Spiritual GPS

This is my 3rd attempt at writing a blog entry this week, hopefully it will be complete, unlike the other 2 that are waiting for my return!
So we are studying the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving in History and I have been doing a lot of thinking about what it took to get the Pilgrims to leave everything behind and set out for a new world.  I can't imagine walking away from everything I know to go on a trip that would land me in the unknown.  When the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower in 1620, they had very little information about what they were going to find when they arrived in their new land.  They also had very little space on the small ship so they had to be selective in what they brought with them.  They knew they were going to be on rough waters, they were told about dangerous pirates, they anticipated sickness and disease and yet there were 102 of them who decided to risk it all, for what?  For worship!  They were not allowed to worship the way they wanted in England so they left behind everything they had known and cared about to go to a place where they could worship God freely! 
During November there are lots of posts on Facebook about what people are thankful for.  Friends, family, a warm house...all viable candidates, but has anyone ever posted how thankful they were for the Pilgrims?  Many days we get depressed by the ongoings of our country and it's lack of Christianity, but could it be worse?  If it weren't for these "religious renegades"  what would religion in America look like?  Would we have the freedoms that we have when it comes to worship?  I think we owe a great amount of gratitude to the Pilgrims for being brave enough to set out on a new venture in the name of the Lord and their desire to serve Him.
But I also want you to think about who got you where you are in your spiritual journey.  Yes the Pilgrims paved the way, but there are others who directly influenced you in your spiritual walk.  I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been born into a family that has always put God first.  I have parents, grandparents, and had great-grandparents who put God first in our family, always.  We have years of experience in our family of Deacons, Training Union teachers, Choir members, baby rockers, Christmas Cantata performers, greeters, and most have been involved in starting churches from the ground up.  I am so thankful for the examples they set being faithful tithers, witnesses, and leaders within their church bodies.  I know that it is through their model and expectations, that I am where I am today in my walk with Christ.  And if there is anything to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, it has to be for these people, my family, who raised me to love Jesus, to share His love with others, and to love His people just as He does. 
So, as you consider your daily blessings this November, remember the Pilgrims and the sacrifices they made for all of us to have the freedoms we have when it comes to worship.  In addition, reflect on who your "Spiritual GPS" is...who put you on the right road and set those examples for you?  Who made sure you knew everything you needed to know about your Creator?  Who has, or is, praying for your spiritual growth continually?  Acknowledge those people, tell them thank you, because you have a lot to be thankful for!

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Elephants and Donkeys

So tomorrow is the big day...Election day!  If you are anything like me I'm so glad it is here, but will celebrate more when it is gone!  Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute of teaching my 2nd grade history classes about voting and the election process and I fully believe that our new Hershey President in the AM class and Skittles President in the PM class will be great leaders!  Ha...if only we were choosing our favorite candy!
Watch the video below and see if you can relate to this 4 year old child...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjrthOPLAKM
I think many of us have almost been brought to tears having to listen to debates, jaded media opinions, and seeing red and blue electoral college maps in our sleep!  And I know that all of this has created much tension.  I hear someone on a daily basis say how worried they are about the outcome of the election.  But there is a saying that worrying is like a rocking chair, it keeps you busy but gets you nowhere!  GET OUT OF THE ROCKING CHAIR!  It is doing you no good to worry about this!  Is it going to be disheartening if my chosen candidate isn't elected? Yes. However, I know that there is a greater power than me who already has this all worked out!  That greater power, God, will raise up the leader He has planned for this country right now.  We may not understand or agree, but
we have to trust and believe in whatever plan He gives us.  Proverbs 3:5 says, "Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence"...in other words, let God handle it, He knows better than any of us!
As for the red and the blue...the elephants and the donkeys...Romney and Obama...be reassured with this,  "Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, Christ (Matthew 23:10)".  Child of God, you know who your Creator is and you know who is in control.  No earthly leader will ever be your master, for you only have one.. and no one can over throw Him or defeat Him. 
Maybe you have already voted or maybe you will be standing alongside me in an atrocious line tomorrow, whatever the case may be, if you vote then you have done your part.  As for who will be in control...we already know the answer to that! 

Wise Friendships

So, last weekend we had the opportunity to get out of the city and find some peace and quiet.  We went to some cabins in Oklahoma with our best friends, Wendy and Stacy.  I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful our weekend was!  There were so many things that I tossed around when thinking of writing this post.  When you are surrounded by nature it is easy to come up with topics! Wendy and I even talked through some possible posts, but none of them felt perfect.  When I thought about the best parts of our weekend one of the things that stood out was Wendy and Stacy. We have been close friends with them for a long time and for a while spent every Saturday night together.  These days, our kids activities seems to keep us from doing that as much.  My mom even asked a few weeks ago if we had seen the Bryant's lately and I told her no, but as sad as it made me, it was okay.  And it is, because we are the kind of friends that it doesn't matter how long we are apart, we pick up right where we left off.  This weekend we talked about our kids, watched movies, played Joker by the fire, roasted marshmallows, went hiking, cooked dinners together, cleaned the kitchen together, played washers, even watched TV church on Sunday morning... the things that all good friends do right?!.  Corey and I treasure Wendy and Stacy more than words can express!  They can complete our sentences, and often know what we are thinking without us saying anything.  (Corey and Stacy swear that is how they beat us at Joker so often! well, that and their rally hats) They are spiritually grounded and put God first in their family, just as we do.  Many nights are spent discussing life, the Bible, our spiritual journeys, our kid's spirituality. What better friends could you ask for? 
The fact is God wants us to surround ourselves with friends like these.  He wants us to spend time with people who are a positive influence and can hold us accountable.  In Proverbs it says, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety" and then later it says, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another".  Jesus had friends like this too.  He spent lots of time with his disciples, but it seems like he was super close with James, John, and Peter.  They all spent time together fishing, talking, traveling, praying, and sharing the gospel.  I like to imagine Jesus having happy times with his friends, just like we do...just relaxing and hanging out.  Talking about important things, and not so important things. 
The fact is relationships with others is what makes life fun isn' it?  Who do you go to when you are stressed?  Who do you call to go have coffee after a long day?  Who do you call to tell the funny thing that happened to you today?  It's your friends!  Fortunately for Corey and I, our best friends are married to each other, so we have sort of a circle of friends.  There is a quote by CS Lewis that says, "The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are".  I think that based on the verses about friendship in the Bible, Jesus would agree with Mr. Lewis on this one.  There is a big emphasis in the Bible about being wise and how it is related to the friends that we have.  Now, obviously you have to have relationships with people who have little to no spiritual foundation because you have been called to witness. And while that is true, you need to make sure that you are surrounding yourself with friends who do have a solid foundation in order to continue to be wise.  Based on what was shared at the desserts meeting last week, I would say that our class has the "circle" that is referenced in Lewis' quote.  We all spend a lot of time together, our kids spend a lot of time together, and we all have contact throughout the week with each other.  It felt so amazing to sit in that meeting and listen to everyone share their feelings about our class, new and old members.  repeatedly, the idea of us all being a family, willing to do anything for each other was expressed.  Those kinds of friendships are what we all need. It's Biblical!  So, we are going in the right direction, but this week think about who your go-to friends are.  Are they the ones that will make you wise?  Are they the ones God would choose for you?   
Thank you Lord for all of our Christian friends that help us to be wise.  Thank you for a circle of friends called Journey, who are known by so many to love, support and encourage each other in any given circumstance.  Thank you for Wendy and Stacy and for what they mean to us.  I give you praise for being able to perfectly match us with such loving, wonderful friends, who know you and put you first in their lives.  Thank you for allowing us to spend time together and for the memories we make with each other.  May we always be able to support each other and be encouragers to each other and those around us. Amen.