That Doesn't Mean You're Going To Hell

Drummer Boy tries to take on the big issues all by himself.

All alone.

I'm glad he doesn't hold it all in. He shares his opinions with us.

Freely.

But today, he broke my heart.

"I'm probably going to hell," he sobbed, as we sat on the couch together.
"Why would you say that, son?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Because I never get picked for anything in kids' church!" He wailed, falling into my arms.

Okay. We have a big children's ministry. There is no way they can pick everyone. It's a great children's church. Second to none.
And also, wow, what a leap of theology to make all on your own.

I turned to him immediately and said, "Son, you're not going to hell."
"How do you know?" he sniffled.
"Because, you asked Jesus into your heart, right?"
"Uh huh," he nodded.
"And you're living for Him, and talking to Him everyday?"
"Yes," he looked up at me hopefully.
"And when you disobey, do you ask Him for forgiveness?"
"I do!"
"Well then," I explained, "You are going to Heaven, because the Bible says that if you believe in Jesus, ask Him to be Lord of your life, and live your life with Him as the Center, you are going to Heaven."
"But then, why don't they pick me at church?" (He just wouldn't let that go.)
"Maybe because you're jumping around when it's time to be quiet?" I tried.
"Well, I do get excited when I go up there," he admitted reluctantly.
"The most important thing is learning about Jesus, and worshiping Him, not getting picked," I told him.
"And I'm not going to hell!" Drummer Boy proclaimed triumphantly.

That was easy enough to explain to my son, but how many times do I impose what has happened to me in The Church as what God thinks of me? Making up theology based on your personal experience alone, is always dangerous, especially if you don't check it out with God's infallible Word.

I'm just saying.

All God's Creatures

Ellie loves animals. (She used to say aminals.)

All animals.

Every single creature.

God created all of them, so what's not to love, right?

That's her mentality.

She was so ecstatic to catch yet another friend yesterday.



Calm down. It's only a garter snake. Great for the garden.

(Maybe it should be called a garden snake. That's Drummer Boy's opinion.)

Ellie knows the difference between poisonous and non poisonous reptiles BECAUSE I freaked out last year, when I came around the corner of the playroom, and there was a copperhead in primed striking position. At the other end of the stick pointing at it was Ellie.

After I got between the snake and my little zoologist, I maneuvered us (walking backward at a glacial pace) to the house.

Then I fussed at the aforementioned zoologist.

"But, Mom, I was just playing with him! He liked the stick!"

We had a long discourse on poisonous reptiles, complete with pictures from the internet.

It was a long time before I could track down my heart, slow down it's rapid palpitation long enough to insert it back into my chest cavity, and take a deeeeep breath. Sleep eluded me that night.

Some of my friends say their children's Guardian Angel has gray hair.

Ellie and Drummer Boy's Guardian Angel is putting in for retirement.

True God Worshipers

Don't you love the sign?

It was our welcome and advertisement this weekend from Bayou Wesleyan Church in Irvington, Alabama.

We had a blast.

Here's Biker Man with Pastor Roger (Smiley) Bowers. (Also a biker, in case you couldn't tell.)



We love this church. They are so open, and ready to worship.

I started crying before service even started. (Okay, I know I can cry easy, but seriously, the presence of God was so strong in that place.) I had to go back in another room to compose myself a bit.

God started moving from the first song their worship team played, even through the announcements.

Eight people came to Jesus. That was worth driving five hours for.

Talking to Pastor Smiley after service, he was sharing with us about how he has started going into the woods behind his house to pray early in the mornings. He said, "Jesus told me to seek Him with all my heart. And He lets me find Him. When I look for Him, He shows Himself to me. It's like I'm playing hide-and-go-seek with Jesus!"

I love that.

We can't wait to go back. Just getting to be a small part of what is happening in that group of Christ lovers is humbling and wonderful.

And that sign epitomizes what we want to become.

True God Worshipers.

Nothing less.

No Signs of Slowing

We have a house full of sick people.

Biker Man has been laid up with stomach issues.

Ellie has fever and the same issues as her father.

I started feeling sick early this morning, but I'm managing to keep the nausea at bay.

Little Drummer Boy?

He has the symptoms of a virus, but nothing is slowing him down.

He has been running circles around the house, singing, dancing, laughing.

I don't know how he does it.

He came into my bed this morning, put his head next to mine and said, "Morning, Mom! It's your Drummer Boy!"

Oh, to have that vivacity.

He doesn't give in to the first sign of illness, but laughs derisively in the face of biliousness, proceeding to show his true mettle.

(Why, yes, we have been reading books with talking animals, dwarfs, British children, and a lion, set in the realm of Narnia.)

I Was Going To Switch, But....

photo © 2008 David | more info (via: Wylio)


Okay. So if you read my post Thursday, you know that I had every intention of switching banks.

Every intention.

I went in to the bank, explained my situation and frustration at the unjustified overdraft charges.
Calmly.

Very quietly, I added, "I'll probably need to just close out our account."

Michael, the banker, thought this was unnecessary.

Once, we got the overdraft fees taken care of, and apologies were made, both by Michael on behalf of the bank, and myself (mostly because I brought my kids to the bank with me -- you fill in the blanks), we discovered that we both lead worship.

Michael is the Worship Pastor at New Kingdom Ministries International. (Check out the link!) He trains up worship leaders and musicians to carry worship around the globe.

How cool is that?

We started talking about worship, running the race, family, and ministry.

We almost had church right there in the bank.

I have called a couple ministry friends who need worship leaders for events, to hopefully get Michael connected.

Oh, one more thing: He's single. I had to put that out there for any ladies interested in an anointed, gracious man of God.

Obviously, I will stay with my bank. And try not to incur more overdraft fees.

No Post Tomorrow...

I have joined my blogging friends in a day of silence tomorrow, March 18th.

You can check out the banner below for information on how to donate to help Japan.



See you back on Saturday!

New Beginnings

The first sign of Spring.

Doesn't Ellie look like she belongs in Little House On The Prairie?

It's the bonnet. It's a true Cajun bonnet, worn since the 1800's by French Cajun ladies serious about gardening, cooking, french music, religion, and crawfish.

Every year, I have to start over with most of my flowers. They don't all grow back for me.

I don't have so much a green thumb, as a black thumb. I forget to cover my plants when it freezes, forget to water them, forget to weed, and forget about them altogether.

So I have been repotting, replanting, and completely rearranging my yard.

Every year.

"This time I'm going to keep up my garden, I really am," I chant, like it's a mantra. As if I'll suddenly be struck with an organized and strangely powerful memory. And a soul that nurtures anything besides my children and husband.



Also, I will be switching banks.

(Insert image of Ellie nodding furiously.)

They placed a hold on my check I deposited Friday, with seventy dollars in overdraft charges hitting my account on Monday. For the umpteenth time.

Seventy. Dollars.

Time for a new financial institution, I say.

I love new beginnings.

Obedience

The revelation of my growth in grace is the way in which I look upon obedience.
~ Oswald Chambers

When I read that, I shuddered.

At my good intentions.

At my wavering heart when faced with an uphill road, not a smooth path that will lead me gently to His intended calling.

At my half-hearted attempts to do as He asks, and then when my efforts are not all together successful, my swift abandonment of the idea that Jesus really told me to do it in the first place.

When the journey includes a battle (and didn't He say I would be faced with trials if I followed Him?), I will not rebuke the trial and call it an attack from the enemy.
I will plough through, set my face like a flint, and let the challenge prove in me the warrior He says I am.
I will cling to the sword He placed in my hand, allow Him to enlarge the place where I stand, and trust in the Lord my God.

Wandering aimless
Seems so painless
Compared to knowing what will be
If I pursue the vision
Deep within
But to endure for a season
Brings joy in the end
And love without
Sacrifice
Is only
Infatuation.

Only A Month Late

So we just had Drummer Boy's birthday party today.

His birthday is in February.

Did you notice today's date?

Oh yeah. I'm mom of the year for sure.

There are a plethora of reasons we had to have it this late, but I will not delve into any of that at this time.

Biker Man called me after first service this morning. He was stuck in Galveston, on a job. He missed the party.

But Drummer Boy had a wonderful party, nonetheless.


"OOOOHHH!!! It's the one I wanted!!"


Nichole took over after I started butchering the cake.


jumping with friends (man, that thing is great for expelling energy!)


opening more presents.




One of Drummer Boy's presents was, obviously, silly string. Ellie was not impressed.

It Won't Lie

The other day I was driving. (I spend half my life in the car.)

The conversation in the back seat went something like this:

Little Drummer Boy: "I hope that it will snow."

Ellie: "No, it won't because it's too hot." (South Louisiana basically has two seasons. Summer, and Late Fall.)

"But it might snow anyway."

"I seriously doubt it."

(pause)

Little Drummer Boy: "Well, I hope, I don't doubt."

Childlike faith.
'Nuff said.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry. -Habakkuk 2:3

Now faith is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things not seen." -Hebrews 11:1

Complete

Wonder why you get disappointed in friendships that fade?
Wonder why you get underwhelmed when relationships seem so superficial?
Wonder why you feel so incomplete when you're hanging out with all those people whose opinions should be the ones that matter?

His whole life we would imitate; his whole character we would transcribe. In all other beings we see some lack, in him there is all perfection. The best even of his favoured saints have had blots upon their garments and wrinkles upon their brows; he is nothing but loveliness. All earthly suns have their spots: the fair world itself hath its wilderness; we cannot love the whole of the most lovely thing; but Christ Jesus is gold without alloy-light without darkness-glory without cloud- Yea, he is altogether lovely.
~ Charles Spurgeon

The Story of Nehemiah

Ellie had to type up a report on the Book of Nehemiah.

This is the report as I received it today.

I have not yet corrected mistakes in spelling or punctuation.

She even imported the picture herself.

Enjoy.


one day there was a man named Nehemia one day he asked his friend how has everything been
in jeruselum has been he said terible Nehemia was shocked he was very sad one day the king said why are you so sad? Nehemiah explaind what had happend in jerusalum. so can i borrow some wood from your forest? the king said yes and gave him the paper he needed

Nehemiah came and the people were so happy. and they were also happy they got their children back.



they bult the wall of wood it was hard at first but then they got the idea of carying swords
and they fought while they bult . one night a lady came in and read the law
of moeses to them. they felt bad that they have not been listenig to the law of moeses then after that
they listend to Gods word, I mean the ten commandments. but while
the men fought their familys were in the houses Nehemiah made and after the men fought
they got to be in the houses with their familys like the one above exept with out glass. after they closed the gate.
in the old days they would say this, whats glass? and with Gods help they bult the wall
and won the war . THE END

Warriors

I taught Chapel this morning.

I also led worship, but teaching was my main focus.

Because I've never taught Chapel for XMC. I've taught classes, usually on worship.

Almost everything I teach always comes back to worship. Hmmm.

And of course, God completely changed the course of my message. Two days ago.

I used the illustration of The White Stone to emphasize running the race set before us.

These students are warriors.

Not just soldiers in God's army, but Special Forces.

Rogue Agents.

They will not be content with simply going to church and listening to the Word of God.

They act on it.

"MOVE...beyond awareness into action."
That's their theme for Tour this year. It's amazing.
It reminds me of the quote from Cornel West:
"JUSTICE is what LOVE looks like in public."

So I taught on The Race. The White Stone. And the heart of a warrior.

I showed this at the end of Chapel. I wrote this song over the summer, and I really feel it captures the heart of our Masters Commission.

Establish

I had tucked the children in, said prayers, and gotten them water (for the fourth time). I came out to the living room, and sat at the piano to work on a song.

Twenty minutes into the song (which had turned into a time of worship), Ellie came stumbling out of her room, rubbing her eyes.

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey," I answered, sure that it was going to be another request for water.

"What does establish mean?"

"Establish?" I asked, wondering why on earth my nine year old would randomly ask such a question at ten o'clock in the evening.

"Yes. I don't know what it means, and I've been trying and trying to think of something else, but I can't stop thinking about that word," Ellie explained, looking up at me in such a serious manner that I suddenly felt the weight of responsibility as a parent to seize the moment of teachability.

So we went to my computer, got on my dictionary, and looked it up.
establish (verb)
1 set up, start, initiate, institute, form, found, create, inaugurate; build, construct, install.
2 prove, demonstrate, show, indicate, signal, exhibit, manifest, attest to, evidence, determine, confirm, verify, certify, substantiate.

We talked about being established by God, how in the Bible He would establish His covenant with Israel, and how Jesus established a covenant with those who accepted Him as their Lord.

Then I found the Scripture I knew God wanted me to show her.
Psalm 8:2
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

"What does it mean, to silence the foe and the avenger, Mom?"
"Well, it means, that when you praise and worship God, He uses your praise to set up a stronghold against the devil and whatever the devil tries to bring against you."
"Wow."
"So, it specifically says, 'children'. I think that's pretty important, or it wouldn't be in the Bible, right? He uses your praise, as a child."

So Ellie is back in bed now. Well, in my bed, actually. We're going to be praying about that word, establish. Maybe God has some more stuff in store for us if we listen.