Change For The Better

Eighty years ago today, the citizens of Enterprise erected what is sometimes referred to as the only monument in the world that is dedicated to an agricultural pest ... otherwise known as the Boll Weevil Monument. It sits right smack in the middle of the road in downtown Enterprise, drawing its share of gawkers and tourists. The story behind the monument is a simple one. The pest known as the boll weevil migrated north from Mexico and found itself in Alabama around 1915. Woohoo! Cotton! The boll weevil was delighted ... and area farmers were devastated. Losing whole crops was disastrous, so area farmers decided to diversify. This diversification was a boon to the area, leading town leaders to decide that a monument needed to be put in place so that everyone would be able to remember that sometimes it takes something bad for people to make a change for the better.

There are as many definitions of change as there are people to define it. The hard thing to comprehend is that sometimes change (good and bad) must happen to put us where we need to be. We need to remember the quote "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it!" What may seem devastating today will not always seem so debilitating in the future. How we view those stumbling blocks depends on us as individuals, and in some cases, the size of the block. Another hard thing to swallow is that sometimes our idea of change and God's idea of change are not always the same. We don't always, and may never in this life, know why God does what He does. It is not necessarily ours to know right now. Knowing that, and emotionally accepting that, however, are two entirely different things!!

Sometimes its hard to seek God when we have questions. There are times I find myself sounding like a whiny child (I'm relatively certain God thinks so too!) when talking to God. Sometimes God probably says to himself "because I said so Denise, just deal with it." After all, He gives me the tools I need to handle the changes in my life ... even though I sometimes am unable (or unwilling) to see them. He will never leave me, He won't forsake me. He brings change to my life, good and bad, because that is what He determines that I need.

Like those farmers in the early 1900s, sometimes change has to happen to clear the way for future blessings. Even though it might be difficult to accept, befuddling to try and comprehend, or painful to let go, have faith in God. He will not steer us wrong. He's never going to switch the track and cause a collision, He will stand beside us (carry us if necessary) all the way.

God, I ask for clear ears so that I may better hear your direction, clear eyes so that I may see the path you have laid for me, and an open heart so that I may better receive you. Help me to understand, and to help others understand.

"for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young - let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance -" ~ Proverbs 1:4-5 NIV

So This Is Christmas

As I sit here, having just completed my last test for World Lit I followed by putting the finishing touches on a scholarship essay, I feel a slight chill in the air and am a little amazed to realize that it is December 10th. Just two weeks and one day and we celebrate Christmas. What IS Christmas?

Contrary to what retailers worldwide would have us believe, Christmas is NOT about shopping, spending outrageous sums of money, having the newest/best/most expensive item to hit the market. Christmas is not about trees and presents, nor is it decorations and food. For the Christian, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Many years ago, there was a book subtitled "What Would Jesus Do?" written by Charles Sheldon (the actual title of the book is "In His Steps", and was written in 1896!!). If you've not read the book, I recommend it. Taking that phrase into consideration, what do you think Jesus would do with the commercialized insanity that Christmas has become for so many? I read an article the other day (and I am sorry to say that I do not remember where nor do I remember who wrote it) that made me stop and think. How much money do you plan to spend on Christmas this year? Why? Are you buying things that you NEED (or others need) or things that you WANT? When did we get away from the true meaning that is Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus, and morph into a bunch of .. well, consumers?

Instead of buying one more toy for a child that has too many, donate a new toy to Toys for Tots or whatever organization in your area provides toys for those who might otherwise have none. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a dinner that will be eaten, digested and well, you know the rest, spend half the amount on your dinner and use the other half to provide more than one meal for those who are not sure where their next meal is coming from. Think it doesn't apply here? Think again. We may live in a smaller community, but there are those in our area who have no home to call their own and will have little to celebrate. Contact the Dothan Rescue Mission or the Salvation Army and see what you can do to help. Many area churches distribute food baskets during the holiday seasons. The Dothan Rescue Mission is located at 216 E Crawford Street, 794-4637. The Salvation Army is located at 761 S Oates Street, 794-9304.

I believe it is in giving that we truly receive. Lord, help us to open our hearts to giving, and to rejoice in sharing with others. May we never forget the true meaning of Christmas!

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"~Luke 1:45 NIV

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