Cool as a cucumber

Cool as a cucumber? It's true ... the inside of a cucumber on the vine measures as much as 20 degrees cooler than the outside air on a warm day.

Are you cool? Don't we always feel that we need to look good in front of others to some extent? The older I get, the less I feel the need to impress other people, but I am a people person so I do care what people think of me. It seems that keeps many of us from being ministered to in church because we just don't show others what is going on inside us. When we do get brave enough to do so sometimes people shy away from us, not wanting to get too personal or deal with issues that are less than light-hearted. Oh, if you are really blessed you can connect with one or two people that you can open up to, but at church we all tend to put on a front. There seems to be a double-sided problem: most of us keep our problems buried and do not become transparent, and the other people at church want it that way because they have enough problems of their own. I have a challenge question for you and would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. How to we facilitate an atmosphere at church that is conducive to true ministry?I keep thinking about a song sung by Casting Crowns that expresses my thoughts better than I can.


Stained Glass Masquerade Lyrics
By:Casting Crowns


Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

*Chorus*
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

Chorus x2

Well if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Perfectionism

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt 5:43-48 (NIV)

Wow how can we be perfect if human nature is sinful? The word used in this passage is the Greek word teaelos which means ended or complete according to the Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible. The devotional I am reading right now says that it means mature. So in the context of this scripture, we aren't called to be with out flaws but we are to love maturely, the way God loves.

Well the most glaring difference I can see that separates God's kind of loving verses man's version of love is that God loves unconditionally. We don't have to live up to man-made standards that we set for ourselves or that others impose on us. We need to resist imposing them on others as well. We just need to love others no matter what they do or say.

That is easier said than done, but it is no less than God does for us. God sent his only Son Jesus, who never sinned to die in our place so that we may be forgiven of our sins. Jesus died in our place while we were still sinners. He didn't wait until we straightened up and started acting like He wanted us to act. He died while we were sinners. That is the ultimate expression of unconditional love.

I must confess that I struggle in this area. It is so easy to love the easy to love people, and I think I can love people who rub me the wrong way, but do I? My first thought usually is selfish. Then I feel conviction, then I may or may not do the right thing. When will I come to the point that my first thought is unconditional, unselfish love? When will I become dedicated to pray for those whom I have conflict with? When will my faith become strong enough so that I can only see Jesus and His love for me which enables me to love others maturely? It seems some days that I will never learn, other days I think, "Hey I am growing!" But I know this, I need you God. You are my Rock, my calm in the midst of the storm and I do trust in You.

Fresh Clean Water

Psalm 111
Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever-- holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (NIV)

God's love just blows me away. He always provides everything we need. We live in the country and do not have city water. When we bought this house it had a shallow well. We were experiencing a drought that year and our well kept going dry. You don't realize how much water you need in a day until you have none. This happened off an on for about a year. It was hard but then God led us to a program that drilled us a deep well for free! Well, that was a big mile stone as the well would probably have cost us around $5,000. But we were lacking one important element - a pump to get the water from the well to our house.

We waited another year and God provided enough in our tax return that year to buy the parts and He provided someone at our church that knew how to put it in. So a bunch of people from the church came one day and helped us put it in. We felt so blessed! You should have seen the line of us holding a 300 foot pvc pipe, lowering the pump into the well. Now we are told we have so much clear, clean, fresh, cold, wonderful tasting water that we could sell it! God not only provided for our need of water, but He provided abundantly! We did have a waiting period, but God came through!

Iced Mocha for your Spirit

[Jesus Said,] "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out by religion? Come to Me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 The Message



I love the way the Message version translates this verse. I need this verse as I am so burned out by religion and worn slap out. I call this Iced Mocha for Your Spirit because I just love a frozen mocha frappaccino. They cost way too much but they make me feel pampered and they are really refreshing. They are one of the special ways my husband shows me he loves me. But this verse is talking about real refreshment. We can learn it from Jesus Himself.

It sounds so simple. He tells us to come to Him and He'll teach us. Isn't that just like God? It is man who complicates things. But it takes some real faith but I want to learn how. I am spending time with him every day but I never get to focus for long because my kids end up needing me for something and I have not been willing to get up really early to try to be alone. So I do my bible time while they are taking their bible class and I am learning to go to God with everything, to try to learn to focus my mind on Him, to seek Him to love Him and love like Him. I am a work in progress like everyone else and I am grateful to God for His patient loving ways. I like my frappaccinos but I need God's real refreshment.