Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity involving the spending of one or more nights in a travel trailer at a campsite with the purpose of getting away from civilization and enjoying nature.
Psalm 24:1-2
The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains,
         The  world, and those who dwell in it.
    ²For He has founded it upon the seas
         And established it upon the rivers.
 
This past week I had the opportunity to do just that with my husband and another couple who owned the travel trailer we had the pleasure of sleeping in at night.  As a child I remember camping with my family and enjoying it through the eyes of a child, but this weekend I had a very new perspective on camping through the eye of an adult.  

So often during the week I find myself running form point A to point B and never stopping to really taking in the beauty of this world.  The trees, the lakes, the animals, the paths to get me where it is I am going. So often I find myself actually wondering how did I get here once I am there, I am on the phone working and before I know I am at my next destination and really I can't remember the path I took to get me there.  Scary I know.

Not this past week, during our camping trip we took in a good bit of history, we stayed at Franklin D Roosevelt State Park, right there in the office is a little family history.  On display is a CCC(Civilian Conservation Corps) flag sewn by my grandmother Belle Miller.  Not only did I get to spend time on the grounds where FDR spent some of his time but also of my grandparents.  Then we continued on to Dowdell's Knob which is where FDR enjoyed entertaining some of his closets friends and there you will see the statue that my brother Steve Miller (www.giftedhandssculpting.com)had the pleasure of working on the part of the legs and the marker behind the statue.  As I sat there beside the statue of FDR and taking in the view that he saw.  The view today is truly amazing I can only image its beauty that was seen through FDR eyes.  



As the day started to turn into night I had the opportunity to fish and spend some time with my sweet friend, talking and laughing, lots of laughter.  The guys prepared our meals on the fire in cast iron pots that was so yummy, and then once night had fallen we start sharing ghost stories (scary stories) and then read a story from the book purchased in the park office.  


The next day we ventured off to Callaway gardens and took in the Discovery Center which was displaying drawings by children, which was incredible.  An artist had on display mirrored photography, which is very interesting.  We visited the Butterfly Center and the Birds of Prey.  Once we finished with this we went back to the camp ground and grabbed our bicycles and returned to Callaway and road the  paved bike trails, which crossed bridges and viewed lakes and ponds along the way. We started in the six o'clock hour and continued until 8:00 which was incredible, the temperature was perfect the animals were getting ready to take on the night and the songs of these animals while riding was beautiful. I remember saying over and over while riding "Marvel in his Splendor" my God was showing me that I need to slow down and live in his world!   

The next morning I returned home, but not in the way I left it.  I came home revived and feeling like a kid excited about Christmas, I was thrilled to have had a marvelous weekend and recognizing that God had made this possible for me to see he wants me to laugh and take time to smell the rose and explore all of his creations.   

Nature is God’s picture book for man, much like the picture books we give to children who are not yet able to read. The pictures tell the same story the Bible tells with words. Like the Bible, fallen men cannot and will not grasp the meaning and the message God communicates to them. The teaching from nature, like that of the Bible, is turned upside-down and inside-out, to man’s condemnation.

So the next time you are given the opportunity to go Camping, I hope you will go and I pray you will experience the beauty of Gods miracle.   

A Servants Heart. Check Up

Do you have a servants heart?  Mathew 20: 25-28 You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.  But among you it will be different.  Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. Fore even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. 

Being a servant is to serve God; and to serve God is to love and serve others, Servant leaders appreciate others' worth and realize that they are not above any job.  If you see something that needs to be done, don't wait to be asked.  Take the initiative and do it like a faithful servant. If you feel God has laid something on your heart to be done, don't wait for someone else to take the initiative to do it, reach out to the leaders and display your desire to become a servant.  Sometime the leaders have been praying for God to place the desire for you to become a servant.

Having the heart of a servant is incredibly important.God shaped you for service. Without a servant’s heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for personal gain. You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.

Servants Make Themselves Available.

2 Timothy 2:4 Soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.   True Servants don't fill up their lives with other things, that could limit their availability. 
If you only serve when it’s convenient for you, you’re not a real servant. Real servants do
what’s needed, even when it’s inconvenient. A good test: Are you available to God any time? Can he mess up your plans without you becoming resentful? Being a servant means and allowing God to interrupt it whenever He needs to.

The start of each day remind yourself that you are a servant of God and when interruptions occur remind yourself of this and it wont frustrate you as much, God has your day planned out for you already, allow him to lead you and accept the interruptions as an appointment from God.  I know each and everyday what I have on my to do list, but I am very receptive to Gods interruption in my life, I assure you that when I allow him to lead my life the end result is much better that I could have ever imagined.

Servants will see the needs of others.
Servants are always on the lookout for ways to help others and always sensitive to needs.
When they see a need, they are excited and  willing to meet the need.  Just as the bible says:
Galatians 6:10 Therefore, whenever we have an opportunity, we should do good to everyone - especially to those in the family of faith.

When God puts someone in need right in front of you, opportunity comes – and goes. We can soon lose it if we don’t act on it. We miss many occasions for serving because we lack sensitivity and spontaneity. Great
opportunities to serve never last long. They pass quickly, sometimes never to return. You may
only get one chance to serve that person, so take advantage of the moment.

Servants Do Their Best With What They Have.
Servants never say, “One of these days” or “When the time is right.” They just do what needs to be done.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.  If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.  Waiting for perfect conditions will mean inactivity.  If we wait for the perfect time and place for perfect bible reading we will never start.  If we wait for the perfect ministry we will never serve.  Take steps now to grow spiritually.

One reason many people never serve is that they fear they are not good enough to serve. They
have believed the lie that serving God is only for superstars. “We haven’t done the course!”
they say. “We aren’t as good at it as someone else, You may have heard it said, “If it can’t be done with excellence, don’t do it.” Well, Jesus never said that! The truth is, almost everything we do is done poorly when we first start doing it -that’s how we learn. None of us can do a perfect job. If you want to wait until you are perfect you’ll never start. You may not have much, but offer what you have. Grow with it as you do it, whether it be praying for the sick, leading in prayer, preaching or whatever. As God’s call is there, His hand is there.

When I first stepped out to start serving in my church, my initial attempt to serve in one of the ministries I was very worried that I would be a disappointment to others, but as I continue to grow God continues to use me in this particular ministry in other areas of the church as well.  It's all for him and if I had not followed Gods lead in my life my spiritual walk would not be where it is today.

Servants Do Every Task With Equal Dedication.
Colossians 3:23  Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people Since the creation God has given us work to do.  So work as an act of worship or service to God. If we are not willing it means we do not have a servant’s heart. Small tasks often show a big heart. Your servant’s heart is revealed in little acts that others don’t think of doing. It is God who will promote you when you can do the small things willingly. When you can do the small things He can trust you with more.


Every job is as important as the next.  God wants to see your willingness to do each job with a loving servant heart.

 Servants Are Faithful To Their Ministry.
Servants finish their tasks, fulfil their responsibilities, keep their promises and complete their
commitments. They don’t leave a job half undone. They don’t quit when they get discouraged. They
are trustworthy and dependable. Many people don’t know the meaning of commitment. These days, commitments are often too lightly made. People make commitments casually, then break them for the slightest reason without any hesitation, remorse or regret. Every week, churches and other organizations must improvise because volunteers didn’t prepare, didn’t show up, or didn’t even call to say they weren’t
coming.  God is testing your faithfulness. Small things are important. Being faithful in them is important. Maybe you only really enjoy 20% of what you do in ministry but never mind, still be faithful. Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Daniel, Timothy and Paul were all called “faithful” servants of God. Your reward is in eternity. Imagine God saying to you, as in Matthew 25:23 "The master said, Well done my good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities, Let's celebrate together!"

Servants Maintain A Low Profile.
Servants don’t promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for
success, they “put on the apron of humility, to serve one another" 1 Peter 5:5 Eyeservice is serving in order to impress people with how spiritual we are. Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix. Real servants don’t serve for the approval or applause of others.

So where is your heart today?  Do you need a Check UP?

Keep serving, Keep Praying and God will continue to Bless your lives.

Marriage

Whoa!!!!! this is a tough topic to me, for I struggle with Love and Relationship and fear of abandonment.

I am currently on my third marriage but one of the differences in this marriage and the first two is God is the center of my marriage now.  As, My husband and I continue to grow in our walk with Christ our marriage becomes stronger. 

In the past two years, my husband and I have been committed to our spiritual life.  We were already attending church, but we would come on Sunday mornings and some Wednesday night then go home and that was it for the week.  Then, we learned about a step study where we started focusing on our past.  In this study we came face to face with our past and present hurts, then we were able to forgive and be forgiven for those past bad choices.

After our 9 month journey we plugged in the church even more, bible studies, volunteering in E-town, music production in the church, etc.  By volunteering we were able to establish more relationship with our church family. 

Today my husband and I have recently stepped into a leadership role.  We are very excited about the possibility to serve our God and to help others to find their love for Christ.

God says Marriage is a Good idea. in Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said"It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper who is just right for him." so god created woman to become a man's helper.
God also says in Ephesians 5:21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  For wives this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church.  He is the Savior of his body, the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.  For the husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.  He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word.  He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish.  Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.  For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.    This does not mean becoming a doormat, what God means is for both parties to submit to one another. For the wife this means willingly following her husband's leadership in Christ.  For the Husbands this means putting aside his own interests in order to care for his wife.    A man should love his wife as such 1) He should be willing to sacrifice everything for her 2) make her needs of primary importance 3) care for her as he cares for his own body.  Then a wife will be willing to submit to her husband because of the way he treats her.

Recently, I attended a Marriage Conference at my church and was reminded again of my place in my marriage, so many times, I find myself trying to be the leader of the home and not submitting to my husband. Therefore causing my husband to become out of sorts.  He is trying hard to honor me, but I want to control things. So I continue to ask God to guide me. 

So often in a marriage we get caught up in the world that we become distracted and become disconnected, and then the home starts to shake a little from the unsteadiness. Our marriage will face storms, god is just strengthening your marriage during this time. The reward will be when the two of you come through that storms and you are still standing together against the world.

Always be faithful in your marriage Hebrews 13:4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery., pray for your spouse and set great examples for your children by doing so you will be teaching your children the true biblical meaning of marriage.

Make your spouse a priority, be sure to continue to pursue your mate, make time for one another, pray for each other and most importantly pray together.

Respect

Sunday in church the lesson for the children was on respect. The Virtue taught to the children: Showing others they are important by what you say and do.  Based off the bible verse: 1 Peter 2:17 Show proper respect to everyone.  The bottom line: You can show respect with your actions.

I played Inspector Respectorate ,dressed in a hazmat suit, eye wear, plastic gloves, and a hard hart.  I was dressed for the job.  I went through the audience checking the children's level of respect with my respectorate gauge, and it was awesome to see all the levels of respect. Then we played a game to where questions were asked to the children and they were to determine if it illustrated respect or disrespect. An umbrella was placed over the head of a volunteer and if he got the answer correct then he was protected from the water being poured down on him, However when the last questions was asked and he didn't know the answer, then he lost his protection and was covered in water (sin).

As children we are taught to respect our parents, teachers, and elders, school rules and traffic laws, other people's feelings and rights. . As we get older we come to value respect for such things.  We develop great respect for people we consider exemplary and lose respect for those we discover to be less than, and so we come to only respect those who we truly feel are worthy of our respect. God states in James 2:9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin.  You are breaking the law.
 
Check your level of respect through out your day today, don't get covered in water (sin).

Coming out of the Wilderness

At this moment I am in a bible study written by Priscilla Shirer called One In A Million......We are just finishing up week three and I am thrilled.  This bible study is awesome!!!!

This is a bible study about the Walk to the Promise Land and the path through the wilderness, by the way of the Red Sea and how God used this time to bring his people to him, to keep their eyes focused on him and to rely on him for food,water, direction, etc.  So many of the people complained, which was a complaint against god.  Although he had already provided food and water for them they continued to grumble.

When times are good that is when we tend to turn away from our relationship with God, and then turn back to him during the wilderness.  God doesn't want this he is alive he wants to have a relationship with him always.  How do you think someone you are in a relationship right now would feel if you did that to them, only turned to them in the bad times?  I doubt your relationship would last very long.  Just as our relationship weakens with god when we turn away from him, we don't have our hearts filled with his word so therefore we have a tendency to head right back to the sinful ways of our past.

In my past (wilderness), I have grumbled and didn't search for the lesson god was demonstrating, So many times I have been caught up in the situation that I didn't look for gods hand in my life.   By doing so I was forced into the wilderness, and my days were darkened by sin.  I didn't understand why god had placed me in the wilderness or allowed me to be in the wilderness for so long. As, I mature in my walk with the Lord, it makes perfect since to me today. If you want something you have to work for it.  Why would the journey be easy if your are seeking abundant living.  So the walk in the wilderness may seem dry, lonely, dark and sinful, but its when you look back at the wilderness that you see gods footprint or his work in us.  God's word can bring you comfort during your walk in the wilderness. God only provides us our daily needs, so we will continue to visit him daily. God is passionate about us.  

Glory be To God for all he has done and continues to do in our lives. 

.

One Nation Under God

Today September 11, 2010 a day that reminds us of how in one millisecond of a minute life can be changed forever. We all know the official story of September 11th; four jetliners were hijacked by groups of four or five Arabic men armed with box cutters, who proceeded to fly three of the four jets into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Subsequently the World Trade Center Towers, weakened by the impacts and fires, collapsed into piles of rubble. Leaving behind death of some loved ones or the individuals trapped for day, or how about the ones that were never found.

Some many times this is exactly where we are in our walk with Christ. Individuals that are hijacked by the sinful ways of this world and feel as though they are covered up from the rubble of life.  Who think"God would never ever want me", or  "I have done to many bad things for God to love me".

 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21. God loves us so much that he sacrificed his son for each person here on this earth and for each and ever sin listed. It doesn't matter the nature of your sin Isaiah 1:18 Though your sins are like scarlet I can make them as fresh as fallen snow; Though your sins are like crimson I will make them as white as wool.

God knew when he placed us here on this earth that we would sin and fall short of the lord, all he wants is for us to turn these sins over to him and to use our transgression to disciple to others.  God wants us to live as one nation under god.

Today my heart go out to the those who have lost(ed) loved ones.

Protecting the Children

My youngest daughter has reached the age of 15, she has received her learners license and put in an application for a job within one week she has hit two milestones in her little life.  

So, as a protective mother I have rewarded her with a little more leniency.  What this means is she can go the Football games with friends on the weekend, as long as a parent (mostly me) takes and picks the children up from the game.  I'm not ready for her to ride with other teenagers at this time. 


However, this may come to a stop as quick as it started.  Last weekend my daughter attended a football game with the two most rival teams playing.  Everything went fine and we picked my daughter and her two friends up from the game as soon as the game ended, in fact we were there about 30 minutes before the game was over but waiting outside the gate for the girls to leave.  We all went to bed that night and all was safe at the Miller home.


The very next morning I turned on the computer and pulled up facebook to find a post by one of my daughters close friends post of panic that her sister had been hit in the face and their cousin had been hit and then chased by approximately 30 teenage boys.  


As a parent of a teenager; I am should I say very very dishearten by the behavior of these teenagers to the point that they would cause such harm to another human and to have 30 boys chase this young man.  


I have experienced this myself around the same age of my daughter and saw the results of a young man beaten by 16 within an inch of his life.  I called my father first then the police, this is one of the most frightening adult situation for a teenager to ever face.  By doing the right thing I was punished as a child by being spat on, thrown up against lockers, mocked at for nearly  a year.  The memory of this moment to me was like it happen yesterday.


So I ask you...... How do we protect our children, Who will protect me from the Wicked?Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Psalm 94:16  Within the next few years my daughter will graduate and be off to college, then what? 

My chains are Gone

My chains are Gone, I've been set free, My God my Saviour has rescued me. by Chris Tomlin is a song I will never forget.

As early as being around six  I remember my grandmother taking me to church in Atlanta called Mt. Carmel Christian Church, I remember thinking how big and beautiful this place was, but it also reflects a memory of a man that would get red in the face and pound the podium talking about some God man.  Boy this made me think this God person was really scary. I don't really remember anyone talking to me about god as a child of my early years.

Around the age of 10; I started attending church with my neighbor and this church had a place for kids. This is when I starting memorizing bible verses and reciting them the next week.  I remember doing crafts and I also remember accepting Jesus as my lord and Savior at the age of 13.

For many years I stopped following Jesus and experienced many of the world sins.  Much to your amazement yes I was a teenager that felt as though I was invincible.

Married and divorced twice, continued to live a sinful life until God YELLED ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!

I walked into the doors of Eastridge Community Church in 2005, with my daughter in tow who attended E-town this Sunday morning. While attending this service alone, I remember feeling as though I wasn't alone  and I truly loved the way this church delivered the word and feeling the Holy Spirit in me.  I was so in hopes that my daughter was comfortable in her church group. My sweet daughter and I continued to attend Eastridge and continued to feel right at home.

In 2006, I invited my now husband (Paul) to Eastridge, he accepted and on his first visit I remember asking Paul what he thought about  the church he indicated to me that he normally attended a more Traditional church, my thoughts were "Oh well I am not marrying this man so if he likes his more traditional church better;  the he could go back to his church".

Paul continued to attend ECC with me and on May 21st 2006 I was baptized.  Paul made this day very special for me.

Paul and I were married in 2007 by Scott Moore in the conference room after a Sunday church service with Tracey (Scott wife) as our witness. This is just the beginning of so many wonderful days to come for me and my family at ECC.

In 2008 I attended an event called Women of Purpose.  During this event ladies were announcing the up and coming bible studies, I remember thinking how each and every bible study sounded so good.  When the last bible study was announced by Renee Rutledge she asked the ladies in the room "How many of you ladies have attended a step study") WOW the hands that went up; So many of the ladies that I looked at with great admiration.Without a doubt I knew right then and there I want what these women have, so I signed up for my very first Bible Study.

In 2009 the new Bible Study (Step Study) at my church called Celebrate Recovery began.  The bible study made me a bit uncomfortable at first; but I knew this is exactly where god wanted to me to be at this very moment in my life.

The bible study took 9 months to complete, teaching me the 8 Principles to follow in life and the 12 steps to take in order to get there.

Of the 12 steps the one that is so relevant to me is step 6.  I was entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character from my life."Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up James 4:10
Before God could remove all the baggage in my life and heal the past hurts I had to be ready to give it over to God, I will not tell you these steps were easy because I had 40 years of garbage in my life I had to hand over to God, but I am so glad God is carrying those burdens today and not me.


Today I continue to focus on Principle 6 and "Evaluate all my relationships.  Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I have done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.  "Happy are the merciful,"and "Happy are the peacemakers." Matthew 5:7a and 5:9.

During this walk in my life I remember hearing Amazing Grace during a Church Service; but it was being delivered in a different way that I had ever heard before. The song by Chris Tomlin.  Some of the lines that really touched me :

My Chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

and like a flood His mercy rains

Unending love, Amazing Grace

Wow, that is exactly what God had done for me in my life.  He released me from the chains that had bound me in a life of sin, He set me free of all the hurts I had experienced in my past life and he Ransomed me from myself. He rained his mercy over me so I could feel free. Wow his amazing grace he bestowed on MY LIFE.

I stand truly amazed today to be the woman god had planned me to be; a light that will shine for my Lord and Savior.