Squeezing the Sponge

It’s not the hand that squeezes the sponge that creates the mess.  The filthy water was already there.  That pressing hand just created a reaction.

When someone drives my crazy and I react poorly, I tend to blame it on them.  “Yeah I know it was wrong, but she was being such a jerk!”  Or, “OK, I shouldn’t have done that.  But he is SO ANNOYING!!”

My dad used to say, when I called someone annoying, that maybe I’m too annoyable.  (No, it’s not a real word, but it should be!)

When someone irritates me, they’re not causing my bad response.  The dirty water was already there.  They’re just squeezing the sponge.

I can’t change others…I can only change myself.  I can change what comes out of my sponge when it’s squeezed.  It doesn’t have to be dirty dishwater.  The choice is mine.

Passages to remember when your sponge is squeezed:

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:12-13 ESV

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

Just SMILE!

Did you know….

Women smile 62 times a day, on average?  That’s 54 MORE times than most men smile in a day (only 8!).  But guys truly love a woman’s smile.

After eyes, a smile is the first thing noticed in a person.

A smile is recognized as a symbol of happiness, kindness, and friendship all over the world.  All cultures recognize a smile this way.

Scientists say that there are 18 different types of smiles.

Babies have special smiles that they reserve just for their loved ones (mamas should feel loved when their baby smiles at them!).

People judge individuals who smile often as being more competent, pleasant, sincere, sociable and attractive then those who don’t.

Smiling is natural…not a learned habit that humans get from watching others.  Even infants who are born blind smile.

When we smile, we release endorphins that help us feel better.  Even faking a smile can make you happier!  As the old saying says, “Your day goes the way the corners of your mouth turn.”

30 minutes of real laughter increases your white blood cell count by 25%, helping your body fight disease more effectively.  The Bible is right again…laughter truly is the best medicine!

Not dressed your best today?  Smile!  People rarely notice shabby clothes when you smile.

A smile can brighten someone’s day.  88% of people remember someone with an attractive smile.

You really can be a scientist who studies laughter!  Such scientists are called ”gelotologists”.

In this day and age of rushing and hurrying and “me first” mentalities, a simple smile can be a major witness for Christ!  So smile at those you pass…at the people in the grocery store and the teen behind the counter, the folks in the fast food line and the customers that come to you.  Smile at your siblings even when they interuppt your studies, smile at your friends and your family at the table.  It’s such a simple gesture, it takes no effort or time, and it can brighten someone’s day and warm their heart.  A smile is a reflection of the joy you have in Jesus!

Moral of the story??

SMILE!

 

Some of the info from the Christa-Taylor blog.

Forget Not Those In Chains…Beijing, China

2008 Olympic Opening Cermonies in Beijing, China

Last Friday, August 8th, the opening ceremonies of the 39th Olympiad happened at the National Stadium in Beijing, China.  Gigantic fireworks in the shape of footprints marched through the city until the Stadium (”The Bird’s Nest”) was reached, erupting into magical bursts of fireworks and announcing the beginning of the Beijing Games.  My family gathered around the big screen TV at our friend’s house, instantly mesmerized by the thousands of dancers, martial artists, percussionists, and other performers beautifully told the story of China’s history.  A child sang as 56 children, representing the 56 ethnic groups of China, brought the red and gold Chinese flag forward and the beautiful ceremony began.  From the invention of paper to the astronauts China has put into space, each story was told as no story has ever been told before.

For seventeen days, China is the center of the world’s attention.  No matter how much controversy, no matter how many scandals, all eyes will be watching.  America watches its gymnasts like Jonathon Horton, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Luiken as they fight for a spot on the podium.  Softball pitcher Jennie Finch will lead her team to the last year of Olympic softball to be hosted.  Swimmer Michael Phelps, last night, won his eleventh gold medal, setting a new record and becoming possibly the greatest Olympic champion of all time.  Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers battle it out on the beach volleyball court.  Every event has a story, every athlete has walked a long road to get where they are now.  And the world is watching.

For years, China’s oppression of miniorities and religious groups and dissenters has been well-known throughout the world.  During the opening ceremonies, a vivid display of the famous Great Wall of China was depicted as being torn down and replayed by beautiful pink blossoms…the Chinese symbol of openness.  The symbology and meaning was vivid and evident: China wants to move on.  With these Olympics, the hostile nation is taking steps…opening its doors and letting the world in.  These Beijing Games, some have commentated, are as important to China as the Apollo mission to the moon was to the USA.  Everyone who watches these Olympic Games is watching history in the making.

But what of the Chinese Christians?  President Bush, in a recent interview with Bob Costas, expressed his desire that China register these underground churches, citing the fact that he attended a state-sponsored church on Sunday.  “It gave me a chance to say to the Chinese people, religion won’t hurt you, you ought to welcome religious people. And it gave me a chance to say to the Chinese government, ‘Why don’t you register the underground churches and give them a chance to flourish?’”

Thousands of our brothers and sisters in China are imprisoned and tortured…and sometimes even killed…for their faith in Jesus Christ.  Some estimate that Christians make up six percent of China’s population.  In June of 2004, a Christian woman named Jiang Zongxiu was beaten to death for her faith.  In September of that year, Pastor Cai Zhuohua was kidnapped and imprisoned, where he was tortured with an electric cattle prod.  His wife was kidnapped just days later.  The Chinese government takes a strong stance against these undeground churches and their patrons, calling them “evil cults” and showing them little mercy and no tolerance.  Often, religious dissenters are “re-educated through labor”, keeping hundreds of thousands of the Chinese in work camps throughout the nation.  The only churches allowed are those which register with the government, and which are strictly monitored and forced to obey follow policies on religious belief and practice.

While our athletes fight for Olympic gold, how many men, women, and children fill the prisons of the host country, their only crime being a firm and unwavering faith in the God of the Bible and in the saving grace of His Son Jesus Christ?

When my brother John graduated kindergarten, his class marched up the stage to the podium to receive their diplomas.  As each child walked, the teacher read aloud what the student “wanted to be when they grew up”.  Kids wanted to be policemen or women, firefighters, singers, actresss, professional athletes, or fashion models.  But as Johnny walked up the aisle, his teacher read, “When John grows up, he would like to be a missionary to China.”

Pray for this nation and for our persecuted brothers and sisters there.  As the Chinese government strives to open doors, ask God to open hearts to the truth and power of His Word…a power that comes not through torture and forced allegiance, but through the gentle love and divine healing of an infinitely kind God.  Ask that our nation, with its history of religious freedom, and others like it will have a positive impact on this country.  As hundreds of athletes compete for these seventeen days of the Olympic Games of 2008, working for gold which perishes, ask that God will show them the true and living gold of faith in Him…and that they will store up for themselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves cannot break in and steal.

The treasure that so many of the Chinese faithful have died in hope of seeing, choosing momentary pain rather then the eternal sacrilege of denying their beloved Savior.

 

Click here and here for some beautiful shots of the opening ceremonies at the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) in Beijing, and here for a detailed report from Voice of the Martyrs on Christian persecution in China.

Look Behind You

A weary traveler leaned against his rod, pausing to wipe the sweat from his forehead.  Below him stretched the valley, above him the sky.  Both seemed equally vast and unchanging and inpenetrable, and the journeyer was tired.  How much longer?  He lifts his face to heaven and prays.

The answer comes, as most do, without shouting and fanfare.  It comes on the wind.

The road ahead of you is long…but so is the road behind you.  Look from where you have come, and see that I am faithful.  I have never left you.  Beside every sandal print is Mine.  Wherever you fell, I paused to lift you up.  When you were thirsty, I was the living water.  When you were hungry, I was the bread of life.  I provided for your physical needs.  When you prayed, I came to your aid.  Because I love you…because I promised and I am faithful.  Look to your past…and know that I was there.  Why should I leave you now?

You do not know how many times you have come near the edge of this precipice, dear one…how many times I was there protecting you and guarding your heart.  Under the shadow of My wings you found refuge, at the foot of My throne I gave you help.  Solace by My heart, safety behind My shield and protection through My sword.

Look at every turn in your road.  Do you think you came to this place by accident?  No, loved one, for every turn, every stone in your path, every rainfall, every sunshine, every thornbush, every rose, every mountaintop, every valley low, every lion, every lamb, every smile, every scorn, every meal, every drink, I planned and placed in order to lead you to where you are today.  You are on the path I have made for you, and I go before you and behind you.  I make your way clear…and I use the hard times to draw you closer to Me and to make you a man after My own heart.

Because I love you.  Because I promised and I am faithful.

This is my promise to you, wherever you go.  In life or in death, in trials and in joy, I will be here.  I will never leave you and forsake you.  Look behind you.  See how I have used every event in your life for good, leading you and guiding you.  Look at the roses on your path…I grew them just for you.  I know what you love and I delight in your joy.  See the thorns and the stones, I placed those and I am using them to strengthen you.  I know what you need and I am glorified in your growth.  Look to your past, dear heart, and know…I have never left you yet.  Why should I change now?  I am steadfast, I am true, I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Your future is even more beautiful then this.  So much have I planned for you.  Stay faithful to Me.

The pilgrim lifted his staff and walked on…his sandals making prints in the dust of his path.  He could not see prints beside them, but he knew he would never be alone.

Strength in my Weakness

I heard a quote this weekend…it said something like “strength is perfected in concious weakness”. The preacher went on to say that too often we ask God to give us strength…maybe we should ask Him to be our strength.

What I’m realizing is that rather than asking God to make me strong to deal with the trials I’ll face…I need to realize that that strength is already available to me. As a child of God, in Him and Him alone I already have all the strength I will ever need.

I am human…I am drastically imperfect. I have so many failings and weaknesses. When I am conscious of them, though, then God can use them in my life. He can change me from the inside out.

We tend to think that we are strong when we ignore our weaknesses.

I think we are strong when we admit to them.

God can use that humility to change us more into His image.

Lord, be my strength this week…and help me to see my weaknesses as clearly as I should. But don’t let them stop me from serving You and being sold-out for Christ.

I am weak, God is strong. His grace is sufficient. He is my strength.

God bless,
Love,
keely<33

Dreaming on a Summer’s Day

I lay on my back in the grass and the sky is a blue cathedral’s ceiling above me.  And all I know is that life is beautiful.

I listen to the voices of the winds and the songs of summer.  I feel the caress of playful breezes…cool and tender on my face.  A million sweet smells.  The smells of a million sweet dreams.  I am alone…but I am content.  I am surrounded by friends.

My calendar is marked up in red and black.  I’m busy, busy, busy.  This is mandatory…they will be disappointed if I don’t come…she’s counting on me…he misses me…we need to get together…they’ll be hurt…they need help…I’ll be bored if I don’t.

Never mind that.  It’s summertime…and for today, nothing else matters.  I’m on my back in the green grass, talking with God.  And nothing else and no one else is more important.  This is my time with God.

The heavens declare the glory of  God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

The words of Psalm 19:1 come on the winds.  I sing softly under my breath…just a praise song…just simple words of adoration.  My heart swells up with love and happiness.  And the sun kisses me…and it feels like the kiss of God.

And the sky is a blue cathedral above me.

Just a note to let you guys know that I’ll be gone for the week (June 15-21) for vacation but SK should be back up and running after that! Thanks for your faithful reading and all the kind comments we’ve been receiving.  I’m so glad SK is encouraging you and I hope it gets better and better as the weeks go by.

Have a great week!

~Keely

Doing What I Hate (and Loving It)

The days grow longer, the sun grows stronger, and we put away our textbooks and number two pencils. The grass needs mowing and the horses lose the last bits of their heavy winter hair, giving way to sleek, shiny new coats. The days grow hotter and we girls paint our toenails in honor of flip-flop season. Summer has arrived.

This morning I went running. I tumbled out of bed, after sleeping in for a delicious extra hour or two, and pulled on my old tennis shoes. Not long after, I was jogging across the road in front of my house and to the ranch driveway opposite. The rolling fields on either side of the dirt driveway are russet-colored…the grasses long and waving, dotted with yellow wildflowers. There were green, benevolent trees and hills surrounding me, and a beautiful azure sky above me. I jogged on, until I reached the end and touched the metal gate with my fingertips. Then I turned around for the jog back. The wind whipped through my hair and the sun was soft and caressing. I put my hand to my chest and felt my heart rate accelerating. I kept on until I reached the end…at a nice, leisurely pace. But at the very last, when I rounded the final bend and saw the road, I broke into a sprint until I reached the end. Then I stopped for a second and smiled. It felt good.

I used to hate running. I hated it so much that it was like the greatest trial of my life to pull on those hateful shoes and run (talk about a spoiled American kid). I never died or got close to it, but I still hated it because it wasn’t entertaining, it wasn’t fun, and it made me tired. There was nothing enjoyable about it, except being done.

It got a little better once I bought my iPod and listened to music as I ran. Still, my relationship with running was love-hate…and very, very sporadic.

Now, I’ve discovered that I like listening to my iPod with friends or on long, quiet car rides…but not while I’m running. I’ve discovered that I don’t have to be entertained or distracted in order to make myself do something I don’t like…and I can actually enjoy those few minutes of quiet, away from everything else. I have never been a very good athlete…I am small and tend to get lost in crowd, and as a child, my ankles were so bad that I couldn’t walk long without them hurting badly, which still affects my running. But I know that my short runs in the mornings will help, and I like them now.

There was a point when I couldn’t imagine anything more ridiculous than to enjoy running. Now, I feel happy to have conquered that, at least a little bit. I’ve always liked walking and riding horses, and playing soccer or softball for fun with friends or on teams. But running makes me feel better; it strengthens me. Not only physically, but it helps me get over the idea that I can only do things that I like to do. Sure for a little while in the mornings I’m not doing my most favorite thing in the world, but I feel better for the rest of the day. It’s worth it.

If I play soccer this next season, I’ll be running like crazy, and there will be days when I’ll be tired, and I’ll want to quit. But if I strengthen myself now…make myself used to refuting to the idea that I have to stop because I’m tired…I’ll be ready for those quitter attitudes and I’ll have the mental muscles to kill them. I’ll be prepared. And not just in varsity soccer, but in life. When I do something I don’t like, it’s good for me. And when I do it over and over and over again, because I should, then that has the capacity to change me from the inside out.

You may run ten miles every day…it’s not a problem for you. But you may absolutely hate introducing yourself to people you don’t know. That is your challenge.

And you may be the most outgoing person around…friendly and easy and confident…but you struggle with reading the Bible every day. Your time with God just isn’t as strong and disciplined as it should be, and your relationship with Him is suffering because of it. So pick up your Bible and a Bible-in-a-year program, and stick to it. That is your challenge.

We all struggle with something. We’ll never be strong and perfect and impervious to human weaknesses and failings. That’s why we need Jesus Christ as our Savior. And with Him, we can conquer our pride and laziness and become better servants of His.

My runs aren’t very long (I won’t be going to a marathon anytime soon), but they’re a triumph to me. I still have other things to conquer…like my fear of man, and my hatred of algebra homework. That will come in time. I may never love math, but when I keep doing my work anyway, I’ll get used to it. When I keep consciously making the decision to look to God instead of man for approval, I’ll get stronger in Him. And He’ll give me “fullness of joy” in those decisions (Psalm 16:11). He made a deer cross my path today and sent a wind to play with my hair so that I would like running better. He knows how to reward me. He’s not asking that I like it.

He’s just asking that I do it.

This morning, as I ran, a beautiful doe crossed the road ahead of me. The sight of it just added to my inner peace and happiness, and I smiled. I thought…God must have sent that deer. It was like Christmas day, and He was giving me all these little gifts…the wind tossing my hair, the sweet smells of summer, the clear blue sky…because He loves me.

Keep serving Him, even in the things you don’t particularly enjoy. Quietly obeying Him brings blessings that we’ve never truly experienced before. What a sacrilege to believe that life in His service could be dull or miserable. It is sweet, and rich, and satisfying. And in even the littlest things He is capable of sending deer across our paths, and filling our fields with yellow wildflowers.

 

Think About It.

“This country will not survive another generation of Christians that fit in.” ~Joshua Harris

Giving

How good of a giver are you?
 
Do you give of yourself and your resources very often?  Do you do it with a glad heart?  Do you enjoy doing it?  Do you look for opportunities to give?
 
The Bible tells us how much God loves a cheerful giver.  I think sometimes we are tempted to GIVE, but we neglect to do it cheerfully.
 
“I guess I should give this money to the church missionary,” we think begrudgingly.  Let someone hint that we ought to give more selflessly and cheerfully, and we instantly become defensive.  “No way!  I’m already GIVING…don’t ask me to do it cheerfully, too!  That’s just too much!”  But God asks us to do it nonetheless.
 
Why?  God owns the cattle on a thousand hills…He doesn’t need us to give.  But He asks us to, at least in part, for our own edification.  Every time we give, someone once said, we sever the ties that bind us to this earth.  When we selflessly give away the money we were planning to spend on ourselves, we put our heart (and therefore our treasures) in heaven.  When we donate our time to a needy individual, we are doing the same thing.  We are looking to heaven, instead of earth, for satisfaction and joy.
 
The Lord asks us to give cheerfully.  Just as obedience to our parents with disrespect is no good, because it is not true obedience, so giving without gladness is worth nothing, because it is not truly giving.  It is paying dues…like paying a bill that we feel we owe.  It is of no real or lasting value.  So is giving just for “bragging rights” (”guess how much I gave??”).  The Lord tells us that those who give for earthly attention and human recognition should not expect any heavenly blessings…for “they already have their reward in full”.
 
Instead we are to give TO God, FOR God’s glory and others’ good, without expecting laud in return.  And we are to do it cheerfully.  A big order but with God’s help we CAN do it!
 
This week, look for ways to train your heart in giving.  Stop being selfish.  Let go of those things you clutch with all your might, and breathe a sigh of relief as you give it to the Lord.  Don’t neglect your responsibilities or stop being a good steward.  Give with wisdom, but give liberally, as your resources allow.  And know that, even if no one else sees, Jesus sees.  And you will be blessed, if not on earth, than in heaven…where “not moth nor rust destroys, nor thieves break in and steal”.  That is, after all, the only kind of treasure worth having anyway.
 
As Jim Elliot once put it, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”