IMPACT!

We were singing a song in church last Sunday. It is not one I am particularly fond of. I know, that sounds sacrilegious, doesn’t it? I smiled as they congregation started singing it, I closed my eyes, and focused on the words.   By the time we were done singing, I was praising God in my heart for the message he had given to me through that song. 

It was calling women from the church to minister to broken hearts, assuring them of God’s healing power!  It reminded me of the impact we can make for God’s Kingdom in the lives of other women. As a pastor’s wife, I see many hurting women walk through the doors of the church. I see how overwhelming life can be for them. They need a listening ear, someone who can show them where the healing begins.

This section of scripture has proved itself true over and over in my life. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7(KJV) ³ Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; ⁴ Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. ⁶ And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

I have been able to recognize that the reason I have gone through certain tribulations was so that I could be equipped to help women who have come across my path that are going through the same situation.  I was able to relate to them on a more personal level. I was able to encourage them to keep going and that they were going to be victorious in the end! We all need to be encouraged.

I was having a hard time understanding verse 6 wondering how  our affliction could be for the consolation and salvation of others until I had dinner with a new friend one night. She had been in a horrible car accident when she was a teenager. I asked her if she had ever asked God, “Why?” Without hesitating, she told me that she hadn’t ever questioned it and later found out that because of her story, other people came to salvation. It all came together!  My husband has reminded me a couple of times through our trials that people would be watching how we would react. That seems like a lot of pressure at times, but when you consider how it may impact another person’s life and walk with God, it is worth being under that pressure.

Make an impact in your own sphere of influence! Lately God has given me the awesome opportunity of making an impact in the lives of children, many of them little girls (our future women. I love that God has given me the privilege of being able to introduce these little ones to the Lover of their souls and look forward to watching them grow so that they can their faith with others!

IMPACT! 

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"I'm healed!"

As adults, it seems more difficult to accept things on faith. Sometimes prayer can be our last resort. I have been thinking about the youth in my life a lot lately and their faith seems so unwavering, so sure, so pure.

I picked my grandson up one day and I took him out for a treat.  We sat down at the table and he exclaimed in his four-year-old voice, “Gramma! You need to be prayin’ for me!” He had my attention and I asked him what was going on. “I’m not feeling good. I have been sick and you need to pray that God heals me!” I assured him I would.  

I was amazed that at four years old he would see the importance of asking someone to pray for him in his sickness. It encouraged me knowing that if he had that concept down NOW what a powerful prayer warrior he will be when he is older. 

Sometimes when I pray, I feel it is more out of hope than expectancy, but kids just seem to have such a strong faith that when something is prayed for, they expect it to happen. I love it! What an example to me!

I remember when one of my sons had blood work done when he was four and his platelets were very low.  The physician’s assistant nonchalantly said that could be found many times in kids with leukemia and wanted to recheck it in two weeks. What?! I didn’t understand how he could use my son’s name in the same sentence as the word leukemia and then tell me we had to wait two weeks before discussing things further! 

Every night for two weeks my husband and I prayed over our son HOPING God was hearing our cries. We took him back in and the blood work was the same and so was the PA’s response, “Come back in two weeks.”  This time my husband was on the phone with the clinic demanding something more solid than that. He wanted to know the possibilities, the probabilities, anything that would help our minds wrap around what we might be dealing with.   A physician called us and explained that we would do one more set of labs and go from there.  So we prayed and prayed.

The night before my son’s next appointment, my husband and I knelt next to his bed instructing him that we were going to pray.  Laying his head on his pillow, he folded his little hands and closed his eyes. When we said amen, we opened our eyes expecting to hear him mimic our response as he always did, but he didn’t this time. We looked at him and he opened his eyes and smiled so big. He formed his fingers on both hands into the shape of guns. He made a clicking sound with his tongue and said, “I’m healed!” My husband and I looked at each other and giggled and kissed him on the forehead.

We took him in the next day for his labs. A couple of days later, the doctor called and said, “Everything looks great, his platelets are back up to normal.” For a  little guy of four years old to hear his mommy and daddy praying over him over something I’m sure he didn’t understand, I don’t think he knew enough to HOPE for the best. He expected our prayer to be heard. He expected to be healed. For four weeks we poured our hearts out, but he seemed to know the minute those cells were touched by his God.

A child’s faith is so amazing! We need to not get bogged down by the clutter of the world and remember how big our God is!  Expect great things from a great God!

A Day in the Life of a Pastor's Family

We have the most blessed Sundays! We start out in the mornings with the privilege of getting our grandchildren ready for church as they get to stay Saturday nights with us. Having mostly boys, I have not had much practice on doing hair on little girls so I take great pleasure in putting pony tails in or braids. Our oldest granddaughter is such a huge help for us and takes care of the little ones as people first begin arriving at church so that I can meet and greet.

We get to sing praises to our Lord. After announcements, the children from babies to teens are all dismissed to class and I get the opportunity to teach the elementary kids. We have great discussions. Their minds are sponges and they are retaining everything from the lessons! I enjoy witnessing how their brains process the information that is given to them.

After church, we get to have more chatting time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. As people filter out, then the lunch comes on the table for the handful of people that stay for the leadership class where we really get to chew on the meat of the Word of God.  Iron sharpening iron helps the adults to dig through the truths of the  Old Testament. My teenage boys are such troopers (and many times one of the girlfriends). They hang out after church to watch the grandkids for a couple of hours during this time.  They never complain about it and they know it helps us so much.

After class, we spend a bit more time with our babies before having to take them home. It is not always easy leaving them even though we will see them again in a few more days.   As soon as we drop them off, we head for a friend's church for a time of prayer or back out to our own church when we offer prayer groups. We get to end our busy day in a sweet hour of prayer and it rejuvenates our exhausted souls.

It is the day in the life of a pastor's family. We love each smiling face we see during the day. We cherish each hug that offers encouragement. We trust when God says His Word does not return void and no matter what age of person we come into contact with on this day, we pray that God's love shines through us.  We try to stay energetic as we minister to others this day, but once we get home we know that no matter what time it is, dropping into bed is completely acceptable. My husband is completely wiped out but knows this is his time to now relax as he looks forward to Monday being his day off to recuperate.

We love our "job"!

Jesus loves me this I know!

"Jesus loves me this I know 

for the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong.

They are weak but He is strong.

Yes! Jesus loves me!

Yes! Jesus loves me! 

Yes! Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so!"

How can one simple truth also be so profound.   Jesus loves ME! I know me and there are many times that I am not very lovable. Yet Jesus LOVES me!  It is almost too big to wrap my mind around at times.   I have many friends and family members that love me, but to think that JESUS loves me is overwhelming.  A man, a brother, my Savior, my King who chose to die for me says that He loves me. 

Isn't it funny that everything we are told in the Bible all stems back to something that we learned when we were probably three years old.   Why should we go into all the world to make disciples of all nations? Because Jesus loves me.  Why should I love my neighbor as myself? Because Jesus loves me.  Why should I love God with all my heart, soul, mind, strength? Because Jesus loves me. 

If we truly understood all that Jesus has loved us through, we would not hesitate to love others through everything they are going through.   Forgiveness becomes easier when we realize the things from which we have been forgiven. 

Go out today and show the love of Jesus to others. Show them what true love looks like. Introduce them to the One who loves them!  

Chaos vs Creativity

We started a new women’s Bible study this week.  The woman leading it did a great job of incorporating the new adult coloring book idea into the introduction of this study. We talked about learning to color nicer as we mature. We wouldn’t expect  a one year old to color in the lines. Are her scribbles ugly? No! Because we understand that it is coming from a one year old.  God is patient with us as we learn to color our lives but wants to have us relinquish the crayons to Him so that He can color our lives. Does he erase the scribbles we have made? No! He blends the colors to make a beautiful picture!

That day’s study was wonderful, but something has been bugging my brain all week. The leader had us choose a picture from the coloring book. Then she went around the room and asked each of us why we chose the pictures we did. One woman chose hers because it had butterflies on it. Another chose her because of the flowers.  An older woman in the group said she picked hers out based on simplicity. A newer woman held hers up and commented on the symmetry of it. Then I held up mine.   I revealed to the group, “I chose it because it had no order.”

That statement has bothered me all week and as I pondered the choices of the other women, I realized how similar our coloring pictures were to our individual lives. I looked at my picture again. It was probably the most chaotic, disorderly, random design of shapes there was in the book. It was like every created shape was thrown into the air and someone scrambled around the room trying to catch each one on a piece of paper before it hit the floor. 

Chaos. Is that really an accurate description of my life? I wonder if we could use a more positive term…like Creative. I like that one much better. I know I’m a busy person. I do feel that my mind is as cluttered as my home.  I really don’t mean that in a negative way, but I homeschool and my kids are constantly going different directions. I am a pastor’s wife and am involved in several aspects of the ministry. I write and am always entertaining new topics to write about for blogs, magazines, and books. How am I supposed to organize chaos like that? Is it really to be considered chaos? Why does that word bother me so much? I don’t want to be associated with that word.

I have been told by several people that I bring a sense of calm to them. A chaotic person wouldn’t be able to do that, would they?  I feel I should look at the picture again and see if I can somehow bring a sense of order to the randomness. That would fall under Creativity, wouldn’t it?

I think I could be an orderly person. I do know how to clean my house. I know what has to be done. I would just rather be doing something else. Is that a bad thing?  I can put words in order. My bills are paid and my grocery lists are in order and everyone gets to where they need to be. That requires a certain sense of order, doesn’t it?  So maybe it’s just all the thoughts in my head that are all trying to get to the front of the line that need to be set in place.  Perhaps if I keep all that chaos in my head, until it can get out on paper, I will be okay.  Perhaps next time I will put more thought into the pictures in the coloring book so I don’t spend the following week beating myself up.  I know I overthink things; it’s what I do. Happy coloring!

Our First Ten Years in the Ministry!!

It was ten years ago that we received a call from a friend who told us that they had visited a small country church that was in desperate need of a pastor. We had never been in that role in the ministry before but decided to attend their business meeting to see what we could do to help.   My husband offered to be a guest speaker until they could find a pastor. Two weeks they hired my husband and that was all she wrote.

There are honestly still people out there that believe a pastor only works one day a week. However, I have been witness to the long hours my husband has worked. It is amazing the things that fall under the job duty as “Pastor”. Of course there is the marrying and the burying of people which comes with planning the details of those ceremonies on top of the counseling that is required for both. People have brought race cars to our church to be prayed over. Numerous calls from people outside the church come in for financial aid. People need odds and ends jobs done, but can't afford to really hire anybody so they call the pastor and he goes. The church needs cleaned and the grounds need kept. Questions need answered during the day and at times it seems the phone is glued to his ear. Last year, twice he was called on to bury the dogs of people that do not even attend the church. He consoles the owners over the lost pets. One of those nights included my sons (who usually end up being his right hand men) and their friend who was staying the night to go out at 9 p.m. with my husband during a storm to dig a hole for a woman who had to have her dog put down. The ground was hard as a rock and digging well past 10 o'clock, they had to use the lights of the truck in order to see.

That’s not all though. Truth needs spoken and that is not always received well. Relationships need building. The youth need supported in their events so there are always wrestling matches and softball games, etc. to attend outside of attending our own children's sports. Putting on the counselor's hat at 2 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. happens as he is still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Protection of the flock has been revealed in many different forms and it is never easy finding that balance.

Oh! But wait! That's not all! Now the pastor, through all that, has to make sure to make time to put a Bible study together and a Sunday morning message and figure out the children's program so we can secure the future of the church. He has to keep people excited about the work that needs to be done for the Lord. He needs to be gentle no matter what attitudes he comes up against.   

I have seen my husband overjoyed with the opportunity that has been laid before him and I have seen my husband shed many tears  over numerous situations.   I have seen him wrestle in prayer over those in our church.  I have never met a man with a deeper passion for the Lord.  Yes, my husband works one day…one day at a time that is. He is the first to say, “Here am I,  send me!”  To quote his very first sermon he has been able to master "Keep on Keepin' On!" With all of this on his plate, he has been able to keep a healthy balance of family and church. My husband rocks!

What is the condition of your water jug?

Have you ever been thirsty and you get your mind set on having a drink of cool water? Anyone who knows me knows I would rather drink out of a water bottle. One evening, I was so thirsty and I knew there was one water bottle left.  I went out to the kitchen and picked up the plastic casing which held my thirst quenching gem...only to find it empty. I crumpled the material in my devastated grip and raised it up to the heavens and cried "Why!!!!"

Eli, my 14 year old,  realized the cause of my lament and raised his right hand in victory which held the crystal clear prize and screamed a high pitched "WOOOO!!!"

I went to bed, my heart sorrowful. I rose with the morning sun and sauntered out to the quiet kitchen. The boys were just starting to stir. I moved the coffee pot back towards the wall and What Do My Sleepy Eyes SPY?!!!! A hidden bottle of water. "WOOOO!" I yell at the top of my lungs. Eli comes out of his bedroom and I tauntingly hold the bottle in the air and lay stake to the claim as I put it into the freezer (I like my water chilled). As I waited, we got busy doing other things.

That afternoon, we are replaying the scenario to my husband.  I said "So I put it in the....oh no! " I opened the freezer and pulled out a solid block of ice. As a frown replaced my smile, I had to listen to Eli cry "WOOOO!!!!" I sure felt like the squirrel in the Ice Age movies right about then.

The night before, Eli had the water that  I wanted.  It was a beautiful sight, it made him happy, and I could almost feel the coolness on my lips; I wanted that water. Things get silly like that in our home and that scenario may have been a bit over the top and exaggerated. It's what we do, but now I want to share a paraphrased story and a challenge that we were presented with at a conference this week.

The speaker told about a farmhand who had been working in the hot sun. He had no more water in his jug and asked one of the other men in the field if he could spare any of his own water.  The man spit his wad of chew out so that he could speak clearly. As a bit of drool settled on his chin, he pointed to a nearby tree and said, "My jug of water is over there, you are welcome to it."

The farmhand walked over to the tree. He wiped the sweat from his brow and unscrewed the lid.  As he lifted it up to take a swig, he could see how filthy the water was and that there was actually something growing on the inside of the jug.  He replaced the lid and decided that he wasn't that thirsty after all.

CHALLENGE: As a Christian, how is the condition of your water jug? Are you living your life in a manner that people see your joy and want what you have or are they watching you and deciding, "I'm not that thirsty?" We need to evaluate our hearts and our actions from time to time, maybe even on a daily basis. It should be our desire to hear from people, "I don't know what you have but I want a drink of THAT!"

Have a blessed weekend!
Follow this link to watch the actual video of Claude King telling the parable of the water jug!
http://blog.lifeway.com/growingdisciples/4-video-parables-for-christian-living/#.VrZFMUeF-Ys.facebook

"You're kinda in my way."

At the beginning of our Awana kids club, we open with standing up and presenting the colors. I sit in the front row with the three and four year olds. As we got ready to say the pledge, a kindergartner standing behind me tapped me gently on the back. I turned around. He leaned forward and quietly said, "Miss JoEllen, you're kinda in my way." I apologized and moved to the side. His politeness made me smile, but it also made me think. Are we in somebody's way today? Have we been a stumbling block?

My husband did a sermon on Jonah one time and talked about how they had to throw Jonah overboard before the storm would calm. He briefly mentioned things that might be Jonahs in our lives that need to be tossed overboard. Then he asked a tougher question: "Are you a Jonah in somebody else's life? Are you causing a storm in the life of another?" Are you in somebody's way?

If you are having to confront a person in your life, the very first thing you want to do is take it to the Lord in prayer. Don't make any rash decisions. It may be a storm that will blow over. Maybe you or the other person just had a bad day. If the behavior continues, you may need to evaluate your part in the situation. Many times, I am ashamed to say , it has been my own heart that was in the wrong. After getting advice one day, my friend told me the deciding factor as to when to speak up was if the behavior was affecting somebody else or if other people are being drawn into the situation. If that's the case it needs to be addressed according to the Bible verses in Matthew 18:15-17.

There may come a time that you need to tell somebody "You're kinda in my way."  But make sure to examine your own heart from time to time to make sure you won't be hearing those words from somebody else.  Communication is key!

EVEN IF

Keeping our emotions in check is a very difficult thing. Wouldn't you agree?  Many of our emotions are dependent on our circumstances.  We get frustrated if things don't go our way.  We get  angry if someone cuts us off in traffic or we feel that some injustice has been done to us.  We are sad if we lose someone we love. We feel insecure if we are not being recognized. We may be disappointed if someone else wins a record-breaking lottery. Those are all natural emotions. However, we have to exercise some control. II Timothy 1:7 says "For God has not given us the spirit of fear or timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline."  It has always comforted me to know that the one emotion that I know can remain constant is joy. No matter what I am experiencing, my joy can never be altered because it is not dependent on my circumstances but on the hope that I have in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

I have MORE good news! There is an emotion that we do not have to control:  unashamedness.  Yes, it's a word. I looked it up. It is the feeling of no remorse, shame or embarrassment.  In fact it can be an impossible one to control. In Acts 4, Peter and John have just been released from jail and have been told not to speak the name of Jesus again.   Acts 4:20 shows their response. "As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." They just couldn't help it! They HAD to speak about it.

Wouldn't it be great if our faith was as natural as our emotions that want to explode from our inner being?  Three young men in the Bible have become my new heroes lately as I have examined one little phrase that they said to King Nebuchadnezzar as they were getting ready to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Here is the passage from Daniel 3:16-19:   "16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed."

Did you catch the phrase that hit me? In verse 18 , the words BUT EVEN  IF hit me like a brick. They were so sure of the fact that the Lord was their Defender and that He was able to save them. They even said, "He WILL rescue us from your hand".  These boys were wise enough to know that the way in which God chose to defend them and rescue them may not necessarily look like what they felt rescuing was, but they would be rescued nonetheless. No matter what they were being threatened with , they were not willing to compromise their faith.  "EVEN IF He does not...we will not serve your gods." That's a boundary, if I've ever seen one!  What courage! Do you have that kind of faith? EVEN IF things don't go your way, are you going to continue to serve God?  No matter what's at stake, are you willing to live in obedience and trust that God will rescue you? Are you willing to take it a step further, as these young men did, and be unashamed and proclaim boldly that you will continue to serve your God?

It made me reflect on a few of my EVEN IF moments from the past. EVEN IF my marriage fails, am I going to continue to serve? EVEN IF I have a miscarriage, am I going continue to praise the name of the Lord? EVEN IF it takes me over a year to conceive again, am I going to acknowledge that the Lord is in control? EVEN IF my house burns down, am I going to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength?  EVEN  IF I have to sit back and helplessly watch my husband go through the loss of his ailing father and muster the strength to preach at his funeral, am I going to fall at the feet of Jesus and thank Him for that trial?

Here is my honest answer. I got angry. I asked, "Why?" I cried many tears throughout my trials. However,  I never lost my joy or my hope and I never doubted who I was or Whose I was. I remember the pastor from our previous church asking me how I was doing after our house fire. I gave a one word answer, "Victorious." Believe me, I was just as surprised as he was with the answer that automatically came out of my mouth. I am victorious in any situation because I am the daughter of the King Most High! I am Royalty and I choose to have EVEN IF faith!

Isn't it Funny?

Isn't it funny how you have different friends for different needs in your life? In my last post, I shared about the encouragement I receive from my writing pals.  Today, I want to give a shout out to my church sisters.   Again, it is a group of women who "get" me, but on a different level than my writing buddies do. So maybe I should change the initial question of "Isn't it funny?" to "Isn't God good?!"

We are knit together with so many different characteristics that one person couldn't possibly relate to them all. God was the Knitter, He knows that so He brings little pockets of people to encourage each of our attributes.  Even our husbands can't relate on every level. They definitely serve a purpose and meet needs that our girlfriends can't in the areas of protecting, providing, ... and stuff. God brings certain people across our paths for a reason: to supply a need, to spur us on, to laugh with us.

I have  mentioned before that my husband and I have quite the opposite senses of humor. Here is another example. We were at a church music concert last weekend.   Even though we have watched this group, The Joint Heirs, many times and they sing some of the same songs each time, I tend  to get teary-eyed.  I can't help it. Different songs hit me at each concert, depending on what is going on in my life at that time.  Well, this night was no different.  Tears were running down my face, the pastor's wife handed me a tissue and I hear my husband compassionately whisper, "Quit your sniveling. We are supposed to be the rocks in this establishment."  I am used to this sort of teasing so I didn't miss a lick. I whispered back, "The Bible says that even the rocks will cry out."  Now, I did get a smile out of him, but my sisters would have laughed out loud!

Like my writing friends, my church sisters and I can play off each others humor very well too, but at a different level. We hang out a lot and have a lot of material we can use in our laugh sessions.   I set up a Sisters facebook page and we also have a group message. After one of our humorous  message sessions one of the girls decided that SIS should stand for Slightly Insane Sisters. Very fitting, I must say!

We have the younger women on there, the middle aged and the older women. The young girls in the group giggle at some of the conversations the middle-aged ones engage in, although they can be quick to throw a punchline in there as well. The older ones are usually so quiet that sometimes we forget they are there until we see a remark pop up from them, making us hope we didn't cross a boundary. Of course, we keep it clean, we just get carried away at teasing each other at times.  I approached one of the older ladies at church one day and said, "I hope we haven't been offensive in our interactions on our group message." She laughed and said she loved reading them and that she still  feels very young in her mind and hadn't been offended at all.

I love the assurance I have in this group of women that even though there is a time for laughter, that they will be the first lending a shoulder when there is a time for tears.  We have shared many heartaches over the years on many different levels, whether it be over hurt feelings, trouble with our children and marriages, or a death in the family. My sisters are the first ones that are there for me. They listen, the cry with me, they offer advice from the Bible and from their hearts.

My sisters and I are a team and I don't know what I do without them.   As our church grows, the needs become greater and I have some serious worker bees that I can call upon to help me. I love that!  I love that we can work together and serve together and laugh together.   This weekend we have been invited to go on a retreat with another church and five of us will be attending.   A few of them have not met my sisters from the other church yet and I am excited to see the interaction that they will have. I know my girls here will bring a flare to the event that I'm not quite sure the other girls are prepared for, but I can guarantee that flare is what will make them invite us again next year!  I also can guarantee that I will have a LOT more to write about next week upon our return!  God is good!

Be Careful With the Bananas!

         Our lives are based on relationships. Relationships with family, friends, our church, with God, employers, employees and believe it or not, everyone who crosses our path.   Too often, however , we get so wrapped up in taking care of ourselves and get so focused on  our own little world that we don't give ourselves fully to the people that are around us, even the ones closest to us.  From time to time we need to remember what it takes to nurture the relationships in our lives.  Are you all there for people? Are you committed to anybody other than yourself? Ouch.

Is there really anything so important in your day that you cannot be interrupted? Most of the things that surround us are just distractions that hinder our relationships.  We need to get a vision of what we want our relationships to look like and then take the steps necessary to reach those goals. Perhaps there are things that need cleared from our schedules. Perhaps there are things you need to work on in your own life to be able to be more transparent.

I did a fun activity with the kids from our youth group last week.   Each child was paired up with a partner. Each pair was given a knife, a plate and a banana.   The instructions were to cut the banana up, deciding as partners who would do the cutting and how many pieces they would cut it into.  I had only one girl team and they quietly discussed their plan. They made one neat slice across the middle of the banana, then stepped away from their plate. The younger boys made several neat slices and stepped away from their plates.  Two of my older boys in the group, however, sliced and diced their banana every which way until it was almost mashed up enough to feed the new baby born into our church family. They finally stepped away from their plate.

  They all waited for further instruction as I looked around at each team’s plate before smiling and saying, “Now put it back together.”  Jaws dropped.  You can imagine which team had their jaws drop the furthest.   I continued, “On the table, you will find clothes pins, tape, yarn and tooth picks. Your banana must look exactly as it did when I first handed it to you.”   The girls gently took their banana and secured the two halves with tooth picks then wrapped a piece of tape around it. Some of the boys got the inside of the banana looking pretty close but could not get the peel back on.  The older boys worked fast and furious, but truly there was no hope for their poor banana.

When every was cleaned up we discussed the lesson which you have probably figured out by now.   When we cut up and damage our relationships, most of the time we want to try to reconcile them and put them back together, but they will never be the same again. Even with the girls who only made one cut, there was still a scar.   The ones who mutilated their “relationship” tried very hard to get it back together, but there was no hope at all. That “relationship” could never be repaired.  It can really give us a visual and hopefully help us to understand that the relationships around us are so fragile.  

One parent and I were talking later about the experiment and after I said that those relationships would never be the same, she agreed, then said, “Sometimes they can look better.”  I pondered those words and she was absolutely right.  I thought about our marriages specifically.  We can say and do things to hurt our spouses. We can go through tough times, but as we work through it, it becomes a milestone that we can look back on and remind ourselves that we were overcomers.  We are stronger as we learn to weather the storms together.   I can see that happening with friendships and other relationships as well. The kids were able to use reinforcements to put the bananas back together. They SECURED them with other items to make the banana hold together stronger. We can do the same thing. We can SECURE our relationships with the foundation of God’s Word, with the new tools of communication, with new eyes of compassion toward the other. Our relationships can be strengthened through the lessons learned in the storms.   

I want to encourage you to slow down and really take the time to see who is around you. Take a moment and really look at your child.   Your spouse and children are around every day, but when is the last time you really looked at them and appreciated who they were? I challenge you to take the time to truly see people who come across your path this week. Look people in the eye and smile. Relationships are important and reconciliation can be so healing. If there are things that need to be taken care of, please do it. You are not guaranteed tomorrow.  Live your life with no regrets in those relationships!

Lose Sight of the Shore!

Lose Sight of the Shore!! 

            “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”  I came across this quote this week and it reminded me of the many steps I have had to go through as a pastor’s wife, as an author, and as one who wants to improve as a public speaker.

            Only fifteen years ago, I was a complete introvert. I would rather cross the street than chance having to look up and say hi to someone. People terrified me!    I had the perfect job for my “condition” as I was a medical transcriptionist and was able to sit in my own little office with headphones on all day and not talk to anybody.

When my family moved to Idaho, however, the only job opportunity that I had near home was at the local bank, where I had to work with the public all day long. My husband says that I began to “blossom”.   I enjoyed my customers and it was the one thing I missed when I chose to come home and be a stay-at-home mom.   My time at the bank however, was used as a stepping stone to help me be more comfortable around people because in 2006, my husband was called into the ministry.  The Lord was gracious in the fact that he slowly helped me to overcome my fear of people because now I was in a position where I would have to deal with a lot of people on many different levels. I quickly learned that people all needed to be ministered to differently.   It was quite the challenge for me.  

I had one woman in the church who completely empowered me. I have never been a great or confident decision maker and when I would ask her what her opinion was as far as preparing lessons for the youth group or Sunday School, she would turn it around and say, “Well, what do you think?”  With much uncertainty I would tell her my thoughts and she would smile and exclaim, “That sounds like a wonderful idea!”  She helped me to start moving away from the shore a little bit at a time and before I knew it I couldn’t see the shore anymore as I was planning events for the church, finding curriculum and planning lessons for the youth group, Sunday School, discipleship, women’s studies and fundraisers! 

Soon I found myself back at the shore when  I was asked to be a speaker at a Women’s Retreat.  I found myself getting off the boat and running inland as far as I could.   I had to speak at seven sessions.   Panic rose in me.   I did prepare my sessions….but ripped them up as I shouted to God that He could not make me get back on the boat.  The next day I taped up my papers and packed my suitcase.   I was not graceful at all as I talked. I shook and had to read every word off my paper.   I went to the bathroom and cried after each session as my nerves got the best of me.   How the Lord ever used any of my words to make a difference, I will never understand, but He did.  

As I was asked to do other speaking events, I graduated to using only an outline. I could tell the boat was starting to drift a little further from the shore.   I spoke and recorded a testimony that I gave to a church youth group and even got brave enough to send it to a Christian radio program, as it was in line with the topic of one of my books I had written. It wasn’t able to be used at that time, but I could feel the wind catching the sails of my boat, pushing me further out to sea.  I was asked to speak for a High School Career Days and did my first PowerPoint presentation and didn’t use any notes at all! That was a huge milestone for me.     

Last week I had the privilege of being on a panel with six other women authors. I realized that with it being a panel discussion I would not be able to prepare anything as I would have no idea what the audience would ask me about.   I got a bit nervous as people kept coming and coming into the event. I forced myself to mingle and smile.  We were finally called onto the stage and we introduced ourselves and our books.  People asked questions about writing and publishing and about our topics.   I never would have guessed the response that this short time on the panel would generate.   People were thanking us over and over again for being real and for being transparent and for encouraging them.   Little did they know how much the seven of us were truly encouraged!   This has fanned a flame in our hearts, letting us know that we have something to offer others! 

My boat is in the middle of the ocean right now.   I can’t see the shore…..and I’m not afraid.   I’m going to cross this ocean!

I would love to invite you to meet  the other women authors with whom I have had the privilege of learning and growing.   Their stories will bless you and encourage you!    http://idahocreativeauthorsnetwork.com/


Published works available at http://www.amazon.com/JoEllen-Claypool/e/B008I6EGR6

The Taboo I am Willing to Talk About

There is a topic that is constantly discussed on radio and TV talk shows. The topic has strong supporters and opposers. I will drop a few hints for you:  it is a topic that affects 1 in 4 women IN  THE  CHURCH.  In the United States alone it has involved 1.37 million in a year. Hitler’s horrific impact actually pales in comparison to the results of this topic.

I am sure you have guessed the subject by now.   Abortion.

Here is the thought I have been pondering. As wide spread and as loud as people seem to get about this issue, why is it not talked about.   Did that just sound like a complete contradiction? Let me explain. Politically, people will take a stand. Groups of people have no problem getting together with their signs to protest one way or the other. Churches will preach their belief  on the topic. But when it comes to one on one interaction with these groups, people all of a sudden have something else to do. Why is that?

We live in a time that people seem to be in such a hurry. Maybe it has always been that way, I don’t know. What I do know is that people seem to be afraid to look each other in the eye. What do you think the basis of that fear is? Are we afraid people will tell us the truth if we provide a safe place for them to open up? Are we concerned that we won’t be equipped to handle the things they tell us? Are we afraid that person will have to be another one we cross off our friend’s list because they don’t quite measure up to those with whom we choose to associate? On the other hand, why don’t we volunteer information and let people really get to know us? Why don’t we look people in the eye? Are we worried about judgment and rejection?  Are we naïve to think we are the only ones to experience certain things? Are we afraid we might have something to offer and it will take us too far out of our comfort zone?

Abortion is a touchy subject, no doubt. However, it is one that needs to be discussed. We have young women in our schools and our churches that are finding themselves in difficult circumstances and don’t have anywhere to turn. Statistics show that 74% of women who choose abortion state that it is for social reasons, namely they feel it will interfere with school or work.  These women/girls do not have a support system willing to come alongside them.  We have women in our churches that are hiding their secret, afraid of being judged. They may go for years, living in torment because they feel there is nowhere safe to turn.

We have to start truly ‘seeing’ people. If we could find the combination to the safe behind the eyes of people, we could enter a dimension that nobody has ever visited. Countless people (men and women) are hurting, entangled in the chains of their past and are aching to be set free. You could be the one to help them!  Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone and open up about this topic? If you know somebody who has been involved in this decision, are you willing to extend love to them and help them heal? If you are one who has made this decision, are you willing to break your silence and save lives?!

I am going to be doing a series of blogs discussing the physical, emotional and spiritual consequences of abortion. Many lives are lost due to this act, but many minds are forever tormented following this decision. Please invite people to this site or send them to the following links. Thank you for wanting to make an impact! 

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Behind-Eyes-JoEllen-Claypool-ebook/dp/B00FD65ZTM/

https://www.facebook.com/TheSecretsBehindTheEyes?ref=hl

What Do You Have to Offer?

Often we can fall into the trap of thinking that we don't have anything to offer.  Have you been there?  I believe that comes when we compare ourselves to others.   It seems that everybody else got all the talent and I just got leftovers. It seems that every other woman has so much class and here I am, perfectly comfortable in my jeans and t-shirt.  But it's okay. It's me.

It used to eat me up that "compared to everybody else" I had nothing to offer. That is completely untrue I am learning. I love how it takes all of us to make things work.   There are people that I will never be able to reach and relate to with the knowledge I have. I need everyone around me to cover the bases that I can't.   However, there are people that only I can reach through my life experiences and my quirky personality. So ya'll need me too.

It is kind of a tag team situation. I am very keen on the gifts of my friends. So when someone comes to me needing something that I cannot fulfill , I have a wealth of resources to which  I can direct people.  There have been people directed to me as well for the same reason. 

Instead of getting jealous of the gifts of others and falling into the self pity trap, let's work together. Get to know the people around you so that you understand what they have to offer and what resource category they can fill for  you.   Learn to appreciate their gifts and learn to recognize your own. The Bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Claim that and live like it!