My brother never wanted to come to church. Even though both he and I had attended church regularly in our childhood, he quickly abandoned the notion of ever returning to church when he became an adult. Despite us gently inviting him on holidays or special occasions, his answer was always no, and we respected that.
I have spent nearly all of my 50 years as part of the church. I first began attending church when I was quite young. My mother was saved after my dad had left her, and we began attending a local Baptist church in the area. I remember spending a significant amount of time there. It became a home and place of solace for our broken family. We met many friends who truly became like family to us. They showed us the love of Christ in very practical ways. They met physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. They opened their homes and hearts and have influenced me for the good even as an adult.
There has always been the banter back and forth about when to put up a Christmas tree. Only in December. The day after Thanksgiving. A few weeks before Thanksgiving. And anywhere in between. I am a first week of December kind of gal. But the purpose of this post is not about staking claim to the right time. It’s about rushing past both Thanksgiving and thanksgiving.
The Lord promises that He will meet our needs. So, why is it that we often wonder whether He will be true to uphold His promise to us? Continue reading “Will God Meet My Needs?”
Preparing to relocate was truly an experience. There was the deep lamenting over leaving our family and dear friends, but yet there was excitement in knowing that the Lord was going to do great things in the coming months and years in our new location. I felt it deep into my core. Like never before the Lord continued to impress upon me that He was facilitating this move, that He was at work, that He was taking us to the exact place of His choosing. It was in His perfect time and for His purpose. In the midst of so much angst and upheaval, these thoughts and promises provided such comfort to me as we prepared to leave our home.
Life has been busy and complicated of late. Seasons like this sprinkle the timeline of our lives like snow (sometimes like a blizzard). Busy doing what needs to be done…what has to be done. Running to and fro. Dealing with the challenges life has. Aging parents. Health concerns. The future. It seems as though everything else gets pushed aside. Our good intentions become just that, intentions; things dreamed of or planned, but never coming to fruition. The out-of-control elements of the day dictate its course. Sometimes we simply feel like we are bobbing on the waves, being pushed to and fro, struggling to keep our heads above, at the mercy of the tide.
It was the Saturday before my first day of middle school. I was scheduled to babysit for a family from our church. When I arrived, the couple was finishing up a few last minute details. Their youngest son looked up at me and asked, “Do you want to see my dog?”
Without thinking twice, I said, “Sure. Let’s go.”
A few weeks ago my husband and I conducted a little experiment of sorts. We gathered our children around the computer to watch a video clip of a church service from a very, very popular pastor. This mega church leader and author is known for his uplifting, positive, and inspiring messages. Regardless of how his message begins, the ending is always the same: All will be well; the Lord will bless; you will be happy because that’s what God wants…your happiness. The prosperity gospel defined. This, my friends, is a dangerous, yet popular gospel and millions of people are drawn into the false hope that is preached.
As we gather together over the coming days our minds will naturally reflect upon all that we have to be thankful for. And while it is important for us to reflect and remember that we are truly blessed, while we need to remind ourselves that we indeed have much, will we remember the challenges of this life? Will we allow our thoughts to go back to the tough times? Will we give thanks for those valleys? For the struggles? For the life lessons learned through failures, tears, wrong turns, and mistakes? For us to truly say that we give thanks in all things, we must look at those times where the Lord was at work and call them good.
It was nearly dinner time. For the first time ever, I wasn’t sure what I was going to serve for dinner. It wasn’t for a lack of inspiration or that I hadn’t planned, it was because my pantry was nearly bare, my refrigerator was just about empty, and my freezer was a vacant wasteland. I had three little mouths to feed and an empty wallet. Payday was tomorrow, but I still needed to get through today.
Life in the Van 