Author: talk2shari

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Hallelujah! There’s no calendar in Heaven… Remembering 911

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911I feel as though my soul has come under attack this week. At every turn I’ve been bombarded with unsettling thoughts and attacks from within and without. Frustration would mount and tears would well and as best I could I would shrug it off and not give the Devil the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. This morning before my feet hit the floor his mind games started and so when I opened the Word of God, I found the Lord to be the faithful all knowing that He is when He lead me here…

Psalm 94:17-19

17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

I highly recommend you read the entire chapter, especially on the anniversary of this most troubling of days, 911. With the attacks on Israel,  ISIS threats and America Leadership falling short of what we know it should be it’s disheartening to watch the news and see every other social media post laced with hatred, fear and frustration. My soul hallelujah! does not dwell in silence. God speaks volumes of peace if only I’ll listen.

His Word is as relevant as today’s headline…

94:1-7

1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Is that not the nonsense that the enemy utters? But read on dear friend and don’t lose heart.

22 But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

I left out many verses that you need to hear today. That whole chapter will cause your soul to rejoice in the fact that we serve a God Who is not mocked. This world is full of sin and sorrow which many men think they control, but only One is in control and that is Jehovah-Jireh (my provider). The mask is off of that terrorist in the courts of Heaven. God knows his name. 911 knocked the feet out from under America but did not destroy the foundation; our president may say we are not a Christian nation, but he’ll be corrected someday. There’s more than a few of us left.

God’s word encouraged my heart today. My struggles did not catch an All Knowing God off guard. Today is September 11th on earth, and we remember the heartache; but in Heaven there’s no calendar. The enemy desires the final word, but what he desires he cannot have because that is in God’s power and control. Whew! Amen for that.

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Organic Christianity… keeping it real in the youth ministry

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Organic Christianity…Something the Pastor said in passing yesterday that has been stuck in my mind and obviously needs to go from pen to paper. Pricey organic foods are all the rage in healthy eating, although for the most part I have to wonder if it’s merely a difference in labeling than foods, and no different than the others on the shelf. I’m not real trusting of marketers. I’m even less trusting of many who share the gospel; one of the many reasons I’m a KJV (King James Version) girl. Just give me the basics. Is that not what organic is… just the basics. No additives or preservatives, its good just like it’s grown!

At a youth leadership meeting yesterday our discussion was around ways to improve the youth ministry, it’s always a subject of debate on ways to engage youth in the service. I was engaged with youth yesterday in the service, my three grandchildren. Curtain climbers that they are… I however was not engaged in the Pastor’s message for the distractions and concerns about the babies distracting others. Children are not born with social graces… it comes in time. I’m not so sure I’ll live that long. Insert grin here.

But the debate is, how do we change how we’re serving the Lord and keep the basics?

Luke 9:34-35; a portion of the scripture of the transfiguration of Christ says “While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”

According to commentary the appearance of Moses and Elijah symbolically represented the law and the prophets. But God’s voice from heaven – “Listen to Him!” – clearly showed that the law and the prophets must give way to Jesus. The One who is the new and living way is replacing the old – He is the fulfillment of the Law and the countless prophecies in the Old Testament. Also, in His glorified form they saw a preview of His coming glorification and enthronement as King of kings and Lord of lords.

The disciples never forgot what happened that day on the mountain when they saw the new Jesus, yet He was still the basic. He was still the same, yet visibly different; God doesn’t change. That’s what I want to see happen in our youth ministry. I want it the same, yet visibly different. I don’t want to get away from the King James Bible, or reverence of God’s house; after all a youth program should be a training ground for servants, not an entertaining ground ~ but there’s nothing wrong with something new! The problem with new is it pushes us out of our comfort zone, but I’m not really the expert on that because I have the personality that embraces “new.” I do however understand that everyone does not, and as a leader I have to be considerate of that and make “new” softer and flexible if I want an excellence in the ministry for which I’ve been called to serve in. Because it’s not about me, it’s about everyone.

Shane Duffy’s definition of excellence in the ministry is found in John 12:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Excellence is giving up something good for yourself to provide something great for someone else. Youth ministry is not for everyone, but it’s for someone. It’s a sacrificial ministry. And there have been times that I have felt as if I was sacrificed on the altar of insanity. It’s those times when people who have not been called to the ministry look at you like your crazy and say… “you want to do what with the kids?” Let me rephrase my statement about the youth ministry not being for everyone. It is for everyone, but in different capacities. If it’s your church you’re either a part of it, a supporter of it, lest you be a hindrance to it. It’s important that there are multiple people with multiple ideas involved else you get someone like me that goes to the extreme.

Perry Noble in a recent leadership podcast said this about extravagance….

Excellence is the overflow of attention and hard work where Extravagance is something you buy so it looks like there was hard work involved. If the average person doesn’t notice the difference, what we’re using becomes a toy, not a tool. We need to makes sure that what we’re using is a tool to reach people for Christ, not a toy to entertain. Spend money on what matters, otherwise it’s extravagance.

I love that! I needed that!

Because I love toys in the ministry. I like shiny things and far too often they’re just attention getters and take my eyes off Christ. If we want something new, it needs to be for the basic concept of drawing young people into a relationship with Christ, and families into to the church. You can visit their website for ideas. Just the basics… organic, grounded in the gospel Christianity…. With perhaps a side of bling…

Hope this helped you… it sure helped me today!

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

Stop Judging Drummers

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I love pickin’ and grinnin’ with my bluegrass friends. It makes my heart happy to play “Old Joe Clark” and “Angelina Baker” on the fiddle and to strum my way through “Child of the King” on the guitar. There’s something about music that makes life fun! I feel the same way about serving Christ only multiplied. Whether it’s sharing the gospel in word or song you’ll find me grinnin’ ear to ear with unexplainable joy in my soul. That is why I don’t get sad sack Christians who are spoiling the fun for the rest of us and not giving anyone who’s lost a desire to know the One who put a giggle in my soul.

At a local bluegrass event last night I invited a fella to church and made him very uncomfortable. He said he couldn’t go to church because it always seemed like the preacher was preaching right at him. I told him that that’s how it was for every one there; there was a personal message from God to everyone who attended. I tried to explain to him what fun we had in church… he smiled and nodded politely and quickly changed back to a less convicting subject. And then I thought of a few saints that I know; if they’re happy about their salvation they forgot to tell their face, their mouth and their attitude. Is it any wonder that a lost and dying world doesn’t see the need for Jesus, they can miserable in their own right?

As we played music and laughed in the fellowship of musicians (they’re highly tolerate of my inability to cut the muster with their masterful bluegrass skills) they loved me anyway. Diehard bluegrassers can be a tad clickish. They’ll kick you out of the club for playing drums. It’s true! Traditional bluegrass people play strings, drums don’t have strings so they’re not allowed in the band. Well, I know a few Baptist who feel the same way about Methodist and visa versa. Just sayin’…. And all the while the world around us dies and goes to Hell because the church spends more time worrying about who’s got sticks and who’s got strings. Can I get a witness? Enough already.

Just speak Jesus. And smile for cyrin’ out loud.

Matthew 6:16

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Will the religious Pharisees and Sadducees please get with the program? Church is fun! And the really funny part for me (although it’s not really all that funny) is your reward is your grumpy britches. Me? I get to have a party down here and in Heaven! But the really sad part about it is that our friends and family believe that there’s no joy in Church because there’s no joy in the face of the church they see. It’s Saturday… and my thoughts are already on Sunday, because I anticipate joy in the house of the Lord. If you’re a child of God that should be your heart as well, else you’re living beneath God’s intended design.

And stop judging drummers….

Posted in Life Inspiration

There’s a New Season on the Horizon

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Seasons are one of my favorite things to write about. Every season of the year stirs an excitement in my soul; the seasons of life not always so much. We arrived at the beach this week just as their season was changing. The tourist were dwindling down to a few; I could count 30-50 people at any given time on the beach directly in front of our hotel. The shops had marked down merchandise and many had even closed down. It was a perfect season for us because the cost was much less and the crowds were gone. We enjoyed an evening on the beach with just a few other people milling around taking in the last of the summer waves.

Genesis 1:14-15

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

And it was so…

The lights in Heaven that men are so curiously entertained by have not just beauty, but purpose and names.

Psalms 147 says “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.”

God asks of Job in 38:31-33 asks the questions…

“Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?”

Who but God can do those things? And if we believe that God can control the constellations, creation and seasons, can yet He not control the seasons of our lives?

They divide the darkness and light…

And thereby the beauty of the upper world blesses the world below. One advantage that we often take for granted in the country is star gazing. A clear West Virginia night sky is filled with countless stars that twinkle and dance across the Heavens for our entertainment. Just that little bit of twinkle can cause you in childlike splendor to break out in a rousing rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” The same way that just a little twinkle of light on a dark day in our life springs joy in the soul; a glimmer of hope is all it takes to cause sadness and heartache to flee.

They bring the change of seasons…

In creation and in life as one closes out a new one is on the horizon, it is inevitable. We cannot extend our favorite season nor can we extend our favorite times in life; each are designed with purpose to usher in the next. My season is about to change… my current job ends and I don’t know what the next season has in store. I prayerfully ask God for mercy and a quick end of this season of uncertainty, but it’s yet to come. He seldom rushes seasons…

Are you in a season of uncertainty? Perhaps you’re in a season of harsh winds and weather? I encourage you as I encourage myself, “Don’t lose heart Christian soldier… God’s got this.” Just as God created each star with purpose and named them every one so did He design you and I. There is a purpose in our season and a hope on the horizon that from this time God will spring forth a newness that will excite our soul.

Posted in Life Inspiration

I Settled for a Creek when I could have had the Sea

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DSC_0048I’m never any more shocked at the depravity of man than when I look in my own heart. The selfishness and continual desires to feed my own will always amazes me. I wonder why I’m not spiritually satisfied until I realize that I’m too carnal minded to obtain it. I want “stuff”, to be entertained and to certainly not be inconvenienced. I want quick understanding of the Word so that I can get back to the business of the day. Ah… I can put God first and look holy so long as it doesn’t take too long. Yes… this trip has been a reality check for me. Our couple of day get-a-way served to remind me that I can experience that same feeling of rest in the arms of Jesus, from Calhoun County, West Virginia. And the view is every bit as nice.

Isaiah 48:16-17

16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

Get Close

Come ye near unto me… You won’t hear God from a distance. He’s not a shouter. There’s a reason that scripture has God speaking in a “still small voice” because it is then that you have purposed to hear what He has to say. God is not going to vie for your attention.  Satan will yell and distract from afar, but God will speak as a friend who’s telling you the greatest secret on earth except it’s not a secret.

Get Real

God’s message (although tailored to our soul) is a universal message. He’s not an exclusive God He’s an inclusive God; He wants everyone to come to Him and hear what He as to say. From the beginning of time He’s been the creator of knowledge. Whatever it is that man discovers, God created it… how much better is He! He sends a message through preachers, teachers, friends, even the wind so that we may know what it is He needs us to know, He not only controls the message, He controls the messengers… He’ll make sure it’s delivered, but we have to be in a mindset to receive it.

Get Ready to Go

The plan’s been established and everything is in place for us to profit and receive direction and yet there always seems to be one thing standing in my way; complete obedience.

18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

I could have had an endless sea of goodness from the Lord, but I’m willing to settle for a shallow creek. Oh the water is pretty, cool and good… but how much more God had instore.

Posted in Grace, Life Inspiration

The Bringing in of a Better Hope

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DSC_0053

There’s nothing quite like waking up at that the beach to get a full understanding of the fullness of God, the vastness of His creation. The very fact that man in all is wisdom, which is not as much as a grain of sand in comparison to the Lord, cannot explain His Creation nor understand His redemption. We’re grateful for it… but when it comes to forgiveness we as mere mortals have to forgive again and again and again to keep the slate clean for those we love. We forgive… Satan reminds us… we forgive again because we love them. God just simply… forgives. We have lofty expectations of those we love, and yet expect God to turn a blind eye to our short comings. We’re fickle with our love for the most part. There are a few in our circle  that we love regardless of their faults and failures, but we love none like God loves us… endless.

Hebrews 7:15-19

Another Priest

15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

Not as the priests of Old Testament times who sacrificed the blood of animals on the altar for the sins of man, only to have to repeat the process again because that atonement didn’t last. But the blood that one drop of would have cleansed the world forever, and yet He was willing to shed it all. Men and their works could not do what Jesus did. We don’t have the power to forget. We have a bucket ability… our limits of forgiveness and tolerance are about a bucketful. We empty it and then have to refill with the grace of Jesus when He reminds us that we too are broken.

Another Commandment

16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Those commandments and laws that the Old Testament priests tried to keep and to preach are not void, they are God’s expectation of holiness, but unattainable in the our sinful state without the redemption of Jesus Christ. I have a hard enough time being good with the Holy Spirit dwelling within me, I cannot imagine having to live making animal sacrifices for my mistakes… there’s not enough critters on the earth.

17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

Another Hope

19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

That bringing of a better hope!! Oh my starts what a thought that is this morning; that for every wave that crashes onto the shore, there is a better hope in Christ Jesus. For every mistake I make, for every time I want to stand accusingly and point my finger at someone for their mistakes, God’s endless supply of grace reminds me that I have no right. He has given me an endless forgiveness. For all the millionth chances God has given me, how can I not give someone else another chance? Praise God I have a hope! That when I mess up I haven’t cut myself off from God, but just as the endless view on the ocean shore, that’s how far God casts my sins.

I hope this morning finds you and I both ready to give someone else another chance…

Posted in Life Inspiration

Ice Bucket Issues

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ice-bucket-challenge

Besides the fact that every other post on social media was somebody dumping ice over their heads, which in 90 degree weather wasn’t the safest idea, then screaming and running off camera my other issue with it is the immorality of the research. Don’t bother sending me emails telling me how heartless I am, because I won’t believe you and you won’t sway my opinion which is founded on the Word of God. I’m not poopooing anyone who’s done the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and saying that you’re messed up or unsaved, I just wanted to explain my stand and why this is the plot of ground for which I do stand.

Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” That’s the Word of God and that settles it. Life begins at conception. One might argue that life began before conception. And not only had life began, there was a plan, of which millions have been interrupted by humans who thought they had the right to play God and take a life. I say interrupted because though they did not continue down here, God took those little souls to Heaven. And while the supporters of the challenge certainly didn’t have a part in those harvesting of stem cells, their money did.

My heart breaks for the victims of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. I went online last night and watched the video of Peter Frates which broke my heart to see the way the he and his family are suffering because of this debilitating disease, and I can certainly pray for them that God intervenes on their behalf and that other researchers will find a means to a cure or a help for them; but not at the expense of an unborn child.

There are medical research organizations that don’t use embryonic stem cell research, one of which is John Paul II Medical Research Institute in Iowa. (http://jp2mri.org/) I’m sure there are many others, but in my quick research for this blog, that was one that I had come across and felt safe in giving you. If you want to take the challenge, send your dollars there.

I want to make it clear that this is not a holy high horse stance where I’m saying that I’m better than anyone else because of the stand I take. It’s just one stand I can take where I know I’m on the side of God which is where I want to be. I’m the first to admit that I’m a sinner saved by grace alone, I have enough sin that I’ll be answering to God for… I don’t need someone else’s.

 

Posted in Life Inspiration, Political

It’s frustrating living in Egypt!

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Egypt typifies the world in scripture, and wasn’t a place where you went to find God. He worked through it, though it wasn’t His choice and it wasn’t a pleasant experience for His children at the time. There were stories of captivity, worldly lusts and ungodliness. Sounds a whole lot like America today. Read on and I promise the story will get better!

As I read in Isaiah 19 this morning I kept thinking… “surely it will get better Lord, surely it will get better.” I’m so tired of American politics and heretics and every other blood sucking tick in America. The ones that don’t want to hear anything about Jesus Christ, that think the Word of God is of no effect and they are not bound by it’s prophecies. Mock if they will, I’m a believer!

The Burden in Egypt

Isaiah19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it

To most of the people who lived in Egypt it didn’t seem like a burden; fancy chariots and homes, the finest of foods and their little statues of worship made them believe that they were in control of their destiny. That’s how it works in America too. Our blessings have become our burdens. We work to keep them until they end up owning us.

The Battles in Egypt

2-4 . And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

We can see those battles every evening on the news; families fighting, neighbor again neighbor, and people struggling to protect their own while their hearts fail them. The very thing they loved and thought would bring happiness brings heartache as it’s never enough. Marriages fail and families fall apart because the “things” they had didn’t make them happy it made the desirous for more and better things, and when that wasn’t attainable they sought happiness through the illusion of alcohol and drugs and the lords over life controls every breath they take. Egypt and America have way too many similarities for comfort. So what about

The Believers in Egypt

As I kept reading in chapter 19 I kept thinking, Lord what about us? We were born in Egypt but it’s not our home. We’ve claimed citizenship in a new Country; Egypt’s ideals are not our own but it is You that we know Who satisfies the soul. Our leaders are idiots… where is our purpose in this?

12 Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

Deliverance from Egypt

God didn’t have purpose in Egypt, He purposed upon it. We’re to rise above what they say is right.

19 In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord.

20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

By our geographical location we may be set for serious times. We’ve allowed political factions to govern our lives in a way that should have never been. The enemy every day threatens to invade our borders but I’m still a believer, and will hold out until Jesus returns that a Nation who hangs on to God, hangs on to hope. And if on the border of our Nation, there’s a pillar set that says there’s a remnant of believers that stand on the Word of God and Christ our Lord within that border, then I’m a believer that God can come upon America again and there can be purpose found in the chaos we call government.

Stand on friends…

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

Did You Really Just Do That?

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I would like to say that I don’t understand people but I too fall into the category of people I don’t understand. My life verses should be that of Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15-18

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

It’s almost a tongue twister, and even though it’s not the dialect of today, we get Paul’s gest pretty quickly. “I do what I don’t want to do, and don’t do what I do want to do.” Why is that? Why are we so wishy-washy when it comes standing our ground in the Christian faith. We have the Holy Spirit within us telling us what is right and what is wrong, and yet we still fall to the wiles of Satan, or sometimes I don’t even think he gets the credit. We just do it because we want to and grace has us covered so why worry about it? It’s a constant conflict between grace and the corrupted heart of man.

It’s how we who believe “once saved always saved” theology get into trouble with a lost world who look at us and say “Did you really just do that?” I don’t know what Paul did to cause himself to go on this rant of sorts, but I can’t imagine it was as bad as some of the things I’ve done.

What got me on this tangent this morning was a well-intended google search for “trending” topics lead me astray to an article about a news anchor cat fight that’s now the hottest book selling. I kept on reading as each juicy tidbit of slander was revealed about the three bickering babes and after about the 20th paragraph of what was intended as a quick survey of the article I clicked the “x” in the top corner and got the article out of my face; frustrated that I had gotten sucked in to it in the first place. So fifteen minutes of valuable time was lost with the Lord’s work in exchange for fueling the flesh. Give me a break! have I not grown more than this in my spiritual life. The answer is no.

And how ironic that what got me off task of spreading the good news was the worlds news, and it unfortunately is the same old story just a different day. The twisted way the media relays the news varies on who they’re catering to on that particular day of the week. It’s a small part of why I don’t watch the news, it’s not much more than gossip dressed in its Sunday best, and the news I should be concerning myself with reads like a modern day newspaper and there’s not one word of fiction in it. That would be the Bible.

My mind has now been refocused, and I’m ready to face the day hoping to do what I want to do and not do what I don’t.

Posted in Life Inspiration

Is there such a thing as a couth checker?

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I feel as though my blog should come with a disclaimer… “Warning!!! Mind not fully functional when written.” I was re-reading a blog I had written a few days ago after someone posted a comment on it, and my first thought was…. Wow… I’m glad they can read between the lines because the typos were ridiculous! The spelling was correct, but the grammar use was in need of help! Wrong use of verbs, missing words, etc. It was in dire need of a proof read before it ever hit the network. I wondered why the grammar check on Microsoft Word ® didn’t catch it; turns out it thinks sentences like “A pastor have never called me before” is correct English. Evidently so did my mind in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The proper use of “words” seems to be on my mind a lot lately. I’ve bit my tongue off a time or two lately to keep from sharing my mind at inopportune moments. Mostly with insensitive people who didn’t get the manners memo.

Icouths there such a thing as a “Couth checker?” Sometimes I need one too.  But for the sake of spiritual encouragement this morning, let’s assume you and I are okay in the manners department. That could change in a heartbeat if we’re surrounded by negative, ill willed people.

1 Corinthians 15:33 says – Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

I guess that’s our Heavenly Father’s way of saying “Show me your friends and I’ll show you who you are or who you soon shall be.” But what about people we’re around in the course of a day for which we don’t have control of? Believe me, they influence us more than we realize, either negatively or positively. I’ve mimicked a friend at church who exclaimed to me one day “Jeepers Socks Shari, I don’t know,” so many times that it is now a favorite exclamation of my own. I don’t do it out of disrespect, I love it and him! It reminds me of a simpler time in life when the harshest word we heard on television was darn and it meant serious business. Now our kids are blasted with profanity from every direction, the teaching of manners is a thing of the past, and it has become common practice for rudeness to be socially approved. Jeepers socks! Have we no sense?

That’s why it’s important to flood our mind with goodness as much as possible. Good Christian friends, good Christian music, the Word of God, Preaching and Bible teaching. Keep a generous supply on hand! Put the Bible on your smartphone, carry a pocket bible or write it on an index card! Whatever you have to do to spiritually encourage yourself during the day or when you’re away from goodness and Jeepers Socks kind of people.