Am I Wise In My Own Eyes?

I was reading some blogs today and found this on Joshua Harris' blog...and it just hit home...HARD...

I am wise in my own eyes…
1. When I don’t pause to pray for God’s guidance on a decision.
2. When I fail to depend on God’s word and approach it as a daily “lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).
3. When I assume a decision doesn’t need a second opinion, and I don't take the time to ask trusted friends for counsel.
4. When I am critical of another person’s practice or perspective without taking the time to understand it and ask questions.
5. When I am lax in fleeing temptation, assuming that I’m adult enough to “handle it.”
6. When I do something right and fail to acknowledge before God that it is only his grace that allowed me to do it right.
7. When I pat myself on the back about knowledge I have that I learned from someone else.
8. When I don’t draw out, or seek to understand, a person who is bringing criticism( (whether or not it’s being brought constructively).
9. When I assume that the truth of a sermon is for someone else, not my own life.

10. When I neglect to consistently plead to God for his wisdom.

Isn't this just a humbling list....how many times do I see myself wise in my own eyes...whether its b/c I assume something, or aren't listening to someone or am just too full of myself. This list really has hit me today. I pray that it will not only HIT me but truly AFFECT me so that my life is different as a result!!!

How are they getting away with this?

On Saturday I had the priviledge of going to NYC with 25 other ladies from our church...our youth group ladies and some of their mothers. It was one of those days were things just refused to go according to plan...but then everyone knows that those are the days with the best memories. If everything went as planned, we would not remember the day nearly as well. And of course any day I can spent with Janet is always a winner in my book! Plus I saw live rats in the subway...not as exciting as elephants in Uganda but close!


But for me the most exciting part of the day was getting to see the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. The show was spectacular and while Santa was definitely the main character(and claimed to "listen to the prayers of boys and girls"...I guess he could listen, but what would he do about it?), it was so encouraging to see the birth of Christ shown as PIVOTAL to this show. In fact, the even included a poem in the show (and printed in the program) that is entitled...

"One Solitary Life".

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman, He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never wrote a book, or held an office. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.

While He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had -- His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave.

Over two thousand years have passed, and today He is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever marched and all the navies that ever sailed and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the akinds that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this eart as powerfuly as this "One Solitary Life".

OK--so let me see if I have this straight....in my job around my desk, I have to be careful what I post in regards to the "holiday season" and any group events we do at work have to be "Christmas Free" as to NOT offend anyone...but in the heart of NYC they are celebrating Christmas with it's true meaning. Sure they left out the most important part...THAT HE ROSE AGAIN and conquered sin and death once and for all, and sits at the right hand of GOD....but they at least admitted that Christmas is ABOUT Christ. I was shocked and sat there wondering how they were getting away with it. Isn't that sad? I'm at a Christmas show wondering how they are getting away with calling it "Christmas" and having a full nativity scene as the finale of the show.

My fear is...how much longer will this continue? When will they succumb to the world's committment (and yes it is a committment) to get Christ out of Christmas. I'm so thankful I got to see that show! My prayer--that I NEVER allow for a second for Christ to NOT be the absolute ONLY reason for Christmas! A good thing for me to start praying for as this incredible time of year get's closer!

Two Crazy Girls In Africa

ok...we have our blog up and ready for our trip. It can be found at http://tcgia.blogspot.com//. We will hopefully be posting regularly to this blog, and will hopefully even get up some pictures. But obviously things happen, and we will need to be flexible over there...so if we dont' get something up every day, don't worry---as soon as we can we will post! Thanks for all of the prayers and the support!

I leave in 10 days!!!!

I will board a plan in 10 days for Uganda! But God is once again incredible to me when I do not deserve it and I will have a travelling companion! Lauren will be going with me on the trip--she is excited as well!! But please be praying for both of us that we will accomplish our LONG "to-do" lists before we leave! We will hopefully be posting some blogs while we are there in Uganda..not sure if it will be on this site, or another, but if it is on another site I will post the link here!!!

Thanks for your prayers and support!!!!

We Expect More of Babies Than We Do of Teens

Ok..before I start getting the emails from my small group, I took this quote from a blog on the Rebelution--so one of your own said it! I just happend to think it was really good :)

Here is an excerpt from "My First Shower Nearly Killed Me", an article posted in May of 2006 on The Rebelution:

The truth is that we are incredibly susceptible to cultural expectations and once we have satisfied our culture’s meager requirements we stop pushing ourselves.

Why does every healthy baby learn to walk while very few teenagers are sophisticated enough to have mastered the Waltz? One is expected, the other is not.

Why does every normal baby overcome communication barriers by learning to talk while very few teenagers overcome barriers between themselves and their parents by learning to communicate? One is expected, the other is not.

And why do we sympathize with the poor “non-math” teenager while we admonish the “non-toilet” six-year-old? Because using the toilet is a basic skill that is necessary for life, but unless they plan on becoming an engineer, most people never use Algebra.

We live in a culture that expects the basics, but nothing more. We live in a culture that expects for you to get by (i.e. be potty-trained), but not to thrive.

The Rebelution’s challenge to you is this: Have you really found your limits or have you merely reached a point where our culture’s expectations no longer demand that you succeed.

Want to be challenged--it was a really good article....http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2006/05/my-first-shower-nearly-killed-me/

Question of the Day

"Are you following Jesus Christ, or do you just happen to be going the same direction for a while?”

Whom Do You Fear?

"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." Proverbs 29:25

This verse is always one I would just skip over—b/c seriously what man do I fear? I’m not someone who generally “fears” too many people—I normally get along pretty well with everyone. Nice thought, except that my definition of “fear” is ALL WRONG. In my day to day reading of some blogs, I came across this…

"Being conscious of God's approval or His displeasure is what the Bible calls "fear of the Lord." It means to be in awe of, or to respect, more than merely to be afraid. Conversely, what we now call peer pressure, people-pleasing, or co-dependency is what the Bible calls "fear of man." In a nutshell, the fear of man can either be a fear of what others think of us or will do to us, or a craving for approval and a fear of rejection."

So having “fear” for man instead of God is to be more concerned with man’s approval than God’s. I had to really ponder that question some and ask “what would that look like”? What are the signs of fearing man more than God. And the blog had some helpful suggestions especially concerning single women:

• Do you change your normal behavior when you are around men you are attracted to?
• Do you cancel plans because you feel you don't look very good that day?
• Do you agonize over what to wear to an event?
• Are you defensive when criticized, no matter how little or great the criticism?
• Are you easily embarrassed? Do you find it hard to laugh at yourself?
• Are you jealous of other people, their possessions, or their relationships?
• Do you have trouble saying no to people when your resources (time, finances, health) are already maxed out?
• Do you avoid some people?
• Do you consistently second-guess your decisions?
• Are you afraid of airing your true opinion about a decision?
• Do you embellish certain stories or exaggerate the truth to make you look a little better than reality? Conversely, do you issue lots of little white lies?
• Will you compromise standards of modesty or purity because you want to seem relevant or stylish?
• Do you decline dates because you think others will not like or be impressed with the man who has asked you out?

Some of these were a very easy “no way”, but some I had to really struggle with. For one, the “are you jealous of other people, their possessions, or their relationships”. I remember some conversations with a very close friend in which I was upset over why God would bless someone else, BEFORE me…as if there was a limit to God’s blessings and He arbitrarily handed it to someone else and then ran out when He got to me. Instead of being happy for that person, I was upset and quite honestly jealous over their blessings. WRONG!!!!

And trust me, there are others on this list that I know I have done in past years (sometimes even past months). So—it is fairly clear that I have become trapped in the snare of fearing man more than God. Ok…so I’ve been honest and admitted that I’ve been trapped before, but how do I keep from falling into that trap over and over again?

This quote says it all:
The most radical treatment for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord. God must be bigger to you than people are.... Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more.

I need to learn to need God more and the only way I can do that is to continue to learn more and more about Him and his character. So, I have added another thing on my list in my pursuit to be a Godly woman…fear man less and love God more!! As I Peter 3:3-4 says, “Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." That’s my goal!!!

So--to my girls in small group--who are you fearing? And be honest? I just was!!!