I was lighting a candle yesterday - something I don't do very often because, well, if I burn them, then I have to pay to replace them. Yes, I know, I'm cheap, but that's not my point today!
Anyway, as I was lighting the candle, God showed me a comparison between candles and people. Most people have candles for two reasons - 1 because they are pretty and 2 because they smell good. Now, you can smell a candle up close without it being lit, but the fragrance doesn't go very far. But, when you light the candle, the perimiter of the aroma is much greater - one candle can make an entire house smell good, thus making it more effective in it's purpose.
How similar are we when we think about showing the love of Christ to others. If we truly want to share the Good News of Jesus we have to allow the light of His love to shine through us. If we keep quiet about salvation we might look pretty on the outside like an unlit candle, but the full potential of our purpose will never be realized and many people won't hear the hope of Jesus Christ.
What if the person that shared Christ with you had never "lit their candle" and kept the gospel to themselves? They'd be "heaven bound", but where would you be? The goal of the Great Commission is to get the gospel to the entire world - it's going to take a lot of lit candles to get the aroma of hope and salvation that far.
I challenge you, if your candle isn't lit, go find a lighter and light your candle. Someone needs to see and hear the Good News - you might be just the one God wants to use to reach a neighbor, a co-worker, a family memeber, or a dear friend.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
President Obama - "we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation . . . "
On April 6th, President Obama, while in Turkey said about America, "is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
Now, in theory, I think I understand what he was attempting to say . . . and that is that America is a melting pot where all kinds of people, no matter what their faith, can come together and live in peace. Now, I don't guess I should be assuming to know what the President is trying to say. What I do know is this, he basically denounced God and tromped on the values and principles this country was founded on. We may not have Christianity as the national religion - that would go against the Constitution, however, the mere fact that he had the audacity to play down the role of our heritage and where the ideals and values he spoke about came from is incomprehensible and almost unforgiveable to me.
I was reading in Psalms the next night and found these verses, "Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples? Earth-leaders push for position, Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks. The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers: "Let's get free of God! Cast loose from Messiah!" Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing. At first He's amused at their presumption; Then He gets good and angry. Furiously, He shuts them up: "Don't you know there's a King in Zion? A coronation banquet is spread for him on the holy summit." So, rebel-kings, use your heads; Upstart-judges, learn your lesson: Worship God in adoring embrace, Celebrate in trembling awe. Your very lives are in danger, you know; His anger is about to explode. But if you make a run for God - you won't regret it!"Psalm 2:1 - 6, 10 - 12
As a nation, I think we better do a pretty quick 180 degree turn back to God from where we are headed or we will indeed regret that!
Now, in theory, I think I understand what he was attempting to say . . . and that is that America is a melting pot where all kinds of people, no matter what their faith, can come together and live in peace. Now, I don't guess I should be assuming to know what the President is trying to say. What I do know is this, he basically denounced God and tromped on the values and principles this country was founded on. We may not have Christianity as the national religion - that would go against the Constitution, however, the mere fact that he had the audacity to play down the role of our heritage and where the ideals and values he spoke about came from is incomprehensible and almost unforgiveable to me.
I was reading in Psalms the next night and found these verses, "Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples? Earth-leaders push for position, Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks. The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers: "Let's get free of God! Cast loose from Messiah!" Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing. At first He's amused at their presumption; Then He gets good and angry. Furiously, He shuts them up: "Don't you know there's a King in Zion? A coronation banquet is spread for him on the holy summit." So, rebel-kings, use your heads; Upstart-judges, learn your lesson: Worship God in adoring embrace, Celebrate in trembling awe. Your very lives are in danger, you know; His anger is about to explode. But if you make a run for God - you won't regret it!"Psalm 2:1 - 6, 10 - 12
As a nation, I think we better do a pretty quick 180 degree turn back to God from where we are headed or we will indeed regret that!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Mr. Chet Edwards, Sir . . .
My husband, Dennis, just received a response letter from you regarding his encouragement of you to not vote for the stimulus bill. I find a few things interesting in your response. First of all, Congress and Senate is to be a voice for the people in the state in which they serve, not a platform to push through your own opinions. You wrote, "I respect those who might have honest disagreements with MY views on the economy or my votes on how to get our economy back on it's feet." Texas voted against Obama in this election 55% to 44% - you might want to pay attention to that.
Second, you discussed voting against the deregulation of Wall Street. You wrote, "If some businesses and banks are considered 'too big to fail', then they must either be far more effectively regulated or simply not allowed to become so big in the first place." It is NOT the government's job to run banks or businesses. That is the job of the private sector. If they fail, they fail. Will it be tough, ABSOLUTELY, however, I bet they learn their lesson. It's just like a kid who keeps making the same stupid mistakes over and over again. Tough love works - maybe that approach should be taken with banks and businesses.
Sir, you are gambling by borrowing against MY 3 kid's futures. It was a gamble far too risky to take. You need to listen to the voice of Texans, because most of them are not in agreement with trillions of dollars of debt. We are on a slippery slope to socialism and you are taking us there if you don't take a hands off approach to healthcare, the banking system, the car industry, etc. Free enterprise works and our founding father's would be sick at their stomachs if they could see where this country is headed. I highly recommend you rent the movie series called "John Adams". It is a painfully close resemblance of where exactly we are today. Then, think again about the philosophies you stand for.
Second, you discussed voting against the deregulation of Wall Street. You wrote, "If some businesses and banks are considered 'too big to fail', then they must either be far more effectively regulated or simply not allowed to become so big in the first place." It is NOT the government's job to run banks or businesses. That is the job of the private sector. If they fail, they fail. Will it be tough, ABSOLUTELY, however, I bet they learn their lesson. It's just like a kid who keeps making the same stupid mistakes over and over again. Tough love works - maybe that approach should be taken with banks and businesses.
Sir, you are gambling by borrowing against MY 3 kid's futures. It was a gamble far too risky to take. You need to listen to the voice of Texans, because most of them are not in agreement with trillions of dollars of debt. We are on a slippery slope to socialism and you are taking us there if you don't take a hands off approach to healthcare, the banking system, the car industry, etc. Free enterprise works and our founding father's would be sick at their stomachs if they could see where this country is headed. I highly recommend you rent the movie series called "John Adams". It is a painfully close resemblance of where exactly we are today. Then, think again about the philosophies you stand for.
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