It DOES Make A Difference

When I ordered my copy of "What difference do it make?" from Thomas Nelson Publishers for a book review, I had no idea what would lie in store for me. I was not familiar with Ron Hall, Denver Moore, or Lynn Vincent. I had not read their previous work, "same kind of different as me." Two months and 200 pages later, I sit here slightly stunned, feeling as if there is so much I should be doing, and wondering how I can make it all come together.



The first thing that may strike those who know me as slightly strange is the fact that it took me just over two months to finish a 200 page book. Never mind the fact that I am in school and work full time, I am a reader. I will FIND time to read. This slim, simple volume has sat on my table, on my computer desk, even on my clipboard at work - silently reminding me that I made a promise.

What difference do it make? arrived in a brown envelope, and I eagerly tore into it, anxious to get started. I knew before I finished reading the cover flaps that this would be no ordinary book. The 5-1/2 page introduction only served to confirm that fact. I re-read the introduction and set the book aside, slightly puzzled at the way these few words had affected me.

Whether or not you've read same kind of different as me, you very quickly come to know Ron Hall, Deborah Hall, and Denver Moore. In Ron's unabashed grief at the loss of his beloved Deborah, you will feel his loss. In Denver's simple, honest language, you will come to know this gentle man. Through the stories they tell, mostly of how their book affected others, we are given a blueprint of how small changes can effect large results.

This book will make you stop and think. This book will make you wonder. This book will make you feel as if you are not doing enough, and will urge you to do more. Pick up a copy today. Get to know Ron, Deborah, and Denver. Carry them with you, and you will find truth in Denver's simple statement: "everbody's lookin for God everywhere on the outside. He ain't in no book, and He ain't in no preacher, and He ain't in nothin or no one on the outside. You go to go inside 'cause that's where God is - in the deepest place inside you."

God, thank you for being deep within. Thank you for not coming out even when I have been unworthy of your never ending grace. Please take my hand and guide me, help me to make a difference.

"'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' " ... "'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"~Matthew 25:35,36,40 NIV

What Is This World Coming To?

I sit here in front of my computer, in a slight state of disbelief. In today's instant society, there is information available at the touch of a fingertip, and today was no exception. A friend of mine had posted a link on facebook, and intrigued by the caption, I clicked on the two minute clip.

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com

Imagine the shock and horror as I watch and listen ... two small children, ages 2 and 3, were left at home alone while their mother and aunt go "take a man home" who had apparently cut the mother's grass. It is not specified, but we assume that the mother is the distraught individual who can barely stand that we see briefly in the background. The aunt, on the other hand, shows no remorse whatsoever for having left the two children alone in the house. She states that she's not sure how the house caught on fire, "the kids might have done it", or someone might have thrown something in there to make it catch on fire ... but her primary concern? She "needs to get in there and see if her purse burnt up because it had her food stamp card in it."

A two year old and a three year old are in critical condition at a Memphis hospital because they were home alone when a fire broke out, and all she cares about is whether or not her food stamp card burned? All I can do at this point is beg for forgiveness because the thoughts that are in my heart for this woman are not good ones. The firefighters and the neighbors shown are in varying states of disbelief or sorrow, but not good ol' auntie! One is quoted as saying "they were like ragdolls" when they were carried from the home. Two young lives, horribly injured, and she is worried about her food stamp card?? One of the first things that went through my mind is that I hope she chokes on food bought with that food stamp card, and that I hope she's at home alone when she does! That is wrong of me. I should not feel that way toward this woman, or anyone for that matter. It is not my place to judge. She will be judged by God, as she should be.

Sometimes it is very difficult to step back and realize that God works in God's time. God's time and our time do not always coincide. It is not our place to pass judgment, for we don't know the complete story. Even if we did know the complete story, it is still not ours to judge. I guess what hurts the most is the complete and utter disregard for human life that she shows. A two minute video clip cannot begin to show a full picture of an individual, and while it does seem that at times they are indeed designed to highlight the worst, it is just horrific to realize where she places the importance of things. THINGS. Not people. THINGS.

Things can be replaced. People cannot. What does it say for us as a society when more importance is placed on what we have or what we own than who we are? It has been said that character is who you are when no one is watching. Thanks to the rapid news of today, the world will see this woman's concern for her food stamp card, not the lives of her nephews. Last week it was "balloon boy," this week, "food stamp card lady." What will we see next?

Lord, please give me the ability to listen and understand. Remind me that YOU are the source of all strength, and that you will never fail. Please help us to turn around and realize that WE NEED YOU! Give us the eyes to see that slipping away from you only puts us further into the mire. You gave us Jesus, your son, so that we may have eternal life. Please let us see that life is a gift from you not to be squandered. Money, possessions, and food stamp cards won't go with us to heaven ... we need to realize that your greatest gift is LIFE!

"On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house."~Ezekiel 23:39 NIV

To Everything ... There is a Season

Since I stopped working on Saturday nights, I can usually be found in front of the computer playing some nonsensical (ie. time-wasting) game while the radio plays in the background. When I say radio, I mean of course, listening live through my computer. My usual Saturday night fare is Jukebox Saturday Night with Allen Skipper on WOAB 104.9. I listen to Allen for a couple of reasons: first-we are friends and I enjoy listening to him on the radio. The other reason I listen is that music inspires me. It always has, even before I started writing regularly. This week, while listening, I was struck with inspiration by the song "Turn, Turn, Turn" by the Byrds.

Whether or not you are a secular music fan, you are probably at least somewhat familiar with these lyrics. Why? Because Pete Seeger took HIS inspiration for this song from the Bible! Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, in fact. Verses 1-8 in the King James version underwent very few changes to be turned into this wildly popular tune written in 1959 but not released by Seeger until his 1962 album The Bitter and The Sweet. "Turn, Turn, Turn" was also released that same year, by a little known group named the Limeliters. Don't know them? How about "things go better with coca-cola?" Yep, that's the Limeliters.The Byrds released "Turn, Turn, Turn" in October 1, 1965, probably the song's best known version.

Get your Bible and turn to Ecclesiastes, chapter 3. Unless you've never heard the song before, I'm willing to bet that many of you are singing to yourselves as you read! "To everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season (turn, turn, turn) and a time to every purpose under heaven." It is said that the only lyrics that can actually be credited to Pete Seeger are the phrase "turn, turn, turn" and the song's last line "I hope it's not too late." So what does this song have to do with a devotion? As I'm sure most of you know by now, I love music. I find inspiration in what some may consider pretty off-the-wall stuff. Let's break it down a bit and look at the next part of the song.

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to reap

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep

What does the Bible say?

A time to be born, and a time to die

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to weep, and a time to laugh

What does that mean to me? There is indeed a time for each of us to be born, and a time for each of us to die. We don't know when our time to die will come, and I'm relatively certain there is good reason for that. God knows, and that is enough. What we sow, so shall we reap. Galatians 6:7 tells us this. If you plant seeds of bitterness, do you truly expect to reap happiness?? Think about what you are planting! I probably have the most problem with the phrase "A time to kill, a time to heal". The only reasoning I can find to make this sit well with me is not to take it literally as in killing = murder, but to look at it from the perspective that sometimes things have to be stopped where they are. If I am living my life full of self-destructive habits, I have to "kill" those habits before I can heal. For each negative that I replace with a positive, I have "killed" in order to heal.

Last but certainly not least, there will indeed be times in our lives when we must weep, and times when we will overflow with joy in such a way that it will manifest itself as laughter. Stop and think for a moment: when was the last time you cried? Why? Was it a momentary hurt, or a deep soul-wrenching ache? What about the last time you laughed? Is it just me, or is it true that the ones who can make you cry the hardest are also those who can make your laughter the deepest? When someone is that close to you, they have the ability to both wound and heal. Sound familiar?

Lord, when I open my eyes each morning, make me have a smile upon my face. I should face each day thankful with the chance that I have been given instead of grumbling about what I'd rather not do. God indeed has a purpose for everything that He does. Lord, please give me the will to follow your will instead of thinking that I know what is best. There is a reason, just as there is a season. May I follow the seasons that you have set for my life, and live in a way that pleases you. As I walk through the seasons, your reasons will become clear.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

~Ecclesiastes 1:3 NIV

Where Were You?

Nine years ago, America collectively gasped and watched our illusion of safety crumble to the ground when not one but three immediately recognizable buildings were struck by terrorist controlled airplanes. Since that day, we have studied videos, listened to countless commentaries, read hundreds of stories and articles, and wondered.

September 11, 2001 is a day that will live in the memory of most Americans for a very long time. For my parents' generation, it ranks right up there with November 22, 1963. Just as our parents could tell you where they were and what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, most people of my generation remember quite well where they were and what they were doing on 9/11/01. I was at work when one of my employees walked in and said "A plane just flew into the Pentagon." My first response was a thoroughly professional "Nuh-uh ... you're kidding, right?" There were no tv's available to us, just radio ... which obligingly within moments broke in with the shocking news that she was indeed correct. A few frantic phone calls later, it started to sink in with a gut-wrenching reality. Our safe haven had been violated not once but three times, and it appeared that there would have been a 4th attempt but the plane had crash landed. Within a two hour time period, both the north and south towers of the World Trade Center had been struck by aircraft, the Pentagon had been hit, and the plane crash in Pennsylvania was a horrific ending to what might have been yet another terrorist attack.

Within the days, weeks, and months that followed, America pulled together like never before in my memory. We were Americans and we would stand against those who dared to invade the sanctuary of our borders. We cried, we held hands, we hugged, we prayed. We knelt down, we looked up. We stood up ... and we stood tall. Eight years later, it is a horrific memory, and a realization of our vulnerability. Terrorism does happen; it happened here.

Where were you eight years ago? Did the events of 9/11/01 effect a change in your life? The last eight years have brought changes both good and bad into my life. Fortunately, the most recent changes have all been good. I thank God every day for the blessings He has given me.

We all have the capacity for change. Fortunately, most change does not require an earth-shattering event like we lived through in 2001. If a major change in your life were to happen, traumatic or otherwise, will God be your guide? If you can't answer "YES!" without hesitation, take some time to ask Him to fill that role for you. Believe in Him, and He will guide you in all things.

Jesus, lay your Hand on our hearts and minds today as we reflect on those who lost their lives in the tragedies of 2001. Guide their families to peace, guide us as a nation to stand strong. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

"... Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror."~Isaiah 21:1 NIV

A Fresh Start

As you may have noticed, I am a reader. Sometimes, I write about what I am reading because it has touched me in some way that I feel a need to share with you. The book I recently finished reading has done just that. Finding an outlet that allows me to do so was part of what drew me to Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers. Working with Thomas Nelson publishers allows me to read (which I love), write about what I've read (which I also love), and to combine the two in a way that will make you want to read what I've just read (which I hope to do).

The first thing that drew me to this book was not the title, but the cover artwork. Simplistic? Maybe. But take a look before you dive inside. Cool, clear water is the impression that you receive, and water does what for us? Refreshes us and quenches our thirst. Fresh Start, written by teaching pastor Doug Fields, invites you inside to learn just how "God's Invitation to a Great Life" can work for you.

You immediately discover that Fields is not your typical self-help book author. He uses humor, common sense, real-life examples, and scripture that drives his point home to bring you into the world of change. His introduction tells the tale of Thomas Edison. Not of his amazing discoveries, but of the destructive fire that obliterated much of his work. Edison's reaction? " ... I am not too old to make a fresh start." With that simple statement, Doug Fields begins to walk us through just how to make such a change happen in our lives, and what effect even simple changes will have.

Fields uses the word stuck to describe our spiritual habits, and how accurate this description is! He reminds us that through the maze of self-help, we need to focus on the one thing that can indeed bring us from "stuck" to starting over, and that's simply that "change comes only because we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Phil 4:13)," and that "real, lasting change comes from God's unlimited power." Over and over, throughout the 193 pages of this work, Doug Fields makes a point, questions your understanding, reinforces what he is teaching, and moves you forward. I just wanted to keep reading, and read this book in one day!

From defining "Unstuck," to inviting you "To Boldly Go," to "Analyzing Anger," and realizing "What You Value Most," Doug Fields has written a book that draws you in with a timely message for today's hurry-up-right-now-I-want-it-all society. Why not see what Fresh Start means to you?

"I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland!"~Isaiah 43:19 NLT