Around four years of college. Long days and longer nights. Hours of studying, classes, and work. Cramming and soaking it all up for my future group of kids. Adjusting to college life, attempting to find balance in it all. Stressing out and growing up. Facing all the typical student problems. Trying and strengthening my faith. All with one purpose in mind.
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I recently returned from a Ladies Retreat with three of our awesome ladies. I really needed those few days. He brought the peace and comfort to my heart that I so desperately wanted. I couldn't even pin-point what it was aside from Him. Anyway, one of the lessons that was taught left me with a story that stuck in my mind. And then was continually reminded of it the next few days. So, Thank-you to Ms. Angie for allowing me to share it. Here is, "The Pancake".
When my Pastor's youngest daughter got married, we went to a garden in Missouri for the wedding. The location was very cool, and of course, the wedding was beautiful. Afterwards, we were encouraged to stick around on the property. Rebecca, Isaac and I were able to convince my parents and another couple to go explore one of the caves with us. The cave had a lot of clay in the walls of it, and we were unprepared, so we were careful what we did. But, we started our journey with our small group of seven...three of which were not overly adventurous... and limited knowledge of what we would find. Small crawl spaces, a few snakes, bats and a drop off were what we knew from those who had gone before us. A few hundred feet in, we hear the group of little boys ahead of us. They had found the bats and were doing everything in their power to stir them up. Which terrified the moms of the group. Coming up behind us was the dad of one of the little boys going to get them who also retrieved the flashlight we had been borrowing, the only one we had in fact. So there we stood. Four adult and three kids in the darkest dark I had ever seen. Hundreds of feet into the cave with no idea where we were. I think the women we having panic attacks. I thought it was amazing! Adrenaline rushing, I wanted to push on. Practically crawling, we tried to go ahead. Only to make it a few feet and walk into a wall. I accidentally bumped into the other lady that was with us, and scared her so bad. Our perception was off, assumingly due to the darkness. Common sense beat adventure, and disappointed, we had to turn around and go out the way we came.
What's with us???!!!!! What are we doing?! What are we adding to our youth group? Our church? Yes, OUR church. It's your church too... what are you adding to it? Just your presence? You think God needs you to fill a pew Sunday Morning, and any other service IF you don't have anything else important to do?! How are you benefiting the church? You're adding something to it, what is it? Is it positive? God-Honoring? Or are we just adding to monotony and Luke-warm spirituality?
Do you read your Bible other than at church...that is if you can find where you put it from last service? Do you try to live the messages you hear, and not just try and stay awake through them. Do you listen intently to the message, or check your watch every five minutes? Do you pray for your Pastor or talk about him? James 1.22-25, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, decieving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." Do you regularly spend time on your knees praying for His work in your life and church? Do you ask for His power and revival in your church? Do you pray for wisdom for the leaders of your church? Or just talk of what they are doing wrong? Do you pray for and with your peers instead of talking ABOUT them? Do you encourage others? Does your entertainment tear you down spiritually? Do your friends build you up spiritually? Are you an example of Christ in your everyday life? When people look at you, would they know you were a Christian? Would things you say, do, listen to, wear, watch... would they cause someone to be surprised if they found out you went to church?! Are you involved in the ministries of the church? Instead of complaining, do you try to fix the problem? Do you add anything to the church aside from filling a seat? Do you KNOW your church family? Do you talk to others about Christ on a regular basis? Have you witnessed to anyone...ever?! What are we doing?! How do we expect our church to grow and be alive, if we aren't? Don't look around. Look in the mirror. I'm talking to myself just as much here! Acts 9.6, "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?..." Bored at church? Then do something about it! You get as much out of it as you put into it. There something you can do. Go do it! Get involved with your church! |
Lizzy parkerMarriage.
Motherhood. Ministry. Missions. Archives
January 2023
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