Sunday, April 30, 2006

Micro Management

Good friends of ours recently moved to Colorado, they have really been such good examples to Marty and I in their faith, loving friends, and more of an asset to our church as a whole than I could ever describe here; I really feel blessed to have them in our lives and I know, a truck load of others feel the same way.

As they were in the process of packing up their house she said something to me I hope I'll never forget. I couldn't quote her because I don't remember her exact words or exact prayers but she said she had been praying for her husband to find the right job, in the right state, and praying they would find the right house, and the right church... she had all these hopeful and well intended plans she was praying for. If my family was about to uproot ourselves and make a move across the country you can bet I would have been praying for the same things.

It was around that time she said it hit her...

There she was "micro-managing" her prayers to God.

She pointed out how we all pray for Gods will in our lives and not our own, how we ask Him to do with us as He will and promise to trust Him in return. And there she was giving God all the details of how she wanted things to go and how that wasn't truly trusting him at all.

She told us how bad she felt the moment she realized what she was doing and stopped to ask forgiveness. She also said how she had done the same thing (with out realizing) during the sale of her home.. She prayed about all the little details of the home inspection, appraisal, buyer, that it would all work out and not fall through, and that they could really be able to move down near family. She said all along she should have just been praying that God take over and do what ever he thought best - whether that meant them staying here or moving or whatever; sometimes it's best to just pray a heartfelt "general" prayer instead of trying to micro-manage all the details for God in prayer.

As she poured her heart out to a few of us it hit the rest of us how much we do that in prayer. Personally speaking, I do that ALL THE TIME and never even thought about it.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.


Tanya, Thank you so much for being so humble and always sharing your ups and downs. Even though you live a few thousand miles away and we may not see eachother I have to ask you... Please don't stop sharing these epiphanies you have (especially with me!) - this isn't the first one you've passed along that has been really helpful.

Kiana

Friday, April 21, 2006

Create your own word search.

Today a friend of mind passed along a great link to create your own word search puzzle. Since I sometimes teach youth bible classes I thought it would be a great resourse to include in future lessons. Just come up with a title, a bunch of words relating to your title and ker-pow, its done. For anyone who could use the link, here it is.

Just off the top of my head this is the puzzle I created..


Found in the Bible

B W V U O U B I J T H W A F D T Q A S C Q P K J W
I D L G R X T E A C H R O N I C L E S X Q P J P C
P Y K K D K G O O D N E S S N A I S E H P E C O D
D U H R C W S O N G O F S O L O M O N F C T A C Y
I B Z A J F R L P Y S E T S A I S E L C C E O D M
X Q A M C O E O S L N C N O A O Y K U K S R K S N
A V Y P Q I B V A E A A S M J L N N F O I J S U P
A S R F K A M E L T I M O T H Y O J H N U R L N L
R A A E D P U T M S P S E L F C O N T R O L J I W
J H Z I V B N S S K P Y G N F S P H I L E M O N Y
T E A N H E D O U N I A M D T N I Y A A N K S E Z
R H S I G A L K C V L N J O N A H H F S N N H H P
J G H K N O K A I A I T G G N M T A C K F S U E S
E B J I C A M A T T H E W S U O I I H C A L A M T
S W E R B E H I I I P F P H H R R M O D P C O I E
U L I A S Y A P V C O D A B E E I E C N E I T A P
S M H C I N I F E Y R N W H V V P R T K S U N H A
X A Y U S S R T L Z G K T B I I S E U U S L M T I
L V M H E H A G G A I S F C G B Y J X S E G D U J
B I G U N O H I D R E T K R R H L F O O N D B R G
L L V Z E B C D A M F C P E O M O C J H D W U W I
F Y S U G L E R A H S A V A F D H K T N N U M J T
P P S C Y S Z J D P K O V Q B A Q T E T I R S I V
V J P B K E L J Y H R K Z C Z V P S F V K C V L R
G M D U Q N V H K P P S R S P E G D D G A H T P P

ACTS
AMOS
BAPTIZE
CHRONICLES
COLOSSIANS
CORINTHIANS
DANIEL
DEUTERONOMY
ECCLESIASTES
EPHESIANS
ESTHER
EXODUS
EZEKIEL
EZRA
FAITHFULNESS
FORGIVE
GALATIANS
GENESIS
GENTLENESS
GOD
GOODNESS
HABAKKUK
HAGGAI
HEBREWS
HOLYSPIRIT
HOSEA
ISAIAH
JAMES
JEREMIAH
JESUS
JOB
JOEL
JOHN
JONAH
JOSHUA
JOY
JUDE
JUDGES
KINDNESS
KINGS
LAMENTATIONS
LEVITICUS
LOVE
LUKE
MALACHI
MARK
MATTHEW
MICAH
NAHUM
NEHEMIAH
NUMBERS
OBADIAH
PATIENCE
PEACE
PETER
PHILEMON
PHILIPPIANS
PROVERBS
PSALMS
REVELATION
ROMANS
RUTH
SAMUEL
SELF-CONTROL
SHARE
SONGOFSOLOMON
TEACH
THESSALONIANS
TIMOTHY
TITUS
ZECHARIAH
ZEPHANIAH
Kiana

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Christian Easter Ideas

I've been praying a lot lately about this coming Easter Sunday, I want to make it fun and exciting for my nephew, all while focusing on Easters true meaning. God has answered my prayers in some great ways this week and I'm so excited about it myself that I really wanted to share.
  • Resurrection Eggs - I don't know how eggs got brought into Easter (and I ride the fence on whether they should be included) but this is a good way to bring them into it's true meaning. Each egg has something different inside relating to the resurrection of Christ. The eggs come with a book that has related scripture for each of the items in the eggs and a good lesson to go with each egg if needed. There are also several websites that have different guides to creating your own resurrection eggs.
  • Resurrection Rolls - A cooking project to do with your kids...
    • 3/4 cup warm water, 1 large egg, 3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons dry milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
    • 24 marshmallows
      *************************
    • Combine first 8 ingredients. Let rise until double. Divide into 24 balls and flatten. **Or skip this step and substitute with either Rhodes frozen bread dough *or* a few cans of crescent rolls** If using the frozen bread dough: let thaw but use before it rises. If using crescent rolls: be warned, I don't know that these are easy to keep the cracks out of.
    • Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
    • Melt butter in separate bowl.
    • Dip marshmallow (representing Christ) in melted margarine, then into sugar mixture. Wrap roll around a marshmallow, covering completely (representing the tomb). Make sure there are no holes or cracks for the marshmallow to leak out of. Dip entire roll into butter, and again into sugar & cinnamon. Place rolls in a large greased pan (if using the 8 ingredients to make bread, at this point allow to rise till double (about 35 minutes)).
    • Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until done. Rolls should be completely empty when cooled...like the empty tomb.
    • As you and your children make these you can get them excited about the marshmallow inside and how it will taste. When its time to eat them and the children discover the marshmallow gone, it's a good time to explain how the rolls represent Jesus and his resurrection.
    • I have to say thanks again to Kathy for telling me about both resurrection eggs and rolls, your a life saver!
  • Dying Eggs /Egg Hunt - While eggs aren't mentioned in the bible, we can remind kids they can be a representation of the beginning of spring and the start of new life.
  • Activity Book - Hidden Objects, Secret Message, Word Search 1, Word Search 2, Word Search 3, Word Search 4, Coloring pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8. These are all centered around telling the story of Christ and his resurrection.
So far we've been doing a resurrection egg each night; Blake is just so into studying Gods word. We've done several bible studies with him since he got here in February and I am just amazed at how much he loves to do these. I thought it would be something like studying a school book but he's never complained once and is always eager to start. Such a blessing that is!

Anyway back to Easter... Along with everything listed above, I figure I'll get him a little candy, hoping to find some little trinkets that relate to the bible story (maybe a cross pendant and necklace) and am going tomorrow to find a stuffed donkey, or a stuffed Eyore. One of our studies on the resurrection eggs is about how Jesus was given a donkey to ride into Jerusalem on (as was foretold in the Old Testament). I use to love getting stuffed animals for Easter as a little girl and though a stuffed donkey might be a great way to tie into Matthew 21:1-9.

The easter bunny is a fun lovable character but.. he has nothing to do with Easter, and is nothing but a distraction from what Easter is all about. So while I have nothing against those who do chose to celebrate with the Easter bunny, we make a personal choice not to center Easter around a bunny in our home... Any other time of the year, we love bunnies. :)

This was the first year I discovered that you really have to make an effort to avoid all the bunny hype when trying to focus on Christ. Thank Heavens for helpful friends and the internet!

Urging you to put the day-to-day distractions, busyness, and pettiness aside and get down to the things that really matter. Wishing you a Happy Easter spent in reflection of His great sacrifice. Enjoy your loved ones and take the time to dive into the bible and share/study/learn His great message, The Good News of Jesus Christ.

Kiana

Monday, April 10, 2006

5 Finger Prayer

I've done a post before on my habit of prayer and how I needed to improve, that post has several bible verses about prayer that were so helpful to me. If anyone would like those verses you can find them here, at the bottom half of the page. With that said, I ran across the 5 finger prayer tip today and thought it would be a great post. I've heard it at church once before and was very encouraged by it. I wish I knew who originally came up with this handy tip so I could give some well deserved credit, unfortunatly I wasn't able to figure that mystery out.

1. Our thumb is nearest to us...
Begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They're the easiest to remember. While praying for our loved ones is easy the Bible also tells us to pray for our enemies who, in a negative way, are also near us.

Matthew 5:44
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you

2. The next is our pointer finger...
Pray for those who teach, instruct, and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers (it's these people who tend to "point" the way). They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers, these men and women have great influence on society and we should pray that they display and teach Godly principles in all they do.

3. Next is our tallest finger...
It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business, industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guid public opinion, they need God's guidance.

When the king of Nineveh prayed to God he saved his nation from destruction (Jonah 3:6-10). We should pray that our decision makers repent and seek God's will as they lead us.

4. Fourth is our ring finger...
Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are ill, weak, in trouble, or in pain. They need your prayers day and night.

5. Last is our little finger...
The smallest finger of all. Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "...for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great." (Luke 9:48) Your pinky should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other 4 groups, your own needs should be put into proper perspective. We should be asking forgiveness for our sins, thanking God for our many blessings, and last laying out what is on our heart and asking that His will be done in our life.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

The wolf in the sheep suit; Exposing the true face of gossip

I found this arcticle online here.
It's written by Mark D. Roberts

"Have you ever noticed how some sins seem to get all the attention while others are casually dismissed? All too often, we shine the spotlight of judgment on others’ speck-sized sins—while letting our own log-sized transgressions obscure our moral vision.

Gossip is one of those sins that too easily flies beneath our ethical radar. We can tell friends about others’ big, bad sins without realizing, by doing so, we're committing a big, bad sin of our own. We conveniently minimize our offense, frequently with a guise of prayerful concern. After all, we think, being honest is what’s important. Yet, gossiping can corrode our hearts and the lives of others.

To set the record straight: Gossip is talking about other people behind their backs. It usually involves negative or private details that put the individual in a bad light. While the content of the discussion might not be that scandalous, our careless words nevertheless can cause hurt.

What's So Bad About Gossip?

The Bible calls such idle talk a sin, plain and simple. If you're inclined to dismiss gossip as some minor peccadillo, consider the company it keeps. Romans 1:29-30 describes it as “wickedness,” in the same category with "greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior,” backstabbing, and pride. Anything linked with murder and hatred must have some seriously destructive power!

Gossip greatly damages relationships. It "separates the best of friends," (Proverbs 16:28) causing alienation, anger, and bitterness. Show me a Christian community filled with gossip, and I'll show you a family divided, torn apart by hurt and mistrust. Just recently, gossip disseminated through e-mail among leaders at my church nearly split apart one of our finest outreach ministries. But as another Proverb (26:20) notes, "Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops."

Looking Better, Becoming Worse

Talking about others can create a false sense of self-righteousness. If you've ever imbibed the intoxicating wine of gossip, you know that behind the virtuous exterior of concern, it's really “all about me.” In truth, we often divulge someone else’s secrets or faults for our own benefit, although we’d swear we do so to help him or her. Not only do we puff up our self-worth by showing we’re “in the know,” but we also imply we’re better than the other person.

It’s a tempting prospect. When we gossip, we feel like morally superior insiders. Even better, if you can do this in the context of a prayer meeting (by sharing a "concern" about an individual), you get the satisfaction of feeling like a spiritual giant to boot. But the momentary exhilaration of being one-up at the expense of others isn’t worth the cost—either to the church or to our own soul.

The Sheep Fight Back

By gossiping, we’re actually showing we are self-deceived sinners who lack the maturity to be trusted with confidential information. Ouch. We’re flat-out disobeying God's Word and damaging His body.

But take heart! We don’t have to get caught in the teeth of this temptation.

1. Recognize gossip for what it is. We need to call what the Bible says is a sin, a sin. When we speak ill of someone, it's almost always wrong. (There are exceptions when speaking out is right, such as reporting a crime or telling parents about their child's dangerous behavior.) If you're inclined to gossip, stop rationalizing. Let the Holy Spirit bring conviction and lead you to repentance.

2. Understand the breadth of gossip’s destructiveness. “The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do... It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction,” James warns the church. (3:5-6) What can initially seem harmless is actually a deadly virus that endangers the health of Christ’s body. If we care about unity in the church as the Lord does (John 17:20-21), we'll be motivated to refrain from speaking without thinking first.

3. Reclaim the power of your words to strengthen and edify others. James 3:2-4 tells us, like a ship’s rudder, the tiny tongue can direct our entire destiny—toward life or death. When we realize our words have great power to do both good and evil, we'll stop underestimating the hurtfulness of gossip and start using our words to build others up, even when they're not within earshot.

4. When you’re on gossip’s receiving end, intentionally praise others, replacing hurtful words with genuine affirmation. Responding to a malicious report with a statement of authentic encouragement can bring the sin of gossip to light. In the process, it can shut down the offender and lead to repentance and reconciliation. First Peter 4:8 reminds us, “Love covers a multitude of sins,”

When we turn away from gossip—which is an effort at self-edification—we find that God alone can satisfy our need for eternal value and confidence. Moreover, we discover the joy of using words to bring life and unity to Christ's body."