GodandMe2theMax

Be Still and Know I am God...

Psalm 46:10  "Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth."

Last week was one of the roughest ones I've had in a while.  My husband has been in Africa for nearly two weeks, and on Thursday, we found out that God had closed a door that until that point seemed wide open.  God didn't just close it, He locked it and seemingly threw away the key.  Honestly, I was pretty devastated.  I found myself desperately crying, even arguing with God.  By the time my tears had run dry, I found myself re-reading my own blog from last week.  I told God He had a real sense of humor, because the sample prayer I wrote needed to be re-iterated in real time as I poured out my heart to my Father.  Emotionally, I was spent before the day began on Thursday.  I had a lot of questions for God, none of which He answered directly, except to say to me, "Be still, and know that I am God.  I have a plan.  Just have faith."

As I have prayed about what verse to memorize this week, Psalm 46:10 is the only verse God has given me peace about.  If you're like me, you may  already have the first part of the verse memorized, but you likely have not memorized the entire verse. 

Let's take a look at it a little more deeply. 

"Be still."  This is a command, and it comes from a root word rapha, which means to be weak, to let go, or to release.  Maybe a better translation might be "cause yourself to let go" or "let yourself become weak."  Ok, God, I get it.  Let go.  Let go of my wishes and desires.  Quit trying to be strong and handle things on your own.  I release it to You.

Notice the second directive in the verse - know.  How still should we be?  We should be so still that we should surrender to the point that we know God is in control.  God is God.  God is God in the good times, and He is God in the rough times.  We need to "give up, become weak, let go, and release" so that we can fully rely on God's strength and power. 

The next two parts of the verse are a promise.  You know we can rest fully in God that He is in control, but the end result is the topping on the cake.  He will be the victor of the things of this world.  His Kingdom will be established on the earth, and He will be exalted.  Did you get that?  HE WILL BE EXALTED!!!  It doesn't matter what things don't go the way we want them to here on earth.  My God is the King Supreme!  In this battle of sin here on earth, He has already won the battle, and He is coming back to reign here on earth.

You know, when you put it in perspective, my "BIG PROBLEMS" are not problems at all to God.  He clearly knows the outcome of every situation.  He has a plan, and although I can't always see it in "real time" it doesn't matter.  My job right now is just to be still, and know that He is God. 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Autism and Prayer. Gettin' real with God.

Psalm 62:8  "Trust in Him at all times, you people.  Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.  Selah."

This last Saturday was Autism Awareness Day.  My son Jacob has something called Asperger's Syndrome, which is high functioning autism.  Asperger's Syndrome manifests itself mostly in the area of social skills.  Kids and adults with Asperger's Syndrome (in general) are highly intelligent, but they do not understand verbal queues.  Their social skills are weak and sometimes non existent.  They say what they want, when they want to, and they don't necessarily understand the principle of "there's a time and a place for everything."

Well, last week, my son went to his annual eye doctor appointment.  He was in rare form during the visit.  As parents, we repeatedly try to teach him what is appropriate and not appropriate during social interactions.  Please understand that we don't use "Asperger's Syndrome" as an excuse for rudeness.  However, sometimes the things that come out of his mouth are just downright funny.  The interaction with the doctor (among plenty of other comments) went something like this:  "How much did you spend on all this equipment?"  "You know, you spent so much money on all this stuff, but what you really needed to do was buy a new chair.  These arms keep falling down."  "Dude!  You gotta warn a guy before you do something like that!"  As I said, Jacob just says whatever comes to his brain, whether it's appropriate or even makes sense.  Other comments during the doctor visit were "Can you give me my glasses back?  I can't see anything at all."  "Something weird happens with my eyes when I take my glasses off.  My eyes get all blurry." 

Yes, that's my boy.  As you can imagine, life with Jacob in our house rarely offers a dull moment.  He doesn't try to be funny, but the things that he blurts out from time to time crack us up.  He will not hesitate to tell you what's on his mind, whether it has any context of what we're talking about or not.  If your breath stinks, he tells you.  If he thinks you're talking too much visiting with people after church, he downright tells you to "cut the chit-chat."  Teaching him that public gas is inappropriate is even a harder task.  All these social skills or lack thereof, we attribute to his Asperger's Syndrome (and then some!)  Certainly, it couldn't be our parenting skills, right?

Well, since it was just Autism Awareness Day, I started to think about how many people don't really understand Jacob or Asperger's Syndrome.  Most people don't know what it is and how it affects people.  I also started thinking about how brutally honest Jacob is about things, and how God wants us to be that brutally honest with Him.  Look at the verse to memorize for this week.

Psalm 62:8  "Trust in Him at all times, you people.  Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.  Selah."

Notice that we are given a few commands here.  Trust God.  When?  At all times.  That means we trust Him in the good times, and we trust Him in the bad times.  The next command is to pour out our hearts to Him.  Why?  He is our refuge.  He is our safe place.  He is the only safe place for our emotions and heart, really.  Then the word "selah" means stop, pause, and think about what was just said.

As honest as Jacob is about any given situation is as honest as God wants us to be with Him.  We need to tell Him how we feel, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We need to pour out our heart to Him the way Jacob pours out whatever comes to his mind.  Sometimes as Christians, we get this idea that we need to talk "churchy" to God.  "Oh dear God, I know you're in control, and I trust You."  Sure, this is a good prayer.  But if I were really pouring out my heart to God, perhaps a more honest prayer would be, "God, I know You're in control and You have a plan, but this waiting game is tough.  Sometimes I feel like I'm not going to make it.  I hate waiting, and I'm not good at it.  I don't understand why you're allowing me to go through this trial.  It hurts.  I trust You know what You're doing, but...  Help me, God..." 

Yes, I think that's what God expects when He tells us to pour out our heart to Him.  I don't know about you, but I'm guilty of talking to God in "church talk" too often.  Having Asperger's Syndrome is a benefit when it comes to communication with God.  Jacob doesn't know that socially he shouldn't say some things.  With God, there is no social etiquette.  I think we can all take a lesson from Jacob when it comes to being brutally honest with God.  Let's drop our masks and get real with God.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Shark Tank

Ephesians 2:10  "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

ABC has a reality television show called "Shark Tank."  The "sharks" consist of five multi-millionaires who listen to various entrepreneurs pitch their product in hopes to have one or more of the "sharks" invest in it.  This last week, an entrepreneur was on the show pitching his invention "Wakin' Bacon."  According to his research, one of the top things people want to wake up to is the smell of bacon.  "Wakin' Bacon" is a pig-shaped alarm clark that actually heats up pre-cooked bacon, timing the morning alarm with the aroma of freshly cooked bacon. 

Each shark has an opportunity to ask questions, make an offer to invest in the product, or decide they're "out."  When it came time for the "Wakin' Bacon" decisions, each shark, one by one for obvious reasons, said, "I'm out."  That is, until one of the newest sharks, Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, had the floor.  He paused.  He hesitated.  The other sharks started to question his sanity in even considering to invest in such a product.  They started to egg him, "You gotta be kidding me, Mark.  What are you going to do when the first one catches on fire in the middle of the night?  What's the value of the business going to be then?" 

Mark finally broke his silence.  "I know how to get insurance.  I'm  not worried about that liability. "  He then went on to say, "The probability that people will actually use this product once after buying it is perhaps 10%.  The probability that people will use this product a second time after they buy it is 0%.  It's a novelty item.  People will buy it because it's so stupid."  Eventually, however, Mark finally said he was "out." 

Now, to be an entrepreneur on the Shark Tank, you've gotta have some thick skin.  Really thick skin.   How would you like to hear someone tell you this invention that you've put your blood, sweat, and tears into and believe is going to be "the next biggest thing" is a complete and utter joke?  Even more, how would you feel if you were told it should be used in a manner differently than what you intended?  Ouch.  The "Wakin' Bacon" designer took the rejection like a man and walked away from the Shark Tank empty handed, without any partners or investors.  Big shocker there, ey?

Being an entrepreneur myself, I couldn't help but put myself in the feet of the "Makin' Bacon" inventor.  This guy believed so much in his product that he endured public humiliation.  He stuck to his guns and couldn't stand the idea of his product being used for what something other than he intended it.  I thought about that, and then I thought about the relationship between Jesus our Creator and us.  Are we not His prized possessions, His special creations?   Now certainly, I'm not comparing mankind to some crazy bacon alarm clock, ok?  It's the principle of the creator and creation and being used for the purpose intended. 

Take a look at the verse to memorize for this week.  We are God's beautiful masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for what?  To do good works!  Now let's be clear.  Good works do not get us to heaven.  Just back up a few verses to clear up that one.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says it's by grace we are saved through faith, and it's not of ourselves, it's the gift of God....not works.  When Jesus died on the cross and rose the third day, He conquered sin and death and made a way for us to get to heaven.  He did the job.  End of subject.  We only need to commit our life to Him, ask Him to forgive us of our sin and take control.  But the natural bi-product of our faith in Christ is good works. 

So let me ask, what are you doing to be used the way the Master Inventor intended?  Are you serving?  What are you doing in your church?  If you're attending church every week and just sitting there, are you producing good works?  What about outside your church in your community?  Are people seeing the hands and feet of Jesus through your good works and acts of service? 

Or, have we decided to take a Mark Cuban novelty approach with our life?  Have we decided to take a left turn and change the way God intended our lives to be?  The choice is ours.  Serve or sit?  Self or others?  God has called us to live a life of service that produces good works because of our love for Him.  What will your decision be in the Shark Tank?

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

How far will you go?

John 14:21  "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him."

How far will you go to get something you want? 

Back in November, I wrote about my son Jacob, and how he reacted to a pickle that was put on his plate in pre-school.  Clearly, pickles are something he detests.  But this week, an interesting phenomenon happened.  Let me start by saying that trips to McDonalds are a rarity in this house, especially since "Super Size Me" was aired in Amber's Jr High School health class.  Nonetheless, McDonalds had some special happy meal toys being advertised: "Young Justice."  It was spring break, and we caved.  Off to McDonalds we went.  To help out Jacob with his quest for Young Justice toys, I ordered a happy meal, Amber ordered one, and of course, Jacob ordered one.  Clearly, Amber and I ordered the meal with the intent to give Jacob the toy inside.  At first, Jacob assumed our toys were his and started to open them, until I pointed out that they were not his property until we gave them to him. 

Amber then got the most devious look on her face.  "Jacob, you can have my Batman toy if you eat this pickle.  No washing it down with lemonade.  Now extra food.  Straight pickle." 

I ask again, "How far will you go to get something you want?"  Jacob has such a history with and disdain for pickles, I never thought he would take Amber up on the deal.  Truly, Amber planned on giving him the toy anyway.  But those were the ground rules, and Jacob was willing to go pretty far.  He stuck with the deal 100%.  He ate that pickle, even though he clearly was disgusted.  From a parent's point of view, it looked like an episode of Pediatric Fear Factor.

I started to think about what was playing out before my eyes.  This child wanted something so badly, he was willing to do about anything to get it.  But do we ever want to please God so badly that we're willing to experience a bit of discomfort to make Him happy?

Take a look at Judges 4.  In it Deborah the prophetess was leading Israel.  She summoned Barak and told him God was commanding him to take ten thousand men and march to Mount Tabor.  She then told Barak God was going to hand over the enemy to him.  Barak's response to Deborah, "I'll go only if you go with me."  There's been a lot of studies on Barak, and we can draw some of our own conclusions, but what I want to focus on is God's command.  God didn't say, "I'll hand over your enemies to you if you take Deborah with you."  No, it was "Go," without conditions.  It was Barak's job to obey.  It didn't matter if he was uncomfortable in the position God was calling him to.  His job was not to change the game plan.  His job was only to do what God told him...completely.

Now look at the verse to memorize for the week, John 14:21.  If we know what God commands us to do and we actually do it, then that proves our love for Him.  One of the key things here is to actualy contemplate the thought, what is God commanding me to do?  Clearly, there are obvious Godly character traits in the Bible that we should exemplify.  But what specifically is asking you to do?  Is it out of your comfort zone? 

Is He asking you to go work with inner city homeless people?  Is He telling you to go get uncomfortable on a mission trip?  Is He asking you to dig deep in your pockets to help support a friend raising support to go on a mission trip?  God doesn't always call us to do things that are easy.  If it's easy, what kind of faith would that take?   

How far are you willing to go to obey?  Are you willing to be uncomfortable, no matter the cost?  Will you even eat a pickle?

 

 

 

 

 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Come and Listen... Psalm 66:16

Psalm 66:16  "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me."

Do you ever feel like the weight of the world is more than you can bear?  How will I ever make it through?  Why aren't my prayers being answered?  Why am I going through this?  When is this trial going to be over?  If you're honest, you've probably been there.  Maybe you're there now.

But sometimes we need the reminder to look back.  Look back at what God has done in our lives.  Look back at how He's proved Himself faithful over and over again.  Then we need to tell others about His faithfulness, even in spite of what we're going through now. 

Read Psalm 66.  David makes a plea.  "Come and listen, all you who fear God let me tell you what He has done for me."  Then David talks about going through trials, being refined with fire and water.  He likens it to God sending him to prison with burdens on his back.  But in the end, David praises God.  He knows God is in control and has his best interests at heart. 

Yes, as Christians, our mind knows these spiritual facts that David knew, too.  No brainer, right?  God is in control.  He'll carry us through.  Yet, sometimes our emotions and heart hurt and overtake that reasoning side of our brain.  Let's take a lesson from David this week.  Let's follow his example to tell others about God's faithfulness, in spite of rough times in a current situation.  Thank God today for His refining fire!

Psalm 66

Come and listen, everyone
Come and hear all that God has done.
The trials He’s brought, they’ve not been fun.
The process is long.  His job’s never done.

But He’s teaching me that through the fire
Is exactly how to increase my desire
To know Him more. Now that’s my goal.
Refine me Lord, make me whole.

You’re testing me.  Like silver and gold.
Through pressure, the way diamonds are formed.
These burdens - they bring me to my knees
I’m trusting You, God, help me, please.

You let me go through water and fire.
My will to You, Lord, I will retire
You keep me in life, Each day you give
Abundant life.  For you I’ll live.

Abundant peace.  Abundant love. 
Abundant contentment from God above.
Abundant joy.  Your hand I see.
You’ve not withheld Your love from me.

Heart ablaze, burning for You
Water and fire, You carry me through
Come and listen, everyone.
Come and hear all that God has done.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Grow my roots...

Colossians 2:6  "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Roots.  It's what a plant needs to keep growing stronger.  A root anchors the plant and absorbs nutriments and moisture to help it grow.  You can have the biggest, healthiest plant ever, but speaking from experience, if left unwatered without sunlight, the roots will begin to surface and the plant will eventually die.  A green thumb, I have not.  In fact, with the exception of one, I have successfully neglected all plants I've ever had to the point of no return.

Well, this last week, God has been teaching me the importance of growing my roots deeper.  You see, I kind of think I know my Bible pretty well.  I don't mean to sound proud when I say that.  It's just that I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian school for thirteen years, went to a Christian college, and well, I've been growing in Christ a long time.  But sometimes it's easy to be complacent and forget the need for continual growth.  Our pastor has been challenging us about this very directive of growth from God the last few weeks at church, too. 

Well, last Wednesday, when our worship team finished practicing a song, our worship pastor opened up his Bible and started reading a passage from Revelation.  Now, I've read through the Bible, cover to cover, several times.  But as he read, I heard some things I don't remember hearing before about how John describes the return of Christ.  In it, he said Jesus will have written on His robe and thigh, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."  Hmmm...yep, I definitely never remember reading this description of Jesus.  Sure, I knew Jesus is called the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" but does that mean Jesus will have a tattoo on his thigh with this title?  I'm not sure, but it kind of sounds like that, doesn't it?  And then another thing in the passage caught my ear.  It said Jesus will bear a name that no one knows but He Himself.  I listened as Pastor Steven kept reading.  I stood there captivated by this phrasing from the Bible that I just had never remembered hearing before.  How could I have missed this in all my years of being a Christian?  I got home and re-read the passage.  In fact, I've probaby read it at least 5 times since.  We know so many names for God, and yet, there is one name that will not be revealed to us until He returns.  Take a look for yourself at the passage - Revelation 19:11-16. 

Now take a look at the verse to memorize for this week in Colossians.  Paul says, just like we've received Christ, we should continue to live in Him.  Continue.  It's a verb, but it's one that calls for action in the present tense.  We need to persist.  Last.  Endure.  And how do we do this?  By building up our roots in Him.  This strengthens our faith, and the bi-product is an overflow of thankfulness.

The story from Revelation is just one example of how God hit me upside the head this week with the need to grow my roots.  Sometimes when you've been a Christian a long time, it's easy to not look for new things in Scriptures.  "Been there, done that" should never be a mantra of a Christian.  Instead, it should be "Show me.  Teach me.  Help me learn."   The more I learn, the more my roots grow, the more I realize so little I know.  I wrote this poem this week, in response to the passage from Revelation.  God, keep growing my roots so that I am a life-long student of Yours.

A Name No One Knows...
Revelation 19:11-16

We think we know Him, this Jesus of ours,
but is that really the case?
If He returned today, right in front of our eyes
would we recognize His face?

Provider, Healer, Messiah, Friend
Lover of our souls, No Beginning, No End
Righteous Judge, defeating all foes
And He’ll bear a name that no one knows.

His eyes will be like a blazing fire. 
On His head will be many crowns.
He’ll be dressed in a robe dripped in blood
And His name is the Word of God.

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Will be written on His thigh and robe
He’s faithful and true.  Immeasurably pure.
And He has a name no one knows.

Such a mystery, this Christ in me.
I spend my days trying to know Him more
Realizing I’ve got so far to go 
To really know that name no one knows.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Heartburn...

Judges 2:10  "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel."

Heartburn.  A burning sensation in your chest that once you get it, seems to stay with you for a really long time.  It hurts.  It's constant.  And it's a reminder of what you ate (or shouldn't have eaten.)

I started a study in Judges this last week, and as I read through some of the corresponding Scriptures, Judges 2:10 struck me with a burning in my heart like I can't explain.  Yes, it's true, this verse gave me Spiritual heartburn.  In context, Joshua, the great leader of Israel had passed away.  Time elapsed, and everyone who had seen God do mighty things in Joshua's generation, anyone who was an eyewitness to God's hand of deliverance, eventually died as well.  When they died, they left behind a generation that had no personal experience or interaction with God Almighty.  That generation, according to verse eleven did evil in the sight of the Lord and served other gods. 

As I said, this verse burned in my heart when I read it.  It's a reality check for me, and a scary one at that.  Re-read the verse, making it personal this time.  "After 'Beth Banfill' died, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done in 'her' life."  You see, one of my biggest fears is that my children will become adults and decide they don't have any need for God.  Sure, as a parent, I can instill in them God's love as best I know how.  And by the grace of God, I can see Him at work in their lives even as a twelve and fourteen year old.  But am I doing everything God wants me to do to make an eternal difference for Him, not only with my children, but with everyone I come in contact with?

To me, that is a daunting and chilling thought.  It begs several questions that demand personal answers.  When I die, will others know about the mighty works of God in my life?  Regardless of my age, what am I doing to impact my generation or the next for Christ?  Am I passing along the importance of a relationship with Christ to my children, or am I more concerned with making sure they are popular, excelling at sports, fitting in, and having an overall good time growing up?  Where are my priorities, and are they evident enough in my life that others see them, too?

It doesn't matter how old you are at this moment, what matters is that you are making a difference in your generation so that the next one will know of God's mighty works in your life.  We have one life to live for God.  We have one voice, and one generation (our own) to impact for Christ. 

My heart burns to make an impact.  What does your heart burn for?  Do you suffer from spiritual heartburn at all?  Or have you taken so many antacids that you're immune to what God has called you to do?

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Docent for Jesus...

Deuteronomy 6:6-7  "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

750 hours.  1250 hours.  2000 hours.  As I wandered through the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, last week, I quickly became intrigued with the docents that were in each room, ready and willing to share any and all knowledge of the museum with me.  They each carried a small notebook with handwritten letters and actual historical pictures, bringing history to life.  Each docent also bore a name tag with their landmark number of volunteer hours printed on it.  There was one other point of comparison with each docent, and this one was quite apparent - they were each, shall I say, getting up in their years. 

Let me be honest here.  I didn't grow up loving history.  In fact, it wasn't until recent years that I found a museum actually something of interest rather than a torturous intrusion on my sleep.  However, being married to a lover of history tends to rub off on you, and after almost twenty years now, I can actually say I not only tolerate museums, but I actually like them.  You see, I got through history in school with B's and C's, but I never really embraced its importance.  My parents didn't instill a love for history in me, and frankly, that was just fine with me.  But now that I'm learning to love history, perhaps for the first time in my life, I wonder how many other people are out there just like me.  Worse yet, I wonder how many people are raising their children with the same lack of interest for history.  As I walked through the museum last week, looking at the docents and their volunteer hours, I couldn't help but wonder if museum docents would soon be a thing of the past, taking with them the mass amounts of knowledge that they bare.   

In Deuteronomy 6, God charged the Israelites to be, in a sense, spiritual docents.  Look at the verse to memorize for this week.  (Yes, I know, there's two verses to memorize, but I needed to include both for cohesiveness sake, ok?)   We are to love God, think constantly about His commandments, teach His commandments to others, and live our lives daily by the guidelines He sets out for us. 

Can you imagine how many volunteer hours we would have on our name plate if we actually lived our lives the way God expects us to?  Some of the docents at the museum logged 2000 hours and more.  Yet, how many hours have I spent telling others about Christ?  How much time have I spent teaching others about His mighty works?  Have I committed my life to teaching others His-Story?  Am I logging hours, talking about God when I am at home, walking down the road, laying down, and sitting up?  Or, like the gray haired guides in the museum, are spiritual docents quickly becoming a dying profession? 

Have I been obedient and served my God enough to even earn the title "Docent for Jesus" on my name tag?  How many hours of service will my name badge list when I get to heaven?  
 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

I'm on vacation, so special thanks to my childhood friend Cindi (Goldfuss) Florit for letting me re-post her blog for the verse to memorize this week! 

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Ephesians 5:8  "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light."

 

Ephesians 5:6-11
Galatians 5:19-25

Have you ever heard of the nursery rhyme that says:

"Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row."

I am amazed at how often I have recited little rhymes like this, never knowing their origins. The Mary that this little poem was about was Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII, also known as Bloody Mary.  The garden was the graveyards that grew in number due to her instruments of torture, the silver bells and cockle shells. The pretty maids were not little bridesmaids nor maids who waited on her. They were guillotines. Lovely. Just exactly what I want my children to learn about. :-)

But you know, friends, this little rhyme with dark origins has one glaring truth: our actions "grow" something. That something may be good, and it may be bad, but it will grow. So, the obvious question is, how is MY garden growing? What am I sowing? For we know that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7)  We sow with our words, our actions, even our thoughts. Are we sowing seeds that will result in the fruit of the Spirit? Are we sowing seeds of obedience, submission, love for our Almighty God and Savior? Or are we sowing discord among the brethren? Are we sowing true humility that can actually hurt us when we practice it but honor our Father most of all, or are we sowing pride and dissension? Seeds of humility in asking forgiveness when we truly need to, if for no other reason than to promote unity, or seeds of pride in ignoring situations in which we can technically say we are not wrong but which destroy those around us?

I am greatly intrigued by the similarities of this little poem that seems so innocent to us today but that originated in such horrible circumstances. Then again, I ask, if someone were to make a little ditty about me, what would it say? Would the words be "quite contrary, one who puts people in the graveyard (literally or figuratively or spiritually)? Or would it be "you could tell her God was real because there's no way she could have talked the way she talked, forgave the way she forgave, made right the things that needed to be made right, encouraged in Christ the way she encouraged if the very God of heaven and earth hadn't been there working in her." Would the poem be about my failings as a human being or about my Awesome God? What is the fruit that comes from MY garden? How is Cindi's garden growing?

How does YOUR garden grow? Can you honestly face the question? I challenge us all today to check out our gardens. We can pull the weeds and thorns and thistles, even if they have a hefty root system because they've been around too long. It may take some work. We may get poked. We may get hurt, but it is worth it to get the weeds out. Bloody Mary's garden consisted of her instruments of torture. Ignoring our sins of the past won't make them go away. Do we have the character to honor our Heavenly Father and make things right the way He has said to do so?

We can water in the fruit of the Spirit and choose to think about the things that are "true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

Having had the privilege and responsibility of working a 1-acre garden every summer as a child and teenager, I know a lot about weeds. :-P I know that real gardening is a lot of work. It is an unending process until the snow comes. It is easier to pull weeds when they are small and tender, and in Ohio's clay soil, it can be a nightmare to pull them when they've grown in and established a significant root system. But if you want good fruit, you have to get the weeds out. You have to break up the hard soil so that the vegetables can get air and water. You have to feed them. You have to find ways to keep out the animals and bugs. You have to put a lot of effort, time, sweat, thought into a garden. We have to do the same for our spiritual gardens. How's it growing today?

---A Coffee Conversation, from Cindi Florit

 

What Moon Phase are you?

What Moon Phaase are You?

2 Corinthians 3:18  "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Last year, my son Jacob had a school project to look at the moon every night for 30 days and write down the shape.  The shape of the moon is different, depending on the angle of where the earth is...it could be a waxing crescent, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, waning crescent, or new moon.  (Did they just make these terms up recently, or did I totally miss that when I was in school?)  Admittedly, I was not a good student, but even my husband was at a loss for helping with that project!

Now, simple science lessons tell us that the moon doesn't give off it's own light.  It reflects the sun's light, so if the clouds are out or there is fog in the sky, you can't see it.  Well, we definitely experienced that scenario many times over during that month-long project.  The fog was so bad the whole first week that all we could do was look at the internet to see what the shape of the moon was supposed to be, then write it down.

2 Corinthians talks about reflecting God's glory.  It talks about how Moses in the Old Testament wore a veil over his face after it 'glowed' from being in God's presence.  If they made a movie, certainly it could have been called "The Shining."  But, here in the New Testament, Paul tells us we don't need to wear a veil over our face to reflect God's glory.   He says in verse 18 that the more time we spend with God, the more we are being transformed into His likeness.

Have you ever gone to a part of the country or a foreign country where they speak with an accent?  I've been to the UK several times, and while I was in college, I spent almost a month in Australia doing mission work.  The more time I spend in these kind of places, the more I begin speaking (or unconsciously) trying to speak like them.  My son Jacob has a friend here in Texas with a pretty strong Southern drawl.  The little boy's brother and family do not have do not have this accent...just him.  (I think his goal is to be a country singer when he grows up, and right now, he's got all the swagger going for him.)  Well, after Jacob spends a few hours with this friend, Jacob starts talking all 'hick' and 'country.'  No offense...that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it illustrates the point Paul is trying to say.  The more time you spend with someone, the more you become like them.  Spend time with Christ, and you will become more like Him, reflecting His glory.

If my focus is on television or my favorite show, it will consume my thoughts.  If I put my sole attention on food, gambling, or drugs, I easily can become an addict.  If my sole focus is on work, I will be a workaholic.  But if my focus is on Christ, I will become more like Him.  I will be addicted to Him and His love.  Now that's not a bad thing!  Look at the verse again.  We are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory.  And where does that glory come from?  It's from the Lord.  I cannot be transformed into His likeness without spending time with Him.

Yes, sometimes the clouds and fog roll in.  Sometimes it's difficult to reflect God's glory when circumstances happen that shake us.  We end up waning, like the phases of the moon.  But just like the sun is always there, Christ is always there, waiting to be reflected.  God doesn't promise me this perfect life where everything goes according to my plans.  He asks me to be faithful...to spend time with Him...to reflect His glory, even in the fog.  For me, my focus has been on God, but I've felt lately as though I've been in a fog.  Life is flying by seemingly a mile a minute, and I feel like I just can't get a handle on anything very well.  So today, I'm asking God to blow His sweet breath through my life to blow away the fog and the clouds, so I can be a full moon, shining brightly and reflecting only His glory! 

What moon phase are you?

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com