Okay what now?

Right after Christmas, Pastor CJ gave a great sermon called "Okay, what now."
I was really impressed. So go to itunes, and get it as a pod cast. You will really enjoy it.

What did you say?

So get this…
My mom had foot surgery last fall. Lots of you know this. Just bunion surgery, but I know it was painful before hand and a slow recovery.
So on Christmas morning I sat in a rocker and she sat next to me on the floor. She looked at my foot and said, "Oh you have a bunion too."
I guess I didn't know what a bunion was. I always thought my foot just stuck out there on the side. No worries. It had never bothered me before.
In all her mommy-ness she started rubbing it and cooing," Oh my poor baby. You got a bunion too. You gonna grow up all stiff like your momma, and someday You're gonna have to have surgery just like your old momma." Rub. Rub. Rub.
I thought to myself. "Psh!.. Don't wish that on me." But I blew it off, and she just kept rubbing my foot (it felt nice) and talking like that.
Well I'll be darned if my bunion didn't start hurting after that! The weeks following my foot HURT! I would wear certain shoes and it would hurt so bad I'd have to wear slippers for a few days.
There were night I woke up and it hurt so bad I couldn't lay it on the mattress I'd have to have rigged up just right so the bunion part could hang off into the air over my bottom foot. Some days I had to change outfits! While getting dressed, I had to consider if my pants were too long, requiring me to wear heeled boots,- because boots or heels would hurt soooo bad!
I didn't know what to do! I'd never had foot problems before!
Then I remembered what had happened at Christmas.
I went to a trusted friend (i.e. one who wouldn't laugh at me) ad asked if it was possible for someone to speak a problem into your life. Then I went to my small group and sheepishly asked, "I know this sounds crazy, but is it possible that my mom unknowingly did this?"
Adam, thought about it, and said, "Can I ask you? Is you mom a Christian?"
"Yes."
"Well, then she holds the keys to the kingdom. And what ever she binds in earth is bound in heaven. And whatever she looses on earth is loosed in heaven." (Some translations say whatever is forbidden, or allowed.)
Hmmmm. I think he's right! The Bible doesn't say what ever we intentionally forbid, or intentionally allow. It says forbid and allow. So I believe that my mom, with her authority as a Christian was unknowingly speaking things into my life!
We prayed that night to reverse all of the problems, and you know I've had not problems since! I've intentionally worn painful shoes just to test it out,- and it's fine. In fact my bunion foot now feels better than my fine foot!
So the lessons learned? While we can't control what others say, we definitely can counter it in "binding " prayer, if someone says something counter to the word of God. And We need to be conscious of what we allow to come out of our mouths as Christians! Like my momma says, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

Leggins the new trend for men? I don't think so!

hee hee heee hee! whoa-ho ho ho ho ho ha hah ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Whoo hoo!

We've been duped!!!!!

Remember how in the Wizard of Oz, the Great Oz was seen as big, powerful, mysterious, and awesome? There was smoke, and fire and a big floating head.
But when the curtain was pulled away, well, he was just a pitiful little man. He'd fooled so many people with Hollywood type special effects, smoke and mirrors, loud noises, and a booming voice.

Look at how Isaiah discribes Satan when he is cast down into hell:
"Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, {saying,} 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness, And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to {go} home?' Chapter 14:15-17

We've been duped! Satan is strying to fool us in thinking he is this big powerful influence over us. But he's only influencial over us if we don't know he's already been defeated.

In the book I'm reading, What Satan Can and Cannot Do, by Larry Reavis, he offers a great illustration:

When the Gulf War ended in 1991 and Operations Desert Storm was considered a sucess, there was a meeting in Southern Iraq to discuss the peace terms. When General Schwartzkopf and his commanders met with the Iraqi general and his commanders, they were not there to discuss anthing Iraq wanted or decided. Iraq had been defeated. Iraq was told to be at the meeting, to hear what they were going to do to comply with U.N. resolutions. They were told in the meeting, "You will do such and such. You will not cross over this parallel. You will allow this group of people to live here. If you fly over this area, you will be shot down. All of your nuclear weaponry and materials will be destroyed and will be inspected at any time" and so on. Iraq did not dictate the terms of the surrender: they were defeated. Defeated foes to not dictate the terms. The Allied Forces dictated to them. You dictate to the conquered foe...Somehow in my mind's eye I see this meeting in heaven. I listen. It's as if Satan is hauled before the general council in Heaven and God says, "Here are the terms and you will abide by them. If they cast you out in the Name of Jesus, you are cast out. If they bind you in the name of Jesus, you are bound. If they lay hands on the sick in the Name of Jesus, the sick will recover"- my partial paraphrase of Mark 16:17-18.

He's already been defeated!(Luke 10:18-19) He can shout all he wants, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" but it's too late.
We've already seen him.
Pitiful little man.

From the mouth of Babes

Each year my kids crack me up. Here are some classics from the last 8 years of teaching.

At Christmas we were reading a Christmas ABC book. X was eXcelces. Shane asked, "What's that mean?"
Well, wouldn't you know I couldn't for the life of me remember. I was honest. "I don't honestly remember...But I know it's a really old word."
"Why can't you remember? "Asked Gabe. "You're kinda real old."


Gabe also had me rolling last week. "Hey! Miss Merrill, can you guess my middle name? It starts with an S"
"Is it Stephen?"
"Nope." Then he says, to himself, outloud, "Sc-o-tt"
"Is it Scott?" I asked
His eyes were as big as saucers! "How did you guess that?!!!!! I was just sounding it out to myself so I could give you the last sound as a clue."

We're learning about Martin Luther King Jr. Our conversation went like this:
Me:"....And that's called a boycott."
Davis:"Miss Merrill? If that's a boycott, is there a girl-cott?"

During my student teaching our social worker walked through our class during carpet time to collect our attendance folder. LaCarra saw him and shout out, "I know Mr. Williams,- He stays the night with my momma!"

Last December the grocery store was selling some terribly dry oranges and I was getting very frustrated. Before peeling one at lunch, I joked with my kids, "Okay, cross your fingers. Let's hope this one's juicy."
Mason immediately clasped his hands, closed his eyes and prayed. "Dear God. Let this one be juicy. I love Santa. Amen!"
I guess he just wanted to cover all the bases.

Darn that Brazilian coffee!

I love Pilao. I do. I love it. But I should have learned by now, never drink it after 12pm. It's 1:23 am and I'm still awake because I had 2 cups at 4pm. Sigh. About midnight I gave up hope of sleep and got out of bed and finished wall papering my kitchen.
This isn't the first time it's happened either. My house has often had walls painted, furniture rearranged, and the re-rearranged, drawers cleaned, cracks spackled all because of Pilao.
Who would have thought a simple coffee bought in bulk as a friendly brazilian Sam's club would cause so much trouble?
Hope pastor doesn't mind too much if I fall asleep during church tomorrow.

All in how you look at it

My house is in the middle of nowhere. Well, at least it was when I bought it 2 1/2 years ago. Now this area is booming. But up until this summer there was no place to go and hang out, or get something to eat/drink. You'd have to drive all the way into Chapel Hill or Durham.
You can imagine my excitement when a new plaza was developed just a mile from my house. Jennifer and I both prayed for a coffee shop. Anything really,- starbucks, panera, carribou. Just anything!
And then it came. Harris teeter opened, and right inside the doors was a starbucks. Now I'd never go sit at the little tables and drink coffee with friends in the middle of a grocery store, but hey, if you wanted a decent cup of joe, it was right at your finger tips. And the shopping carts all have a little metal cricle to put a cup in so you can drink overpriced carmel, mocha, half caffs, with a shot of skim while you shop.
HOWEVER, as I was shopping the other day I walked out to my car and noticed across the parking lot has now opened a starbucks. Yes another one. Yes, across the parking lot. Yes, just a dozen parking spaces and a grassy knoll away. Yes, just 200 yards. ANOTHER STARBUCKS.
WHY?
I got mad. That's ridiculous.
BUT I tried to get on my little soap box with Jennifer, and she changed my perspective:
"They opened another starbucks! Can you believe it? How stupid is that?!!!!"
Elated she exclaimed, "Another one?!!!! That's awesome? Remember we both prayed for one? And now there's 2."
Hmmmm. I didn't think about it that way. We each prayed. and we got doubly blessed. Blessed beyond reason really.
Hmmmmm. Now imagine if we prayed for something that actually mattered...