Childlike Need

Recently, I heard a pod cast that totally transformed the way I view childlike faith. I always assumed that kind of faith was up to me. I needed to believe the way a child did. Afterwards, I realize that kind of faith is more of childlike need.

My baby, Piper, cannot do a thing for herself. She NEEDS me to do everything for her. I feed her. I change her. I dress her. I even put her to sleep because there are times she is so tired that she can't figure out how. She needs me desperately. She cannot survive without me.

This is what a childlike faith is. It is a realization of our desperate, extreme need for our Heavenly Father. According to Romans 8:15, we've been made His children and we CRY "Abba." Another preacher recently pointed out that "abba" is easy for a baby to say, much like Piper says "Dada." A baby cries to communicate. They have no other way to make their needs known.

Is this how you relate to God? Do you know this kind of need? Remember that any faith we have is a gift of grace from God. He is happy to give us good gifts. Ask Him for this kind of faith and let Him hold you. Let Him take care of you. Let Him be your "Abba."

In case you were interested, the podcast I listen regularly to is from Matt Chandler at the Village Church out of Denton, TX. The other preacher I was privileged to hear recently was Dr. Russell Moore of Southern Seminary and Highview Baptist in Louisville. I highly recommend both if you are looking for a preacher other than your husband to listen to! ;)

Growing in Grace

One thing about working with (and parenting) preschoolers is the amazing rate at which they grow and change. They are constantly developing mentally, physically and emotionally. It is really mind boggling how fast they grow.

Personally, I am really in denial that my Piper will be a year old next week. It just doesn't seem possible. Yet, as I look at pictures the changes are obvious. Growth has definitely taken place.

Recently, I reminded the parents and the staff of the Parents' Day Out Program to use the obvious growth of the little ones to remind us of Peter's words. As he closes out his second letter, he tells us in verse 18 of chapter 3 to " . . . grow in grace . . . "

As Christians, we are never to stop developing. We have to keep growing. It is all part of the sanctification process to become more like Jesus. So while we might not be adding inches to our height, our heart should not look like it did last year at this time.

Yes, there will be growing pains along the way. Babies cutting teeth know how painful reaching developmental milestones can be! But we press on. We press on into Jesus and keep striving to grow in grace.

So, the next time you see a youngster you haven't seen in awhile and comment on how much he has grown, let it serve as a reminder that your spiritual growth should be evident too.

A Child-Like Faith

This year I have been blessed to serve First Baptist Church Clarksville as the director of their Parents' Day Out program. I work with an incredible and dedicated staff, and have the best families to serve, but I think my favorite aspect of this job is getting to be around the preschoolers.

I love going into their classrooms. I get to play, snack, read or just join in on whatever activity their teacher is leading them in. While I am not in the classrooms as much as I would like, I am never sorry that I took the time to drop in.

Over the next couple of posts, I will be sharing a few ideas and little lessons that God has shown me through the children I see through this ministry.

I used to think that a child's faith was basically an ignorant faith. I mean you can get a kid to believe just about anything right? I am not so sure about that anymore. Even preschoolers are smart. They understand more than most people give them credit for. They are inquisitive. They want to know "why." They love to discover.

God wants us to seek Him, to press into Him, to discover Him. Yes, we much obey because God tells us things - just as preschoolers are disciplined, we too are corrected by God. But, we just need to make sure we are TRUSTING Him as a child does.

My daughter knows her daddy will catch her as she jumps to him off the top stair step. She has complete trust in her daddy because she knows her daddy. As we learn more about our heavenly Father, we trust Him all the more. We then have something to base our relationship on.

Faith and Trust go together. Each one leads to more of the other. That is what a child-like faith is all about.

What does it look like to you?

I will post some more thoughts on this later this week.

Manequin in the Baptistry???

This past weekend I had an opportunity to speak on the Gulf Coast. A group of ladies from the church Randy pastored for 13 years were having a retreat. We had a great time, but God confirmed again to me why we had to move 12 hours away from this beloved place.

You see, I have a tendency to get in trouble. One of my dearest friends, Judy Lott, was also one of the leaders during the retreat. She and I have been in the center of so much commotion concerning church functions for years. Not long before God made us move to Tennessee Judy found a manequin. We had such fun with that lady!!! She showed up in the strangest places...
like on the toilet in a bathroom at a bridal shower (boy were those ladies surprised!!) and at the desk of Randy's secretary, who just happened to be one of my closest friends. Her name was Pam, and to this day, she is the only lady I have ever sent roses to---after scaring her half to death with our little friend. Anyway, the clincher was going to be when we floated the manequin in the baptistry during the week (never on a Sunday!!) for the staff to find. However, I guess God thought that was going a little too far, and he moved us before I could ruin Randy's ministry.

But this weekend, another manequin surfaced. We were staying at this huge house that had a small bathroom downstairs near where we were meeting. There was a glass shower kind of tucked in behind the door so you didn't really see it until you sat on the potty. We stood the manequin up in the corner of the shower and just left it there. It was hysterical to hear the reaction from different ones when they saw it. All the ladies were talking out in the room and you couldn't really hear the screams unless you were standing outside the bathroom door. So the ladies were unaware of what was going on until they went in to the bathroom. So over and over, one by one, we surprised them. I laughed until my side hurt.

Aren't you glad that God gives us good friends and laughter and the ability to have a good time?
I am thankful that He has allowed us to enjoy the "abundant life" He gave us.

THE LORD GIVETH, AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY

Sometimes, life is just bittersweet!

There was a young teacher in our community that was expecting her first child. Week before last they ordered all the furniture and finished fixing up the nursery. However, while teaching last week she started experiencing severe cramps. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where she delivered several months early. Her precious little boy lived about an hour.

That same week, another couple in my Sunday School class found out they were expecting. They were so excited and they wanted to tell the class today...but they didn't. You see the couple whose little boy didn't make it came to our class as well. The couple that had just found out they were expecting didn't want to do anything to upset them.

You see, the ones grieving had never been to our class before. But last Sunday, three days after this happened, our class took up money and signed a card and took it to them along with supper on Monday night. We had talked about being the Lord's hands and feet, and this was a perfect example. It made such an impact on them, they wanted to come to class today AND then joined the church during the 2nd service.

What a blessing and what an example of how God intends His church to behave! We don't always get it right, but I am so thankful we did this time.

Heed the Warning

A few weeks ago I was in a hotel room all alone. I had just gotten out of the shower, standing there soaking wet, when the fire alarm sounded. Loud. Screechy. Unending. Is there a fire? Is this a false alarm? What should I do?

I have some options. One, I can wrap up in a towel and run out of the room as fast as I can into the cold February air soaking wet and unclothed. Definitely not a pretty sight! Two, I can quickly throw on the jammies that are right there on the counter and then run out of the room. Still not a pretty sight and besides, I need my moisturizer on! Three, I can get dressed and then go out. Forth, I could ignore it totally and hope it goes away. I am sure there were other options but these were the ones that flashed through my mind quickly. What to do?

There are obvious drawbacks to all options. Total embarrassment if I ventured out of my room in my jammies, or worse, nothing but a towel. If I wait until I am "presentable" and there really is a fire, I could be burned up.

So, I did what any prideful woman would do. I ignored the alarm and told myself I needed to get my moisturizer on, my lotion on, and my clothes on, THEN I would heed the warning.

Eventually, the alarm stopped and I never did find out what it was sounded for but here's what the Lord spoke to me while all of this was going on.

There are warnings, alarms (from the Holy Spirit) that go off all of the time....and we have a choice to make each time we "hear" those alarms. Do we heed or do we ignore? When we are about to say something or do something and we hear the "alarm", we must heed it. There is danger in what we are about to say or do and we must run from it.

Heed the warnings my friends. Listen to the alarms that go off in your heart or mind or spirit. God is warning you and believe me, He does not give off false alarms!!

A Prepared Heart

How is it that half way through the second song I realized I was going through the motions in worship? The words were coming out of my mouth....but my mind was thinking about anything and everything other than God. Why is that? How sad that I can come to corporate worship on Sunday with the local Body of Christ and be distracted.

How is it that I can read an entire chapter in Acts and have no idea what I just read? How does that happen?

I think we all know. It is called being distracted. It is called not having a prepared heart.

I have been encouraged by Mark 4, the story of the farmer scattering seed. At any given time my heart can be hard or rocky or crowded....just like the soil that did not produce fruit. OR it can be fertile and productive and produce lots and lots of fruit.

We all know that we MUST prepare our hearts for worship. There is no way we can sit at the feet of Jesus and expect to hear from Him or know Him or even worship Him if our hearts are not prepared. Words will just bounce off like seeds do on hard or rocky soil.

The sad thing is this is nothing new. Not a unknown Truth or new enlightenment....it is something I have known for years. Why do I forget? Why do I think I can come before the throne of the God of the Universe without first preparing my heart?

Each time I open the Word or go to worship or desire to walk in Truth or long to speak Godly words or have pure thoughts or even try to write this blog....I must, we must, go to the Lord and ask for His mind to understand what we read, ask to see His face as we worship, ask for His words when we speak, etc.

Fruitful. Fruitful worship, Fruitful speech, Fruitful thoughts. All comes from a prepared heart. A focused heart. Tomorrow before you begin to read your Bible....first ask God to speak to you. Sunday when you go to worship (and for some of you....before you lead in worship) be sure to focus your heart and mind on Him....not the "things" around you.

Then, expect much fruit!