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.