Mary's Prayer

Oh Heavenly Father,

As I sit here tonight, I wonder, why me?

 How am I equipped to do this thing, which I am so obviously called to do?

As I ponder this, I know it really does not matter.

 Here I am, holding this magnificent baby boy.

When he looks up at me, the whole world melts away.

 I get lost in his love.

It’s almost like he IS love.

I want you to know Father, that I will do my best to raise your son.

 I will feed him, and change him, and sing him to sleep.

I will do all the things that you cannot do here on earth.

But Father, don’t ask me not to love him, because I already do.

He holds my heart in those tiny little fingers.

No matter what tomorrow holds for us,

this future king will always be my little boy.

Written by

Trish McAllister

December 2012

Reclaiming Christmas

I love Christmas, I really do. I love the music, I love the food, I love the corny Christmas specials on TV, I love giving presents, and I love receiving them too! Wait, I was supposed to mention Jesus too. Oh rats, and I have already clicked on publish!!! How embarrassing!!!! What ever will pastor Hector think.....

OK, you got me. I did that on purpose. But how many of us think that way. When you go through the lists of chores in your mind, does thanking God for the greatest gift of all, ever show up on that list?  Oh, but I have a good reason for it. First I had that party, then I had to get the Christmas cards out (I just hate the Christmas cards.), then there was shopping and wrapping and more shopping. There just was not time.

Here is the thing, God does not want our excuses, He wants our heart. He wants us to stop the madness for ten seconds and just say thank you. He wants us to understand what all the fuss is about.
No, He wants us to feel it in our soul. You see, if we did, it wouldn't just change this season, it would change our lives.

So join me in reclaiming Christmas. Nothing crazy or extreme like no presents. Let's promise to thank God every day between now and Christmas. Let's thank Him for that little boy, that grew to be the man, that changed  the world.

Authentic Relationship

What does an authentic relationship with God look like? Do only monks and nuns get to experience a first hand relationship with the creator of the universe? If I can master Facebook, surely I can talk with God....can't I? The good news is that everyone can have that relationship. The real question is, do you want it?

Are you ready to take that step of faith and pray "not my will, but your will be done"?  How about "I turn my life over to you Lord." The problem with praying those 8 words, God never thinks small. He doesn't know how. So when you pray that prayer, you are giving up on the illusion of control. You can plan, and plot, and schedule all you want, but at any minute your life could completely change course. I can pretty much guarantee that you won't see it coming, but I can also guarantee that it will be spectacular.

We also have to remember, that spectacular to God is not the same as it is to you and me. Material gain is not that high on Gods wish list. An inner piece, a changed heart, and a relationship with each and every one of His children...now that's a wish list. Let's stop trying to fill the void in our life with IPads and XBoxes. What a great time of year to embark on a new adventure with God. Give Him your life, you won't be sorry.

Our Own Slice of Heaven

Am I living each day as though it were a gift from God? Am I doing what I can to achieve heaven on earth? I think my answer is like most peoples, "no" with a touch of "yes" sprinkled in occasionally. I can't imagine how awesome it would be if I got up every morning with Heaven in my heart, and then let that shine through my day. Wouldn't that be a place everyone would want to live?

Instead my day is filled with complaints about the weather and a certainty that I will win the lottery...even though I don't play. Did Jesus really die on the cross so I could fill my evenings watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Although, after an hour of watching that show, my life seems pretty boring.

My first step toward a heavenly life, is making each decision as though Jesus is with me. I know it may sound cliche', but thinking to myself "What would Jesus do in this situation?" works for me. I just need to start doing it more often. I can think of so many heart aches that I could have avoided if I just would have applied those 7 little words. I may not be able to correct the past, but I certainly can influence the future by controlling my own actions.

What are everyone else's thoughts on making Holton the next best thing to Heaven? What would you do?????

Language of love

Let me start out by saying how truly blessed we are to have Hector and Sherri as a part of the Evangel family. They bring something to the church that I can't explain. They are the ying to our yang, the ice cream to our pie. (Ooh, Sorry Pastor Dennis, you probably want to be the ice cream and Hector be the pie. I digress.) Having both Pastor Dennis and Pastor Hector is a dream come true.

I came to this realization on Saturday night as Hector and Sherri delivered the message as one. It was a rhythmic and fluid, not unlike the music we had just heard. It was beautiful. Gods message being communicated in Spanish and English. I have no doubt that this is music to God's ears.

Even when he is not giving the sermon for the week, Sherri is in the back translating the word of God for young families. Do we have any idea how blessed we are? These families will be impacted for generations, just because we opened our doors and our hearts to them. We need to love them and welcome them, so that they see a glimpse of Jesus's love in us. Join me in embracing the new language of love.

Can you Imagine????

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.      Ephesians 3 14-17 NIV

Filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. I can't even imagine...or can I ???

Most days, I just stumble through. But every once in a while, I feel like I am on it. You know the feeling, like you really, really, really, need to go buy a lottery ticket. There was nothing special about the day, I was just glad to be alive and in the spirit. I stopped by the church office at lunch and decided to stick my head in Pastor's office to say hi. We got to talking about the different bible studies that we have in the works. The more we talked about it, the better I felt. By the time I left, I was on cloud nine. Just the thought of what God would do in our lives,  had put me there.

This is just a taste of Ephesians 3.

Can you imagine what we could accomplish if we were filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Is there a unit of measure to describe the love of our Saviour? I don't know about you, but I want Ephesians 3 all of the time. I want that kind of love to take over my life. More than anything, I want to become the person that God created me to be. The only way to do that, is to fully submit to God. Freedom can be found in that submission. Discover that freedom for yourself, and see what God has in store for you.

It's Time to Stop Holding Him Back

Today's post is a little different. I was moved to write it before the sermon. That is how much I believe in the message this week. I am not sure what Pastor Dennis will be saying this weekend, but my message is simple..... We serve a great God, it is time to stop holding him back.

For a moment, let me take you back a few years. I had been attending church on a regular basis. That means that I had given God my 1 hour per week. If I was really good, I might even to go Sunday school and anty up 2 hours that week. Let's see, I picked up my son from Today's Tomorrow. That takes at least 15 minutes. That puts me up to 2 and a 1/4 hours out of the 168 hours in a week. And lets not even talk about the collection plate. Oh no, don't try to get in my check book. I gave my $1 per day, whether the church needed it or not. If God is that great....he will turn it into $700...

I think this probably sounds familiar to some. If not the entire rant, then some portion there of. I think most of us have a trust problem when it comes to the big Guy. "I can only give X, that is all I can afford." "I can only do Y, that is all the time I have" Are we limiting God? Shutting him down before he even gets a word in. For all we know, souls are being lost because of our inaction. We have to trust God!!! I think I should say that again.....We have to trust God!!!!

What I am calling you to do this week is simple. It's not sell the house. It's not cash in the 401K. It's not even as small as giving up that designer coffee. All I want you to do this week is pray. Ask God what He wants you to do. Not just once, but every day. He will answer you. For some, the answer will be to volunteer more. For others, it will be to tithe. And for a very few, well, who knows. We do serve a great God with an even greater imagination. After all, He took this heavy metal girl and made her as a Sunday School teacher. (I think this also proves he has a sense of humor)

Miraculous Among the Mundane

Can you find the miracle in the disappointments of your life? It's not easy, is it? Last Sunday Pastor Hector took us back to the pages of Exodus for a look at the mathematical miracle. We looked at what a miracle it was that the Israelites existed in the desert for 40 years. Even in their disobedience, God provided for their every need. Food, clothing, shelter....everyday was a miracle. Did they know it? Did they praise God for it? I don't know about your Bible, but not in mine.  We humans are kind of bad about that, overlooking God's presence. Are you missing the miraculous in the mundane? I am not talking about every day being a gift. (Even though it is) I am talking about when our first love broke our heart, when we got fired, or even when we lost a loved one. I won't disagree that it is hard to see when you are in the middle of it all. But when we look back, can't we see that had we not got our heart broke, we would not of met our husband? That after getting fired, we were able to get a better job that we enjoyed more.

Next time you are in the middle of life's storm, remember that God is always in control. He loved us enough to send his son for us. He will most certainly take care of us every day.

Life in the Desert

As we bring this sermon series to an end, I can't help but think....is unforgiveness our own personal 40 years in the desert? Are we really that different than the Israelites? They were disobedient to God, but isn't unforgiveness just as bad? How many years are we going to wonder around before we realize that God's way is the only way? If unforgiveness is the desert, then forgiveness is the promised land!!

I remember as a young married person, spouting off how I deserved better than... (you can pretty much fill in the blank there. My delusions knew no boundaries) The problem is, society backed this up. We are constantly being told that we deserve happiness. What society does not tell us is that no man or woman can bring that happiness. We will never be truly happy (or forgiving) until we make Christ the focus of our life.

I think Pastor Dennis hit the nail on the head when he said prayer can bring that healing forgiveness that we all need. Prayer always helps....always. I don't think anyone will argue that forgiveness is not easy, but hanging on that cross wasn't easy. Jesus died to get me out of the proverbial desert, so why would I put myself back there. After all, I think I have a hankerin' for some milk and honey!

Forgiving Others

I am pretty excited today, not just because I am blogging, because today I have a "cheat sheet". Thanks Pastor Dennis for the study guide!!!

Question number one calls us to discuss the reality of "turning the other cheek". Mathew 5: 44 talks about praying for your enemies. Maybe this is a good way to start, just praying for them. I take it a step further and pray the Lord heal my heart towards them. (This is way more effective than praying that He fix them.  I've tried that before too....it never works!)

Question number four asks us to reflect on guilt, shame, and anger. Pastor Dennis mentioned that anger and unforgiveness go hand in hand. So many of us think that we have the right to be angry. Almost like we have earned it. I can picture the devil sitting on my shoulder whispering things like " How dare they." and "You don't have to take that.".

Lastly, I really liked 5c. "The person who turns the other cheek is saying, in effect, try again. I deny you the power to humiliate me." In essence, when we are angry at someone, that person has the power. Denying them of that, well, it actually takes a very strong person. Very strong, indeed.

So now is your turn. What parts of the sermon spoke to you? Did you have any "aha" moments? Let's keep the conversation going.

Am I smarter than a monkey???

Am I smarter than a monkey? It probably depends on who you ask and what day you ask it. Today is a good day, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

The real question is can I let go? It is not as easy as it sounds. Actually, sometimes it may feel impossible. I think there are times that we tell ourselves that we have forgiven, when we really haven't. You know the drill, you see them at Wal-Mart and head down the fishing isle to avoid the person. (They make fishing poles in pink now, right?) That is a sure sign that you are not quite there yet.

So what do we do when we want to forgive but aren't there yet? Pray. Ask God for the ability to forgive that person. I think that saying the words can be therapeutic. This is definitely a prayer that may need repeating, but in the repetition omes healing. After all, God granted me forgiveness....who am I to deny someone else?

So what are your thoughts on forgiveness? Let's start the conversation. Just remember, keep it positive.

God Bless

Do you believe what you Pray?

Do I believe what I pray? My fist reaction is "of course", but do I? How many times have I prayed one way then prepared for the opposite? How many times have I prayed for a safe flight from KCI then worried the entire time. Or how about praying for rain then washing my car just hours later. Actually, that shouldn't count because that is a guarantee that it will rain.

What is prayer without faith? I once read that after you ask God for something, you should not ask for it again. The prayer has been received, asking again show a lack of faith. Before you start to draft your letters of discontent, I am not saying that I subscribe to that theory. Prayer is how we communicate with our Lord and Savior. As Pastor Sanchez said, it is how we have a personal relationship with Him. I don't know about you, but I repeat myself with my family all of the time. So repeating myself with God is just telling him whats on my mind that day. But what that statement has done is change my heart when I pray. I now know that if I never asked for another thing as long as I live, that God would give me what I needed. He always has and he always will. But we have to remember that what we need and what we want are two different things.

So that brings us to our 2nd point, which was be careful for what you pray for. I think we all know that to be true, but we never think it will be applied to us. When Kendyl was little, I would ask in prayer that God make me a better parent. Then do you know what He did? He turned her into a teenager. And not just any teenager, but a teenage girl!!!! What better exercise in parenting than 24/7 exposure to the roller coaster emotions of a 13 year old girl. But I can honestly say that I am a better person (and parent) for having gone through it. The point is, God rarely does the obvious and He certainly does not make it easy. There is no personal growth in easy and He has to good of sense of humor to do the obvious.

So, this is the point where everyone chimes in. What were your thoughts, concerns, and questions after the sermon? Post your comments below, but first some ground rules. Be positive, mom's rule applies here. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Be prayerful, pray before you post and remember that your comments will be seen by everyone. Yes, that includes God.

The More We Talk, The Easier We Walk

Mark 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "whoever wants to be my desciple must deny themselves and takeup  their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."  These words have been read by millions that never fully grasped their meaning, these words are essential to our salvation, and last (but certainly not least) these words are why I decided to start this blog.

It all started a couple of years ago when I started in a Bible study and it was puncuated by reading the book "not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman . The light bulb finally came on. The light from the bulb did more than illuminate my salvation. It revealed a need to enlighten others of the path to salvation. It was disturbing to think that any of God's children would live their life and come to stand before Jesus and have Him not know their name.

So here I am, blogging away. But what does all of this mean to you? Do I have a plan or will each post just include the random chatter that I am known for? You will be releaved to know that I do have a plan. My dad always said, you have to have a plan, even if it is a bad one. (You will find that I come from a long line of chatterers!) Every week after Pastor Dennis's sermon, I will post my personal thoughts on how do we as Christians, apply his words to our everyday life. My hope is that this starts a conversation among all of us. Because the more we talk, the easier we walk (with Him)!