Thursday, November 14, 2013

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

    One of my most favorite parts of being a mother is reading aloud to my children.  It is something I have done since they were fresh from the womb and I have done it almost every day since.  We have read all kinds of books, from fiction to biographys.  Serious books.  Books of christian martyrs.  You name it we have read it or something like it.  Today we just started the old book In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon.  Upon reading the first chapter with them this morning I was startled by the timeliness of it.  If you haven't read it let me share a little with you.  I will try to be short;)  A tramp comes into the congregation of First Church and flips everyones world upside down with a question.  The question was  "What does it mean when you say you follow Jesus?".    Last night as I couldn't sleep..again...I had one thought in my mind.  The thought was can we hear Jesus.  If Jesus speaks to us, and the Bible says He does, can we hear Him over the noise of our lives?  Or does our wants, needs, thoughts, desires drown Him out?  We have our own agendas for our lives.  And being good Christians we include Jesus...in a box...marked Sunday or Wednesday.  Please don't think I am pointing fingers cause I am not!  To be terribly honest one of my own ongoing thoughts is how very much I loathe the carpet in my kitchen and the fact that I want desperately a new living room suit!  I am ashamed to confess to you that I have thought on these two things so very very much  that I don't think I have heard very much from Jesus lately.  Or maybe I have I just have tried to turn up the volume of other things so I wouldn't have to let go of my pursuit of my southern living dream.  Oh sure you can make any pursuit seem holy.  I mean after all I AM adopting and I NEED a nice comfortable home for my family.  Please hear me I am not saying having nice things is wrong.  Simply the focus of having them and letting that or what ever fills the blank for you, consume us.  Jesus has snapped me to attention this month with statistics that I have shared with you and others like every 2.2 seconds an orphan ages out with no family to belong to and no place to call home.  You read that right EVERY 2.2 SECONDS!  Every day.  What does it mean to follow Jesus?  We sing about it.  We talk, alot, about it.  To follow means to copy after, to imitate.  Does that hurt anyone else??  Do our lives copy, do we imitate the words of our Jesus?  Something to think about.  Something to consider as we get ready to observe our first Orphan Sunday this weekend.  What is Jesus saying to us?  How do we need to adjust our lives accordingly?  How will these adjustments change the world for Him?  Or how will they not if we don't?  Again I hope you hear my heart and don't misunderstand my words.  I am, as I shared, a sinner, too.  I will leave you with the words from the book.    The tramp is in the middle of his speech and shares he had sat outside on the steps of a church and could over hear the words coming from those inside "...but what I feel puzzled about is what is meant by following Jesus....Do you mean that you are suffering and denying yourselves and trying to save lost, suffering humanity just as I understand Jesus did?  What do you meam by it?"  What DO we mean?
Pressing On
Carrie

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

5,760

     Did you know that every day 5,760 more children become orphans.  "That just can't be right", I know is what you're thinking, but it is!  Somebody should DO something.....right???  RIGHT!  Pray for those orphans who desire a family.  Ask God how you can you be used.  The numbers seem so overwhelming.  But as I read this quote this week "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.", I was reminded we all have certain talents and skills and gifts that God placed in each of us to be used for His glory.  Some adopt.  Some fund adoptions.  Some go.  We ALL can do something.  So much jockeys for our attention today, but how much is of eternal value?  It is really easy to get discouraged in the wait time of our adoption.  It can feel down right impossible.  When I am at my weariest I imagine Caleb, Grace-Ann and Jacob in a dirty jail cell.  Needing me.  Needing their daddy to come to them.  I am instantly reminded to press on.  May we not grow weary in well doing friends! 

Pressing On
Carrie

Monday, November 11, 2013

2.1 billion

Good Monday morning all!!!

The countdown has begun to our get together on Sunday!  I hope you have all made plans to be there.  Our, speaker Gwen and later in the evening service her husband Scott promise to be encouraging and inspiring.  In November christians around the world place special emphasis on the plight of the orphaned and the blessing of family.  I want to give you one statistic to think on today, it is startling.  There are 2.1 billion people on this earth who proclaim to be christians...if only 8% of these 2.1 billion christians would care for just 1 child there would be no orphan statistics left.  Let that settle in.  Hope to bring you statistics like this all week to set our focus as we look forward to Sunday at 4! I pray our time together will be life changing in the most non cliche way possible.  In the way Jesus and His words transform our lives. Transformed mine.  Don't forget bring a friend and a chocolate dessert!

Pressing On,
Carrie