Game On VBS Reflection

My reflections today is a little different. Rather than reflecting on a scripture that I read I am reflecting on a week of Vacation Bible School (VBS). I was blessed to be able to spend last week with a group of Pre K/Kindergarten children. The ages ranged from 3 (not quite Pre K) to 6 years of age. While the 3 year olds were a bit young, we felt it was so important to include them in order to help them grow in the Lord. It was a lot of work, but such a blessing. 

It is definitely true that when God calls you to do something He surely provides. After all of the planning He really brought everything together and blessed us with a wonderful week in the Lord. It was so amazing to watch these little children, God's children, learn more about Jesus and grow in their understanding and love for Him.

Our VBS was the Game On sports theme. The scripture that was the driving force behind the week was 2 Peter 1:3. There were really two great messages behind this scripture and theme. One is that God truly provides us with everything that we need. The other is that in the big game of life we need Jesus. The bible is the rule/play book that helps us know how to live in Christ. 

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

(2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

Planning for VBS was fun, but it did take some time. I'm sharing some of the ideas I used in case anyone is still in the planning stages of their VBS or maybe just looking for some sport decoration ideas. I purchased some supplies from Party City, some from  Walmart, some from the Dollar Store, and I made a lot of the other stuff.

We used this area for pictures. It made a great backdrop. Ms Rose (my co-teacher) was wonderful enough to have a t-shirt made into a football jersey with Team Jesus written on it. She also made a Tutu for a cheerleader skirt, which with the pom poms was perfect. 

The tables we used had a football table clothe on it, which was very nice. 

Our soccer wall was a fun area. The soccer balls were plates with a soccer ball picture glued onto it. We had extra plates that the kids could throw like a Frisbee at the net. We later added labels with scriptures on them. Everyone got to take one home at the end of VBS. 

I made football jerseys for an extra football wall. I also made some little football cutouts. Everyday we chose a few scripture labels to read, attach to the footballs, and then tape to the wall.







We used this baseball area to explain the Salvation Plan. Ms Rose got together with Ms Koko, the Sunday School teacher, and put this together in a very age appropriate way. 

1st Base -  Black Heart -  is our heart full of sin. 
2nd Base - Red Heart - is for the blood that Jesus shed for the forgiveness of our sins. 
3rd Base - Green Heart - is for the new life we receive when we trust in Jesus as our savior. 
4th Base - Gold Heart - is the prize we receive when we go to heaven. HOME RUN!

I know that all of the children that attended VBS were greatly blessed, but I think that all of the music, craft, kitchen, recreation, youth helpers and teachers were blessed even more. It was a very heart warming and super great experience! 

Are Tears Prayers?

Today I read a comment that was posted on My Daily Bread in which someone having gone through some struggles mentioned learning that tears were prayers to God. Hmmmm.... I had never heard that before, but I immediately wanted to know if that was true. I wanted to know if it was biblical. It sounded true. It made sense. I mean I know that when we don’t know what to say the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and takes our groaning to God. Isn’t our crying and tears a form of groaning? I really wanted to know more. The first place I looked was on the Topical Bible website (great site). I looked at all of the scriptures that had to do with tears, but it wasn’t quite working for me. I guess I was looking for something that clearly said, "tears are prayers."

After that search didn’t pan out so well I went online and did some reading. Everything kept bringing me back to one scripture. It was Psalms 56:8.

The NKJV reads:
You number my wandering;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?

This was still not realy clear enough for me, so I tried other versions of this verse. The NLT version finally did it for me. Here is what it says:
You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.
You have recorded each one in Your book.

As I reflected on this translation of the verse I could see that our tears do matter to God. Through our tears we are able to communicate our sorrows to God. Isn’t that prayer? God even collects our tears and records them in His book. That is a pretty good argument for tears being a form of prayer.

I guess as I think about it, my tears and prayers always go together. I know that when I am hurting I cry out to the amazing, wonderful, almighty God of this world. I know that He hears my prayers and will not forsake me. My prayer as I reflect on tears is that God will take every tear shed of both believers and nonbelievers and use those tears to draw them near to Him. We are so blessed that God cares and is watching over us through both good times and bad.

God be with you and bless you always! Amen

My Soul Cries Out

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
(Psalms 42:11 KJV)

I’ve been working on memorizing scripture, which is not going so well, because I’m really bad at it, but anyways this was the scripture that I pulled up today. I get daily scriptures emailed to me, then I save my favorites to a bible verse file. This is really helpful, since memorizing them doesn’t always go so well. This morning I went with one of the first emails I had saved and this was the scripture that it took me to. 

This scripture was perfect, because my countenance was definitely a little off this morning. I felt like I had major PMS, but I no longer have that issue, so I knew that wasn’t it. I really do love this piece of scripture when I am feeling out of sorts. It is really a good reminder to me that my Spirit is under attack. I need to examine why I am feeling the way I am feeling. Why is my countenance (attitude, outlook, emotions, demeanor, composure) not in line with God’s desire for me? When I feel this way I know that I am not reaping the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, long  suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, & temperance). Instead I am void of them.

My solution? Well, it was to read and really meditate on this piece of scripture; realize that I was under attack; and pray. This helped me pretty quickly, but I also got out and did something fun. I went for a ride with my husband on our ATVs. In doing this I stopped dwelling on the way I was feeling and just turned it all over to God. I have to say that right now my soul is no longer disquieted and my countenance is doing much better. As I write I am enjoying the fruits of the Spirit.

God bless you and may you enjoy the fruits of the Spirit today as well. 

Waiting on God

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

This morning’s reading of Our Daily Bread got me thinking and reflecting on waiting. Like most people, I don’t like waiting. I don’t like to wait in line; wait for a phone call; wait for dinner time; and other kinds of daily waiting situations, but there are times when it is extremely hard for me to wait. It is hard when I know someone needs God’s healing, especially if that person is a member of my family or even myself. It is hard for me to wait on God’s plan when I see someone having a difficult time (financially, living situation, heartbreak, etc.). What am I waiting for? I am waiting for God to intervene, for God to “fix it,” for God to make everything better. Is this too much to ask, to hope for, to expect? No, I don’t think so, because I know that God is an awesome and powerful God, so what is my problem?

My problem is that, while I trust God, I don’t always remember that His timing is perfect; that His plan is perfect; that He is in control. Why can’t I get this? I know it to be true, and once things are back on track I can always see how God worked it all for the good. I don’t have all of the answers, which is why I am simply reflecting, but I know that I want and need to continue to grow in this area. I find the scripture noted above to be helpful, but here are couple more scriptures that I want and need to meditate on to help me grow in the area of waiting on God. Maybe they will help you too.

But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. (Micah 7:7 ESV)

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)

Faith Like a Mustard Seed

He (Jesus) replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt 17:20 NIV)

I read this scripture a couple of days ago and have been reflecting on it ever since. I, like most people, take this verse to refer to the size of the mustard seed. The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds there are, so we just need to have a small amount of faith, even as small as the mustard seed and we are good to go. That thought has always comforted me, because during difficult times I have always been able to measure my faith and claim to have at least that much. But, is that really what this means? In this New International Version (NIV) that seems to be what is being said “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed.”

I decided to delve a little deeper into this verse, looking at other versions, and doing some other readings. The thing that popped out was the idea of it not being the size of our faith, but to be like or as a mustard seed, doing what it does. The mustard seed, again one of the tiniest seeds, grows into a huge tree. This is amazing! If I look at the New King James (NKJ) version which says,“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,” then I get a clearer sense that my faith is to be more than small in size. It is to continue to grow. How is this done? Like a mustard seed being planted in the rich soil, I must plant myself in the word of God, in the church, in prayer, and in my walk with God, so that my faith will be nourished and continue to grow. This thought too blesses my heart. With the growing of my faith, maybe the next time I run into difficult times I can proclaim to have faith as great as a mustard TREE rather than just a mustard seed.  

Praying that we may all have great faith! God Bless!!!

Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalms 46:10 KJV)

I know that it isn’t just me, even though it feels like it, but why is it so hard to just stop and wait on God? Why can’t I just be still? Whenever things start getting a little crazy in life my first reaction is to try to make things happen, to try and take control, but it doesn’t get me very far. I feel more like I am running in place, feeling exhausted, and having nothing to show for all of my effort.

Well, the good new is that I don’t have to try and fix things on my own. I know, I need to remember this more often, but it is true. God is so awesome and incredibly great. He is the answer. He is strong enough and faithful enough to take care of all of my worries. I just need to be still and trust in Him. I love the contemporary version of this verse,

Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.”

My prayer is that we put this to the test. Calm down and learn (understand and know) that our God is an almighty God and we can trust in Him.

Be Anxious for Nothing - Absolutely Nothing!

This morning I was listening to Pastor Jon Courson on K-WAVE radio. I always enjoy his sermons, but I got sidetracked when he referred to Philippians 4:6-7.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I kind of stopped listening and went to this scripture in the bible. I love this scripture, and turn to it often, but today I really wanted to reflect on it. I want to have this part of God’s word in my mind, in my heart, and in my soul. You know, like to really and truly believe it. So, I decided I would look at and underline all the words that really spoke to me, words that really made the point. Guess what? Every single word/phrase in these two scriptures fit the bill. Take a look at what I mean.

Be anxious for nothing, - This is telling me, and you, that we are not to worry about any single thing. It doesn’t matter how big or how small it is, we are not to worry or be anxious about it.

but in everything by prayer and supplication – This tells us what we are to do when we feel anxious. We are to take all of our supplications (requests, petitions) to God in prayer. We are to pray about all things, again no matter how big or how small. Prayer works, but we often do this as a last resort. We need to pray immediately when things are not going right, or when we begin feeling anxious about something.

with thanksgiving – One of the best ways to beat discouragement is to think about all of the ways that God has blessed you. This part of scripture encourages us to think about these things and be thankful as we pray.

let your requests be made known to God – This part of scripture lets us know that it is ok to speak to God about anything and everything. God already knows our heart, but He wants us to speak to Him and ask Him to hear our requests.

and the peace of God – This is referring to God’s peace, not our peace. Who’s peace would you rather have? I find it hard, even impossible, to get peace on my own. I want God’s peace.

which surpasses all understanding – This tells us that God’s peace is so great that we can’t even begin to understand it. We have a peace during trials and tribulations that we would not normally have. 

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – God’s peace is so great that it will guard our heart and mind. I don’t know about you, but when I am anxious my mind does not stop. I think about every possible “what if.” My mind becomes so overwhelmed and discouraged. This is usually about the time I remember I am supposed to pray about it. Why does it take me so long to figure this out?

I hope that you can see why I think every word in these two scriptures is so important to mediate on. This blog post is a reflection of my understanding on what these two scriptures mean, but I encourage you to delve deeper into them and definitely mediate on them. I am working to learn and understand God’s word more and more each day as I hope that you are too.  

The Ring - God Makes the Impossible Possible

Today I have been reflecting on how God can make the impossible possible. One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 19:26 - But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Have you ever had one of those times when there was just no way that something could happen? Well, this story about my ring was one of those times for me.

Growing up, life was pretty crazy. My mother was not someone who could be called “Mother of the Year.”  She lived a rather wild lifestyle. Fortunately, I had my grandmother as a positive role model. As I grew older, joined the army, and had kids of my own I decided that I could no longer have my mother in my life. I just didn't want my children exposed to the craziness, but that is not to say that I don't love my mother, or that I don't have some good memories. One special memory is a memory about a ring that she had. She didn’t really wear it very often. She mainly kept in her jewelry box. I always liked the ring. I would try it on and wish that it were mine. I didn’t even think my mother was aware of how much I liked it, and I’m not even sure why I did. I think at the time I liked it because it was different from all of the other rings that I had seen. Later, the ring became more special to me because of its sentimental value.

When I turned 18 my mother gave me the ring as a birthday gift. I was very surprised and very happy. I kept the ring well into my adulthood. When my daughter got married a few years ago I lent her the ring (something borrowed, something blue). Some  time had passed before I asked my daughter for the ring back. She informed me that she had lost it, and believed it had been left at the hotel in Vegas. Way too much time had passed to have any hope of ever seeing the ring again.

Here was the impossible. There was no way in the world that I could have any hope of ever seeing the ring again.  Even if someone had turned it in, it would have been like a needle in the haystack, and that is if I were even able to get in contact the right people. Anyways, I resolved that the ring was gone forever. I tried not to dwell on it. I didn’t want my daughter to feel bad about it, and after all it was just a material item. On occasion I would find myself thinking about this ring, which I found quite silly, but it did have sentimental value and I knew it was gone forever.

Recently, my thoughts again turned to this ring. The ring that had no chance of ever being found. Then one evening as I was cooking dinner at my daughters house, I heard some commotion going on in the front room. I heard my daughter tell my granddaughter to show me something. Low and behold, it was my ring. The ring that was gone forever. The ring that would be impossible to ever find. My granddaughter had found it in one of the pockets of a bag that my daughter had taken to Vegas three years earlier. I’m kind of ashamed to say how happy I was over a ring, but I don’t really think it was the ring. At that moment, it was God’s overwhelming love, that He would make the impossible possible, even for a ring. My heart was so full of joy over this thought, that I could have burst.

God is absolutely amazing! My heart cries out for those who don’t know God; how wonderful He is; how powerful He is. I know that God works in my life in many ways, but when something like this happens, I have to pause and truly recognize how great He is. Don't give up hope, and remember that all things are possible with God. 

My Christian Walk - First Blog

Ok, so I am starting this new blog today. It was kind of sudden decision, but as I began reflecting on the scripture that I read this morning and the impact that it had on me, I decided it was what I wanted to do. Even if my blog is never read by a single sole, I wanted a place to share my thoughts. My hope is, of course, that my blog will be read and that others will benefit from my reflections. I know God wants us to share His word, which I must admit, I am not very good at, so perhaps this will help me to better do this. 

Here is my very first reflection, and believe me I am praying that this is what God wants me to do. Anyways, this morning I was reading Daniel 3 and I decided that I wanted to really read for understanding, not just to read for the sake of reading. It turns out that slowing down is very helpful (oh, what a surprise). It allowed me to think about what I was reading. If you are not familiar with Daniel 3, it is the part of the bible where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego get thrown into the burning fiery furnace for refusing to bow to the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had made.  

Wow! The thing that struck me is that these three men, knowing that there would be a price to pay for not doing as the king ordered, still refused to bow to the gold image or to serve any other gods. They knew and trusted that God would protect them, and even if He didn't they were still not going to bow. Can I say that I trust God that much? I hope that I can. My faith is very strong, or at least I believe it to be, but is it so strong that I would be able to do what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did? How do I make sure my faith is as strong as it needs to be? How can I continue to make it stronger? I'm not sure this is an answer that I can just blurt out on the spot. Of course, I know that through prayer, studying the bible, and trusting in the Lord that my faith will continue to grow, but I think there is more. I think that their is something in my thinking that needs to change. I think that it is something in my complete and total knowing that God loves me; meditating on this knowledge and really just soaking it all in. 

The end of the story, for those of you who don't know it, is that God saves Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They are thrown into the fiery furnace in which four men are seen. King Nebuchadnezzar is astonished since only three men went into the fire. He goes to the furnace and orders the three men to come out. They come out with not even a hair on their head being burned. The king then makes a decree that no word shall be spoken against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The ending of the story caused me to reflect on how amazing our God is. He not only saved the three men, but He caused the king to recognize Him. 

I love this story and am thankful for the reflective time that it provided me with as I continue to grow in my walk with God.