Sometimes growing hurts. When I was in junior high, I remember my mom would rub my legs because they would ache. She said that they ached because they were growing. When babies teeth come through their gums, they are usually cranky, maybe have a fever, their noses run and they drool. When the teeth pop through, you find the reason for all the crankiness! The little, pearly white teeth are like little buttons on their gums. And soon the babies don't look so much like babies anymore but little toddlers!
Right now, my group of friends is going through some growing pains. It hurts! We are crying, supporting, and questioning why this change has to take place. We are going through some growing pains and its not fun. In fact, it stinks!
God says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11)
We have some friends who are the type of friends that like family. We have invested in their lives and they have invested in ours. We are in each others stories. We laugh and cry together, we share hurts and rejoice together. And they are moving.... They are moving far away, not just across town.
They have heard a call from God to "Go." They have wrestled with the decision. But they are being obedient to their God. We don't want them to go but sometimes our ways are not God's ways. They have a peace about their decision but it's still hard, thus the growing pains. There is a reason for the move that we may never know on this side of heaven, but God knows. And we have to trust Him. We will trust in His promises to get us through the pain, "For I know the plans I have for Brad, Cindy and family," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Maybe God will allow us to see the white pearls someday.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
God Can and Will
Yes, don't fall over, I am making a post. I could make excuses about how busy life is, but everyone has busy lives. I guess I feel that I have to have something worthy to say and the last while I haven't had anything to say.... Until today.
The Parable of the Talents 14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' Matt. 25:14-17
This parable was read to the 8th graders at our school last Wednesday. Each was given $10 at 11:55 am. They were told a donor had given $10 to each of the twenty, eighth graders for Feed My Starving Children and challenged them to grow it. Within a half-hour ideas were flowing to the principal, asking if this was ok and if this was a good idea.
Saturday night, some of girls babysat 24 young children and raised $380. Today, the class pooled their funds and put on a breakfast for anyone to come for a free-will donation. The principal said he hoped for 200 people to come to the breakfast, and if each gave a ten it would grow to $2,000. But our God is bigger! Our God had a different plan. The breakfast that they put on raised over $5,000 for Feed My Starving Children!
When I first heard about the idea, I had no idea how much each person would raise. I thought if they doubled the $10, that would be awesome. But God CAN and God WILL do more than we can ever imagine. God took a little and increased it by twenty-five times!
How does this help at Feed My Starving Children? This week Thurs and Friday, FMSC will be in our community. The community, along with 7 schools in the area, will be packing meals that will be sent overseas to places like Haiti. Each meal costs $.17. Ninety-five percent of all donations go toward the meals. (One person from our town did travel to Haiti and saw some of the actual boxes packed here last year, in one of the warehouses!) If you are in town and want to help, let me know, I will help you get hooked up to the people in charge!
Check out FMSC website: http://www.fmsc.org/
The Parable of the Talents 14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' Matt. 25:14-17
This parable was read to the 8th graders at our school last Wednesday. Each was given $10 at 11:55 am. They were told a donor had given $10 to each of the twenty, eighth graders for Feed My Starving Children and challenged them to grow it. Within a half-hour ideas were flowing to the principal, asking if this was ok and if this was a good idea.
Saturday night, some of girls babysat 24 young children and raised $380. Today, the class pooled their funds and put on a breakfast for anyone to come for a free-will donation. The principal said he hoped for 200 people to come to the breakfast, and if each gave a ten it would grow to $2,000. But our God is bigger! Our God had a different plan. The breakfast that they put on raised over $5,000 for Feed My Starving Children!
When I first heard about the idea, I had no idea how much each person would raise. I thought if they doubled the $10, that would be awesome. But God CAN and God WILL do more than we can ever imagine. God took a little and increased it by twenty-five times!
How does this help at Feed My Starving Children? This week Thurs and Friday, FMSC will be in our community. The community, along with 7 schools in the area, will be packing meals that will be sent overseas to places like Haiti. Each meal costs $.17. Ninety-five percent of all donations go toward the meals. (One person from our town did travel to Haiti and saw some of the actual boxes packed here last year, in one of the warehouses!) If you are in town and want to help, let me know, I will help you get hooked up to the people in charge!
Check out FMSC website: http://www.fmsc.org/
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