dream their selves into a character, but they must hammer and forge themselves one. I can think of no better description of Louis Barrett, than of one that had forged his character, after his beloved savior and master. In memory of a man that was loved by everyone that knew him, I can think of no better way for me to share my love for him than to speak of his godly character. Brother Louis or Papaw, as I have affectionately referred to as long as I have known him; had a code of honor that he lived by. That code was born out of his great faith and love for God. He taught his values by the life that he walked before men and lived daily in front of his family and friends. Many a men succumb to failure in life because they are unwilling to stick to their principles, allowing themselves to be guided by them. Nothing in his life ever reflected failure, I can assure you. His resistance to compromise in what he believed was undaunted. Like other great men that achieved great success in life, Brother Louis believed in living by the Golden Rule. He not only believed in it, but he practiced it as well. His success as a husband, father, and friend were measured by how he loved and treated them. If you knew him, you knew that this was true of his life. He loved his Lord, his family, his church family and everyone else that had the fortunate privilege of crossing his path. He was concerned for the lost, he helped those that he could, and was the least judgmental person I have ever met in my entire life. It is a well-known fact within the Barrett family and to their precious mother as well as to all who knew him, that he was the most self-less person any of us have ever known. His life was a life of sacrifice and servitude. He was the kind of man that lived a life that others looked to and aspired to be like. If ever I have met a human being that was Christ like, it was Brother Louis. He never horded material possessions and he gave generously so that others could have as well. I recall working on special events at church and it never failed that Brother Louis was one of the first people to always ask what he and Mrs. Martha could do to help, no matter what the project was. His age never stopped him from serving the Lord, nor others. His humor will be cherished and his laugh will remain a sound that I shall never forget. He was a father figure to me, one that I never had, and I will always be in debt to him and Mrs. Martha for taking and loving my family as their own. He was one of the most successful men that I have ever known. His success was in his great character, in which few men ever achieve his level of. I could more than likely spill out pages of gratitude for what he has done and meant to us all. But I believe the best thing that I could say about him and that he would want men to say of him, is that he did what he could do….and because he did, He will hear Jesus Himself say to him, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant", to which there is no higher esteem!

With an everlasting love for you Brother Louis, we will see you soon!
Your family and friends

THE HARM MISMANAGEMENT BRINGS

“The soul of the sluggard desires and hath nothing:

but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” Proverbs 13:4

We live in a time when we are slaves to the urgency of schedules and appointments, where our meetings and outings dictate the use of our time, and even relationships. We over-commit and over-schedule, and do not give it a second thought. Yet, time is important, and our management of time will give others a glimpse of our priorities and character. While some entertainment as well as leisure is most needed in our busy lives, we need to be very careful that we do not become preoccupied with leisure so much that we failed to meet our obligations to our necessities. Actually, we can be a pain to others when we are stingy with our time, and overbearing when we disregard it! We are to modals, having a Christ-likeness before others even with our time.

The saying, “everything in moderation” runs true in most things…except for sin. When we allow ourselves to become preoccupied with anything that leads us away from what God ask of us is sin. If we read too many novels and neglect God’s Word, those Novels, as good as they may be, become idols or gods in our lives. If we choose to spend all our time in front of the “One Eyed God” known as the TV and neglect to spend time with God, then the TV becomes our priority and a god to us. Anything that takes the place of God or our time with Him, reveals their importance over God’s importance to us. God has but one desire for us and that is to have a personal relationship with Him, and that is not possible unless we spend time with Him. Don’t misunderstand here…I am not at all saying, that reading books and watching TV is a sin. Those things can be a big release to us in order to relax from the stresses in our daily routines. I am however, saying that choosing those things over spending no time with God is not good.

Some people struggle with too much leisure, while others struggle with no leisure at all. Those that suffer with too much are those that Proverbs is talking about….their character represent a spirit of laziness and mismanagement. They are happiest when they are not bothered with anyone or anything.

The sad thing about laziness, is that it robs us of blessings and relationships. The book of Proverbs paints a contrast between the lazy individual and the diligent one. The lazy person does not get out and work but rather lies around the home. He is pictured as one who sleeps when he ought to be working. Proverbs.6:10 He is admonished in those verses to learn from the diligent ant. A great example of a diligent person is found in Proverbs 31. She is a woman that found balance for her life and was blessed for it.

In Gal. 5:1 we are reminded to stand fast in our liberty where Christ has made us free…(to choose) and not be entangled again to the yoke of bondage. Self-discipline is essential to walking in obedience. As we practice self-discipline and begin to abide in what we know, the Spirit of God in us, produces the fruit in us that others will see and desire as well. You see, that is really what our jobs are as God’s Children, to reflect Him to others.

Making a practice of examining ourselves will aid us in becoming better managers of our lives over all. We need to evaluate ourselves to see what areas that we are lacking in and focus on those to bring them under our subjection as Paul said he did in I Cor. 9:27.

Our laziness stems from one thing….our attitude …to conquer it we must learn to actively make it pursue God’s will.

Loving On You Today,

Bren

"I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction."—Proverbs 24:30-32    

No doubt Solomon was sometimes glad to lay aside the robes of state, escape from the forms of court, and go through the country unknown. On one occasion, when he was doing so, he looked over the broken wall of a little estate which belonged to a farmer of his country. This estate consisted of a piece of ploughed land and a vineyard. One glance showed him that it was owned by a sluggard, who neglected it, for the weeds had grown right plentifully and covered all the face of the ground. From this Solomon gathered instruction. To a spiritual mind nettles have their use, and weeds have their doctrine. Are not all thorns and thistles meant to be teachers to sinful men? Are they not brought forth of the earth on purpose that they may show us what sin has done, and the kind of produce that will come when we sow the seed of rebellion against God?– C. Spurgeon

WALKING DEAD MEN & WOMEN

In Ephesians 2:1-10 Paul contrast life before Christ to life in Christ. He reveals a future to not only look forward to, but also to live for. He makes clear distinction between the two. He wanted the Ephesians to understand that salvation would have a radical impact and make a distinct difference between their past; before they accepted Christ, and their future, after they received Christ into their lives. He was saying to them, it is not about a change of status, but a change of life!

Paul started out by reminding them of how bad it was before, when they were simply dead men and women walking around in their transgressions and sin in verse 1, and went on to remind them of how they use to live, following the ways of the world and satan…that which is opposite of God’s ways….he went on to remind them that, that is how we all use to live, gratifying those sinful cravings that our sinful nature longed for, thinking about and having desires to please those inward cravings that separated us from God.

Paul was also saying to them that life before Christ led to death in every way…..matter of fact, he viewed death as a spiritual tyrant that dominates all unredeemed humanity….Elsewhere in Romans 6:23 the scripture reminds us that the wages of our sin is death…..Paul uses this word death to the Ephesians strongly because he wants his readers to understand what they were, without Christ….just a bunch of dead men and women walking around waiting to die in their transgressions. He so wanted them to understand that we are only really made alive when we come to Christ. Then he continues to tell them that there is nothing within themselves that they can do to buy this great salvation that is offered to them, but that they must simply accept God grace and mercy through their faith, and be willing to become His workman by doing right and living right. He tells them that once they receive Christ, God takes care of the rest….it is even God that enables them to be His workmen and will help them to accomplish the things that now would be expected of them.

Once a person receives Christ, though they continue to struggle with the old nature that is still in them, that nature that whisper in their ear to do wrong, they now have an advantage over their temptations that they did not have prior to their conversion. That advantage is that they now have the Spirit of the Living God that dwells in them to do His good pleasure in them…and that good pleasure is to do His will, live right, serve Him….however, every child of God must learn to work out their own salvation through their own personal walk in Christ. That means that each one must learn how to walk…the right way as God gives us direction to walk, through His Word. The scriptures tell us that while the old life in us is gone once we become a Christian (all is forgiven and God remembers them no more), we must learn how to manage the sinful nature that continues to war in us. Once we become “born again”, we must always be aware that the old nature or dead man or woman in us will often times raise it’s old head and we must be spiritually sensitive to this and learn to control it….and the way that that is done, is through feeding the spirit in us and denying what the flesh or old nature wants to do or have. Once we learn acquire the ability to reason properly from the Word of God we make great headway in overcome our wrong thinking, and before you know it….your actions show an attitude of someone that walks with God.  

Your perception or reality is distorted because of your fallen nature. The natural fallen mind in us is led by the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes and the pride of our life. But when we commit our minds (our way of thinking) to be submitted to what God wants, then we can discern between right and wrong and determine the paths that we should take. Romans 12:2 tells us that we are to transform our minds (or our way of thinking) by: NOT conforming any longer to the ways and patterns that the world leads us to follow. That, simply put is keeping the dead man/woman in us at bay….keeping that old man in us down and keeping their mouth shut, their hands tied, and their wants and desires controlled making that old nature, our slaves….

Before Christ we are carnally minded, our thoughts and ways are not God’s thoughts and ways, but, the Child of God’s thoughts and ways should be set on the things of God and should be, spiritually minded. Paul tells us about this in Romans 8. The natural mind is corrupted by sin. Believers are not to walk like unbelievers. Romans 8:5 makes a very serious statement to us and says,  “Those who live according to the sinful nature, have their minds set on what their nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit, have their minds set on what the Spirit desires”….at this point, I should say, “Choose you this day, whom you will serve, but for me and my house we will serve the Lord”!

To renew your mind means to daily exercise the truths that you are learning from the Word of God. Our thoughts are like building blocks and as we build our thoughts, they develop into attitudes regarding to the use of our time, work, family and relationships. Sinful attitudes will always bring bondage, hurt, disappointments and pain, while biblical attitudes always liberate us even if there is pain and disappointment. As we learn to look at those disappointments through God’s eyes, they too liberate us. While we may not always see clearly, God insure us with His peace that He is in control and that He sees the bigger pictures…and that alone is enough for us, when we are looking through His eyes and we do that by knowing what His word says.  We gain the mind of Christ as we gain to know His word. Philippians 2:5 says, ”Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”…and that mind was…the very mind of God!

Loving you today,

Bren

WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE WILL YOUR HEART BE ALSO

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Matthew 6:21

Greed is the insatiable desire to have more. When we commit or practice this sin, we are saying in essence to God, “Your provision for me is inadequate….and I want more than you are willing to provide me with”. To conquer this sin, we must evaluate wrong motives in us and be willing to eliminate any desire that does not line up with God’s provision and will for our lives. Being content is not easy but it is possible. Coveting what others have, or things that we don’t have and want will always draw us away from God. Greed is such an easy sin to commit because it is one of those behaviors that we learn in our early childhood and master it as we are older. It is simply the concept of "having more". Greed has driven many people to do wrong things. It drove Judas to betray Jesus as he ask the chief priest in Matt 26:15 “what will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” His love for personal profit and his love for money was much stronger than his love for Christ. Judas was a fan of Christ….not a follower. In Acts 5, the church in Jerusalem was growing and experiencing great acts of Christian fellowship amongst their believers. They were eager to share with each other out of their material resources and possessions. Out of wrong motives Ananias and Sapphira sold some property and made a gift to the ministry there. They pretended to give the entire amount on the sale of the property. Their act of greed resulted in God’s strong hand of discipline. You see the adversary was very successful in seducing them into drinking the toxic poison of greed that would end up costing them both their lives. Their greed led them to lying, by allowing their fleshly pride to overshadow the goodness and blessing that could have come out of what they wanted to do. But by desiring unworthy recognition within their church and getting caught up in their lies, before they knew it, their sin had overtaken them. While their intentions to give a gift like that of Barnabas may have started off with a sincere intent, it quickly gave way to greed which kept them from giving a sincere offering. Jesus summed up the whole word of God by saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind and thy neighbor as thyself” Luke 10:27, He was not saying - that you must have one car and it need be a used older car. He was not saying that it is a sin to have a 4 bedroom house…the key issue and point that Christ made all through His ministry and runs through every page of the Bible is simple to make sure that you are putting God before everything else. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with having wealth, God is the one that gives that as well….but if we have 4 coats and our neighbor needs a coat, then give it with the right heart attitude and not a haughty spirit, knowing that if it were not but by the grace of God it would be you that needed the coat. We are to set our affections on heavenly things, especially since that is where the end result of everything really counts. For Ananias and Sapphira, their hearts or should I say treasure, was on earthly things by the attention and recognition that they desired to have by what they did…We would do good to consider our every action or thought as to how it will affect us in eternity and not the momentarily pay off.

 1Timothy 6:6-10 But godliness actually means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
1Timothy 6:17-19 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and willing and ready to share, Storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity!

Hold Fast Sweet Friend,

Bren

HOW'S YOUR HEARING?

There was a man who could not hear very well and was told by his doctor that he would have to buy a hearing aid, but he did not want to spend much money on it. So he went to the store and asked the clerk, "How much do hearing aids cost?" "Well" said the salesman, "it depends. They run from two dollars to two thousand .'' "Let me see the two dollar model," the man said. The clerk hung a string around the man's neck. "Just put this button in your ear," he said, "and stick this string in your pocket." "How does it work?" asked the customer. "It doesn't work. But when people see it on you, they'll speak louder."

Well, that may be one way to hear what someone is saying to you, but to hear from God, your ears must be spiritually in tune to His voice or you will miss it all together!

Job 33:14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.

SPIRITUAL MIDNIGHTS

There are times in our lives that we all face moments of fear from literal darkness, because we know that bad things do happen in the darkness. Yet, we also have times of spiritual darkness that just seem to creep in as clouds of despair, pain, personal issues and disrupt our peace and cause us to fear something that while we may not can see it, we know that something is wrong. Faith will always overcome fear when we apply it to the situation that we may find ourselves to be in. The scriptures tell us in Ps 139:12, that darkness, is as the day to God….it can’t hide from God and neither can anything that is in that darkness. David knew firsthand what it was like to fear the unknown and those things that were lurking in the hills and desserts of Judea. He like us, was forced to put his faith to the test, many times to either be consumed with fear over his spiritual midnights (or things that he could not control) or choose to have peace and trust God for whatever would be….would be, but he himself was going to follow the God He knew, loved and trusted!

I recall years ago, of a weekly television show that you may remember as well… called, “Blue Thunder”. It was a about a helicopter that could fly over buildings and homes seeing in the dark by detecting invisible, infrared radiation in human bodies and objects. This technology is very real today and enables man to see in the dark what they could not see before. In spiritual darkness, it is God’s light that probes that darkness and dispels it as He shows us the way out. But we must engage that light by turning on our faith to make it happen. John R. Mott was a godly layman who led a world movement for today’s Modern missions. In his early life, he had his doubts about prayer, he read over forty books concerning it and had many discussions about it. Yet it was only when he set aside all that; and began to pray… that he truly began to understand… that God’s power is released through prayer. He learned that, “the prayers of a righteous man is powerful and effective…it avails much!”  It was his practical faith that was the dividing line between his religion and actually experiencing God. It separates those that are simply “fans” of Christ from those that are true ”followers” of Christ.

On Sunday nights, we are going through an excellent video series at Church that helps us to distinguish between being a true Follower of Christ or simply a Fan of Christ. These videos are exceptional in bringing to light the fact that many people are simply fans of Christ but not true followers. The videos cut to the core and help you to define your relationship to Christ as being either an enthusiastic admirer, close enough to Him to get the benefits, but not so close that it requires you to sacrifice anything….or that through your willingness to do what He ask by picking up your cross and following Him, that you truly are a follower and not a just a fan; of the One who died for you. We will all be confronted with this question at different times in our loves. Those times may come during our spiritual midnights like they did in one of the characters in the video series; and when they do, it is then that our level of commitment will be revealed to us as to where our heart and devotion to Christ really lies.

We have no rights of our own apart from bearing a cross daily that keeps us humble and committed to a call on our lives. Do not be deceived in thinking that you do not have a call on your life if you are a true follower of Christ. Do not think that being a believer entitles you to anything other than knowing about Christ….because the scriptures give us many examples or checkpoints to test ourselves and see if we are in the faith or in the beloved. Not all that say, Lord, Lord, will enter heaven, but only those who do the Father’s will…according to Matthew 7:21. So may I encourage you today sweet friend, even challenge you, to pick up that old dusty Bible that you have in your home and begin to look at those checkpoints that are there, and you will find them if you are sincere in your looking for them….and discover for yourself, if you are truly a follower of Christ or simply one of His fans.

If you are going through a spiritual midnight today, allow the One who can shed His light and brighten your world and make your path clear to you…but it will be up to you to walk in it!

Loving you today,

Bren

LOSS & GRIEF

The horrific experience of loosing a spouse, sister, brother, parent or child is something that no one ever wants to face, yet at times, we all do. In the loss of a child, it is one of the most unnatural experiences that a parent would ever have to face and while every parent may fear it, more than likely most of us may never have to experience it. While I have no personal experience with loosing a child, I do know firsthand the pain of loss and that pain has often times driven me to a place where I could find and experience hope enough, to bear what I must and endure the shock and loss of something or someone that I loved deeply. A person that has recently experienced the loss of a loved one is simply needing and searching for hope. A hope that assures them that things are going to be okay and will get better than they are at the moment. A hope that promises them that at some point the pain will get better and they can begin to make some sense of what has happened.
Rebuilding their lives around their loss will be most challenging, but it is very possible. It will be a daily effort for a while as they learn to move on. No one ever really recovers from a loved one’s passing….they simply "move on", and learn to live in the new world that they now find themselves to be in. Finding resolution as they walk through their personal grief, they will be forced to learn to invest in other parts of life, task, relationships, trying to forge new meaning and understanding to their loss as well as their future without that precious loved one. While life may not feel normal for a while, there can be a “New Normal" for them in time; as they settle into that new world that they now are left with. Whether loosing a loved one by cancer or by an accident, there are some core issues and specific circumstances that have different emotional attachments that the bereaved are left to deal with. Turning to others for help and encouragement can help to aid in reaching a turning point away from the pain of the situation, to possibly see the good that can be drawn for it. Hearing other peoples stories of personal pain and loss can even allow a little bit of anonymity to say and ask questions that one may not be able to discuss with someone who has not walked in their shoes; and may not truly understand their hurt, pain, sadness and even anger. We should never deny ourselves time to grieve, God’s word encourages us to walk through our grief’s. Yet we must not allow ourselves to live in a state of grief. Letting go of grief in no way equates forgetting about that precious one that we may have lost; even though we may find it difficult to do so. Raw emotions can seem to last a lifetime... so grieve well, and one day those tears can be replaced by laughter and joy, as time heals and removes the rough edges of the pain. Every parent or person will have their own quest for solace over a loss. They may handle it different than what we would expect. But the fact that they are handling it and not filing it away is enough; because they are at least trying to walk through it.

There are different stages of grief and healing always takes time, so remember to take the time you need, discuss your feelings in whatever environment allows you to express them best....and always remember that the One that seeks to give you Comfort is never far away....
 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." II CORINTHIANS 1:3-4

Shock & Denial - At first, losing someone seems unreal. You can't believe it's happened. You play and re-play all of the events that led up to finding out over and over in your head. You will analyze every word said, every action performed, every detail no matter how small will be examined. You are looking for anything that will make sense. In those early moments, nothing will make sense and you begin to deny it happened and try to convince yourself it was just a dream. You will insist that this can't be happening to you. Not today, not now, you're not ready. You will tell yourself that you cannot handle this.
Pain & Guilt - Next the pain sets in. Your stomach hurts or it can feel hollow and numb. You ache inside and nothing soothes it. You begin to blame yourself for their loss. You wonder what you could have done, even should have done, to have prevented it. Without thinking about it, you try accept responsibility and insist that you somehow let them down and if you had just done one thing differently, they'd still be here. You'll shed a lot of tears at this stage.
Anger & Bargaining - At this stage, you become angry and indignant. You insist on having answers. You want someone to explain it, you want someone to fix it. You want someone to take responsibility because it just isn't fair. You are willing to make deals with God, the devil, or anyone else if it will just bring them back. And you want it now.
Depression & Loneliness - The realization of what's happened begins to set in. You are beginning to accept that they're not coming back. You begin to think about life without them. You experience depression and a gloomy sadness weaves its way into your everyday routine. You reflect back on how things used to be and try to reconcile it to how things are going to be now without them.
Making a Turn
Rebuilding and Working Through It - At this point, you've decided it's time to move on with your life. You begin to create ways to find moments of happiness that still honor their memory. There is a certain respect that you have for the one who has died. You begin to see your work at getting better as something they would be proud of and you feel good about doing it. You know that there are others in your life that need you and want you to be whole. Keeping in mind that what you have been through will some day help someone else walk in their own pain and loss.
Acceptance & Hope - At this stage, you have accepted their death and you realize that blaming anyone (including yourself) doesn't bring them back. You realize that life does go on and you will be okay. You have hope for your future, even though your future no longer includes them. You honor their memory with loving thoughts of them. You are proud of yourself for being a survivor. You still miss them, you still wish they were here, but you understand that in order for you go on, you must accept that which you can not change and in doing so things will be okay just like they are.  

Loving on you today, and praying for your pain to pass quicky!
Bren

WHY I LOVE THE BIBLE

I love the Bible because it has proved itself real to me. It is alive and gives life and hope to those that desire it. It is the living Word of God, it is the very breath of God. It speaks on His behalf to the world. It represent Him; Who He is and what He has to say. The Bible lives because it is the Word of the living God. It is a living thing that reproduces  and multiples, it propagates, it gives birth and life to the one who seeks what it has to say, believes and ask something of it. A stone does not reproduce because, it is not alive. A car while it may run, is not alive because it cannot reproduce another car. Concerning God’s Word, Peter said in I Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” A single seed under the right conditions can produce thousands of fruit. Why, because within that seed lies the genetic makeup of life. The word of God is a seed. It will grow wherever it is planted. Depending on the conditions of the heart of the one whose been confronted with it, God’s Word will either take root and produce a mighty spiritual fruit, or it will convict the heart that it has come into contact with, of it’s need for God….the result is left up to the individual’s choices and what they choose to do with the truth that is planted in every heart that the seed or word of God comes in contact with. But, it never returns void. It always accomplishes it’s goal to convict and change or simply to convict one of their spiritual need for God or truth.

It has a power that acts and reacts like a person towards me. Because it is alive, it gives me comfort when I seek it. The pages weep with me; in God’s understanding of where I may be sometimes in my deepest pain and suffering. It sings to me and causes me to run to it when my joy needs to be restored. It even wrestles with me, and smites me, when I need it. God’s Word will often times whisper my name, calling me to it, when there is something that I need to hear or be told. It never gets old, it never rejects me. When I make the effort to hide it in my heart, I cannot forget it. There have been so many times that I have picked it up, weary, stressed, distracted by so many things, my mind cloudy, my body tired and sleepy, and as I open it up, the strangest thing happens. The weariness drains from me, the distractions leave me and I find myself slap dab in the middle of something that I needed to hear or know. Nothing else does that for me like the Word of God does.

Throughout the ages men have tried to refute, disregard, discredit, deny, attack, restrict, contain and destroy the Word of God. Yet it continues to spring back greater each time, why? Because it is alive, God’s Word lives. It is sharper than any double edged sword. It cuts deeper than any cutting tool known to man, even into the soul of a man, woman, boy or girl. I read once where God’s word must be put to the throat of every sinful tendency, habit or thought, to reveal to man his nature and the nature of the living God. The sinful nature must be slayed, and the Word of God is the tool that can do it. It need only to come into contact with a heart to reveal and bring change. God’s Word cuts thoroughly, “It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow”

I love the Bible because through God’s revealed spoken word, it has given me new life, and the power to walk in it! There is much to say about the Bible….but it is the One that it reflects, that is the most important…and that is why I love “It” so!

Loving you today…

Bren

FINDING YOUR WAY BACK TO GOD

One of my most favorite pastimes is reminiscing of days gone by. I so often will catch myself in a haze of past nostalgia, longing for another time, another place. Sometimes oddly enough, it is a sort of longing or aching to go back, homesick for a time in my past or even as illogical as it may seem, a time that I never even lived in. Similarly, King David felt the same way at times. He too had his feelings and longings of earlier times as he wrote about them in Psalm 84. David longed and ached in his heart to return to the place where he used to meet with God. He understood that to do so, would be a pilgrimage or journey that would have obstacles and difficulties along the way. Choices that he would have to be willing to make to get there. Yet he was willing to do whatever it took to get him back to the place, his heart longed to be.

Like David, when we desire to return to the place where we once were, in our walk or relationship with God, it is our faith that will lead us and allow us to overcome those obstacles until we arrive back to that place and into His arms! You see, it is not the place, the situation or the location where God was real to us that is significant, but only a place… of significant because God was there. For Abraham, it was Bethel, for Moses, it was Mt. Sinai, for Zaccahaeus, it was the tree, for Mary it was the ground where she lay with her face down in the dirt ashamed, broken and needing God’s help. For Jesus it was the Garden of Gethsemane, for Peter, it was when he heard the rooster crow, for Paul, it was the road to Damascus. For King David it was the Temple. For in the Psalms he writes about where he use to meet with God. For whatever reason it was that he had been away from the Lord, he was now expressing his feelings in the language of a poem, longing to return. In David’s day, God’s dwelling place was a place, location, a building, a physical temple. Today, according to Romans 8:9-17, He dwells in the heart of every person that has received Him in their hearts, as Lord and Savior. In the Old Testament, God had a temple for His people. In the New Testament, He has a people for His temple.

Longing for God reflects an integrity of our intention, when we cry out for the living God to return to him and be restored. You see David was not really crying out for the house of God but the living God that dwelt in the house or temple. Ps. 84:2 and Ps. 42:1 express David’s heartfelt desire to go wherever God was and be with the true “Living God”. When a person goes to a courthouse they are not seeking a courthouse but the justice that they are hoping to find there. Same thing with a hospital, it is not the building that you want when you go there, but the healing that you believe you will get once you get there.

Longing for God reveals a desire for intimacy with Him. David’s level of desire for God is reflected in Psalm 84 as he says that his soul yearns and even faints for the courts of the Lord; his heart and flesh cried out…that even the sparrow and swallow had found a place of refuge near God’s altar...oh how he envied those birds, that they were where he once was…close to the lover of his soul.

 Do you long to come back to the Lord? Is that longing the most intense in your life? It should be, and it can be! James 4:8 promises that, if we will come near to God, He will come near to us! James 4:7-10 tells us how to come…by submitting ourselves to God resisting or turning away from the things that want to draw us away from Him…and as David often times would do (and this is why He was the apple of God’s eye), humble yourselves to God, change your attitude into brokenness over your situation seeing it as God sees it and be willing to do those things, whatever they may be…that will restore you…and God Himself will lift you up and give you His power to accomplish whatever it is you may need to do, to get to Him.  

Praying for you today, as you find your way back to God and go home….where you belong!

Love you, Bren