Hearts of Christian HomeKeepers™

We all have a comfort zone where we feel the safest. When you are in the zone, you feel like nothing and nobody can hurt you. That is a very powerful feeling. It’s like a warm, cozy blanket wrapped around you, keeping out everyone that might cause you pain. But sometimes being in the zone can be more harmful than getting yourself out and about.

Proverbs 12:26 (New International Version)

²⁶ A righteous man is cautious in friendship,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

For me, this verse in Proverbs has been my excuse not to reach out to other people, because I am afraid that if I open up and try to make a new friend, something bad will happen. I have been hurt in the past by those I thought were my friends, and I just wasn’t going to go through that again. But God has other plans………

But there has been something I have learned over the past few weeks. If you put yourself out there, if you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you might just be surprised at the joy you can feel when you toss off that blanket and step away. I am so used to my own routines and my own expectations, that I wasn’t fully ready to embrace what God was trying to tell me about friendship: God helps those who help themselves. By that, I mean, I needed to take the first step. Instead of saying “no” to something new, I actually took a few minutes to think about it. Two weeks ago, our kids won 2 baseball games that on paper, they never should have won. Normally after a game, I am ready to take off and head to the safety of my own home. My husband, John, on the other hand, has to hang around and talk with the guys. Normally I just wait in the car until he is finished. Well, the past few games, I actually stood around and interacted with the coaches, and a few Moms. Lo and behold, things started changing.

Normally, when I am at a game, I have my head buried in a book until the game starts, and then I just focus on cheering on my son. Lately, that is changed because I have been making the effort to talk to more of the parents, and even the siblings of the team. Now, games are spent talking, laughing, cheering, instead of being in a corner by myself. Why? Because I stopped expecting people to know what I wanted, and made the first move.  Your body language says a lot more than you think.  If you close yourself off, people will just leave you alone because that is what you are projecting.

After those two unlikely wins, one of the parents invited John, myself, and the boys back to their house for a celebration.  Normally we’d just say no and go home.  However, God must have been working in both our hearts that night, because we said yes.  Let me tell you, it was the most fun we have had in a long time!  The kids all played together for 4 straight hours after just playing a 3 hour baseball game.  They got along.  They worked together.  They looked out for each other.  They said they couldn’t wait to do it again.  We learned a lot from our kids that night.  Imagine looking at your watch and seeing that it was past 11pm, and not once did you think about going home.

Deuteronomy 4:9

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

It’s amazing what children can teach you about life, friends, and living.

So some things to remember when you want to fellowship with others:

1. Just say “YES” ~instead of immediately saying no, stop and take a moment to think things over.  Talk it over with your spouse, their answer may just surprise you!
2. Watch your body language~You may think you are open to new people and experiences, but your body is telling people otherwise.  If you are closed off, no one will approach you.
3. Make the first move~go over and talk to people, don’t wait for them to come to you.  If they don’t want to reciprocate, then move on.  And try not take their response personally.  There may be something else going on in their lives that make attempts at communication unwelcome, at that moment.
   
4. If you need something, ask!!~people are not mind readers.  It’s not fair to others or yourself to expect them to know what you need, or what you like or dislike.  By being upfront, you can save yourself a world of hurt.
5. Above all, enjoy yourself~by just sitting back and observing, you can often find a zone of comfort that allows you to interact on your own terms.

It’s never easy making changes, especially when it comes to making friends.  In this life, it’s often easier to go with the flow than try something new.  But that often leaves us empty and wanting more.  Take your cues from Jesus: be friends to all that cross your path.  You never know if one of those people will just become that lifelong friend you have be asking for!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. –Hebrews 12:1-2

When my son, Nick, was running cross-country his freshmen and sophomore years of high school I really didn’t get it. I wondered what these kids got out of running around a track, through town and the back roads for hours a day. I had a lot to learn. Some of the principles I learned then I continue to apply to my running the race that is called  life.  I found the keys in the verses above.

The first step to running the race of life in victory is to run the race with everything you’ve got! I don’t need to run your race and you don’t need to run my race. We’ve all been given a race and a lane to run in, and we’re to run with all our hearts. Don’t forget to run in your lane well, you just need to give God the best of your time, your talents, your service, and yes, even your tithes.

There are times while running through the country some of the runners would want to take a short cut or compromise the training in some way. I remember Nick telling me about a few boys who would stop at one of the runner’s houses to get sodas while they were supposed to be doing their daily run.  They figured the coach wouldn’t know that they didn’t do all they were asked to do.  They were being deceptive.  Running the race of life means you say “no” to the sin of compromise. Allowing the sin of compromise to creep into your life is the fastest way to get derailed!

One of the most valuable lessons I learned was one day I saw students lose a race, The coach would sit down and tell the runner one of the reasons they lost was because they kept looking back instead of ahead. He said they should run the race with everything they had and not worry about the other runners. Apply that to our life race and it means do what God has called you to do to the very best of your ability instead of looking at everyone around you. You are called to run your own race, not theirs.

God gives you every tool and opportunity that you need to run well…..you’ve got to run and not just sit there looking around and comparing what you have to what everyone else has. Rely completely on God and His Word…. always looking forward, never turning back. Sure, the devil will try to convince you how great your old way of life was. But don’t fall for it! Keep your eyes on Jesus… during the good times and the bad.

Lastly, I remember how team members encouraged and challenged each other to be the best they can be. When one member of the team won the race, the entire team celebrated. God has given you a several teams to encourage and challenge you. Your family, church, friends…they are your team. They may challenge you in ways that you don’t like or aren’t comfortable with. Instead of rejecting their input rejoice that they love you enough to believe in you. Rejoice that God gave you team members to help pick up when you fall and give you a kick in the pants when you get lazy.

Are you running the race God set before you with all your heart? Do you keep the sin of compromise out of your life? Do you rely totally and completely on God and His Word? Are you embracing the team God has given you? If you can’t say that you are, remember, God promises to give you the desire and power to accomplish all of these things. Take Him up on His offer today so you can run the race of life in true victory.

Groceries, gas, utilities, and mortgages. These are all concepts that plague many of us on a daily basis. We spend time agonizing over how we will make ends meet.  Time that we could be spending with loved ones is lost in worrying over daily living.  Too often, we end up sick or depressed, and may do something that we wouldn’t ordinarily do.

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ~Matthew 6:25-27

Recently I began a challenge to read the Bible in a year. I am using the One Year Bible in the NIV format. Today’s reading included the passage above.  It got me to thinking about all the time we spend worrying over the things that we cannot change.  In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we forget that God has a plan for us, and that precious time shouldn’t be spent worrying.

Too often we become focused on the material things, instead of appreciating the absolute wonder of life.  I am guilty of forgetting that God put me here for a purpose.  I may not understand it, or even agree with it at times, but He has His reasons.  The time I spend worrying about insignificant things could be better spent glorifying Him.

So, are you ready to cut the cost?  We all want to manage our daily lives, and budget are time wisely.  What better way to do both of those than to cut out needless time spent worrying.  Instead, take the time to:

Read the Bible. What better way to manage your costs than spending time immersed in God’s word.  It’s the best way to stop worry in its tracks.

Talk to a friend. Just getting your worries out in the open can keep you from wasting time dwelling on them.

Volunteer your time. Seeing that there are others out there with problems different than your own can help you to see yours in a different light.  What may seem so big, may not be the problem you think it is.

Remember, life is all about taking the time to live it for God.  Don’t waste it worrying about the things that He will handle for you.  Matthew 6:34 sums things up pretty well:

³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

God’s blessings to you all!

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  Luke 2 :8-14

When I think of Christmas, this passage in the Bible is what comes most to mind.  Whether I see it performed live by the children in Sunday School, on TV in cartoon form, or read it in multiple versions of the Bible, it still manages to affect me in unexpected ways.

It seems when I am at my lowest point or Satan has me doubting that I am truly a Christian, I am led back to this passage again and again.  And each time it reminds me that one person can change the world.  This sweet, innocent child would help the world, and cleanse their souls.

Christmas is a time to embrace the story of the birth of Jesus.  To remember the wonder and contentment that comes with the appearance of a new little life in this world.  Sometimes we doubt that one life can make a difference or that what we say or do is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  What if Mary and Joseph had t

hose doubts, and did not help fulfill God’s plan?  Where would we be today?  I shudder to think about it.

So when you are at a time in your life when you wonder why you are here, or what’s the point in trying, that you will never make a difference in your own or someone else’s life, stop and remember that cold December morning in which a small child was born, and He made all the difference in the world.

My daughter has been very busy at school in her drama and chorus classes. She performed in her fall chorus concert, Romeo and Juliet and The Yellow Boat. She also attended Georgia Theatre conference in Columbus where her class performed The Yellow Boat and received several awards.

On November 7th, they performed this one act play in the regional competition and won first place. The following saturday, they competed at the state level and placed fifth. A member of their cast made All star.

In the coming weeks, she’ll be the makeup person for her school’s production of Frankenstein. Her school chorus will be performing two Christmas concerts, one here and the other at a school in a neighboring county. She and her brother will also be singing with our church’s youth choir in a Christmas concert.

In February, she and some of her classmates will be competing at Thespian conference. She’s not sure at this point what her drama teacher will require of everyone there.

It is my joy and honor as her mother to continue to watch her grow as she pursues her dreams, working hard and trusting God to provide.

What is a Christian? How do we identify it and how do we determine if someone else is a Christian? How do we teach our children to learn to seek out Christians to follow and learn from?
Just to clarify things, a Christian is one who has accepted the gift of Christ’s death and resurrection for their sins and now has given Christ full reign over their life.
In order to be a Christian you have to actually reach out and accept the gift God is offering. It’s a very personal experience. For some people, like me, accepting gifts comes very naturally so accepting the gift of salvation came easy. For other people there are stages of accepting the gift. It may take some time for it to get from their heads down into their hearts.
How do you determine if someone is a Christian? How do you show the world that you have accepted the gift? The gift God offers is beautiful. It sparkles and looks so bright and inviting. It makes an incredible centerpiece in a home. The fact is being a Christian is so much more than appearances. Many people, including our children, know how to look like a Christian. They dress appropriately for their denomination, they may speak Christianese, they don’t drink, they only listen to hymns, they only watch certain kinds of movies and they only are seen with good people. That’s all wrappings and bows. It’s beautiful but we need to get past the wrappings and bows and see if Christ is really a part of who they are. CS Lewis put it in much better words than I can:

“When they speak of being ‘in Christ’ or of Christ being ‘in them,’ this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them…” CS Lewis Mere Christianity

Someone who is truly a Christian is not merely playing a part, but has allowed Christ to live through them for His purposes and not their own.
When I was a little girl the secretary in my father’s office would give my father a gift for each of us at Christmas time. Miss Shirley was an older, single lady who really loved my sister and I, maybe because she had no children of her own. Her gifts would reflect her love. They were so beautifully wrapped with lots of little gifts things on the outside. An ornament, some candy, maybe a little doll would all be part of the wrappings. We often would use our gifts as decorations. One year I just never opened the gift. I loved looking at it and showing it off when visitors came over during the holiday season. When it was time to pack up the Christmas decorations I packed up my lovely looking gift with the tinsel and lights. During the summer at a company picnic Miss Shirley asked about the gift she gave me. I gushed over how pretty the package was and told her how I had put it in a safe place so I could save it. A sad look came over her face. “You never opened it?” she asked. “No it’s was too pretty.” “Oh honey, your gift was meant to be opened and used, it would have given you so much pleasure.” Little did I know Miss Shirley had given me a dress I had been pining for but knew my parents could never afford. Now, I wouldn’t be able to fit into it and had to pass it down to my sister.
When looking for Christians we need to see that person has opened the gift God has given them and applied to their lives now. What’s inside needs to be experienced and used for such a time as this. As the Christian grows God will allow the gift to grow and expand with them, unlike my dress.
When the God’s gift is accepted and opened the light and aroma of Christ is evident in a Christian’s life.

The Light
The light chases away any darkness.  The light of God’s love and grace will chase away all the darkness. That’s the nature of light. The way a Christian behaves will reveal the light inside. Now they will have a lighted path before them and they can move with confidence through their lives.
Reflect the light inside to those around you
It’s hard to contain light. Even though light is contained inside a box its rays shine brightly into the room. Christians are like that. They can’t help but shine the light of God’s love and grace everywhere they go. Their joy brings joy to those around them. Their faith helps build faith in those whose path they cross.
Light has the ability to change the environment because you are sure of the gift and the Giver.  How many times have you had someone ask “How do you do it?” The light of Christ in a Christian’s life allows the Christian to effect positive change on their environment because they know they serve a loving and faithful God. Without the gift of salvation no one can have that confidence and assurance.
The Light allows you to see more clearly and want to see more of the Giver.
My mom resisted accepting the gift for years. I had almost given up on her. She kept insisting she was a Christian but there was no fruit at all. I even wondered if there was such a thing as anti-fruit. I gave her a Bible on tape as a birthday gift one year as my last effort to get through. I was so discouraged and I asked the Lord to please reach my mom and to give me some assurance of her accepting His gift of salvation. About a month later my mom called, she was so excited to tell me about the things she was learning by listening to her Bible. She said for the first time in her life, the Bible was making sense. She said she had been asking God to let her know if He was really there and if he was she would do her best to follow him. My mom, who barely has an 8th grade education, is not only understanding but now putting into action and effecting a Godly change in her environment.

The Aroma
Scents permeate every fiber. My sister loves tea roses, her entire home is filled with tea rose potpourri; she wears rose water all the time. Her garden is filled with roses. Everywhere she goes she leaves the fragrance of roses. If you hug her, you now smell of roses. Even after her clothes are washed the scent of roses lingers because she has been wearing rose water for so many years that the scent has permeated everything she owns. When she is not around and I smell rose water, I think of my sister.
As a Christian grows their life will have the sweet aroma of Christ. Christians do things purposefully and prayerfully. All their decisions and reactions are scented by their relationship with Christ. Being a Christian is not something that is taken lightly. Faith permeates every fiber of a Christian’s being just as the fragrance of roses permeates every fiber of my sister’s clothing. You can’t be a Christian in your thoughts only or your feelings only or at spiritual events only. It takes over all of your heart, mind, body and soul.

…becoming a Christian, I warn you you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all…CS Lewis Mere Christianity

Aroma is obvious but intangible…what do you smell like?

“Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing.” 2Cor. 2:15 NLT

We rent out an apartment that is right next door to us. Our most recent tenants have been quite difficult. They have often said there is something different about us that they find interesting but they also really resented us. Our Christianity is evident to them and it has forced them to come face to face with their rebellious attitude. To them we stink.

Another tenant we had often commented on how we blew her ideas of Christianity right out of the water and now she is looking at Christians in a whole new way. To her, our aroma was attractive.
Christians are obvious to those around them. Some people can’t stand the scent of Christ and others are drawn to it. What do you smell like? Do you smell like the newest perfume on the market? Attractive but not really different from the world. Do you smell like a deodorant…just covering something up? Or do you smell like Christ…real, clean, authentic and don’t cause others to sneeze?
The aroma of a Christian is irresistible and makes others desire the gift
My first job out of college was to work at Estee Lauder. My office was one block away from Lord & Taylor’s and during lunch many of the girls I worked with would go there to check out the latest styles. When the perfume Lauren was first introduced a saleswoman would spray you with it when you came in the door. Coming back to the office smelling like a competitor did not make my employer happy but it did make the rest of us in the office go to buy that new perfume. Its scent was irresistible and we all wanted to smell beautiful and fashionable. It was exciting to be on the cutting edge of the fashion world.
The aroma of a Christian is irresistible. People who are looking to fill the God sized hole in their hearts will detect it and be drawn to you. They will seek you out to learn why you smell so good. They will want to be like you. Then you can point them to the source of your fragrance… the Lord of Lords.

“How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing it is irresistible.” CS Lewis A Mind Awake

Light and Aroma are not very effective if they are kept boxed or bottled up. The gift of Christianity is not very effective unless it’s applied to every moment of our lives. A Christian doesn’t need shiny wrapping and bows to call attention to their Christianity, they just need to live it.
My husband and son are very involved in Boy Scouts. While planning a camping trip recently one of the leaders was telling the rest about this super deluxe flashlight he received for Christmas. He recommended that everyone get one and pack it for the trip. On the evening they were leaving for the trip no one had a flashlight available. They had packed them away with their gear and the super deluxe flashlight was not helping them at all.

Don’t keep your Christianity packed away where it can do no good to you or anyone else. Let your Christianity be evident to the world because you are filled with the light of Christ and leave His fragrance wherever you go.
Christianity isn’t something that can be kept in a box. A Christian takes these qualities and puts them to use in every area of their lives.

It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannon to call attention to their shining – they just shine. Dwight L. Moody

I wrote these two poems several years ago during a Bible study on prayer. One is modeled after the 23rd Psalm and the other is an exhorting psalm. Hope these bless you!

The Lord is my Master

I shall not lack wisdom and love.

He makes me more obedient

He leads me by His Spirit

He restores my mind.

He leads me by His Spirit to be a wife and mother

Yes, though I walk in a time when

many forsake these callings

I am not afraid, He strengthens me.

Your presence comforts me.

You prepare answers and provisions

in the presence of my enemies

You annoint my life with your wisdom,

My life overflows:

Surely wisdom and love will follow me

all the days of my life

And I will call on the name

of the Lord forever.

Brothers and Sisters, let us praise and worship God together.
Making our burdens light as a feather.

Let us rejoice and extol His name,
His goodness never changes. It is always the same.

We come together, His Word to study,
Ascribing to Him, all riches and glory.

O, Come let us adore Him,
the one who for us, became sin.

Let us seek Him in Prayer
Our souls we can bare.

Worthy is the Lamb who faithful and true
To whom all fear and reverence are due.

It is truly amazing how fast time goes anymore.  After a less-than-ideal summer weather wise, fall is here, with winter not too far behind.  As a person who absolutely thrives on spring and summer, I am not always enthusiastic about this time of year.

Genesis 8:22 (New International Version)

²² “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

It’s always so amazing to read passages in the Bible regarding the changing of seasons, and that God himself designed the world that way.
When I put it into that perspective, the passing of one season into the next doesn’t seem so daunting.

I am in the process of putting up my fall decorations.  Usually that helps me to adjust to saying goodbye to summer and hello to the winter season.  My dear husband just made a comment to me that it will soon be time to come home to the garage light being on.  He says that is such a comfort to him to come home and see the light on, knowing that we are inside waiting for him.

God has a way of always leaving the light on for us.  No matter how far we may go or how lost we become, He always leaves the light on to guide us back to Him.

Psalm 43:3 (New International Version)

³ Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

So if you are tempted to get bogged down in the changing of the seasons, remember that God’s love for you does not change.

Maybe I’m just becoming more sentimental in my “old” age but I seem to be crying more these days.  I’m not particularly sad, depressed and or overly stressed.  I just find myself tearing up at the most ordinary things.  Like television commercials.  I saw one the other day for a pet food company that gives part of its profits to help homeless animals and before the 60 second bit was over, I was reaching for the Kleenex box.  And don’t even ask me about the first day of school last week or when we got the news that Hubby had made the promotional list at work.

I don’t even have to hear my own good news to tear up.  Anyone’s good news will do!  Last weekend at the town watermelon feed, I got teary-eyed listening to a proud mother talk about her son’s baseball scholarship to a nearby university.  I could just hear the pride and joy in her voice.  Being a mother, myself, I knew exactly what part of her heart she was speaking from.

I don’t mind crying, really, as long as I am wearing the right mascara and have tissues close by.  I really don’t mind if other see me get weepy.  It just shows that I care.  About others and about myself.  I am raising an only son and I have always told him that it is alright to cry.  I don’t buy into the notion that “big boys don’t cry” and “men shouldn’t show their feelings.”  Hogwash!   God gave us all, men and women, boys and girls, a set of emotions.  Use them!  Let it out!  Show the world that your heart is not made of stone and when you fall down and bang up your knee, it hurts!

When is the last time you cried?  Was it in anger? Tears of joy? Maybe it was at a wedding or in the privacy of your own bathroom behind a locked door.  It doesn’t really matter as long as you give yourself permission to do it.  It is an awesome relief for stress, angst and over-flowing emotions.  They say dreams are like opening a window and letting the bad air out.  Something similar could be said about tears.

An 1870 oil painting by Ford Madox Brown depicting Romeo and Juliet's famous balcony scene

My daughter Megan’s hopes and dreams for acting and singing are coming along nicely. She first showed an interest in singing when the children’s department of the church we were attending had a Christmas program. They had auditions for solo parts and Megan, in early elementary school, wanted to try. I was very surprised, but encouraged her. She didn’t get the part, but got another opportunity in a different, smaller church. A young adult choir member invited her to sing a duet. They sang together for a church service and thus began Megan’s journey in the performing arts. A few years later, I saw an article in the local newspaper looking for kids and teens to audition for the community theater Broadway musical review. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about both singing and acting.

From there, she’s gained experience in community,school and church choirs and plays. Her father and I have encouraged her to work hard, but not at the expense of others. 1 Peter 5:6-7 tells us that God will exalt in due time.We’ve instructed her to start at the bottom and gain skills to move ahead. We’ve prayed for God’s will and strength .We see God using and blessing her as she seeks to use her gifts for His glory.

She’s worked hard and been blessed with opportunities this year in Advanced Drama and Intermediate Women’s Chorus. Her drama class is working on Romeo and Juliet. She was considered for the lead as Juliet, and was of course disappointed when it went to someone else, but she didn’t dwell on it. We encourage her to do her best in the parts she’s given and trust God to move her at the right time down the road.

I’m excited about sharing with you how God is guiding us to nurture her dreams! Stay tuned for future updates!