Waiting On God

Today was the first time I have seen the pastor actually preach from the pulpit. Because of his leg injury, he had been sitting in a chair in front of the first pews. He does still have his crutches, but says he is making good progress. His message today was about waiting. Waiting on God. I definitely know myself, I do not enjoy waiting. I suspect most people don't. I suspect we all feel or have felt the same way. We don't want to wait for things to get better. To have more money. To have a new house. To get a different job. To get a job at all. To have children. Waiting is not fun. This world has loads of information in it, and so much of it is right at our fingertips. But the questions we need and want answered the most; we're not going to find the answers out there. Where do I go? What do I do? What path should I take? We want answers now. We want to figure out things now. So we try to figure it out ourselves. We try to do it on our own. Find our own answers. And we don't. We can't do it alone. God has got to be with you. We need to renew ourselves in God every day. We need to keep our faith as strong as we can every day. That is why it's so important to read the bible, to share your faith with those around you, to have friends and family that believe as you do, to go to church, to do all those things that worship Him. Believe you me, I'm not trying to imply I am good at doing these things. But I am starting to realize why it is so vital for all Christians. You can be a good person all day long, every day of the year, without keeping those things in your life, but I guarantee your faith won't keep as strong and steady without them. "Seven days without prayer makes one weak." And sometimes, maybe a lot of the time, you are going to need to wait. You're going to have to spend that period of time not knowing what is next, what you are going to do, where you are going to go, and when things will start to happen. You're going to have to wait on God, cause you can't do it without Him. Your plans may not look anything near God's plans, but I bet God's plans are definitely worth waiting for. And as I know I've mentioned before, there is our time and there is God's time. Waiting is not something I want to do. But I've got to, because I can't do anything without God.

-ladyworpledinker

Youth and Smiles

Very happily, I did not miss church today. We may be leaving tomorrow rather than today for Massachusetts. I really wish I could have gone to both my church last Sunday and with my family to church. Today, awards were given out to the kids for being in a program called TeamKID. There were children of all different ages that received medals to wear around their necks, and they sang some pretty songs to celebrate our God. Someone stated how important it is to have youth groups and such in church. If the message doesn't get passed down and if there aren't young people that want to join in and do service in the churches then it all eventually comes to a dead end in a church. I have visited a lot of churches where there are no young people or very few, only more elderly, and if and when that keeps on then eventually the church can't go on. So, there are definite praises and cause for celebration for having so much youth involved in a church. The pastor's message was very good today, he always does, but especially touched my heart today. He started off with a game called, "If You Love Me Honey, You'll Smile!" He chose a man in the pews that he said "thinks he is a really tough man." To play you say to someone, "If you love me honey, you'll smile." And the person you say it to has to try and say back to you, "I love you too, honey, but I can't smile," and without smiling! You get 3 tries to break the person. So, he gets his face close to this man's face and says it. The man doesn't falter. Then, he does it a second time, this time cradling the side of the man's face with his hand. Meanwhile, everyone else is bursting out laughing and smiling. The man didn't falter the second time. The third time, the pastor wrapped his arms around him and gave him a hug, and the man smiled! He told everyone else to try it out on each other for a minute and we did. Of course, Robert just looked at me and I burst out in smiles and giggling, I was already tickled! I don't know that anyone else could help it either! Me and Robert played it on each other later in the grocery store and on the way home. I almost got it! I got on the third try and almost made it! Robert never made it either though! The pastor talked about smiling. We all, at some times, put on a fake smile. Or at some times, we just simply can't, we can't even force it, cause the trials of life are dragging us down too much. He referred to Psalm 98, in which the Lord is being praised. And that some of the verses in Psalms are some of the most touching and beautiful verses, and they are when things are not perfect, but when things are going wrong. I'm afraid that I personally, and unfortunately, don't know my bible very well at all, so I can't quote on everything just so. But I can relay the message I received. He spoke of a man who went through many tough and, well, I can't even imagine, trials. Like losing children and being diagnosed with prostate cancer, all within a short period of time, all those burdens at once. Smile? What did he have to smile about? People can try and comfort and do reach out and try to do so when others are in pain and sorrow. But sometimes they don't even want that. Like the man said, he didn't want answers, he just wanted his health back, and his children. On a side note here, I really feel for both sides when this is the situation. I have been on both sides. I have been the one that doesn't want to hear it and I have been the one that tries to give. I don't have any solid advice on the subject but I do find that both sides should try to remember to understand the other side and not get angry with each other. You have one person who is raw with emotion and hurting and you have one person who is worried and wanting to help this other person in whatever way they can. Then the hurting person sometimes gets angry at the person who is just trying to help and the person trying to help gets angry cause the hurting person got angry with them for being nice! It's a complicated and delicate thing, but both sides should put in the effort to not get angry either way. I find that the hurting person usually accepts and sometimes embraces the things the helping person says later on, they just weren't ready before. But how can the helping person know when you are ready? They can't! They are only doing their best. If they didn't say anything at all, the hurting person would be angry with them over that! Okay, enough of my opinions. So, what does the man have to smile about when everything around him is so hard? Well, he does. Even in his darkest hours, he says, "God is good." God will never forsake you, God has made a place in Heaven for you, where there will be no pain and no sorrow. Even when everything else is falling apart, God is good. Even when you can't seem to force that smile, there is a reason to smile, because God is good. Pray, have faith, don't worry, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't try to understand, just give it all to God. Too often we forget or neglect to praise God when things aren't going the way we'd like. We should always praise God. God is good! Always!

"Praise You in This Storm" - Casting Crows

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

Chorus:
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of heaven and earth

-ladyworpledinker

Mother's Day Tradition

For as long as I can remember it has been tradition to go with (from my mom's side) my great grandma, my grandma, my mom, my aunts, and my sister to church on Mother's Day. There are plants/flowers that are given to certain mothers, such as the oldest mother, the youngest mother, the mother with the most children, etc. My sister, 19, was the youngest this time, congrats Cindy. And for as long as I remember my great grandmother has always been the oldest and the one with the most children, as it was this time as well. Also, all of the mothers are given a rose. I was right as I previously stated, I did not make it through. I tried so hard not to cry but during these exchanges the tears came anyway. And of course it wasn't just a drop or two, I was just about sobbing. I don't know who in all saw this but I am glad that most probably didn't. I don't know that I will ever get a rose. Regardless of that, the service was fantastic (I wish I could have gone to my other church too) and I had a really great time with my family. I love to see my nephew Billy laugh. I certainly don't regret my decision to attend, although I definitely thought about not doing so. I guess I wouldn't normally admit some of these things, I'm not sure why I am. I don't know if anyone is reading my blogs anymore, I haven't had any feedback recently. I'm not complaining though, I enjoy writing them anyway, just making a note of it. I know I have missed a few and I'm sure I will miss more. I may miss next Sunday because then I may be going with Robert and his mother to visit Robert's brother in Massachusetts. I do hope all you mothers out there had a lovely Mother's Day. I send you my love and warm wishes. May God bless you. And also to those mother's who have had loss and to those out there that aren't mothers at all, but are yearning like me.

-ladyworpledinker